Is Generative AI Plateauing?, Booming Bluesky, Apple’s Smart Glasses Play

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson 2) Why researchers believe Generative AI training methods might be plateauing 3) Is the application really what matters? 4) Will reasoning save the day? 5) Writer raises $200 million 6) ChatGPT defeats Chegg 7) Should ad agencies bill by the hour in the age of AI? 8) Ranjan reflects on our interview with Gustav Soderstrom 9) Gratitude for listeners 10) Yes, we're launching video interviews on Spotify 11) Bluesky's longevity potential 12) Apple's smart glasses move 13) Z-Pain makes us unhappy --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Gustav Söderström is Spotify's co-president, chief technology officer, and chief product officer. He joins Big Technology Podcast — as we debut video episodes on Spotify — for discussion of Spotify's approach to AI generated content, algorithmic recommendations, and more. Tune in for a deep conversation covering whether Spotify wants AI-generated music and podcasts on its platform, how it can lean on AI recommendations to enhance discovery while sustaining human choice, and its long term AI vision. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss Spotify's plans for podcasts, audiobooks, and other new formats. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Polymarket's election day triumph 2) Was the prediction markets' success a fluke or something with staying power 3) Why crypto folks love prediction markets 4) Bitcoin skyrockets after Trump's election 5) S&P 500 hits 6,000 6) Is this stock market momentum sustainable? 7) Why Tesla benefits from Trump's election - or does it? 8) Podcasts were the defining media format of the election 9) Why podcasts matter 10) Trump vs. Harris media strategy 11) Open source AI under the microscope as it's adopted for wartime uses --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Ana Swanson is a reporter covering trade and international economics for The New York Times. Dan Primack is the business editor at Axios. The two join to discuss the implications of Trump's win in the 2024 election. We cover: 1) Trump's decisive win 2) Why he won 3) Will his policies deliver for his voters? 4) No tax on tips, overtime, or social security 5) Will Trump's tariff threats become reality? 6) US-China relations and semiconductor industry impacts 7) Tech antitrust future with Lina Khan likely out as FTC chair 8) Trump's silence on AI regulation 9) Federal Reserve independence under Trump 10) Elon Musk's influence in new administration 11) The proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) 12) Tesla and EV industry outlook 13) Bull and bear cases for Trump economy. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Alan Deardorff is a professor emeritus of international economics and public policy at the University of Michigan. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a special episode on the eve of election day to discuss the difference between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on tariffs and international trade, and whether a trade war might harm U.S. tech companies. We also debate the merits of free trade, and whether it leaves people better off. Stay tuned for the second half where we talk about Apple, Amazon, and potential currency debasement. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) GPT-5 delayed till 2025? 2) Is focusing on products, not big models, a good move for OpenAI? 3) Is OpenAI trying to train the model again with a bigger GPU cluster? 4) Meta trains Llama 4 on more than 100,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs 5) OpenAI puts search in ChatGPT 6) Meta also has a search engine 7) Search engines everywhere, but Google still leads 8) Google's Halloween employee meeting 9) Amazon Alexa disappoints 10) Do Alexa's shortcomings reflect Amazon culture? 11) Election week preview 12) Ranjan on Big Tech earnings 13) Big Tech companies are spending big on AI 14) Is that AI replacing people? 15) Microsoft copilot adoption 16) Meta likes AI slop? 17) Do we like the Costco family 18) In praise of the Rizzler 19) Apple's initial Apple Intelligence results 20) The polymarket election. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Aidan Gomez is the co-author of the "Attention Is All You Need" paper that launched the AI revolution and CEO of Cohere, an enterprise AI company. Gomez joins Big Technology to discuss the myths, facts, and realities of today's AI landscape. Tune in to hear why the real value of AI isn't in flashy consumer apps but in automating crucial back-office processes that could save businesses billions. We also cover the truth about AI capabilities, the likelihood of AGI, synthetic data training, and whether an intelligence explosion is possible. Hit play for a refreshingly grounded discussion about where AI is actually making an impact, from one of the field's pioneering voices. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) AI agents are here 2) Anthropic's Sonnet 3.5 model 3) Why we're underwhelmed with AI agents so far 4) The long-term bull case for agents 5) OpenAI's Orion model 6) Sam Altman's fake news tweet, and his cryptic preview of that news 7) Elon Musk and Putin speak regularly 8) China, Russia, Iran, North Korea vs. U.S. and Europe about to get weird 9) Tesla's blowout earnings 10) Waymo raises $5.6 billion 11) Teen takes life after falling in love with Character.ai bot 12) Perplexity vs. The Media 13) Big Technology and ElevenLabs make a deal. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Dan Ives is the managing director, equity research at Wedbush Securities. Stephanie Link is the chief investment strategist and portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors. The two all-star stock watchers join Big Technology Podcast to discuss the fascinating state of big tech stocks, particularly Apple's surprising resilience. Tune in to hear why Apple's stock is up 42% since April despite mixed headlines about Vision Pro and AI, and whether its $3.5 trillion valuation is justified. We also cover Nvidia's dominance in AI chips, how a potential Trump presidency could impact tech stocks, and Amazon's cultural challenges. Hit play for an insightful discussion about where the biggest names in tech are headed and how to think about investing in them. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. Cory Weinberg from The Information joins us for the first half! We cover 1) Open AI and Microsoft’s relationship starting to fray 2) Microsoft rebuffing OpenAI's fundraising efforts 3) Mustafa Suleyman's impact on the Microsoft - OpenAI dynamic 4) Why OpenAI sought Apple and NVIDIA's investment 5) Softbank from the top rope 6) When might OpenAI declare it's reached AGI? 7) Microsoft and OpenAI sort out ownership stakes in a new for-profit entity 8) Apple's new smart home strategy 9) Netflix's earnings and engagement questions 10) Meta fires employees for using meal money on toothpaste 11) Silicon Valley and FIRE --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology Questions? Feedback? Write to: [email protected]