Down Round

On today’s ep we’re joined by Mike Isaac, New York Times tech correspondent and author of Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber . He’s writing a book about Facebook, and we grill him relentlessly for an hour about Zuckerberg, the metaverse, and how things are feeling in Silicon Valley. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.com Today’s episode is all about payments and fintechs. From neobanks to buy now pay later, how are they all weathering the marginal increase in interest rates? Not well, it turns out! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of Tesla’s huge stock price drop, Down Round discusses: is the company all that? Or is it going to be smoked by Volkswagen? Happy New Year, and apologies for another episode about Elon Musk. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.com We’re pausing the free ep this week over the Xmas/NY break. We’re back and firing all cylinders from January 4. For our cherished premium subs, we have 28 red hot minutes of deeply researched analysis on where the tech world is going in 2023. From crypto and AI to corporate mergers and social media, we’re offering...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.com Merry Christmas from the Down Round crew. Your present is another listener Q&A episode, packed to the brim with exciting questions about cutting edge companies like IBM and Salesforce. Do you like it? Say thank you Santa. Want to participate in our next Q&A? Follow us on Twitter . See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Today we’re going meta. Various companies have been trying to turn podcasting (and ‘premium audio’) into a huge business on the level of streaming video. But is the hype actually justified? We discuss. (Disclosure statement: as proud proprietors of Australia’s best value premium podcast, we think podcasts are going to the moon. Invest now.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.com TikTok: is it a fun lip syncing app for Zoomers, or a sinister intelligence operation by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party? You won’t find answers in this episode, that’s for sure. But we will hold your attention for 20-ish minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon has leaked internal comms from old Twitter onto the internet via trusted Substack journos, insisting that it reveals corruption, collusion and left-wing bias. But is it actually anything? The fellas discuss. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.com Down Round has gone premium, and this is our first episode in the warm, comforting embrace of the paywall. We’re kicking off with an omnibus ep updating you all on a few things we’ve gone over previously: Apple, Elon and SBF. If you’re listening to the preview in front of the paywall – do yourself a favour and sig...

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has taken the internet by storm this week, making it seem like an AI-dominated future could be just around the bend. But is it all that? The fellas discuss. But, more importantly: Down Round is going premium. If you want to invest in our future podcast content empire, visit our Substack and join the family. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscri...

We talk the persistence of the 14 year old smartphone, and the failure of voice, AI and the metaverse to usurp it. Links Everybody promised to disrupt the smartphone — and the smartphone outlasted them all – The Verge This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Thank you to everyone who made the FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried episode our most listened ever. As a reward for your loyalty, you get another episode about it. Say thank you. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we're responding to listener questions put to us via the Down Round Twitter: @downroundpod This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Bob replaces Bob (who in turn replaced Bob) we look at the recent goings on at The Walt Disney Company, and how it all fits into the streaming landscape. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re checking back in on Twitter under the Musk regime. It’s all going great! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where do we begin with this mess? The world's second biggest exchange, and crypto's golden boy has collapsed in a matter of days - from $36b to nothing. Even by crypto standards this story is absurd. Allow us to take you through it. Links The FTX "balance sheet" How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Empire Collapsed – NY Times This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers...

Airbnb sort of sucks now, and it seems like the company realises it. It has announced guest-friendly changes, but are they enough? Raph and James dive into all the thorny problems surrounding the company, and come to a final decision on whether you should be forced to do the dishes in your Byron Bay short-term stay. (The answer is no.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with o...

The EU is forcing Apple change its iPhone cable, and they’re huffy even though they were definitely going to do it anyway. The boys discuss European regulation more generally. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent series of high-profile hacks of Australian companies including Optus and Medibank have people worried about user data and privacy.  Given Raph and James are both terminally chill about their own data, they brought on someone who actually knows what they're talking about: ABC journalist Ariel Bogle. Links The biggest hack in history: Australians scramble to change passports and driver lice...

Elon's first few days at Twitter HQ have been eventful.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Productivity software. Our many and valued white collar listeners will know it very well. But will they be able to respect Microsoft Teams after the Down Round boys give it a skewering? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are changing the way music is made. We discuss. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've plugged into blockchain metaverses, but how is Facebook/Meta's multi-billion dollar attempt going? Company Documents Show Meta’s Flagship Metaverse Falling Short - Wall Street Journal ($) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kanye says he's going to buy Parler, the 'free speech'-focused Twitter clone. But more broadly, what is a platform's responsibility when it comes to removing speech? Do we want our tech overlords to determine what is allowed to be said and what isn't? If not them... then who?  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit down...

AI is once again all the rage – with investor money, engineering talent and media interest flooding into the sector once again. What does the future hold? Dan Nolan, notorious poster and AI entrepreneur, joins us to discuss. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribe See omnystudio.com/liste...