Episodes

June 1, 2022

Wed. 06/01 – Surface Laptop Go Update

The Surface Laptop Go gets a refresh. The Supreme Court has blocked that Texas social media law. For now. Twitter is really gonna take TweetDeck away from us? Really? And the really interesting new Android phone that attempts to strip every Googly thing it can, out of the Android experience.
May 31, 2022

Tue. 05/31 – The New Fastest Computer In The World

The new fastest computer in the world sees the crown return to the US. Will we not see Sony’s next-gen VR rig until next year? Ride hailing fares are reaching record highs as the players attempt to pivot to profitability. A new ride hailing entrant that lets you haggle on price. And a look at how P…
May 30, 2022

(Portfolio Profile) Check-in With Rownd (How To Raise A Round Right Now)

A checkin with Rownd about what it's like to close a round right now, and what actually being on stage at YC Demo Day is like.
May 27, 2022

Fri. 05/27 – An Xbox Gaming Dongle

Microsoft is creating an HDMI dongle to turn any tv or monitor into an Xbox gaming console. Now the lawsuits are popping off in the whole Elon/Twitter thing. If even high profile startups like Substack are having trouble raising rounds, what does that mean for run of the mill startups? And, of cour…
May 26, 2022

Thu. 05/26 – Apple Raises Wages

Apple is attempting to fend off a unionization movement by… paying people more. That Broadcom/VMware deal is real. You can now pay close to $1000 for an Gucci Aura Ring. After a decade of declines, EV battery prices are going up. And the last payphone in New York City is gone.
May 25, 2022

Wed. 05/25 – Seth Green Wants His Apes Back

Seth Green has lost a film role… for his Ape. Cause he lost his Ape to a fishing scam. a16z launches their biggest ever crypto fund. Headlines from Microsoft’s Build conference. The e-bike that helps Ukraine take out Russian tanks. And a desktop grade Windows PC you could put in your pocket.
May 24, 2022

Tue. 05/24 – Does Apple REALLY Want You To Repair Your Own iPhone?

Google Research says to Open AI: “Hold my beer.” They’ve announced a new AI-based text-to-image generator to rival DALL-E 2. Is the shocking earnings warning from Snap a result of Apple’s ATT changes or is this indicative of the broader tech slowdown? Google’s street view turns 15 with some new bel…
May 23, 2022

Mon. 05/23 – Big Tech Consolidation Coming?

Is a big mergers and acquisition wave about to hit the tech industry. I make the case from several different angles. AMD releases its next generation Ryzen chips. And a super interesting new startup in the Web 3 space. Is it game? Is it a fitness app? Can you earn money for moving? Yes.
May 21, 2022

(TWTR SPC) - a16z's Chris Dixon (@cdixon) On The State Of Crypto And Web3

Friend of the show, Chris Dixon (@cdixon) of a16z's crypto and web3 investing initiatives comes on to talk about the recent report: 2022 State of Crypto. We got into all the things, using our favorite lens of tech history.
May 20, 2022

Fri. 05/20 – The Apple Headset Has Been Demoed!

A new high end Snapdragon chip. The Apple AR/VR headset has been demoed, but only 9 people got to see it in action. A YC backed startup is facing lawsuits related to the whole UST blowup. The feds will no longer go after good faith, white hat hackers. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestio…
May 19, 2022

Thu. 05/19 – TikTok To Get Into Games?

A code red alert about vulnerabilities in VMware products. TikTok has a clever new program to crowdsource ad content from TikTok users. Oh, and they’re getting into games. FTX gets into regular old stock trading. The dreaded down rounds have arrived. And are there more Airbnb’s available in NYC rig…
May 18, 2022

Wed. 05/18 – Apple Takes A Covid Step Back

Apple is delaying its recent return to work policy indefinitely. If crypto mining is banned in China, how come it still the second biggest contributor to the global hashrate? Twitter’s board says it’s going to hold Elon’s feet to the fire. And the interesting raise for a startup looking to save enc…
May 17, 2022

Tue. 05/17 – Sigh… More Elon/Twitter Stuff

Now Elon says he can’t move forward with the deal until he gets solid answers from Twitter about the bot issue, even though, we have the paperwork of his original offer and there were no contingencies about bot numbers, and he totally could have written that into the deal. Will Apple use E Ink on t…
May 16, 2022

Mon. 05/16 – F It! Netflix Is Doin’ It Live! (Maybe)

Is Netflix about to experiment with actual live broadcasts? Where did all the bitcoin go in the whole Luna/UST backstop debacle? Spotify is testing NFTs. Uber Eats gets into the ankle robot delivery game. And the Texas law that has all of big social media platforms worried.
May 14, 2022

(TWTR SPC) Techpocalypse Now! W/ @EricNewcomer @loganbartlett & @alexrkonrad

Techpocalypse Now! W/ @EricNewcomer @loganbartlett & @alexrkonrad How bad is it? How bad can it get? How do we get out of this?
May 13, 2022

Fri. 05/13 – Elon Puts Twitter Bid On “Hold,” But Is “Still Committed”

Ok. Are you sitting down? Would you believe me if I told you Elon Musk is giving signals that the Twitter deal might be off? Could we fix the whole stablecoin mess if we just turn it off and turn it back on again? The refugees from Meta’s failed crypto project have a new startup to call home. And, …
May 12, 2022

Thu. 05/12 – The Everything Everywhere All At Once File Overflows

Other algorithmic stablecoins are teetering. Meta is cutting back, even when it comes to the Metaverse. Could an Instacart IPO lead us out of this darkness? Disney’s streaming business is holding up. For now. And the AR demo that was the most exciting thing from the I/O keynote yesterday.
May 11, 2022

Wed. 05/11 – Google I/O 2022

All the headlines from Google’s I/O keynote this afternoon. The stablecoin fiasco has gotten rapidly worse. More carnage in tech stocks. Is Apple shifting to USB C for the iPhone at long last? And pour one out for the iPod, the product and brand that very much kicked off our modern era of gadgetry.
May 10, 2022

Tue. 05/10 – UST Stablecoin Not So Stable

A major algorithmic stablecoin has lost its peg to the dollar. More concerns of a slowdown as Tiger Global has racked up massive paper losses. Match Group sues Google. Has GDPR crushed the European app economy? Amazon engages mom and pop stores to deliver packages. And an interesting raise that is …
May 9, 2022

Mon. 05/09 – Everything Is Down

Everything is down, not just tech stocks, but now crypto too. More signs of belt tightening and possible hiring freezes, this time from Uber. Twitter has avoided the overall market route thanks to Elon’s bid, but could the downturn effect that as well? Instagram launches an NFT pilot. And what to e…
May 6, 2022

Fri. 05/06 – Give Us The Passwordless Future Already

With Apple, Google and Microsoft all signed up to offer FIDO Alliance technology, are we about to hear about some big passwordless tech at all the developers conferences this summer? China wants the whole country to turn in their foreign made laptops. Fortnite is available everywhere, including iOS…
May 5, 2022

Thu. 05/05 – Elon To Be Twitter CEO?

Elon gets some friends to join his Twitter deal. And does he expect to be Twitter CEO soon? A Google acquisition shows their metaverse aspirations. Sonos to launch a voice assistant. A hiring slowdown at Meta. How can there be need for layoffs at Cameo? And is anyone other than me and the US Govern…
May 4, 2022

Wed. 05/04 – Uber Back To Pre-Covid Levels

Uber is seeing rider usage return to pre-Covid levels. New, better flash storage. Twitter tests the ability to only tweet to certain circles. An interesting laptop and an interesting raise. And Spotify wants you to hang out, in Roblox.
May 3, 2022

05/03 – No More Podcasting On Facebook

What do you know? Facebook got bored of something and left the market in a bit of a mess. The SEC seems to be staffing up to get serious about crypto. Apple accuses a rival of stealing trade secrets. And it seems like Meta wants to start getting those Metaverse enabling headsets in our hands sooner…