Meta To Abandon The Metaverse?

On the one hand, Meta poached Apple’s design head in a major coup to make hardware and software for AI, but there are signs Zuck is souring on the Metaverse could even abandon it entirely. Is Amazon about to abandon your mailman? And why Dario Amodei is playing a blinder right now. Apple Design Executive Alan Dye Poached by Meta in Major Coup (Bloomberg) Meta’s Zuckerberg Plans Deep Cuts for Metaverse Efforts (Bloomberg) Amazon explores building its own delivery network to replace USPS deal (Washington Post) Anthropic CEO Says Some Tech Firms Too Risky With AI Spending (Bloomberg) Harvey, a Maker of A.I. Legal Software, Raises New Funds (NYTimes) Reddit’s CEO says r/popular ‘sucks,’ and it’s going away (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We might soon have the first big IPO of the AI era, and it doesn’t look like it will be OpenAI. Amazon takes another few swings at Nvidia’s dominance. Proof positive that self driving cars really are significantly safer. And the disastrous 4k upscaling of Mad Men. Anthropic taps IPO lawyers as it races OpenAI to go public (FT) Amazon’s Custom Chips Pose Another Threat to Nvidia (WSJ) Amazon Has New Frontier AI Models—and a Way for Customers to Build Their Own (Wired) AWS puts Kiro and other AI agents to work on truly autonomous software development (SiliconANGLE) The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course. (NYTimes) Microsoft Lowers AI Software Growth Targets as Customers Resist Newer Products (The Information) The ‘Mad Men’ 4K Stream on HBO Max Had So Many Problems (Not All of Which Involved a Barf Machine) (THR) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Altman declares a “Code Red” for OpenAI. All hands on deck. Molly, you in danger, girl, to quote Oda Mae Brown from the movie Ghost. Long term, is Apple in trouble cause of Google’s ascendency in AI? Samsung announces but does not launch a tri-fold phone. And Ben Thompson weighs in on the obsession of the day. OpenAI CEO Declares ‘Code Red’ to Combat Threats to ChatGPT, Delays Ads Effort (The Information) Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays (MacRumors) Samsung’s Z TriFold is official and it looks like a tablet with a phone attached (The Verge) Google, Nvidia, and OpenAI (Stratechery) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Runway releases a new video model, let me break down the big analysis piece that had everyone concern trolling about Nvidia over the weekend. Why doesn’t Netflix want you to cast to your tv anymore? And AI means less jobs in consulting, but more jobs in a specific type of construction. Runway rolls out new AI video model that beats Google, OpenAI in key benchmark (CNBC) TPUv7: Google Takes a Swing at the King (SemiAnalysis) Nvidia takes $2 billion stake in Synopsys with expanded computing power partnership (CNBC) OpenAI Takes Stake in Thrive Holdings, a Buyer of Services Firms (NYTimes) Netflix kills casting from phones (The Verge) Top consultancies freeze starting salaries as AI threatens ‘pyramid’ model (FT) Data Centers Are a ‘Gold Rush’ for Construction Workers (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back again with Susan Lyne, to talk about running Martha Stewart's company when Martha went to prison, her startup career with Gilt Groupe, and her investing career with BBG Ventures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ve maybe never interviewed anyone in my entire time as a historian and podcaster who has had a career as broad and varied as Susan Lyne. Yes, I obviously wanted to talk to Susan about her role helping startup Gilt Group, and her current role as the managing partner of the VC firm BBG Ventures. But, holy how. Susan also launched and oversaw the golden era of Premiere Magazine. She was the CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia when Martha had to step away to, you know, go to prison. And she was the President of ABC Entertainment. She oversaw the development of shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Lost. So, like, yeah. We needed to do two episodes. So this is part one, with the great, Susan Lyne. Chapters 00:00 From Boston to Berkeley: A Transformative Journey 08:00 The Rise of Alternative Media: Village Voice Era 16:06 Hollywood Calling: The IPC Films Experience 23:12 Launching Premier Magazine: Inside Hollywood 36:14 Navigating the ABC Landscape: A New Era 40:28 Developing Grey's Anatomy And Lost Takeaways Susan's upbringing in Boston shaped her perspective on expectations and identity. Her time at UC Berkeley was transformative, exposing her to diverse ideas. Freelancing in journalism helped her develop a passion for storytelling. Working at City Magazine under Francis Ford Coppola was a unique experience. The Village Voice was a golden era for alternative media in New York. Susan's transition to Hollywood was driven by her love for storytelling. Premier Magazine aimed to provide in-depth insights into the film industry. At ABC, she focused on creating shows that appealed to women. Susan learned the importance of having a supportive partner in leadership. Her experience at ABC taught her valuable lessons about resilience and change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump has a plan to boost AI innovation. Polymarket is now street legal in the US. Google thinks it needs to double AI capacity every 6 months. Is Starlink about to face its first serious competition. And for reasons I’ll explain, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Trump aims to boost AI innovation, build platform to harness government data (Reuters) Polymarket Secures CFTC Approval for Regulated U.S. Return (CoinDesk) In Las Vegas, Kalshi Is King (The Information) Google must double AI serving capacity every 6 months to meet demand, AI infrastructure boss tells employees (CNBC) Amazon’s Starlink competitor is launching with ‘world’s fastest satellite internet antenna’ (The Verge) RAM prices are so out of control that stores are selling it like lobster (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Kicking Robots (Harper's Magazine) The Pentagon Can’t Trust GPS Anymore. Is Quantum Physics the Answer? (WSJ) I’m officially done with YouTube Kids (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now Anthropic says it’s leapfrogged OpenAI with its new model and is the AI horserace in play? OpenAI is still focusing on things like shopping. Nvidia answers a question people weren’t asking. And is Google soaring because they also might be able to go after Nvidia’s chip throne? Anthropic introduces cheaper, more powerful, more efficient Opus 4.5 model (Ars Technica) ChatGPT's new shopping research tool is fast, fun, and free - but can it out-shop me? (ZDNet) Nvidia’s ‘I’m Not Enron’ memo has people asking a lot of questions already answered by that memo (The Verge) Google Further Encroaches on Nvidia’s Turf With New AI Chip Push (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What sort of a world do we live in if you can’t be sure where an X account comes from? Google isn’t out of the woods yet when it comes to antitrust. Insurers still don’t want to touch AI. Let me tell you about “AI grooming.” And we might be running out of capacity for specific types of chips. X’s messy About This Account rollout has caused utter chaos (The Verge) What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality (NYTimes) The Fate of Google’s Ad Tech Monopoly Is Now in a Judge’s Hands (NYTimes) Insurers retreat from AI cover as risk of multibillion-dollar claims mounts (Financial Times) Hundreds of English-language websites link to pro-Kremlin propaganda (The Guardian) AI boom is fueling a memory chip shortage that could hit cars and phones (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google phone users can now work with Airdrop on the iPhone cause Google cleverly found a way. Google might have jumped ahead in the AI race and Sam Altman knows it. I’ve heard of quantum computing, but a quantum internet? The Weekend Longreads suggestions, and at the end, a long rant about my latest AI experiments. Google cracked Apple’s AirDrop and is adding it to Pixel phones (The Verge) Altman Memo Forecasts ‘Rough Vibes’ Due to Resurgent Google (The Information) Source: Kalshi’s valuation jumps to $11B after raising massive $1B round (TechCrunch) Americans' Social Media Use 2025 (Pew Research Center) IBM, Cisco outline plans for networks of quantum computers by early 2030s (Reuters) IBM, Cisco to collaborate on ‘internet’ of quantum computers (Silicon Republic) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Google’s new AI image creator took my shirt off (The Verge) Google’s Nano Banana Pro generates excellent conspiracy fuel (The Verge) The new silicon valley (literally) (The Verge) How America’s Hottest Chicken Chain Keeps Its Secret Sauce a Secret (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices