Episodes

Aug. 18, 2021

Wed. 08/18 – WhatsApp Shuts Down Taliban “Helpline”

A look at how all the platforms are dealing with the Taliban being a modern social media enterprise. Amazon is bigger than Walmart for the first time. Samsung stops cluttering its phones with ads. Attempting to hire the hacker who hacked you. And I get my answer to why all the platforms want to pro…
Aug. 17, 2021

Tue. 08/17 – Yik Yak Is Back. Act Accordingly.

Yik Yak is back, but can it make it in a Tik Tok world? Concerns about how the Taliban are using WhatsApp. OnlyFans wants you to try out a new safe for work app. TikTok is distributing music via the blockchain. And will BlueSky ever see the light of day?
Aug. 16, 2021

Mon. 08/16 – NHTSA Investigating Tesla’s Autopilot

Now it’s T-Mobile investigating a data breach that may or may not affect more than 100 million people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s Autopilot. Everybody’s building undersea cables all at once. And new to me at least is the technology that can pull drin…
Aug. 14, 2021

(TWTR SPC) Samsung Event And The 1Password Team

Wrapping up the Samsung event with @samrutherford of Gizmodo, taking stock of the state of foldable phones, and the 1Password engineering and founding team joins for the entire second half!
Guest: Sam Rutherford
Aug. 13, 2021

Fri. 08/13 – The Growing Power Of Stablecoins

Disney reported some surprisingly strong streaming numbers. A recent Nvidia keynote included a virtual replica of its CEO. What if USDC becomes a stablecoin defacto backed by the US Fed. And in the weekend longreads suggestions, why stablecoins generally have become the lynchpin of the crypto unive…
Aug. 12, 2021

Thu. 08/12 – Legislation To Break Open App Stores

There is officially a bill to crack open the App Store. DoorDash wanted to buy Instacart, but fear of regulators scuppered the deal. WhatsApp will let you migrate your chat history. Lionel Messi’s new club is paying him partially in crypto. And there’s still money in digital piracy.
Aug. 11, 2021

Wed. 08/11 – Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked Event

All the flipping and folding phone news from today’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. A big crypto crime in the DeFi space. Did AWS beat out Microsoft for a secret NSA contract? And why are all the major tech platforms so concerned about protecting kids all of the sudden? Not that that’s a bad thing!
Aug. 10, 2021

Tue. 08/10 – iPhone To Get An Apple Watch-Like Always-On Screen?

Time for iPhone rumor season to hit fever pitch. Will the next iPhone take a page out of the Apple Watch’s book when it comes to screens? Has Apple run afoul of US labor law? The Crypto fix fails in the Senate, so now folks have to hope for reconciliation with the House. An interesting raise that i…
Aug. 9, 2021

Mon. 08/09 – Congressional Crypto Crunch

Crypto flexes its lobby muscle in an attempt to craft that infrastructure bill. Apple tries to beat back the controversy around its photo scanning plans. The Cybertruck is delayed. And what if the whole democratization of investing thing moves beyond options and even NFTs into angel and venture inv…
Aug. 7, 2021

(SPC CST) - The Metaverse! With @janineyorio

All things metaverse! Why is it on everybody's lips at the moment? When will it arrive? Is it already (kinda) here? With @janineyorio from Republic.co.
Guest: Janine Yorio
Aug. 6, 2021

Fri. 08/06 – The Apple Photo Scanning Controversy

I try to explain this whole controversy about Apple scanning your photos. Yelp will list business’ vaccination policies. I guess I’m bullish on autonomous tractors. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
Aug. 5, 2021

Thu. 08/05 – Nest Refreshes Everything

Google has refreshed the entire Nest lineup and I guess TPU’s will be a thing going forward. Ethereum’s latest hard fork is live and bringing big changes. There’s a new Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and the government all combatting cyberattacks. And if some comp…
Aug. 4, 2021

Wed. 08/04 – Is Robinhood A Meme Stock Now?

Robinhood’s shares are up so much after that busted IPO that trading had to be halted today. What gives? Also, what’s up with the rush into Buy Now Pay Later all of the sudden? Vudo will become Roku’s official video store. Superhuman raises another round. And do you need a smart soap dispenser in y…
Aug. 3, 2021

Tue. 08/03 – The Pixel 6 And The New Tensor SoC

Google unveils the new Pixel 6 lineup, but the really interesting detail is the chip inside them. Apple makes Magic Keyboard with Touch ID available as a standalone product. Microsoft makes Windows as a service live. Now China says games are the opium of the spirit. And what if drone delivery is ru…
Aug. 2, 2021

Mon. 08/02 – Try Some “Diet” YouTube

YouTube is demoing a diet version of YouTube. Square is paying a pretty penny to join the buy now, pay later sweepstakes. Did an Intel exec accidentally leak the specs for Thunderbolt 5? And did Google’s quantum computer create a perpetual motion machine?
July 30, 2021

Fri. 07/30 – For Amazon, Are Ads > AWS?

Are ads a bigger cash cow for Amazon than even AWS? Follow up on Robinhood’s trading debut. How the SEC is dealing with the Chinese tech stock problem. Gopuff indicates that grocery delivery is still white hot to investors. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
July 29, 2021

Thu. 07/29 – Vaccine Mandates For Big Tech?

Tech companies dip their toes into vaccine mandate waters. Facebook in so many words says Apple’s privacy changes are about to impact earnings. Will Didi take itself private again to please the Chinese government? Is Peacock doing better than I at least thought? And a crypto startup is sliding into…
July 28, 2021

Wed. 07/28 – Earnings Bonanza

Apple reports earnings but warns of component shortages. Microsoft set profit records but noted shortage materially affected some divisions. Alphabet had good earnings too, but the real story there is YouTube. About the staff walkout at Activision Blizzard. Is Apple asking leakers to snitch on thei…
July 27, 2021

Tue. 07/27 – No More Hedging. Tesla Truly Profitable.

Tesla is profitable beyond all caveats and hedges. Intel continues to telegraph its turnaround plans. Tangible numbers of the Chinese tech carnage. Instagram changes the rules for teens on the platform. And what are Facebook’s ultimate designs on building a Metaverse?
July 26, 2021

Mon. 07/26 – What The Heck Is Happening In China?

Is the DOJ probing Tether for bank fraud? When might FaceID come to the Mac? What do leaked photos tell us about the next Surface Duo? And I will spend the entire second half of the show trying my best to explain the seeming tech apocalypse happening in China right now.
July 24, 2021

(Spc Cst) The Zoom Platform Road Map With @ross

Plus, the Hyper fund from Product Hunt, Automattic's acquisition game, and Twitter tests downvotes?
Guest: Ross Mayfield
July 23, 2021

Fri. 07/23 – Alphabet’s New Moonshot Company: Intrinsic

Alphabet has a new moonshot company. Existing Big Bet DeepMind might have had a big breakthrough. Why Snap and Twitter are sharing an earnings narrative right now. Hint: it’s cause they’re growing again. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
July 22, 2021

Thu. 07/22 – Downvote This Tweet

Twitter is testing downvotes. Tumblr gets into the subscription game. Google unveils a unified backup service for Android. Is HBO Max leading the pack of followers in the musical chairs streaming wars contest? The FTC is getting serious about right to repair. And let me introduce you to the Airbnb …
July 21, 2021

Wed. 07/21 – Is The Narrative Turning On Netflix?

Netflix’s growth has hit a wall, and so here come the games. What to do about a problem like those NSO hacks? Samsung’s next Unpacked event is announced. One of the biggest crypto raises of all time. And will Apple ever join the Android ecosystem and kill off SMS once and for all?