Tech Brew Ride Home

All the headlines from the iPhone event earlier today, including the new iPhone Air. The judge isn’t happy with Anthropic’s $1.5 B payday to authors. OpenAI isn’t happy with California and might leave. And despite what it’s said publicly, Google recently argued in court that the post-AI web is already dying. Links: Apple announces iPhone Air: the thinnest iPhone ever (9to5Mac) Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro has the biggest battery of any iPhone (The Verge) Anthropic Judge Blasts $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement (2) (Bloomberg Law) Xbox is coming to cars thanks to an LG and Microsoft partnership (The Verge) OpenAI Executives Rattled by Campaigns to Derail For-Profit Restructuring (WSJ) Microsoft mandates a return to office (The Verge) New Google Court Doc: Open Web Is In Rapid Decline (Search Engine Roundtable) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion dollars to authors of books that might have trained their AI. Would my book qualify for some of that money? Also, why this is interesting in general. OpenAI is making a movie. Tokenizing the stock market. Three interesting raises, and at the end of the show, let me tell you about my weekend experiment with AI. Links: Anthropic Reaches $1.5 Billion Author Copyright Settlement (Bloomberg) OpenAI Backs AI-Made Animated Feature Film (WSJ) Nasdaq makes push to launch trading of tokenized securities (Reuters) Mistral Set for $14 Billion Valuation With New Funding Round (Bloomberg) Databricks Crosses $4 Billion in Annual Revenue Rate (WSJ) ElevenLabs to Let Staff Sell Shares at $6.6 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg) AI Generated 'Boring History' Videos Are Flooding YouTube and Drowning Out Real History (404Media) My AI Experiment: The History of Amazon My AI Expeirment: The History of Google Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie Samuels shares her journey from a journalism major to a prominent figure in the tech advocacy space, detailing her experiences at NCSA, her work with EFF, and her role in founding Tech NYC. She discusses the evolution of the internet, the cultural differences between Silicon Valley and New York City, and the importance of community engagement in shaping the future of technology. Julie emphasizes the need for tech companies to be involved in civic issues and how Tech NYC aims to support and represent the tech industry in New York. 00:00 Introduction and Early Internet Experiences 02:11 Career Beginnings at NCSA 05:08 Transitioning to Journalism and Early Online News 08:00 The Shift in Journalism and the Dot Com Bubble 10:53 The Evolving New York Tech Scene 13:54 Joining EFF and First Amendment Advocacy 16:55 Mainstreaming of Internet Issues 19:53 Reflections on the Impact of Technology 21:05 The Optimism of the Tech Boom 24:19 Contrasting Silicon Valley and New York Tech 32:25 The Birth of Tech NYC 42:34 Tech NYC's Role in Today's Landscape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the, this wasn’t on my bingo card file, OpenAI has launched a sort of job board? Why Broadcom might become Nvidia’s big rival. Is AI image generation about to have its Napster moment? And in the Longread Suggestions, a deep-dive state of the job market in tech. 00:00 Intro 00:33 OpenAI Job Search 04:22 Broadcom Competes With Nvidia? 07:41 AI Image Napster Moment? 11:30 Nividia's "Self Dealing"? 15:35 Longreads Links: OpenAI Plans Jobs Platform, Certification Program for AI Roles (Bloomberg) OpenAI set to start mass production of its own AI chips with Broadcom (FT) Warner Bros. Discovery Sues AI Giant Midjourney for Copyright Infringement In Major Legal Battle (The Hollywood Reporter) Nvidia to Pay $1.5 Billion to Rent Back Its Own Chips From Cloud Startup (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: State of the software engineering job market in 2025 (The Pragmatic Engineer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Gurman lays out how Apple intends to jump into AI search as soon as this Spring. You’ll never guess who’s one of the biggest players in quantum computing. The Browser Company gets a soft landing, and after a decade and a half of waiting, we finally have the iPad app for Instagram you say you always wanted. Links: Apple Plans AI-Powered Web Search Tool for Siri to Rival OpenAI, Perplexity (Bloomberg) Nvidia’s Venture Arm Invests in Honeywell’s Quantinuum (Bloomberg) Atlassian agrees to acquire The Browser Co. for $610 million (CNBC) Roblox expands use of age-estimation tech and introduces standardized ratings (TechCrunch) New AI model turns photos into explorable 3D worlds, with caveats (ArsTechnica) Instagram is coming to iPad, 15 years later (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google whistles past the graveyard with the remedy ruling on its antitrust case. OpenAI makes a big acquisition. Anthropic has a big new raise and a huge new valuation to boot. And why are AI companies finding it so hard to engineer safe interactions with Chatbots? Links: Google stock jumps 8% after search giant avoids worst-case penalties in antitrust case (CNBC) Google, Apple, and Mozilla Win in the Antitrust Case Google Lost (Spyglass) Google’s Big Win Is Even Bigger for Apple (WSJ) OpenAI starts building out its app team (The Verge) Anthropic’s $13bn Series F raise sees it triple in value to $183bn (SiliconRepublic) Acer Veriton GN100 is a mini AI workstation (VideoCardz) The problem of AI chatbots discussing suicide with teenagers (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump family’s big new crypto coin makes its debut. OpenAI outlines new safety guardrails. Dolby announces its biggest new TV tech in years. Say hello to Dolby Vision 2. Fintech seems to be back. And as the price per token for AI models has fallen, why are costs for developers rising? Links: Trump family’s World Liberty Financial token falls in trading debut (FT) Parental controls are coming to ChatGPT ‘within the next month,’ OpenAI says (CNNBusiness) Dolby Vision 2 goes beyond HDR with more AI and ‘authentic motion’ smoothing (The Verge) UK fintechs explore buying US banks to speed up push for licences (FT) Cutting-Edge AI Was Supposed to Get Cheaper. It’s More Expensive Than Ever. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Bradley Tusk discusses his unique career at the intersection of politics and technology. He shares insights from his early experiences in New York City politics, his time working with Senator Schumer, and his role as Deputy Governor of Illinois. Tusk reflects on the Bloomberg campaign during the financial crisis and how he merged political strategies with business through Tusk Strategies. He highlights the regulatory challenges faced by Uber and the importance of understanding the political landscape for startups. Tusk also addresses the future of AI and the necessity of regulation to protect society while fostering innovation. 00:00 The Intersection of Tech and Politics 05:58 The Rise of Tech in New York City 12:08 Governance and the Role of a Deputy Governor 18:03 Tusk Strategies: Merging Politics with Tech 23:55 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Startups 33:52 The Need for AI Regulation 40:06 Addressing the Challenges of Gambling Regulations Bradley Tusk identifies as a political junkie rather than a tech junkie. His early career choices were influenced by his experiences in politics and writing. Working under Henry Stern provided Tusk with a deep understanding of municipal politics. Tusk learned the importance of media and messaging while working for Senator Schumer. His role as Deputy Governor of Illinois involved managing a significant budget deficit. The Bloomberg campaign was marked by innovative use of technology and media. Tusk's strategies for Uber involved mobilizing customers to advocate for the service. He emphasizes the need for startups to recognize regulatory challenges early on. Tusk believes in the necessity of regulating AI to prevent societal harm. He advocates for a taxation structure to redistribute wealth generated by AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China continues to show signs that it might not need American AI chips much longer. A weird story about that big recent Tesla trial ruling. Look, AI being too much of a sycophant is clearly becoming a big problem. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Alibaba Creates AI Chip to Help China Fill Nvidia Void (WSJ) Tesla said it didn’t have key data in a fatal crash. Then a hacker found it. (Washington Post) Intel gets $5.7 billion from Trump deal as White House says details are ‘being ironed out’ (CNBC) Zuckerberg’s AI hires disrupt Meta with swift exits and threats to leave (Financial Times) A Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions AI Is Eliminating Jobs for Younger Workers (Wired) This Visiting Interstellar Comet Just Keeps Getting Weirder (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia’s earnings are ok, but maybe showing signs of normalizing. Copilot for your TV. A blockchain for your cloud. I catch you up on that whole Nano Banana image AI craze sweeping the internet. And a summary of the Pixel phone reviews. Links: Nvidia beats on top and bottom lines as company expects breakneck AI spend to continue (CNBC) Microsoft expands Xbox Cloud Gaming to Game Pass Core and Standard subscribers (The Verge) Microsoft’s Copilot AI is now inside Samsung TVs and monitors (The Verge) Google Cloud is developing its own blockchain for payments, currently in private testnet (The Block) Google Gemini’s AI image model gets a ‘bananas’ upgrade (TechCrunch) Nothing busted using professional photos as Phone 3 samples (The Verge) Google Pixel 10 Pro review: the best AI phone on the market (The Shortcut) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against OpenAI. The continuing saga of what the heck is going on over at Meta AI? Is “vibe hacking” the big new threat we need to be worried about? Anthropic had to settle because it was afraid it would be sued out of existence. And when the iPhone event is gonna happen. Links: OpenAI Plans to Update ChatGPT After Parents Sue Over Teen’s Suicide (Bloomberg) A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In. (NYTimes) Researchers Are Already Leaving Meta’s New Superintelligence Lab (Wired) ‘Vibe-hacking’ is now a top AI threat (The Verge) Anthropic Settles Major AI Copyright Suit Brought by Authors (3) (Bloomberg Law) Apple Makes Music Push in Radio After Losing Ground to Spotify (WSJ) Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Awe Dropping' (MacRumors) Fantasy League Link: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/poyeg1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk is taking his beef with Sam Altman AND Tim Apple to court. The Trump administration could sanction EU officials over the Digital Services Act. Spotify has added DMs. And Ben Thompson’s deep analysis of the whole Intel situation. Links: Elon Musk's xAI sues Apple and OpenAI over AI competition, App Store rankings (Reuters) Exclusive: Trump administration weighs sanctions on officials implementing EU tech law, sources say (Reuters) Spotify is adding DMs (The Verge) Attorneys General To AI Chatbot Companies: You Will ‘Answer For It’ If You Harm Children (404Media) Intel says Trump deal has risks for shareholders, international sales (CNBC) U.S. Intel (Stratechery) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government has indeed taken a stake in Intel. Apple might turn to Google to save Siri. Meta turns to Midjourney. Perplexity wants to cut publishers in on the action. And how DHL is using AI to shore up a workforce that is aging out. Links: Trump, Intel Agree to 10% U.S. Stake as President Promises More Deals (NYTimes) Apple Explores Using Google Gemini AI to Power Revamped Siri (Bloomberg) Meta partners with Midjourney on AI image and video models (TechCrunch) Perplexity to Let Publishers Share in Revenue from AI Searches (Bloomberg) Netflix Sets Opening Dates for Permanent Entertainment and Shopping Venues in Philadelphia, Dallas (Variety) Inside DHL’s AI upgrade: ‘Love it or hate it, you have to work with it’ (FT) 8 Women, 4 Bedrooms and 1 Cause: Breaking A.I.’s Glass Ceiling (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talked recently about how Nvidia wasn’t home free in China just yet, and low and behold, they’re stopping H20 chip production over Chinese concerns. Did Elon Musk talk to Mark Zuckerberg about buying OpenAI together? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Nvidia Orders Halt to H20 Production After China Directive Against Purchases (The Information) Meta Signs $10 Billion-Plus Cloud Deal With Google (The Information) Elon Musk tried to enlist Mark Zuckerberg in $100bn bid for OpenAI (Financial Times) OpenAI Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Search Data (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok. (NYTimes) Bill Gates meets Willy Wonka: How Epic’s 82-year-old billionaire CEO, Judy Faulkner, built her software factory (CNBC) Mutant Podcast Army Fantasy Football League Link poyeg1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is going on at Meta AI story number 77. A deeper look at that new chip that Google unveiled with the Pixel phones yesterday and what that could suggest for Google’s hardware strategy. And an interesting startup that is making AI smartglasses happen now. Links: Meta Freezes AI Hiring After Blockbuster Spending Spree (WSJ) Suddenly, Silicon Valley Is Lowering AI Expectations (NYMag) Google did more than just switch to TSMC for Tensor G5 — This is what’s new (9to5Google) DeepSeek Touts Model That Outdoes Flagship in Agentic AI Step (Bloomberg) Sony is raising PS5 prices, starting tomorrow (The Verge) Harvard dropouts to launch ‘always on’ AI smart glasses that listen and record every conversation (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the headlines from the Made By Google event where we saw the new Pixel 10 lineup and the 4th gen Pixel Watch. We have a release date for those new Xbox handhelds. More seeming chaos at Meta’s AI headquarters. And a report back from the first ever AI film festival. Links: The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable (The Verge) Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are all about upgrades you can’t see, still starting at $999 [Hands-on] (9to5Google) Google debuts Pixel Watch 4 with domed display, emergency Satellite Communication (TechCrunch) Microsoft and Asus’ new Xbox Ally handhelds launch on October 16th (The Verge) Mark Zuckerberg Shakes Up Meta’s A.I. Efforts, Again (NYTimes) US tech stocks hit by concerns over future of AI boom (FT) I Saw the Future of AI Film and It Was Empty (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masa Son is investing $2B into Intel, and the Uncle Sam might join in as well. Small AI models continue to have a moment. Chamath is reentering the arena with a new SPAC. The Texas AG is investigating AI chatbots. And does GPT-5 prove that we’ve hit an AI ceiling, even if only temporarily? Links: ⁠Intel is getting a $2 billion investment from SoftBank⁠ (CNBC) ⁠Nvidia releases a new small, open model Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 with toggle on/off reasoning⁠ (VentureBeat) ⁠‘SPAC King’ Chamath Palihapitiya is back with a new one⁠ (Pitchbook) ⁠Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims⁠ (TechCrunch) ⁠Is AI hitting a wall?⁠ (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta is readying smartglasses with a display, but also, a look at their theoretical and prototype roadmap for the future of headware hardware generally. Is all the money in the world not actually going to get Zuck what he wants in AI? And is the acquihire in all but name trend of recent months breaking Silicon Valley’s fundamental business model? Links: Apple’s Vision Pro Is Suffering From a Lack of Immersive Video (Bloomberg) Meta Tiramisu "Hyperrealistic VR" Hands-On: A Stunning Window Into Another World (UploadVR) Meta Boba 3 Prototype Hands-On: Ultra-Wide Field Of View Without Compromise (UploadVR) Startup down rounds are at a 10 year high, according to PitchBook data (Fortune) Meta Plans Fourth Restructuring of AI Efforts in Six Months (The Information) Zuckerberg Squandered His AI Talent. Now He’s Spending Billions To Replace It. (Forbes) Big Tech Is Eating Itself in Talent War (WSJ) Enough is enough—I dumped Google’s worsening search for Kagi (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the US government take a stake in Intel? Why was Meta letting spicy conversation happen with their AI bots? What does it mean if Foxconn’s AI business is now bigger than its gadget assembly business? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Trump Administration Said to Discuss Taking Stake in Intel (Bloomberg) Meta’s AI rules have let bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with kids, offer false medical info (Reuters) Forget Foxconn the iPhone factory. AI’s made it a server-slinger first and foremost (The Register) Apple returns blood oxygen monitoring to the latest Apple Watches (The Verge) Whoop Refuses to Pull Blood Pressure Tool After FDA Warning (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone (NYTimes) Behind Wall Street’s Abrupt Flip on Crypto (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York is suing Zelle. Another IPO pop has me raising my eyebrows. Maybe Perplexity really was serious, at least about getting a browser. Does Apple want to make basically that Pixar lamp? And AI has so broken the hiring process that some companies are resorting again to in-person interviews. Links: New York sues Zelle, says security lapses led to $1 billion consumer fraud losses (Reuters) Crypto Firm Bullish Soars 84% in Debut After $1.1 Billion IPO (Bloomberg) Before Wild Chrome Bid, Perplexity Had Been Hunting for Browsers (The Information) Apple Plots Expansion Into AI Robots, Home Security and Smart Displays (Bloomberg) AI Is Forcing the Return of the In-Person Job Interview (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices