Tech Brew Ride Home

First up, we have @KevinTDugan to give us deeper insight into the whole Twitter whistleblower situation. And then, @KylanGibbs of @inworld_ai convinces me we are maybe closer to the Metaverse than I ever thought possible. TLDR: AI might really be at a tipping point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forget 5G, T-Mobile and SpaceX are teaming up to offer Zero-G Services. LastPass has gotten hacked, but we think your passwords are safe. When we can expect the new VR headset from Meta to be revealed. Twitter puts podcasts in your feed. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink say your 5G phone will connect to satellite...

The Twitter Whistleblower is a big concern for Twitter, no matter what happens with the Elon stuff. Amazon zags slightly in its healthcare march. iPhone even official announcement. Ethereum merge dates officially solidified. Some new PCs from HP and what to expect from Nvidia’s next generation GPUs. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Twitter whistleblower to testify in Congress about security...

A deep dive into that Twitter whistleblower, because the allegations are getting pretty interesting, and it turns out he’s a bigger deal than I knew. Apple is breaking it’s iPadOS release cadence. Fitbit has unveiled three new wearables. And why just deciding to bring the silicon industry back onshore is not as easy as just passing billions in subsidies. Sponsors: Split.io/techmeme Links: India fo...

The former head of security at Twitter has blown the whistle on the company saying it was… crap at security. Instagram wants to clone Be Real. More details on the new Sony VR headset. Some eth here, some eth there, eventually brands are making real money on NFTs. And get ready for the biggest leap in smartphone camera tech we’ve seen in a while. Sponsors: CyberSecurityInside.com/ride Links: Former...

Amazon continues to be serious about becoming your healthcare provider. Elon Musk is raising prices, I guess cause he can. Confirmation that Sam Bankman-Fried does indeed have a mountain of money. I continue to worry about stablecoins and contagion. And the kids are using FindMy as a new sort of social network. Sponsors: DraftKings Daily Fantasy App Promocode- Techmeme Links: Amazon Among Bidders...

Looks like Evan Spiegel is retrenching in his dreams of making Snap primarily a camera company. Are we about to see the biggest Google Search algorithm change in years? Does TikTok effectively have a keystroke logger, and will this lead to more calls to crack down on them? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Snap Scraps Development on Flying Selfie Pixy Drone (WSJ) Google sear...

Why the date of Apple’s iPhone event is interesting. Why Netflix will take away downloads for its ad-tier. Is the VPN built into iOS a lie? Streaming has finally slain linear television. Cameo will let you actually call celebrities. And does Mark Zuckerberg have no aesthetic taste? Sponsors: Zengo.com/ride code: ride Sponsors: Apple Targets Sept. 7 for iPhone 14 Launch in Flurry of New Devices (Bl...

Cracking down on house parties as a service. Apple makes moves to diversify the supply chain. Another worrying datapoint from the semiconductor industry. Have the banks been using WhatsApp to avoid scrutiny from regulators? And can large language models make our dreams of robot butlers a reality? Sponsors: KeeperSecurity.com/techmeme Manscaped.com code RIDE for 20% off Links: Exclusive: Airbnb rol...

Was the Twilio breach really about hacking into Signal users? Apple’s serious about returning to the office. Tired: a global chip shortage. Wired: a global chip glut? Amazon says the FTC is harassing its executives. And how far can Uber go to raise prices? Sponsors: DraftKings Daily Fantasy App; Promocode: Techmeme Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Signal says 1,900 users’ phone numbers exposed by Twi...

Galaxy Digital shows Elon Musk real reasons to terminate an acquisition deal. a16z is making its biggest ever single investment. You’ll never guess with whom. Snap has more than a million paying subscribers. Cable Internet is losing subscribers for the first time ever. And that time Apple tried to talk Facebook into creating a subscription version of its services. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Storybl...

Smart money management for web3 organizations. Find out more at Mesha.club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We speak today with Bloomberg Economics columnist Noah Smith. Are we in a recession? Are we in store for an actual shooting war with China? Is bitcoin due for one more big pump? Come for all of that, and stick around for Chris and I to hit some stories that fell through the cracks this week, like Google’s ad campaign against iMessage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dutch authorities have arrested a developer related to Tornado Cash. But is there a grey area here that is a bit messy? LinkedIn seems ready to go all in on the creator and influencer economy. Apple seems to have confidence that there’s not going to be a slowdown in iPhone sales. And of course, the weekend Longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.com/ride Links: Suspected Tornado Cash develope...

Disney embraces inflation because it kind of has to. How Facebook and Instagram are sneakily still tracking you, even after Apple’s ATT changes. The FCC has rejected SpaceX for a big rural broadband deal. And where the teens are hanging out online, these days. You kind of know the answer, but the data is still interesting. Sponsors: MacGeekGab.com Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Disney+ Ad Plan Pric...

All the headlines from this morning’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Walmart wants to ad video to keep up with Prime. Spotify quietly begins selling tickets. And if someone sends you some dirty ETH, and you can’t block receipt of it, are you in trouble? Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a little better and still too expensive (The Verge) Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 l...

WhatsApp rolls out privacy features. The battery icon returns to the iPhone. China is growing restless over its silicon industry. HBOMax will stop getting Warner Movies automatically. The really rugged smartwatch from Garmin. And the real reason Amazon is buying One Medical and iRobot. Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme KeeperSecurity.com/techmeme Links: WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid you...

Masa Son takes another one on the chin, another record loss. The US Treasury is sanctioning a major crypto mixing service. Netflix Gaming is off to a good start or a terrible one, I can’t tell. One of the streaming services is biting the dust. And since we’re aware of the car industry data tracking issue, how much data is Tesla already tracking about your driving? Sponsors: Gusto.com/ride CyberSec...

Stashpad is the developer notepad. Devs! Download the app at Stashpad.com and help us finalize everything before the big launch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our friend Alex Kantrowitz returns to my kitchen table for a crossover episode with Big Technology Podcast (subscribe here) to discuss whether or not Meta is going to see its promise land Metaverse? And are we in a recession or just a tech recession? Oh. And tips to survive plane travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon wants to acquire the company that makes the Roomba robot, or as it’s known in my family, Vrrrrooom. We finally know the legal arguments both sides are making in the Elon/Twitter case. Does crashing semiconductor demand prove we’re in a recession or not? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Amazon is buying iRobot for $1.7B (TechCrunch) Twitter slams Elon Musk's response...

Apple is delaying releasing iPadOS 16 just because it’s trying to make Stage Manager not suck. I wasn’t imagining it… the majority of the crypto hacks this year have been because of bridges. Would you pay $50k to be a guest on this show? The new OnePlus smartphone. And I’m gonna let you guess what Google did. Again. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Apple Plans to Delay Launch of iPadOS 16 U...

Now the hackers are stealing crypto from individual wallets at scale. Robinhood makes a massive layoff announcement. Y Combinator is shrinking its summer cohort. I’ve found an actual use case for NFT’s and it is college textbooks. And, you know, an actual flying car you could buy right now. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Solana, USDC Drained From Wallets in Attack (Decrypt) Robinhood Lays...

Seriously, what is it with crypto bridges? Why are they seemingly so easy to hack? New York cracks down on Robinhood. A bunch of Silicon Valley boldfaced names are going to be swept up into the Twitter/Elon trial. And if Chromebooks and gaming are suffering post-Covid hangovers, is Uber a post-covid Phoenix? Sponsors: Babbel.com/ride for 60% off go.factor75.com/techmeme130 and code techmeme130 to...

Apple opens up Apple Pay a tiny bit. But again, from pressure from the Europeans. Meta is accused of abetting sectarian violence in another developing nation. A deep dive into the seeming demise of the entire e-scooter industry. How much good will the CHIPS Act actually do? And a review of the new Dell XPS 13 Plus. Sponsors: KeeperSecurity.com/techmeme Links: Apple Pay may finally work on Chrome,...