Episodes
Dec. 25, 2023
(Bonus) Brian On Acquired Podcast Part 2
This time we talk about the AOL/Time Warner Merger
Dec. 24, 2023
(Bonus) Brian On Acquired Podcast Part 1
The first time I went on the Acquired Podcast, back in March of 2017. We talked about Yahoo's acquisition of Overture. I know you probably haven't heard of either of those names, but in a roundabout way, this is the story of how Google makes so much money.
Dec. 23, 2023
(Bonus) Brian On The Newsworthy Podcast
Me on The Newsworthy Podcast talking the tech trends of 2023.
Dec. 22, 2023
Fri. 12/22 – The Hyperloop Is Dead
The hyperloop dream is dead. The attempt to bridge the iMessage divide is dead. China’s gaming industry isn’t dead, but it’s pretty wounded. The crazy story of that teenage hacker who leaked the GTA VI stuff. The weekend longreads suggestions, and at the very end, a unique look back at the evolutio…
Dec. 21, 2023
Thu. 12/21 – Big Galaxy S24 Spec Leaks; And What Is “Galaxy AI?”
The Galaxy S24 lineup had a big spec leak. So what do the new phones have and what is Galaxy AI? Get ready cause the Apple Vision Pro hype tsunami is about to wash over us. A big merger might happen soon to confirm the consolidation phase of the Streaming Wars is upon us. Waymo has data that says i…
Dec. 20, 2023
Wed. 12/20 – Sony Has Sold 50 Million PS5s
Rite Aid was apparently doing some crazy stuff with facial recognition software. Sony says the PS5 is killing it. ByteDance is definitely killing it. Microsoft CoPilot can now compose songs. And maybe the real reason OpenAI is making deals with publishers.
Dec. 19, 2023
Tue. 12/19 – Google Might Owe You Some Money
Google has settled lawsuits from the states, has agreed to offer new billing tools, and may owe YOU some money as they’ve agreed to pay $700 million dollars in restitution. What happens to adobe and Figma now that they’ve got to go their own ways? Why do hackers love targeting game developers? And …
Dec. 18, 2023
Mon. 12/18 – Adobe And Figma Call Off Their Merger
Big news Monday. Adobe and Figma have called off their wedding. Apple might stop selling its top-of-the-line Apple Watches, in the US, this week. I’ll tell you why. The EU has formally opened an investigation into X. And why are all of the Hollywood studios suddenly willing to sell their content to…
Dec. 16, 2023
(Portfolio Profile) AdHawk Microsystems
You can learn more about AdHawk Microsystems.
But especially learn more about the MindLink Air.
And the link to the YouTube version of this interview is here if you want to watch the demo.
Dec. 15, 2023
Fri. 12/15 – Did Google Just Kill Geofence Warrants?
Did Google just kill geofence warrants? Intel wants you to know it’s in the AI game. Could we get a foldable iPad before we get a foldable iPhone? Soon, maybe your tv really will be spying on you to deliver ads. The AI stuffed toy that Grimes has partnered with. And, of course, The Weekend Longread…
Dec. 14, 2023
Thu. 12/14 – Threads Is Shipping Some Stuff!
The gates have been opened for Europeans on Threads, and it looks like Meta’s serious about tying Threads into to Fediverse. I argue that the release of a new charging case for the AirPods Pro is kinda a big deal. Wait until you hear this wild story about hackers versus a train. And maybe ChatGPT D…
Dec. 13, 2023
Wed. 12/13 – Big Tesla Recall
Apple has a new tool to help you if your iPhone gets stolen. There’s a huge Tesla recall related to Autopilot. More AI tools from Google. How is X doing, you know, financially speaking? And Netflix’s first ever What We Watched report.
Dec. 12, 2023
Tue. 12/12 – Epic Win!
Epic Games has won its case against Google’s app store, but why was this case different than the one they lost to Apple? The sort of big changes to Apple TV. BeReal is still around and still… being real. But E3 is not. It’s officially over as a conference.
Dec. 11, 2023
Mon. 12/11 – Here Come The New Open-Source AI Startups
I told you the open-source AI startups were coming, and a big one is making waves today. Apple’s iPad lineup is hella confusing, but Mark Gurman says Apple is working to streamline that in the coming year. And let me give you the background on that whole Effective Accelerationist movement you might…
Dec. 8, 2023
Fri. 12/08 – Did Google Fake The Gemini Demo?
People across the Internet are accusing Google of faking that Gemini AI video demo that everyone was wowed by. Apple seems to be diversifying out of China for manufacturing at pace now. Might the UK’s CMA have an issue with Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads…
Dec. 7, 2023
Thu. 12/07 – Zuck Keeps A Promise
Meta has kept a longstanding promise to encrypt Messenger by default. Apple is coming clean about the notifications spying thing. AMD’s answer to Nvidia. We know when the next major version of Windows is coming and, surprise, it’s got AI all over it. And Apple releases its first little AI hint.
Dec. 7, 2023
Wed. 12/06 – Google’s OpenAI Competitor Announced
Say hello to Gemini, Google’s new AI model designed to go head to head with OpenAI. Governments have been spying on your phone’s notifications, but Apple couldn’t tell you about that until now. Why is Twitch shutting down service in what is one of the biggest markets in the world for esports? And a…
Dec. 6, 2023
Wed. 12/06 – Google’s OpenAI Competitor Announced!
Say hello to Gemini, Google’s new AI model designed to go head to head with OpenAI. Governments have been spying on your phone’s notifications, but Apple couldn’t tell you about that until now. Why is Twitch shutting down service in what is one of the biggest markets in the world for esports? And a…
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Dec. 5, 2023
Tue. 12/05 – 23andMe Hack Just Keeps Getting Worse
The 23andMe hack just keeps getting worse. A new phone! The OnePlus 12. A new AI Alliance. New, upgraded spam filters. And all you need to know about the big Grand Theft Auto VI news.
Dec. 4, 2023
Mon. 12/04 – Monster Spotify Layoffs
I guess Spotify missed the memo about the tech turnaround cause they had monster layoffs today. Google has delayed its big OpenAI competitor. Why does AI have a tendency to do evil unless you really tell it not to? And the band Kiss is retiring from touring, but Kiss the band has the potential to t…
Dec. 2, 2023
(Bonus) The Sam Altman Saga Timeline With Alex Konrad Of Forbes
Here is how it all went down with the Sam Altman saga, day by day, hour by hour. With @alexkonrad of Forbes.
This is the story we talk about toward the end:
A Secretive $10 Billion Firm Backed By WhatsApp Billionaire Jan Koum Is Quietly Building A Startup Portfolio (Forbes)
Dec. 1, 2023
Fri. 12/01 – iPhones To Go All-Action (Button)
The action button is coming to all the iPhones with increased functionality. Reconstituting the cable bundle example #972. Microsoft wants to create a mobile gaming app store sometime soon. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
Nov. 30, 2023
Thu. 11/30 – The Prodigal Son Is Back
Sam Altman is officially back at work as OpenAI CEO. Meta is about to launch Threads in Europe, but their plan to offer ad free subscription tiers for their services has hit a speed bump. You can trick LLMs into revealing their training data. And I warned you before, but if you have any dormant Goo…
Nov. 29, 2023
Wed. 11/29 – Apple And Goldman Part Ways
unstable, it might be looking to sell itself. GM is pumping the breaks on its Cruise rollout. All the headlines from the big AWS conference yesterday. And it’s that time of year: what won your Spotify Wrapped listening charts?