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Why was Blockbuster so successful? Was it the DVD that killed Blockbuster? What was the deal with late fees? Is there any way Blockbuster, not Netflix, could have won out in the end? Special guest: Venture Capitalist and Writer MG Siegler! Subscribe to RAD! 80s90s History! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the headlines from Tesla’s robotaxi event. AMD unveils the chip it wants to use to go toe to toe with Nvidia. Are people actually making money building GPTs or not so much? And in the longreads, rebuilding Notre Dame as period accurately as possible. Sponsors: Go to Hensonshaving.com/ride and enter RIDE at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: you must add both the 100-bla...

Apple TV+ finally comes to Prime Video Channels. OpenAI says they’ve been disrupting AI election influence campaigns. But they won’t be profitable until when? How Google plans to beat the regulation rap. And a review of basically the highest end smartwatch you can buy. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Amazon Adds Apple TV+ to Its Channels Store for Streaming (Bloomberg) OpenAI says bad actors are...

Subscribe to RAD! 80s90s History in your podcast app! Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast The government says it does, in fact, want to break up Google. The Nobel Prize sure does love AI this year. Could Substack win by becoming the default way for creators to monetize? And listen to the end of the show today for a big announcement from me. Links: US Weighs Google Breakup in Historic Big Tech Antitrus...

Crack… at least for the Google Play store. Two AI scientists have won the Nobel Prize for physics?! Samsung is in a similar boat to Intel, just not quite as severely. And an unfortunate reminder that government mandated back doors are bad doors. Sponsors: Dell.com/deals Links: Google must crack open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge (The Verge) Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Si...

We finally have a date for Apple Intelligence. Meta has a new text to video AI model. Google could soon drop under 50% in the search ads market. More hope for level three automated driving. And how AI bots could revolutionize online dating. Sponsors: Miro.com Links: Apple Slowly Moves Away From Its Annual Product Release Strategy (Bloomberg) Meta Unveils AI Video Generator, Taking On OpenAI and Go...

Google has updated Lens and is taking a page out of Perplexity’s book. OpenAI’s new canvas workspace. Why an upcoming iPhone SE might have some interesting internals. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Google Lens now lets you search with video (The Verge) Google brings ads to AI Overviews as it expands AI’s role in search (TechCrunch) OpenAI launches new ‘Canvas’ ChatGPT in...

OpenAI raised their round, and it basically broke all the records. The whole Wordpress mess has gotten so crazy that WPEngine is suing. Using Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses to dox people in real time. And you’ll never guess the reason why you’re about to see more ads on streaming video. Hint: you’ll endure it. Sponsors: Lumen.me/ride Links: OpenAI raises $6.6 billion in largest VC round ever (Axios) O...

Catching you up on a bunch of other Microsoft announcements we missed yesterday. Is Nvidia trying to break open the black box of AI? It’s absolutely wild that there’s still no viable YouTube app for the Vision Pro. And we were worried about disruption to the semiconductor industry if a typhoon hit Taiwan, but it turns out, a hurricane hitting North Carolina can be bad too. Links: Microsoft is usin...

Do we have the first IPO of the AI era? Do we have the first AI model beyond the transformer architecture? Microsoft has a bunch of new AI tools inside Windows. We try to explain that whole controversy around PearAI. And what about that NotebookLM feature that lets you create a two-hander podcast out of any text. Links: AI chipmaker Cerebras files for IPO to take on Nvidia (CNBC) MIT spinoff Liqui...

That controversial AI bill in California has been vetoed by Governor Newsom. Is even Apple now thinking that its Vision Pro strategy might need a rethink? What really is OpenAI’s situation right now, and this time I’m talking money-wise? And the strange resurrection of the point and shoot camera. Links: California’s Gavin Newsom Vetoes Controversial AI Safety Bill (WSJ) California Passes Law Prote...

Founder Mode? Not for me, says Sam Altman, but we will see. A few new gadgets from Samsung. Maybe ARM should buy Intel. Are AI startups hitting revenue traction faster than SaaS startups did? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Sam Altman tells OpenAI staff there’s no plan for him to receive a ‘giant equity stake’ in company (CNBC) Samsung Galaxy S24 FE goes official starting...

There’s only two stories really. If you can believe it, more executive departures at OpenAI, as it looks like they’re serious about going for profit. And yes, Meta announced a new Quest headset, but the real headlines are the Orion smartglasses, which you can’t actually buy. What? I’ll explain. Sponsors: Thorne.fit/ridehome Links: OpenAI considering restructuring to for-profit, CTO Mira Murati and...

Caroline Ellison benefits from being cooperative. Has your company unknowingly hired remote workers from North Korea? What is going on with this WordPress back and forth? Why OpenAI has to let people look at their training data. And why is everyone upset at Marquess Brownlee? Sponsors: Hims.com/ride Links: Caroline Ellison sentenced to two years in prison for her role in FTX scandal (Axios) Dozens...

Sam Altman has a manifesto. Kinda. Telegram is beginning to walk things back a bit. Cloudflare wants to help you block the AI bots. New streaming device from Roku. And I guess TikTok can’t win at everything. Sponsors: Lumen.me/ride Links: The Intelligence Age (Sam Altman) Sam Altman catapults past founder mode into ‘god mode’ with latest AI post (TechCrunch) OpenAI CEO: We may have AI superintelli...

Qualcomm as a white knight to save Intel? A huge bitcoin heist gets busted for the usual reasons. What if the US bans imports of all cars from China? And why can’t US car makers keep up when it comes, simply, to software? Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride Links: Qualcomm Approached Intel About a Takeover in Recent Days (WSJ) Intel Gets Multibillion-Dollar Apollo Offer as Qualcomm Circles (Bloomberg) Chi...

You might want to hold off on updating to macOS 15 Sequoia. What, exactly, is Europe trying to get Apple to do? The AI energy crunch means they’re turning Three Mile Island back on. Could AI usage mean we use up all our 5G capacity? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: 1password.com/ride QualiaLife.com/ride and code ride Links: Apple’s new macOS Sequoia update is breaking s...

Looks like they finally got around to suing that Palworld game. Google volunteered to break up some of its businesses but the EU said no. AI is coming to YouTube in a big way. A new social media platform that is ENTIRELY AI. And Amazon wants to get into the Shark Tank business. Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Nintendo and Pokémon are suing Palworld maker Pocketpair (The Verge) Exclusive: Google...

Messages between Android and iOS are about to be encrypted. A new XR headset from HTC and new Spectacles from Snap. A big movie studio has signed up to use AI. Neuralink has implants for blindness. And why I’m kinda NOT gonna do a review roundup of the new iPhones. Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme Links: RCS texts on the iPhone aren’t encrypted now, but that could change (The Verge) Here’s how green bu...

Intel announces a bunch of ways its hoping to turn its business around sooner rather than later. Is OpenAI about to have its chat bots query you? The whole TikTok divestment case is coming to a head right now. And speaking of turn arounds, darn if Netflix didn’t pull ITS turnaround off perfectly. Hollywood, not so much. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Intel stock jumps on plan to turn foundry bu...

A bunch of Apple stories today. FDA approval for sleep apnea detection for the watch. Signs of poor pre-order sales for the phone. And a quick review of the new Airpods. Also, how did Intel lose out on making the chips for the next gen Playstation. And are dating apps responsible for income inequality? Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/register Links: Apple Watch sleep apnea detection gets FDA approval (Te...

The first of the Strawberry models is here. YC plans to have four cohorts a year, but each one is getting smaller. Waymo is already ready to expand to more pretty big markets. And in the long reads, a deep dive look into the options Intel has at this point in time. Sponsors: HensonShaving.com/ride code ride Links: OpenAI releases o1, its first model with ‘reasoning’ abilities (The Verge) Notes on...

As expected, OpenAI is in talks for a new capital raise at a $150B valuation. More layoffs in Microsoft’s gaming division. More holes poked in our creaking internet infrastructure. The tiny SpaceX competitor who’s stock has been soaring lately. And a look at what Apple’s recent AirPods announcement could do to the hearing aid industry. Links: OpenAI Fundraising Set to Vault Startup’s Valuation to...

Mistral goes multimodal for the first time. Meta admits to scraping the data of every adult Australian. The details on the new PS5 Pro. Wouldn’t it be wild if, through stablecoins, crypto BECOMES the banking system instead of replacing it. And a weird mystery in AI land. Sponsors: Promevo.com/techmeme Links: Mistral releases Pixtral 12B, its first multimodal model (TechCrunch) Facebook admits to s...

Apple loses its longest standing regulatory battle in the EU. Some drips and drabs from yesterday’s iPhone event. Would a phone you can fold three times be more enticing than a phone that folds two times? And are we about to see that new Strawberry AI model from OpenAI by the end of the month? Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride Links: Apple must pay 13 billion euros in back taxes, EU’s top court rules (C...