Elon makes an unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI, or at least the non-profit that controls it, and maybe he doesn’t really want to own it, it’s complicated. I’ll explain. YouTube continues to be the biggest thing in media. Forget smartwatches, get ready for smart earbuds. And the crazy cheap Chinese EVs can now do crazy cheap self-driving too!

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• Elon Musk-Led Group Makes $97.4 Billion Bid for Control of OpenAI (WSJ)
• Exclusive: OpenAI is not for sale, CEO Sam Altman says (Axios)
• Musk’s $97.4 Billion OpenAI Bid Piles Pressure on Sam Altman (WSJ)
• YouTube Surprise: CEO Says TV Overtakes Mobile as “Primary Device” for Viewing (THR)
• Google Calendar removed events like Pride and BHM because its holiday list wasn’t ‘sustainable’ (The Verge)
• Powerbeats Pro 2 Debut With Heart Rate Monitoring, H2 Chip, Active Noise Cancellation, and More (MacRumors)
• Chinese EV leader BYD to offer ‘God’s Eye’ self-driving system on all models (FT)

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According to the Super Bowl ad I saw last night, anyone can use Starlink on their phone soon, not just T-Mobile users. Was this the Super Bowl of crypto-betting? Are we seeing the first signs that AI is stealing jobs from tech workers? And a behind the scenes tale of how Sam Altman outflanked Elon Musk.

Sponsors:

• Timeline.com/ride

Links:

• T-Mobile to Charge $15 Per Month for Starlink Satellite Texting Feature (Bloomberg)
• Polymarket Bettors Punt $1.1B on Superbowl Results, Despite Regulatory Overhang (CoinDesk)
• Exclusive: OpenAI set to finalize first custom chip design this year (Reuters)
• IT Unemployment Rises to 5.7% as AI Hits Tech Jobs (WSJ)
• Exclusive: Anthropic's "index" tracks AI economy (Axios)
• Christie’s announces AI art auction, and not everyone is pleased (TechCrunch)
• How Sam Altman Sidestepped Elon Musk to Win Over Donald Trump (NYTimes)

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(Omnibus) Week Of 02/03/2025

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Is the UK government about to force Apple to put backdoors into all of our iPhones? Tallying up the Tech Earnings week of CAPEX announcements. We might get a new iPhone next week. The Weekend Longreads suggestions. And listen to the end of the show cause I’m running an experiment.

Sponsors:

• IQBar. Text TECHMEME to 64000

Links:

• U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts (Washington Post)
• Amazon plans to spend $100 billion this year to capture ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ in AI (CNBC)
• Tech Giants Double Down on Their Massive AI Spending (WSJ)
• Apple’s Long-Awaited Overhaul of iPhone SE Nears Release (Bloomberg)
• Softbank set to invest $40 billion in OpenAI at $260 billion valuation, sources say (CNBC)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• How is Fortnite's Attempt to Become the YouTube of Gaming Going? (Posting Nexus)
• The Sims Turned Players Into Gods. And Farmers. And Vampires. And Landlords. (NYTimes)

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Now researchers say they have trained a cutting edge AI model for… checks notes… $50. Not $50 million dollars. $50. Dollars. Get ready for the superbowl of AI ads. Amazon has scheduled an Alexa AI event. And also, why does Amazon fail so hard when it comes to physical retail?

Sponsors:

• Oracle.com/techmeme

Links:

• Researchers created an open rival to OpenAI’s o1 ‘reasoning’ model for under $50 (TechCrunch)
• Google Kills Diversity Hiring Targets (WSJ)
• Google Unwinds Employee Diversity Goals, Citing Trump’s D.E.I. Orders (NYTimes)
• OpenAI Set to Make Super Bowl Ad Debut (WSJ)
• OpenAI to Air Its First Super Bowl Ad (AdWeek)
• Amazon's AI revamp of Alexa assistant nears unveiling (Reuters)
• Bill banning social media for youngsters advances (Politico)
• Trump's de minimis cancellation is bad news for Temu, but worse for Shein (Reuters)
• Amazon, King of Online Retail, Can’t Seem to Make Its Physical Stores Work (WSJ)

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Temu And Shein got a reprieve from the USPS, but they are still in deep, deep trouble. I’ll explain why. Alphabet earnings disappoint their investors but cheer investors of Nvidia. Google and Meta going in different directions when it comes to AI. And why are people increasingly refusing to pay ransomware?

Sponsors:

• Acorns.com/ride

Links:

• USPS Resumes Accepting Packages From China After Unexpected Suspension (Wired)
• Google expects to spend $75 billion this year on the AI race (The Verge)
• Google drops pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance (The Washington Post)
• Meta says it may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky (TechCrunch)
• After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box (The Verge)
• 35% Year-over-Year Decrease in Ransomware Payments, Less than Half of Recorded Incidents Resulted in Victim Payments (Chainalysis)
• Apple Launches New 'Invites' App (MacRumors)

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Is the US government about to get into, or at least, heavily impact the VC investing business? Apparently, the trade war with China is still on. The resurrection of Twitterific. And how Spotify has quietly stopped investing, and started getting real about profitability.

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn.com/ride

Links:

• Trump Signs Executive Action to Create Sovereign Wealth Fund (Bloomberg)
• China Hits Back Against Trump’s Tariffs With Targeted Actions (Bloomberg)
• China targets Google, Nvidia and Intel as Trump tariffs bite (Financial Times)
• Twitterrific team launches new ‘Tapestry’ iPhone app for Bluesky, Mastodon, RSS, more (9to5Mac)
• Opera’s new browser might save you from doomscrolling (The Verge)
• Spotify Reports First Full-Year Profit (WSJ)

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OpenAI unveils Deep Research, an AI agent just for that. I’ll explain. Are Shein and Temu first up to feel the brunt of the new Trump tariffs? Apple canceled the AR project I assumed they would be pivoting toward. And the Beatles won a Grammy last night with the first AI augmented song to ever win a Grammy.

Sponsors:

• QualiaLife.com/ride and code RIDE

Links:

• OpenAI unveils a new ChatGPT agent for ‘deep research’ (TechCrunch)
• Trump Targets Loophole Temu, Shein Used to Take On Amazon (Bloomberg)
• Shein to Face EU Consumer Law Probe Under E-Commerce Crackdown (Bloomberg)
• Apple Scraps Work on Mac-Connected Augmented Reality Glasses (Bloomberg)
• Stablecoins are finding product-market fit in emerging markets (TechCrunch)
• That AI-restored Beatles song won Grammy for Best Rock Performance (The Verge)

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