Get the Check

In the last episode of Season 1, the hosts reflect on four major tech stories that shaped the year: state-sponsored hacking, the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google, Databricks’ acquisition of Tabular, and OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model. “Most Likely to Keep You Up at Night” goes to Midnight Blizzard, a Russian hacking group using password spray techniques and evading detection. The hosts explore whether a safer digital landscape is possible in the face of increasingly strategic cyberattacks. “Most Likely to Cause a Breakup” goes to the DOJ, with its landmark antitrust case against Google. Is Google’s dominance driving innovation—or stifling it? The hosts break down the DOJ’s argument, Google’s rebuttal, and what this case means for Big Tech. “Most Likely to Have Buyer’s Remorse” goes to Databricks, following its $2 billion acquisition of Tabular, a company with just $1 million in ARR. The hosts dive into the tech behind Apache Iceberg, the data table format, at the heart of Databricks’ battle with Snowflake. “Most Likely to Sell Out” goes to OpenAI, which shifted from a nonprofit mission to a for-profit model, losing key founders and researchers along the way. The team debates the implications of this move for the future of AI and AI’s role in shaping global dynamics. See you in Season 2 premiering the first week of January. You can follow us @getthecheckpod on all socials! 00:19 State-sponsored cyberwarfare 10:42 DOJ v Google 22:22 Databricks acquires Tabular 31:09 OpenAI non-profit to PBC 44:22 Closing

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts unpack Coinbase, the leading US-based cryptocurrency exchange. They cover Coinbase riding the wave of Bitcoin’s $100k breakthrough and a potentially crypto-friendly SEC under Trump. They take a look at Coinbase’s shift from a crypto exchange to a key part of the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. The hosts break down Coinbase’s growth initiatives. They highlight USDC, which is their stablecoin product tailored to institutional investors. They also dive into Base Layer 2’s rise as it becomes the industry standard for decentralized applications built on Ethereum. Then they discuss regulation: the biggest obstacle for adoption and innovation in crypto. The hosts dive into the policy shifts could add clarity and growth opportunities to the crypto ecosystem. In the face of FTX’s recent collapse and Binance’s dominance over Coinbase in trading volume, the hosts discuss Coinbase’s strategy to diversify its revenue streams. Is Coinbase positioning themselves to thrive despite crypto being a cyclical market? Tune in to listen to all things crypto and don’t forget to follow @getthecheckpod on all socials! 00:00 Intro 02:02 Microstrategy’s strategy  04:55 Coinbase founding and exchange 11:50 Tether 13:54 Coinbase wallet 21:34 Driving revenue through improving core trading platform 28:30 Driving utility in crypto 35:29 Driving regulatory clarity for the industry 43:37 Coinbase’s revenue streams 49:37 Will there be another crypto winter? 51:59 Maya’s NFT trading

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts unpack Palantir’s rise into one of the world’s leading data analytics firms and the U.S.'s largest defense contractor. They explore how the post-9/11 demand for enhanced national security led Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others to found Palantir, with the goal of creating a tool to unlock insights from the vast troves of data that already existed. The ended up playing a vital role in the capture of Osama Bin Laden.  The hosts break down Palantir's impressive 2024 Q3 earnings, including its 327% YTD stock surge. The hosts provide an overview of Palantir’s flagship products: Foundry, Gotham, and AI Platform (AIP) and discuss whether its ontological layer that transforms the data into actionable insights is truly transformative or over engineered. They dive into the forward deployed model that Palantir employees and how it is unique from traditional SaaS companies or tech consulting. The hosts also talk about Palantir's expansion into the commercial sector and go into a case study of how a commercial client would use Palantir. Finally, they discuss the ethics behind Palantir's work with ICE and different cities on predictive policing strategies. Tune in to learn more about one of the most talked about companies this year. You can follow @getthecheckpod on all socials to hear about when our final episode of Season 1 is coming out! 00:00 Intro 01:20 Palantir’s Recent Earnings Report 05:14 Core product overview 08:25 What is ontology? 15:50 Forward-deployed engineering model 19:00 Expansion into commercial customers 27:11 Predictive Policing and Palantir’s involvement 37:19 Cancelling restaurant pick of the week

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts discuss Scale AI's role in the AI ecosystem. With AI models requiring high-quality, labeled data to perform at their best, Scale AI has positioned itself at the forefront of creating quality data. The hosts explore Scale's journey, from using contractors to scale its data labeling operations to long-standing partnerships with the DoD and OpenAI. The hosts break down the three pillars of AI—compute, data, and algorithms—and take a closer look at Scale’s history, its innovative products, and the controversies surrounding labor in data labeling. They dive into training data such as input-output pairs, reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), and the workflow data needed to power the shift from generative AI to agentic AI. Additionally, they touch on Scale’s new offerings, including expert data labeling, ML ops for enterprises, and the defense-focused LLAMA model, a collaboration with Meta to power U.S. military AI capabilities. Tune in for insights on how Scale AI is leveraging human expertise to create high-quality datasets that power everything from autonomous vehicles to defense technologies. You can follow @getthecheckpod on all socials. Stay tuned for next week’s episode on Scale AI! 00:00 Pillars of AI 01:30 What is data labeling? 04:46 Can synthetic data replace real data? 07:37 Classes of data 12:04 Founding story 18:39 Scale Donovan 22:33 Using private data for agentic AI 27:19 SEAL LLM Leaderboard 30:30 Expert Match 32:34 Hiring at Scale AI 38:02 Restaurant pick of the week

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts dive into Match Group, the largest online dating company and parent of Tinder, Hinge, and more. They explore Match Group’s rise to dominance, including its aggressive acquisition strategy and its 9-figure payout to Tinder, as well as failed acquisition of Bumble.  The discussion also tackles the current challenges facing the online dating industry, from stagnant revenue growth to a shrinking user base, and the paradox at the heart of Match’s business model: making money by keeping users engaged, while those same users hope to find love and leave the apps behind.  The hosts then look at how AI is changing the dating game, with Grindr launching an AI "wingman" and Bumble rolling out virtual dating concierges. They question whether these new tech features truly foster connection—or if they might be leaving people feeling lonelier than ever.  Wrapping up, the hosts share what online dating has been like for them and their friends in their mid-20s in San Francisco. You can follow @getthecheckpod on all socials. Stay tuned for next week’s episode on Scale AI! Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:42 History of Match Group 05:18 Tinder acquisition 10:28 Failed Bumble acquisition and lawsuit 15:28 Hinge acquisition 20:56 Industry financials 22:51 Dating apps contributing to the loneliness epidemic  25:41 Integrating AI into dating apps 30:08 Future of dating apps 36:00 Restaurant pic of the week