Tech Brew Ride Home

Ahead of a major showdown in Congress this week, TikTok wants the US to know exactly how popular it is. Why ChatGPT was shut down for a while yesterday. Why Google is suspending PinDuoDuo from the play store. The AI powered doctor’s office of the future. And is Andy Jassy the David Moyes of Amazon? If you get that reference, congratulations. Down Round Podcast (Listener Ad!) Links: TikTok says it...

New bots to make video from text prompts. Fending off the bots from biting your style. Falling in love with the bots. In the streaming wars, the ad supported experiments are working, and pricing power is a thing. And the startup that says it’s about to introduce humanoid bots. Real, definitional robots. Sponsors: Dot Tech Domains: Go.tech/tm Links: Generative AI’s Next Frontier Is Video (Bloomberg...

Amazon Kindle gets out of the magazine business. An ironically named PE firm is buying Porn Hub. Midjourney v5 is really mind blowing. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Amazon will discontinue newspaper and magazine subscriptions in September (GoodEReader) SVB Financial files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection, says it has $2.2B in liqu...

For the first time ever, I had to delay producing this show so I could watch and cover and AI product announcement. Let me tell you about how Microsoft is bringing GPT-4, to basically all their most famous apps with Copilot. Looks like the potential for a TikTok ban is getting really real. And why folks are suddenly turning on OpenAI. Sponsors: Overtired Podcast Links: Introducing Microsoft 365 Co...

GPT-4 is unveiled and it’s multimodal, and man, is everybody rushing to make use of this stuff. Alleged renders of Google's Pixel 8 Pro appear to show a mysterious new sensor. The state of the music industry in the streaming era. And Deadpool sells his phone company to another phone company. Links: OpenAI unveils GPT-4 with multimodal input and more creative and complex capabilities (Windows Centr...

Those expected layoffs have come to Meta. AI tools come to Google Workspace and an API for Google’s PaLM language model. Seems like things have generally worked out with this Silicon Valley Bank aftermath. Microsoft laid off its AI risk team. Layoffs at Y Combinator. And a look at the standard that’s trying to keep over the air broadcast television relevant. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Meta t...

Unless it affected you, you might have missed a huge tech story this weekend. But now that depositors to Silicon Valley Bank are being made whole, is the whole crisis averted? Tim Cook is pressing ahead with the Apple headset over the objections of Apple’s design team. And the varied and complex dilemmas of this new AI reality in two, somewhat oppositional segments. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/...

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There’s really only one story right now. The troubles at Silicon Valley Bank and how it has literally everyone in the startup ecosystem worried right now. It’s a classic bank run, people. Plus, Meta is developing a Twitter clone. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: This just broke, FYI: Silicon Valley Bank is shut down by regulators, FDIC to protect insured deposits (CNBC) Me...

Silvergate Capital is shutting down, so the crypto winter just got colder. Microsoft says the new Bing has crossed 100 million daily active users. Why TikTok is responsible for the new Spotify redesign. Can police grab your Ring camera footage without your permission, even if you’re not the target of an investigation? And looks like Stripe won’t be going public this year after all. Sponsors: Thuma...

Today, you might have heard about the latest Elon controversy where he criticized an employee, and then walked it all back. We’ll get into that. DuckDuckGo melds two AI tools together. A Large Visual Language Model that will help robots move around in the real world. I explain why I’m telling you about every new Generative AI advance seemingly every single day. And with Google officially announcin...

TikTok launches a paywall, but it’s all about the creators. Salesforce has its own generative AI product. More layoffs coming for Meta. Another autonomous driving startup bites the dust. Why Twitter broke yesterday, and new speakers from Sonos. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self. Links:...

As Microsoft begins to integrate AI into its core enterprise and productivity products, are we ready for the scamming that AI is going to be able to produce? Details on forthcoming new iMacs. A checkin on Twitter. And why does Meta seem hellbent on ignoring what most people use VR for in the first place? Sponsors: ZocDoc.com/techmeme RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft’s Latest AI Assis...

Checking in on the state of the tech job market with Grupa.io. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone in crypto stops doing business with Silvergate. Brave search launches an AI summarizer. A look at TikTok's AI Bold Glamour filter. Maybe the Activision acquisition is going to skate through the regulators. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/Techmeme Links: Silvergate Stock Drops Over 50% as Crypto Clients Flee Beleaguered Bank (CoinDesk) Brav...

A ChatGPT API for business is here. Microsoft gives Bing those nobs and dials that I’ve been talking about. What are multimodal LLMs? New turmoil in crypto, this time around one of the big crypto friendly banks. How is it going in terms of social platforms diversifying into subscription revenue? And why the FDA has rejected Neuralink’s applications to begin human testing of brain implants. Links:...

Decentralized social network Bluesky launches in the iOS App Store. TikTok adds wellbeing feature for families and kids. You know about eSIMs but say hello to iSIMs. Meta's entire four-year AR/VR roadmap. And I’m still banging the drum on laptops and smartphones where you can unroll the screen for more real estate. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter alternati...

AI-powered Bing is now integrated into Windows. Elon wants to compete with OpenAI, a company he co-founded. Major financial institutions continue to back away from crypto while NFTs on the bitcoin blockchain are on the rise. The iPhone SE might not be dead. And how the LastPass debacle happened. Links: Microsoft brings its new AI-powered Bing to the Windows 11 taskbar (The Verge) Fighting ‘Woke AI...

Snap wants to go the route of the movie Her, with a personified chatbot inside of Snapchat. Interesting layoffs at Twitter. Yes. More. Inside Apple's Exploratory Design Group. The best AR glasses we’ve seen yet. And, right on schedule, here come the prompt engineers. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being...

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Is the DOJ about to sue to stop of Adobe’s acquisition of Figma? Confirmation of the lower end mixed reality headset from Apple due next year. A reporter used an AI-generated replica of a voice to bypass the voice verification system of a major bank. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: HelloFresh.com/techmeme65 and code techmeme65 for 65% off Links: DOJ Preps Antitrust Sui...

Coinbase wants to let a thousand Web3 flowers bloom by launching its own Layer 2 network. The new iPhone specs have leaked. Apple might have made a breakthrough in blood glucose monitoring. Satellite telephony continues to be a busy space, weirdly enough. And reviews of the Galaxy S23 lineup. Links: Coinbase Launches Layer 2 Blockchain Base to Provide On-Ramp for Ethereum, Solana and Others (CoinD...

This chatbot AI revolution has hit a major roadblock in China. What does it mean if science fiction publications are up in arms about AI generated content? Spotify has a new AI powered DJ. Uber has a redesigned version of its App. And why is Microsoft showing you ads for its products on other people’s websites? Links: China tells big tech companies not to offer ChatGPT services (NikkeiAsia) ChatGP...

Microsoft tries again to convince people it won’t hoard Call of Duty as an Xbox exclusive. Linux now plays nice with Apple Silicon. Chrome swears it will play nicer with your battery life. Verified everything is officially now a trend. And does Apple have a strangle hold on Gen Z? Links: Microsoft inks binding contract with Nintendo for ‘Call of Duty’ as it defends Activision deal (GeekWire) Linux...

The US is suing Terraform Labs and Do Kwon. The UK is investigating rumors that Google paid Apple NOT to spin up its own search engine. Susan Wojcicki stepping down as YouTube CEO is a major end of an era. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: SEC Sues Over TerraUSD Stablecoin That Rocked Crypto (Bloomberg) What Brit watchdog redacted: Google gives Apple cut of Chrome iOS searc...