Looking to President Trump's first term for clues about what tech policy might look like for the next four years. Topics include: Apple's balancing act with the U.S. and China, why Meta and Google might have fared better under Kamala Harris, the implications for "Little Tech," an open question on M&A policies, unresolved tensions with EU regulators, TikTok, ... Show More
Nov 21
(Preview) Google Starts Dancing, The Winners and Losers of Gemini Week, OpenAI Has an Advertising Problem
Ben and Andrew begin with Gemini 3, what to make of its terrific benchmark results, and why TPUs provide Google a sustainable cost advantage in AI. From there: Google’s opportunity in the enterprise space, Apple’s white label deal, and questions about both OpenAI’s future growth ... Show More
32m 56s
Nov 14
(Preview) How Apple Changed the Cellular Economy, What SpaceX Wants to Do With Spectrum, Airlines and Carriers, Yann LeCun Departs Meta
Andrew and Ben analyze SpaceX's nearly $20 billion in purchases by first touching on cell carrier history and the power dynamics that iPhones upended 20 years ago. Then: Understanding the SpaceX business and Musk's approach to strategy, what Starlink is trying to do with satellit ... Show More
23m 4s
Nov 7
(Preview) OpenAI Wants Help from the Government, Apple Taps Google for AI, Q&A on Bubbles, Amazon Groceries, and YouTube TV
Ben and Andrew begin with reactions to the OpenAI CFO discussing a federal "backstop" for prospective financing, as well as Sam Altman's recent comments about OpenAI's spending. Then: An emailer objects to the discussion of Bubble benefits, and questions about Meta's AI spending ... Show More
18m 50s
Nov 2024
What Trump 2.0 Means for Tech + A.I. Made Me Basic + HatGPT!
<p>As of this week, we have a new president-elect. We discuss how the incoming administration’s approach to technology will affect Elon Musk, a TikTok ban, Big Tech’s antitrust challenges and the speed of A.I. progress. Then, Kashmir Hill, a technology reporter for The Times, joi ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2024
How Trump Will Impact the Economy, Big Tech, and Social Media
Kara and Scott trade Election Day stories, and discuss where they went wrong with their predictions. Then, a deep dive into what a second Trump term means for the economy, crypto, Big Tech (including Elon Musk), social media, and more. Finally, a few wins to share at the end of a ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 2024
Can Musk Get Trump Elected? + Steve Ballmer’s Quest for the Facts + This Week in A.I.
<p>This week, we debate whether Elon Musk’s recent stumping and fund-raising for former President Trump could help him get re-elected. Then, former Microsoft’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, stops by to discuss his effort to depolarize our politics using government data. And fin ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2025
Goodbye TikTok, Ni Hao RedNote? + A.I.'s Environmental Impact + Meta's Masculine Energy
<p>The deadline for TikTok to sell or to face a ban is fast approaching. We discuss how Supreme Court justices — who opted on Friday to uphold the law — reacted to arguments in the case, whether the Chinese government might allow Elon Musk to buy the app, and why self-proclaimed ... Show More
1h 13m
Mar 2025
Trump's confusing crusade against Big Tech
Starlink is in the White House, Siri is still bad, Pebble is back, up is down, everything is chaos. In this episode, Nilay and David start the show by running through some big gadget news, from a Siri-related shakeup at Apple to the new Google Pixel 9A. After that, The Verge's La ... Show More
1h 50m
Feb 2025
How Based is Grok 3? + Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev on Markets For Everything + Vibecoding 101
<p>This week, Elon Musk brought a new chatbot into the crowded A.I. universe — Grok 3, the latest model from his company xAI. We break down how it compares with other leading models and what it reveals about Musk’s larger ambitions. Then, Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of the in ... Show More
1h 11m
Jul 2024
Biden Campaign Crisis, Trump and the Tech Bros, and Elon Exits California
Kara and Scott discuss Biden's campaign crisis, and what happens next. Then, a number of Kara's favorite tech bros are lining up behind Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. How much influence could they have if Trump wins the election? Plus, Elon plans to relocate X and SpaceX to Texas, ... Show More
55m 27s