Tim Cook Steps Down — With Joanna Stern

Greg Brockman is the president and co-founder of OpenAI. Brockman joins Big Technology to discuss GPT-5.5, also known as Spud, and what it means for OpenAI’s next phase of AI development. Tune in to hear Brockman explain how the model gets better at coding, computer use, slides, spreadsheets, and agentic work across everyday applications. We also cover OpenAI’s competitiveness, model economics, distillation, cybersecurity risk, trust in agents, and the compute-powered economy. Hit play for a timely look at OpenAI’s newest model and where the AI race goes next. ---- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Chapters: 00:00 Intro: GPT-5.5 “Spud” 00:57 What GPT-5.5 Can Do 02:56 OpenAI’s Agent Roadmap 05:49 Training and Real-World Tasks 09:55 Model Moats and Distillation 15:55 Cybersecurity Risks 21:01 Trusting Agents 23:36 The Compute Economy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carissa Véliz is an Oxford philosopher and the author of Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI. Véliz joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss whether society has become dangerously naive about prediction as AI systems shape decisions around jobs, loans, justice, surveillance, and war. Tune in to hear a debate about predictive algorithms, generative AI, prediction markets, and whether forecasts are actually tools of knowledge or instruments of power. We also cover privacy, policing, protest anonymity, flood prediction, and why humor might be one of the best defenses against a prediction-obsessed world. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. More on Carissa: https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/carissa-veliz-2/ Find the book: https://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Prediction-Future-Ancient-Oracles/dp/0385550979 Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joanna Stern is the ex-WSJ senior personal technology columnist and author of I Am Not a Robot. News of Tim Cook stepping down as CEO of Apple broke as Stern and I were recording a forthcoming episode of Big Technology Podcast. In this episode, we discuss Cook's exit, his successor, John Ternus, and his legacy. Tune in for a quick but substantial look at what's next for Apple after Cook's exit. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's pedestrian performance on the Dwarkesh Podcast 2) Jensen's argument about competing chipmakers 3) Jensen's argument about China export controls 4) What Jensen should've said 5) Why Jensen is in a tough place when he does these interviews 6) Mythos seems real btw 7) Anthropic is talking with the government about a peace deal 8) Alex's interview philosophy 9) Sam Altman's conflicts of interest 10) Are OpenAI investors considering replacing Sam as CEO? 11) Wait, Allbirds is a GPU company now?? --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emil Michael is the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon. Michael joins Big Technology to discuss how AI is transforming the Department of War, from targeting systems to drone warfare to cyber defense. Tune in to hear his account of why the Pentagon designated Anthropic a supply chain risk, what actually happened in the contract negotiations, and whether the decision was wise. We also cover how the military's Maven Smart System works in practice, what the U.S. learned from drone warfare in Ukraine and Iran, and whether the Pentagon Pizza Index is credible. Hit play for one of the most candid conversations you'll hear about AI and national security. --- Questions? Feedback? Write [email protected] Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Anthropic's new Mythos preview 2) Is Mythos marketing or a legit breakthrough? 3) The Mythos sandwich guy story 4) OpenAI and Anthropic's brewing 1st party vs. API conflict of interest 5) The Meta-Harness 6) Violence against AI on the rise 7) Maine is going to pass a data center moratorium 8) Was Medvi really a $1.8 billion two person startup? 9) Tokenmaxxing is all the rage --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Levie is the CEO of Box . Levie joins Big Technology to discuss the battle between OpenAI and Anthropic as their product roadmaps converge around coding, enterprise, and AI agents. Tune in to hear where AI agents are actually gaining traction, why coding has emerged as the breakthrough use case, and what stands in the way of broader adoption across knowledge work. We also cover trust and security concerns, the messy reality of enterprise data, and the debate over whether value will accrue to the labs or the application layer. Hit play for a sharp look at where the AI market is heading and who stands to benefit most. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

M.G. Siegler of Spyglass is back for our monthly tech news discussion. Siegler joins us to discuss latest turmoil inside OpenAI, what the reported tension between CEO Sam Altman and CFO Sarah Friar says about the company’s spending and IPO plans, and whether Anthropic or OpenAI is better positioned to win the agentic AI battle. We also cover Apple’s latest Siri plans, whether Apple should try to buy Anthropic, and why Meta still hasn’t found its next big hit beyond advertising. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Hoffman of Semafor joins us for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Why OpenAI bought TBPN 2) The best possible explanation for why OpenAI did it 3) Does the deal really accomplish OpenAI's content marketing goals? 4) Will TBPN convince any non-believers that AI is good? 5) OpenAI's Fidji Simo takes medical leave from the company 6) SpaceX files to go public at a potential $2 trillion market cap 7) Will SpaceX and Tesla merge? 8) Some AWS servers are "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai 9) More on the private credit worries 10) Big Technology is not for sale! --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Want to advertise in Big Technology? Write [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Brockman is the President and co-founder of OpenAI. Brockman joins Big Technology to discuss OpenAI’s product strategy, the rise of its coming super app, and why he believes AI is entering a new takeoff phase. Tune in to hear Brockman explain OpenAI's bet on the GPT reasoning model tree over video generation, what the "Spud" pre-training run means for upcoming models, and why he believes AGI is 70-80% achieved. We also cover the competitive landscape, the economics behind OpenAI's $110 billion infrastructure bet, and public skepticism toward AI. Hit play for one of the most revealing conversations yet about where AI is headed and what it means for everyone. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices