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Latest Episodes:

Mon. 10/23 – Apple Caught Flat-Footed By Generative AI? Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Mark Gurman suggests Apple is scrambling to go all in on Generative AI. Also, will there be a mini Mac event by the end of this month? Okta had a breach. Worldcoin is dogfooding its own token. Would you let your family pick your Tinder matches? And do your kids like telling you where they are at all times?

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Links:

Inside Apple’s Big Plan to Bring Generative AI to All Its Devices (Bloomberg)
Okta shares fall 11% after company says client files were accessed by hackers via its support system (CNBC)
Web Summit CEO Cosgrave Quits After Israel Controversy (Bloomberg)
China launches investigation into iPhone maker Foxconn, says state media (Financial Times)
Worldcoin to pay orb operators in WLD rather than USDC (The Block)
Worldcoin to cease paying Orb operators in USDC as early as November (CoinTelegraph)
Tinder now lets mom pick your next date (The Verge)
Teens Want Parents to Track Their Phones and Monitor Their Every Move (WSJ)

(Bonus) The Language AI Experiment Oct 21, 2023

Show notes

Remember, the order of the languages is Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and German.

Fri. 10/20 – Net Neutrality Is Probably Coming Back Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

More on the crypto/terrorism allegations. The FCC is freeing up spectrum for use by AR and VR devices. They’re also laying the groundwork to bring net neutrality back. AMD’s latest chips designed to rival Nvidia. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Links:

U.S. Treasury Seeks to Name Crypto Mixers as 'Money Laundering Concern' (CoinDesk)
SEC Drops Charges Against Ripple CEO Garlinghouse, Chairman Larsen (CoinDesk)
FCC greenlights superfast Wi-Fi tethering for AR and VR headsets (The Verge)
FCC begins second quest for net neutrality (TechCrunch)
AMD challenges Nvidia’s RTX 4080 with its new RX 7900M laptop GPU (PCWorld)
FaZe Clan acquired by GameSquare (Digiday)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

An Industry Insider Drives an Open Alternative to Big Tech’s A.I. (NYTimes)
‘Oof’: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Trial Reveals Inside Details of How FTX Died (NYTimes)
Computers Are Learning to Smell (The Atlantic)

Thu. 10/19 – A Setback For OpenAI? Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Is crypto being used for terrorism in the current war? Netflix has good earnings and raises prices. Again. Again I ask why tech layoffs have returned. What does it mean if OpenAI had to completely scrap a new AI model? And if those FaceTime video reactions are annoying you, I’ll tell you how to turn them off.

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Links:

Chainalysis says some reports might be overestimating crypto's role in terrorist financing (The Block)
NY Attorney General sues Gemini, Genesis and DCG for allegedly defrauding crypto investors of over $1B (TechCrunch)
WhatsApp will soon let you stay logged in to two accounts at once (The Verge)
Netflix Plans Price Increase as Password-Sharing Crackdown Boosts Subscriber Growth (WSJ)
Nokia to cut up to 14,000 jobs after 69% profit plunge (CNBC)
Authors sue Meta, Microsoft, Bloomberg in latest AI copyright clash (Reuters)
OpenAI Dropped Work on New ‘Arrakis’ AI Model in Rare Setback (The Information)
How to turn off FaceTime video reactions in iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma (AppleInsider)

Wed. 10/18 – For Elon, The War On Bots Never Ends Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

Elon has a fresh idea for fighting bots and maybe making some money. The IRS is finally moving ahead of cheap online tax filing. What are the odds Netflix can muscle its way into the gaming industry. And should I release this podcast in different languages?

Sponsors:

Earnin App

Links:

Tue. 10/17 – Is LinkedIn… Good Now? Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

A new “affordable” Apple Pencil. Several “fog of war” stories surrounding major tech players. Why are tech layoffs suddenly back? Are Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses good? And is LinkedIn actually the social network you should be investing more energy in?

Sponsors:

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Mindbloom.com/techmeme, promocode Techmeme

Links:

Mon. 10/16 – Nikola Tesla’s Dream Now A Reality Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

Mark Gurman already has details on a cheaper Vision Pro. Minecraft passes 300 million units sold. Why prompt injection is THE security issue of the AI era. And what if Nikola Tesla’s dream of sending electrical energy over distance without any wires is slowly becoming a thing?

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Links:

Apple Renews Top Ranks With Wave of Executive Promotions (Bloomberg)
A New Protocol Vulnerability Will Haunt the Web for Years (Wired)
Goldman Sachs Wants Out of Consumer Lending. Employees Say It Can’t Happen Fast Enough. (WSJ)
Multi-modal prompt injection image attacks against GPT-4V (Simon Willison's Blog)
Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies (The Verge)
Microsoft’s Activision Buy Extends Nadella’s Decade of Deals (WSJ)
I’m Charging My Toothbrush With Wireless Power Over Distance—and It’s a Trip (Wired)

(Bonus) Pixel Review Oct 14, 2023

Show notes

If my reviews don't float your boat, here are some more detailed ones:

Pixel 8 and 8 Pro review: in Google we trust? (The Verge)
Google Pixel Watch 2 review: better battery, better watch (The Verge)

Fri. 10/13 – The Activision Acquisition Goes Through Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

Microsoft wins its big prize. The EU officially opens and X investigation. VC investment activity has reached its lowest level in years. Netflix dips its toe into the IRL experience business. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Links:

Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard for Xbox has been fully APPROVED by the UK regulator (Windows Central)
EU opens probe into Elon Musk’s X over Israel-Hamas war misinformation (Financial Times)
U.S. VC funding hit lowest level in 6 years in Q3 | A story told in charts (VentureBeat)
Netflix to Open Stores Where Fans Can Play, Shop and Eat in 2025 (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Adobe Is Focused on AI Rather Than Figma With Acquisition in Limbo (Bloomberg)
Can EA’s FIFA-Free Soccer Game Win Fans? (Bloomberg)
Has Bob Iger Lost the Magic? (Bloomberg)
Why Dizziness Is Still a Mystery (The New Yorker)

Thu. 10/12 – The IRS Wants A Word With Microsoft Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

That thing where the IRS says you’ve underpaid your taxes to the tune of almost $30 billion dollars. Adam Mosseri says Threads is NOT coming for the breaking news crown. Those kids today, they love YouTube and they REALLY love iPhones. And forget social chat with your friends. How about social chat with your friends, and your AI bot, and their AI bots?

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