Episodes

July 28, 2021

Wed. 07/28 – Earnings Bonanza

Apple reports earnings but warns of component shortages. Microsoft set profit records but noted shortage materially affected some divisions. Alphabet had good earnings too, but the real story there is YouTube. About the staff walkout at Activision Blizzard. Is Apple asking leakers to snitch on thei…
July 27, 2021

Tue. 07/27 – No More Hedging. Tesla Truly Profitable.

Tesla is profitable beyond all caveats and hedges. Intel continues to telegraph its turnaround plans. Tangible numbers of the Chinese tech carnage. Instagram changes the rules for teens on the platform. And what are Facebook’s ultimate designs on building a Metaverse?
July 26, 2021

Mon. 07/26 – What The Heck Is Happening In China?

Is the DOJ probing Tether for bank fraud? When might FaceID come to the Mac? What do leaked photos tell us about the next Surface Duo? And I will spend the entire second half of the show trying my best to explain the seeming tech apocalypse happening in China right now.
July 24, 2021

(Spc Cst) The Zoom Platform Road Map With @ross

Plus, the Hyper fund from Product Hunt, Automattic's acquisition game, and Twitter tests downvotes?
Guest: Ross Mayfield
July 23, 2021

Fri. 07/23 – Alphabet’s New Moonshot Company: Intrinsic

Alphabet has a new moonshot company. Existing Big Bet DeepMind might have had a big breakthrough. Why Snap and Twitter are sharing an earnings narrative right now. Hint: it’s cause they’re growing again. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
July 22, 2021

Thu. 07/22 – Downvote This Tweet

Twitter is testing downvotes. Tumblr gets into the subscription game. Google unveils a unified backup service for Android. Is HBO Max leading the pack of followers in the musical chairs streaming wars contest? The FTC is getting serious about right to repair. And let me introduce you to the Airbnb …
July 21, 2021

Wed. 07/21 – Is The Narrative Turning On Netflix?

Netflix’s growth has hit a wall, and so here come the games. What to do about a problem like those NSO hacks? Samsung’s next Unpacked event is announced. One of the biggest crypto raises of all time. And will Apple ever join the Android ecosystem and kill off SMS once and for all?
July 20, 2021

Tue. 07/20 – Apple Once More The Canary In The Covid Coal Mine?

Apple puts a pause on its return to the office plans. Rumors of a new iPad mini redesign. Product Hunt launches an investment fund. If you want a tool to see if you’ve been pwned by NSO’s Pegasus software, I’ve got you. And Bezos in space…
July 19, 2021

Mon. 07/19 – NSO Group (Allegedly) Pwning Everyone

The NSO Group is back in the headlines, and it’s maybe, the worst allegations of hacking for hire yet. The US and NATO blame China for the Exchange Server hacks. Does iOS now split the market with Android, at least in the US? And is Tesla charging customers for hardware they already paid for? Spon…
July 17, 2021

(TWTR SPC) Black Widow Math And Fleets Fade Away

Bloomberg's @Lucas_Shaw comes on to explain the math of that Black Widow stream release story from Monday. Then @alexeheath from the Verge explains the death of Fleets, the creator thirst at Facebook and then we all get into the questioning the real value/process of Twitter verification.
July 16, 2021

Fri. 07/16 – Can Intel Acquire Its Way Back Into Contention?

Intel is considering a major acquisition to leapfrog back into semi-conductor contention. Valve releases its long rumored hardware device. Why they were able to make a deep face of Anthony Bourdain’s voice. And of course, the weekend longread suggestions.
July 15, 2021

Thu. 07/15 – Oh Yeah. It Definitely Looks Like Netflix Is Getting Into Gaming.

Netflix hires a big name gaming executive. Twitter retires Fleets. Facebook wants to make it rain for creators. TSMC says the chip shortage is starting to ease. Amazon launches serialized storytelling. And one of the biggest unicorns in the world, just 6x’d in less than a year.
July 14, 2021

Wed. 07/14 – Did Apple Deep-Six 69? (NOT Nice!)

Bunch of Apple news. A new “buy now, pay later” service. A MagSafe battery pack. Is content moderation a hot new area for startups? Facebook groups can now get actual designated experts. REvil has suddenly gone dark. And why does iOS seemingly find 69 degrees Fahrenheit to be NOT nice! Sponsors:Aw…
July 13, 2021

Tue. 07/13 – Bribe Or Bot Your Way To Twitter Verification?

If Twitter verification is now run by humans, how did so many obvious bot accounts get verified? Why you might start seeing brand logos in your emails, and why that’s actually a good thing. Biden's non-compete clause executive order is a big deal for Big Tech. And a look at the absurdity of the rig…
July 12, 2021

Mon. 07/12 – Is InfoSec The New Fintech?

Is InfoSec the new Fintech when it comes to investor hotness? Did ByteDance make the right move by putting its IPO on ice? Why Amazon looks like it’s going heavy into the sleep gadget game. Why the EU is postponing its digital tax initiative. And why Black Widow’s release this weekend is giving Hol…
July 8, 2021

Thu. 07/08 – The States Go After Google First

State Attorneys General file an antitrust suit against Google. But why them, first? Visa wants you to spend crypto via their platform. Fintech leads a record first half of the year for VC raises. And if payment for order flow were nixed by the SEC, what would that do to Robinhood?
July 7, 2021

Wed. 07/07 – Pentagon, RE: The JEDI Contract: Jkjkjkjkjk

The Pentagon wants a do-over for that JEDI contract. YC wants to do Tinder but for founder matchmaking. Amazon open sources its gaming engine. How about NFT’s but for the stock market? And if you think China is cracking down on tech companies, wait till you hear how they want to regulate when and h…
July 6, 2021

Tue. 07/06 – New Nintendo Switch (Finally/Kinda)

Nintendo finally announces the new Switch, but how new is it really? What the heck is happening with Didi and China? REvil strikes again, and what that might mean for the hacking situation going forward. And on a day of big geopolitical news, might big tech platforms be chased out of India and Hong…
July 3, 2021

(SPC CST) The Facebook Antitrust Blowup With @Kantrowitz

Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter comes on to try to help us work out what happened with that Facebook Antitrust case blowup. Also, what does this mean for regulating other companies.
Guest: Alex Kantrowitz
July 2, 2021

Fri. 07/02 – Robinhood’s IPO Success Depends On Doge?

Robinhood files for its long-awaited IPO. The Chinese government took the shine off of Didi’s recent IPO. More new features from Twitter. Is Apple the first to take advantage of 3nm chips? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
July 1, 2021

Thu. 07/01 – Instagram Is “No Longer A Photo-Sharing App”

Instagram and TikTok are on a collision course. Instagram wants to be more like TikTok, while TikTok hopes to move the goalposts first. Amazon wants Lina Khan to recuse herself. Big tech is not only taking over advertising, it’s consolidating it. And anyone can get their hands on Starlink next mont…
June 30, 2021

Wed. 06/30 – Facebook’s Substack Clone

Facebook launches its Substack clone. Emphasis on clone. Shopify joins the platform tax wars by going to zero. A truce between Microsoft and Google has just lapsed. A big raise in the drone space. And would you pay to get actual search results instead of ads?
June 29, 2021

Tue. 06/29 – Facebook Beats The Rap

A judge has completely thrown out the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook and sent them back to the drawing board. Microsoft and OpenAI and Github have a tool that will suggest code to you as you code. And Sam Altman, as I understand this, wants to do Universal Basic Income on the blockchain. …
June 28, 2021

Mon. 06/28 – Binance Runs Into Trouble Around The Globe

The UK orders a halt to regulated activities by Binance, joining everybody, all the sudden. Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 888 Plus. Lenovo unveils an Android tablet that works as a portable monitor. And meet the activists perfecting the craft of anti-surveillance.