The LM Brief: The Syntax Illusion

Microsoft is investing $17.5 billion to turn India into a global AI powerhouse — from training 20 million workers to building new data infrastructure. We break down what this means for the future of AI talent, innovation, and digital sovereignty. Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Vinicius Vacanti is the co-founder and CEO of YipitData, an alternative data intelligence platform that analyzes billions of consumer data points daily for institutional investors and corporations. The company reached unicorn status with a $475 million Series E from Carlyle Group in 2021.In this episode of World of DaaS, Vin and Auren discuss:Why hedge funds dominate data usage versus corporationsHow AI is transforming data processing costsThe durability of data businesses over 120 yearsWhy "hire great people and get out of the way" is bad adviceLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Vinicius Vacanti on X at @vacanti.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief: MIT’s new research reveals how large language models can be fooled by their own grammar. By prioritizing sentence structure over sense, these systems risk producing confident but misleading outputs—and even ignoring built-in safety rules. Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Patrick McGee is the author of Apple in China, which was named one of the most notable books of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. The book is a deeply reported investigation into how Apple and China built each other over 25 years—and what that means for technology, supply chains, and geopolitics. Patrick has been a reporter with the Financial Times since 2013.In this episode of World of DaaS, Patrick and Auren discuss:Why Foxconn bet everything on Apple when others walked awayThe organized crime networks that distributed iPhones across ChinaHow Apple's supplier policies created competitors like HuaweiApple's $275B commitment and why they can't leave ChinaLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Patrick McGee on X at @patrickmcgee_.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Dave Morin is co-founder and managing partner of Offline Ventures, a venture fund and studio backed by Apple as anchor investor. He was an early employee at Facebook, then founded the mobile social network Path.In this episode of World of DaaS, Dave and Auren discuss:Why Meta's AI ads work while Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify fail at recommendationsHow Offline runs its venture fund/studio hybridParasocial relationships and the loneliness crisisDepression as the #1 disease by 2030 and breakthrough treatmentsLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Dave Morin on X at @davemorin.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief highlights a Forbes piece on enterprise AI infrastructure, where the author examines why data pipelines, not the models themselves, are becoming the real bottleneck. Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Azeem Azhar is the founder of Exponential View, a newsletter and research platform on emerging technology read by over 130,000 executives and policymakers globally, and author of the bestselling book The Exponential Age.In this episode of World of DaaS, Azeem and Auren discuss:Diagnosing an AI bubbleData centers driving 33% of US GDP growthWhether energy will constrain AI before capital doesCircular financing in AI and funding quality risksLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Azeem Azhar on X at @azeem.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief highlights Auren Hoffman’s latest piece, where he explores how emotion—not information—drives behavior across platforms, politics, and AI systems. The piece examines why algorithms amplify strong emotional signals, how “love” consistently outperforms “hate” in outcomes, and what this means for builders designing the next generation of data-driven products.Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.

Eric Simons is the CEO and co-founder of StackBlitz, the company behind Bolt.new, which reached $40 million ARR in five months after launching in October 2024. Bolt.new is an AI-powered platform that allows anyone to build, edit, and deploy full-stack web applications directly in the browser.In this episode of World of DaaS, Eric and Auren discuss:The explosive growth from $0 to $40M ARRPioneering usage-based pricing for AI toolsCompeting with Replit, Lovable, and VercelBuilding WebContainers technology for seven yearsLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Eric Simons on X at @EricSimons.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

This week’s World of DaaS LM Brief explores our latest roundtable, where data leaders discussed the evolving challenges of retaining and expanding enterprise customers in an increasingly competitive data economy. The conversation explored how companies are mitigating churn, proving ROI, and deepening customer value in the era of AI.Listen to this short podcast summary, powered by NotebookLM.