Co-Founder of Google
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Story of the Week (DR):Target silent after federal immigration agents arrest Twin Cities employees, operate near stores DRPress Release, January 14, 2026: Target Expands Its Style Offerings with Exclusive Bedding Collection from Acclaimed Interior Designer Jeremiah BrentQuote from the investors page: “Together, Target's purpose-driven team of more than 400,000 works daily to help all families discover the joy of everyday life.” Brian Cornell, Chair and Chief Executive OfficerBill Ackman defends donation to ICE officer who shot Minnesota woman: 'Presumed innocent until proven guilty'Chipotle clarifies Bill Ackman 'not affiliated' with chain after billionaire's ICE agent donationFord worker suspended for calling Trump 'pedophile protector' has 'no regrets' for 'embarrassing' presidentSuspended Michigan autoworker who heckled Trump gets outpouring of donationsGrok blocked from undressing images in places where it's illegal after global backlashI asked Grok's AI to undress me after X's new limits. It's still easy on the appGrok was finally updated to stop undressing women and children, X Safety saysGrok Is Getting Access to Classified Military Networks Elon Musk's xAI probed by California DOJ over Grok's deepfake explicit imagesElon Musk's X Under UK Investigation Over Grok's Sexualized A.I. ImagesOpposition to Elon Musk's AI Stripping Clothing Off Children Is Nearly Universal, PollingMalaysia and Indonesia block Musk's Grok over sexually explicit deepfakesAshly St Clair, the conservative influencer who had Musk's baby, just sued Xai for sexualizing her - after saying in 2024 that X and Musk were “essential” to free speech, that Musk was the only one doing it, and that, “Truly, the only things they will ban are things that are against the law”... oops?Trump canceled or stopped enforcement against 166 corporations in his first year. Many of them were donorsNew analysis finds federal agencies halted or limited enforcement and prosecution, including many involving companies and individuals with ties to President Donald TrumpRipple, the cryptocurrency company behind XRP, donated $4.9 million — among the largest donation — to Trump's inauguration events. Shortly afterward, the Securities and Exchange Commission withdrew an appeal seeking nearly $2 billion in penalties against the company, settling instead for $125 million.After he and his wife donated $1.8 million to Trump's reelection, Trevor Milton — the CEO of electric vehicle startup Nikola, who was convicted in 2023 of defrauding investors — received a presidential pardon wiping out over $660 million in restitution. Milton's legal team included Attorney General Pam Bondi's brother, Brad Bondi.Amazon was facing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit for allegedly discriminating against pregnant workers. After Trump signed an April 2025 executive order directing agencies not to rely on disparate impact analysis — an important tool for proving discrimination — the EEOC then dismissed the case.The report details how Amazon donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, made another $1 million in-kind donation by streaming the inauguration on Amazon Video, and is backing Trump's $300 million “Golden Ballroom” in the White House's East Wing. The company also announced a deal to stream The Apprentice, resulting in "unspecified" payments to Trump, who starred in and executive-produced the show. The company reportedly also paid $28 million to first lady Melania Trump for a documentary.What's more, Attorney General Pam Bondi worked as a registered lobbyist for Amazon in 2020 and 2021, while Trump ally Brian Ballard lobbied on Amazon's behalf in 2024.Trump tries to reduce CEO pay and halt billions in stock buybacks at defense contractorsTrump threatens to sideline Exxon from Venezuela's oil: 'They're playing too cute'Justice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal ReserveFed chair accuses DoJ of threatening criminal charges over building renovation projects because central bank defied Trump's interest rate demandsGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: MacKenzie Scott is using her $26 billion philanthropy push to rescue organizations in danger after the Trump administration's funding cutsMM: RFK Jr.'s Health Department Is Studying Health Effects of CellphonesNot that there are any doctors there, or that anything they do anymore is science, BUT THIS IS GREATEven if they end up with spurious research that says “your cellphone and wifi will give you ballsack cancer”, it means less phones, less online, and happier humans with human friends and going outside moreAssholiest of the Week (MM):Brian Cornell“That could have been one of my Target team members”.“We have to be the role models that drive change and our voice is important. And we've got to make sure that we represent our company principles, our values, our company purpose on the issues that are important to our teams.”“The eyes of America, and the eyes of the world were on Minneapolis.”“As a Target team, we've huddled, we've consoled, we've witnessed horrific scenes similar to what's playing out now and wept that not enough is changing. And as a team we've vowed to face pain with purpose.”“We've got to stand up and do more”Oh, wait, that's not when ICE shot a woman without due process or outside of every protocol? That was when there was a lot of money in saying “we're for DEI” and every other CEO put out the same statement? Ahhh… maybe one of your board members should say something… Derica Rice flipped on DEI at Disney, probably not himDmitri Stockton flipped on DEI at both Deere and Black & Decker, probably not him…Grace Puma is on the board of Phillips 66 who wants in on Venezuelan oil, probably not her…Christine Leahy is the CEO of CDW who has had 11bn of government contracts in the last decade, and 270m+ last year, so probably not her…David Abney is on the board of Northrup Grumman…Monica Lozano was on Disney… Brian Cornell and Michael Fidelke run the board…That leaves a minority of directors who MIGHT have said something! Bill Ackman DR The woman shot in the face was apparently NOT innocent until proven guilty, or at least Bill can't find a way to get her any money because “her GoFundMe had closed”... also, she's deadAckman needs to get punched in the mouth - no one should care what he thinks about anything, every, at all. He's the worst kind of blowhard - has he ever offered a full throated defense of a blank person? A woman he's not married to who's not on Fox News? Does he ever admit he's wrong, biased, or a fucking hypocrite? Oh, but he says we all are? Shut. Your. Mouth.But Ackman is part of a bigger problem - at this point you are either aiding ICE's tactics, which have crossed fully into unaccountable personal army of the US dictator, or you're not aiding them. ICE abetting includes: AT&TBooz Allen HamiltonComcastDellGeneral DynamicsL3Harris TechnologiesMotorola SolutionsMen from Stanford saying they love people who didn't go to schoolGoogle's Sergey Brin admits he's hiring ‘tons' of workers without degrees: ‘They just figure things out on their own in some weird corner'Go hire some homeless people, tooHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Tech Billionaire Forced to Rename Humongous Yacht After Realizing It Spelled Something Horrible BackwardsLarry Ellison: “Izanami.”MM: Opposition to Elon Musk's AI Stripping Clothing Off Children Is Nearly Universal, Polling ShowsNEARLY96 percent said they shouldn't be able to generate “undressed” images of minors only wearing clothing like underwearSo… should they release the names and addresses of the 4%?MM: Jamie Dimon slams DOJ probe of Jerome Powell, warning investigation could stoke inflationNot says, SLAMSWho Won the Week?DR: Acclaimed Interior Designer Jeremiah Brent and his new Exclusive Bedding Collection at TargetMM: Rhode Island - 350,000 homes will be powered by wind despite Trump's make believe “radar interference”PredictionsDR: Target lazily repurposes its October 20, 2025 news feature “Target's Partnership with RICE — fueling a more inclusive economy” to “Target's Partnership with ICE — fueling a more exclusive economy”MM: Brian Cornell, after seeing the error in his ways, is seen outside of ICE officer Jonathan Ross's house kneeling in solidarity and burning gay pride merchandise as a tribute
The gang discusses the killing of Renée Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by an ICE agent during protests against a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. With conflicting accounts from federal authorities, witnesses, and local officials, they dig into questions of use of force, accountability, and how immigration enforcement is escalating inside U.S. cities. Then, they turn to California's proposed billionaire wealth tax, which has prompted Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to move assets and cut ties with the state. Is this a long overdue redistribution effort, or a policy that will drive massive capital flight?Chapters00:00:00 - Intro00:08:27 - ICE Shooting in Minnesota00:55:10 - Wealth Tax01:24:59 - Emails01:52:16 - Wrap-up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, you explored the controversial and often overlooked connections between U.S. intelligence agencies and the origins of Google, focusing on claims that early research leading to the search engine was funded or influenced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). Investigative accounts suggest that government-backed research programs in the 1990s, including those supported by NSA and CIA interests, helped seed the breakthrough work on search algorithms that Sergey Brin and Larry Page would later commercialize. Critics argue that these ties reveal how deeply intelligence priorities have been woven into the evolution of one of the world's most powerful tech platforms and raise broader questions about surveillance, government influence on innovation, and privacy in the digital age.Website: thefacthunter.comShow Notes:Don't let them control the narrative https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica2/sociopol_internetgoogle71.htm Who really controls the CIA https://exonews.org/an-in-depth-look-into-who-really-controls-the-us-government-deep-state-because-its-not-the-people/ Kirk CIA https://x.com/mommaleo/status/2010057407687479455?s=46&t=ytitK_qmWZMvJd0lLKbt-g ALTERED GENES https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/ciencia_monsanto152.htm Top 10 Cancer Causing Foods: Understanding THAT Causes Cancer https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/cancer-causing-foods-2/
Larry Page said in the early day, a guiding principle is Do No Evil. I wonder if we can say that today or is it just business as usual? Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today’s episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it’s us, but we’re highlighting ads we’ve written and produced for our clients. So, here’s one of those. [Out of this World Plumbing Ad] Dave Young: This is the Empire Builders Podcast, by the way. Dave Young here, Steve Semple there. I wonder, Stephen, if we could do this whole episode without mentioning the name of the company that we’re going to be talking about. I ask that for the simple reason of they already know. They already know what we’re talking about. They already know we’re talking about them. They probably knew we were going to talk about them. Stephen Semple: Because of all the research I’ve done on my computer. Dave Young: No, because they’re listening to everything. They probably already know the date that this is going to come out and how long it’s… I don’t know, right? When they first started, and I don’t think we felt that way about them, and I can remember back in the early 2000s, just after the turn- Stephen Semple: In the early days, they had a statement. Larry Page was very famous. Dave Young: Yeah, “Do no evil.” Stephen Semple: “Do know evil. Do no evil,” and that was a very, very big part. In fact, in the early stages, they made a bunch of decisions that challenged the company financially because they were like, “This is not good experience for the person on the other end.” I wonder if anybody’s guessed yet what we’re going to be talking about. Dave Young: Well, then you go public, and it’s all about shareholders, right? It’s like the shareholders are like, “Well, we don’t care if you do evil or not. We want you to make money.” That’s what it’s about because you have [inaudible 00:03:01]. Stephen Semple: All those things happen. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: This company that we’re talking about, we’ll go a little while before we’ll let the name out, was founded… On September 4th in 1998 was when it was actually founded. Dave Young: Oh, ’98. It goes back before the turn of the century [inaudible 00:03:14]. Stephen Semple: Yeah. It was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who met at Stanford. Interesting note, the Stanford grads also created Yahoo. Dave Young: Okay, yeah. Stephen Semple: That’s giving you another little clue about the company that we might be talking about. Dave Young: In the same geek club. Stephen Semple: Yeah, so 1998. I was thinking back, one year after I graduated from university, Windows 98 is launched and, believe it or not, the last Seinfeld episode aired. Dave Young: Are you kidding me? Stephen Semple: No, isn’t that crazy? Dave Young: ’98. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: I mean, I was busy raising four daughters in ’98. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Today, this company, as you said, because you didn’t want me to name the company, has more net income than any other business in US history. It has, now, I got to let the cat out of the bag, eight and a half billion searches a day happen. And yes, we’re talking about the birth of Google, which is also now known as part of the Alphabet group. Dave Young: Alphabet, yeah. It’s funny how they got to get a name that means everything. Did they have a name before Google? I know Google was like… Oh, it’s a number really, right? It’s a gazillion, bazillion Googleplex. Stephen Semple: As we’ll go into a little bit later, they actually spelled it wrong when they registered the site. That’s not actually the way that the word is spelled. I’ll have to go… But yeah, the first iteration was a product called BackRub was the name of it. Dave Young: Backrub, okay. Stephen Semple: Alphabet also owns the second largest search engine, which is YouTube. Together, basically, it’s a $2 trillion business, which is larger than the economy of Canada. It’s this amazing thing. Going back to 1998, there are dozens of search engines all using different business models. Now, today Alphabet’s like 90% in the market. Up until this point, it’s been unassailable, and it’s going to be really interesting to see what the future of AI and whatnot brings to that business. But we’re not talking about the future, we’re talking about the past here, so back to the start. Larry Page was born in Lansing, Michigan. His dad is a professor of computer science. His mom is also a computer academic. This is in the ’70s. Between 1979 and ’80, his dad does a stint at Stanford and then also goes to work at Microsoft. Now, Larry and Sergey meet at Stanford, and they’re very ambitious, they’re equal co-founders, but Larry had this thing he also talked about where he said, “You need to do more than just invent things.” It wasn’t about inventing things, it was about creating things that people would use. Here’s what’s going on in the world of the web at this time to understand what’s going on. Here’s some web stats. In 1993, there’s 130 websites in the world. In 1996, three years later, there’s 600,000 websites. That’s a 723% growth year over year. The world has never seen growth like that before. Dave Young: Right, yeah. It was amazing to experience it. People that are younger than us don’t realize what it was. Josh Johnson, the comedian, has a great routine on trying to explain to people what it was like before Google. You needed to know something- Stephen Semple: What it was like for the internet. Dave Young: Yeah. You had to ask somebody who knew. If you needed the answer to a question, you had to ask somebody. And if they didn’t know, then you had to find somebody else, or you had to go to the library and ask a librarian and they would help you find the answer- Stephen Semple: Well, I don’t think it’s like a- Dave Young: … maybe by giving you a book that may or may not have the answer. Stephen Semple: Here’s an important point. I want you to put a pin in that research. We’re going to come back to it. I was about to go down a rabbit hole, but let’s come back to this in just a moment, because this is a very, very important point here about the birth of Google. Larry and Sergey first worked on systems to allow people to make annotations and notes directly on websites with no human involved, but the problem is that that could just overrun a site because there was no systems for ranking or order or anything along that lines. The other question they started to ask is, “Which annotations should someone look at? What are the ones that have authority?” This then created the idea of page rankings. All of this became messy, and this led to them to asking the question, “What if we just focused on ranking webpages?” which led to ranking search. Now, whole idea was ranking was based upon authority and credibility, and they drew this idea from academia. So when we would do research, David, and you’d find that one book, what did you do to figure out who the authority was on the topic? You went and you saw what book did that cite, what research did this book cite. The further you went back in those citations, the closer you got to the true authority, right? Do you remember doing that type of research? Dave Young: Yeah, sure. Stephen Semple: Right. They looked at that and they went, “Well, that’s how you establish credibility and authority is who’s citing who.” Okay. They decided that what they were going to do was do that for the web, and the way the web did that was links, especially in the early days where a lot of it was research. Dave Young: Yeah. If a whole bunch of people linked to you, then that gives you authority over the words that they used to link on and- Stephen Semple: Well, and also in the early days, those links carried a lot of metadata around what the author thought, like, “Why was the link there?” In the early days, backlinks were incredibly important. Now, SEO weasels are still today talking about backlinks, which is complete. Dude, backlinks, yeah, they kind of matter, but they’re… Anyway, I could go down a rabbit hole. Dave Young: Yeah. It’s like anything, the grifters figure out a way to hack the system and make something that’s not authoritative seem like it is. Stephen Semple: Yeah. It’s harder that you can’t hack the system today. Anyway, but the technology challenge, how do you figure out who’s backedlinked to who? Well, the only way you can do it is you have to crawl the entire web, copy the entire web, and reverse engineer the computation to do this. Dave Young: Yeah. It’s huge. We’ve been talking about Google’s algorithm for as long as Google’s been around. That’s the magic of it, right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. In the early days, with them doing it as a research project, they could do it because there was hundreds of sites. If this happened even two years later, like 1996, it would’ve been completely impossible because the sheer size to do it as a research project, right? Now, they called this system BackRub, and they started to shop this technology to other search engines because, again, remember there was HotBot and Lyco and Archie and AltaVista and Yahoo and Excite and Infoseek. There were a ton of these search engines. Dave Young: Don’t forget Ask Jeeves. Stephen Semple: Ask Jeeves? Actually, Ask Jeeves might’ve even been a little bit later, but yeah, Ask Jeeves was one of them once when it was around. Dave Young: There was one that was Dogpile that was… It would search a bunch of search engines. Stephen Semple: Right, yeah. There was all sorts of things. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: There was another one called Excite, and they got close to doing a deal with Excite. They got a meeting with them, and they’re looking at a license deal, million dollars for BackRub, and they would go into the summer and they would implement it because they were still students at Stanford. They got so far as running for the executives there a side-by-side test. They demo this test and the results were so good with BackRub. Here’s what execs at Excite said, “Why on earth would we want to use your engine? We want people to stay on our site,” because, again, it would push people off the site because web portals had this mentality of keeping people on the site instead of having them leave. So it was a no deal. They go back to school and no one wants BackRub, so they decide to build it for themselves at Stanford. The original name was going to be Whatbox. Dave Young: Whatbox? I’m glad they didn’t use Whatbox. Stephen Semple: Yeah. They thought it sounded too close to a porn site or something like that. Dave Young: Okay, I’ll give them that. Stephen Semple: Larry’s dorm mate suggested Google, which is the mathematical term of 10 to the 100th power, but it’s spelled G-O-O-G-O-L. Dave Young: Googol, mm-hmm. Stephen Semple: Correct. Now, there’s lots of things here. Did Larry Page misregister? Did he decide purposely? There’s all sorts of different stories there, but the one that seems to be the most popular, at least liked the most, is that he misspelled it when he did the registration to G-O-G-G-L-E. Dave Young: I think that’s probably a good thing because when you hear it said, that’s kind of the first thing you go- Stephen Semple: That’s kind of how you spell it. Dave Young: … how you spell it. I think we’d have figured it out, but- Stephen Semple: We would’ve, but things that are easier are always better, right? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: By spring of ’98, they’re doing 10,000 searches a day all out of Stanford University. Dave Young: Wait, 10,000 a day out of one place. Stephen Semple: Are using university resources. Everyone else is just using keywords on a page, which led to keyword stuffing, again, another one of these BS SEO keyword stuffing. Now, at one point, one half of the entire computing power at Stanford University is being used for Google searches. It’s the end of the ’98 academic year, and these guys are still students there. Now, sidebar, to this day, Stanford still owns a chunk of Google. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Worked out well for Stanford. Dave Young: Yeah, I guess. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Now, Larry and Sergey need some seed round financing because they’ve got to get it off of Stanford. They’ve got to start building computers. They raise a million dollars. Here’s the interesting thing I had no idea. Guess who one of the first round investors are who ended up owning 25% of the company in the seed round? Dave Young: Stay tuned. We’re going to wrap up this story and tell you how to apply this lesson to your business right after this. [Using Stories To Sell Ad] Dave Young: Let’s pick up our story where we left off and trust me you haven’t missed a thing. Stephen Semple: Guess who one of the first round investors are who ended up owning 25% of the company in the seed round? Jeff Bezos. Dave Young: Oh, no kidding. Stephen Semple: Yeah, yeah. Jeff Bezos was one of the first four investors in Google. Dave Young: Okay. Well, here we are. Stephen Semple: Isn’t that incredible? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: Now, AltaVista created a very interesting technology because AltaVista grew out of DEC computers who were building super computers at the time. They were basically one of the pre-leaders in search because what they would do is everybody else crawled the internet in series. They were crawling the internet in parallel, and this was a big technological breakthrough. In other words, they didn’t have to do it one at a time. They could send out a whole ton of crawlers, crawling all sorts of different things, all sorts of different pieces, bringing it back and could reassemble it. Dave Young: Got you. Stephen Semple: AltaVista also had therefore the most number of sites indexed. I remember back in the day, launching websites, like pre-2000, and yeah, you would launch a site and you would have to wait for it to be indexed and it could take weeks- Dave Young: You submit it. Yeah, there were things you could do to submit- Stephen Semple: There was things you could submit. Dave Young: … the search engines. Stephen Semple: Yes, yeah, and you would sit and you would wait and you’d be like, “Oh, it got crawled.” Yeah, it was crazy. We don’t think about that today. [inaudible 00:15:57] websites crawl. Dave Young: You’d make updates to your site and you’d need to resubmit it, so it would get crawled again- Stephen Semple: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Dave Young: … if there was new information. Stephen Semple: People would search your site and it would be different than the site that you would have because the updates hadn’t come through and all those other things. In 1998, Yahoo was the largest player. They were a $20 billion business, and they had a hand-curated guide to the internet, which worked at the time, but the explosive growth killed that. There was a point where Yahoo just couldn’t keep up with it. Then Yahoo went to this hybrid where the top part was hand-curated and then backfilled with search engine results. Now, originally, Google was very against the whole idea of banner ads, and this was the way everyone else was making money, because what they knew is people didn’t like banner ads, but you’re tracking eyeballs, you’re growing, you need more infrastructure, because basically their way of doing is they’re copying the entire internet and putting it on their servers and you need more money. Now, one of the other technological breakthroughs is Google figured out how to do this on a whole pile of cheap computers that they just stacked on top of each other, but you still needed money. At this moment, had no model for making money. They were getting all these eyeballs, they were faster because they built data centers around the world because they also figured out that, by decentralizing it, it was faster. They had lots of constraints. What they needed to do at this point was create a business model. What does one do when one needs to create a business model? Well, it’s early 1999, they’re running out of money. They hire Salar Kamangar, who’s a Stanford student, and they give him the job of writing a business plan. “Here, intern, you’re writing the business plan for how we’re going to make money. Go put together a pitch deck.” Dave Young: I wonder if they’re still using the plan. Stephen Semple: What they found at that point was there was basically three ways to make the money. Way number 1 was sell Google Search technology to enterprises. In other words, companies can use this to search their own documents and intranets. Dave Young: I remember that, yeah. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Number 2, sell ads, banner ads, and number 3, license search results to other search engines. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Based upon this plan, spring of ’99, they do a Series A fundraise. They raised more money, and they also meet Omid [inaudible 00:18:22] who’s from Netscape, and he’s kind of done with Netscape because Netscape had been just bought by AOL, and they recruit him as a chief revenue officer. Omid tries to sell the enterprise model, kind of fails, so things are not looking good on the revenue front. It’s year 2000, and the technology bubble is starting to burst. The customer base is still growing because people love it, love Google, but they’re running out of money again. They decide to do banner ads, because they just have got no money. Here’s the interesting thing is, in this day, 2000, I want you to think about this, you have to set up a sales force to go out and sell banner ads to agencies, people picking up the phone and walking into offices, reaching out to ad agencies. Dave Young: Yeah, didn’t have a platform for buying and selling… And banner ads, gosh, they were never… Google ads, in the most recent memory, are always context-related, right? Stephen Semple: Yes. Dave Young: But if you’re just selling banner ads to an agency, you might be looking for dog food and you’re going to see car ads and you’re going to see ads for high-tech servers and all kinds of things that don’t have anything to do with what you’re looking for. Stephen Semple: That’s how the early banner ads work. Hold that thought. You’re always one step ahead of me, Dave. Dave Young: Oh, sorry. Stephen Semple: Hold that thought. No, this is awesome. Dave Young: I’m holding it. Stephen Semple: What I want to stress is, when we talk about how the world has changed, in 2000, Google decides to do banner ads and how they have to do it is a sales force going out, reaching out to agencies, and agencies faxed in the banner ads. Dave Young: Okay. Yeah, sure. It would take too long for them- Stephen Semple: I’m not making this up. This is how much the world has changed in 25 years. Dave Young: “Fax me the banner.” Stephen Semple: Salespeople going out to sell ads to agencies for banners on Google where the insertions were sent back by fax. Dave Young: For the people under 20 listening to us, a fax machine- Stephen Semple: Who don’t even know what the hell a fax machine is, yeah. Dave Young: A fax machine, yeah, well, we won’t go there. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Now, here’s what they do. They also say to the advertisers at this point, “Google will only accept text for banner ads for speed.” Again, they start with the model of CPM, cost per a thousand views, which is basically how all the agencies were doing it, but they did do a twist on it. They sold around this idea of intent that the ads were showing keyword-based and they were the first to do that. What they did is they did a test to prove this. This was really cool. They set themselves up as an Amazon affiliate and dynamically generated a link on a book search and served up an ad, an affiliate ad, and they’re able to show they were able to sell a whole pile of books. The test proved the idea worked. And then what they did is they went out and they white-labeled this for others. For example, Yahoo did it, and it would show on the bottom of Yahoo, “Powered by Google.” But here’s the thing, as soon as you start saying, “Powered by Google,” what are you doing? You’re creating share of voice. Share of voice, right? Dave Young: Well, yeah, why don’t I just go to Google? Stephen Semple: Why don’t I just go to Google? Look, we had saw this a few years earlier when Hotmail was launched by Microsoft where you would get this email and go, “Powered by Hotmail,” and you’d be like, “What’s this Hotmail thing?” Suddenly, everybody was getting Hotmail accounts, right? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: No one has a Hotmail account, no longer they have Gmail accounts, they hardly have Gmail accounts anymore. Dave Young: No, I could tell you that we’ve got a lot of people at Wizard Academy that email us off with a Hotmail. Stephen Semple: Still have Hotmail accounts? Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: Oh, wow. So it’s still around? Okay. Dave Young: And then some Yahoos, yeah. Stephen Semple: Wow, that’s amazing. That’s amazing. Well, still- Dave Young: Yahoo, the email, not the customer. They’re not a Yahoo, but they have an account there. Stephen Semple: In October 2000, they launch AdWords with a test of 350 advertisers. And then, in 2002, they launched pay-per-click Advertising. And then 2004, they go public. Now, here’s one of the other things I want to talk about in terms of share of voice. They had a couple things going on with share of voice. They had that, “powered by Google,” which created share of voice because… We often think of share of voice as being just advertising in terms of how much are people knowing about us. I remember knowing nothing about Google and then learning about Google when Google went public because Google dragged out going public. They talked about it for a long time, but it meant it was financial press, it was front page news. It got a lot of PR and a lot of press around the time that they went public. That going public for them also created massive share of voice because there was suddenly a whole community that were not technologically savvy that we’re now suddenly aware of, “Oh, there’s this Google thing.” Dave Young: And they’re in the news, yeah. So I’ve got an idea for us, Steve. Stephen Semple: Yep, okay. Dave Young: All right. Stephen Semple: Let’s hear it. Dave Young: Let’s pick up part 2 of Google at the point they go public. Stephen Semple: All right, let’s do that. That’ll be an episode we’ll do in the future, yeah. Dave Young: We don’t do very many two-parters, but we’re already kind of a lengthy Empire Builder Podcast here. Stephen Semple: Oh, yeah. I was just taking it to this point, but I think that would be very interesting- Dave Young: Oh, okay. Stephen Semple: … because look, Google is a massive force in the world today- Dave Young: Unbelievable, yeah. Stephen Semple: … and I think it would be interesting to do the next part because there’s all sorts of things that they did to continue this path of attracting eyeballs. Dave Young: We haven’t even touched on Gmail yet. No, we have not. We have not. Stephen Semple: Because that happened after they went public. Correct. Let’s do that. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Here’s the lesson that I think that I want people to understand is share of voice comes from other things, but we’re going to explore that even more in this part 2. I like the idea of doing this part 2. They really looked at this problem from a completely different set of eyeballs, and this is where I commend Google, from the standpoint of there’s all this stuff in the internet and what we really want to know is who is the authority. They looked at the academic world for how does it establish authority, and how authority is established is how much is your work cited by others, how much are other… So, now, Google has of course expanded that to direct search and there’s all these other things, but they’ve always looked at it from the standpoint of, “Who in this space has the most authority? Who is really and truly the expert on this topic? We’re going to try to figure that out and serve that up.” Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: That’s core to what their objective has been. Dave Young: We could talk about Google for four or five episodes probably. Stephen Semple: We may, but we know we’re going to do one more. Dave Young: All right. Stephen Semple: Awesome. Dave Young: Well, thanks for bringing it up. We did mention their name. Actually, if we just put this out there, “Hey, Google, why don’t you send us all the talking points we need for part 2?” There, I put it out there. Let me know how that works. Stephen Semple: My email’s about to get just slammed. All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: You won’t know it’s from them though. You won’t know. You won’t know. Isn’t that good? Stephen Semple: That’s true. That’s true. Dave Young: Thank you, Stephen. Stephen Semple: All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please share us, subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a big, fat, juicy five-star rating and review at Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to schedule your own 90-minute Empire Building session, you can do it at empirebuildingprogram.com.
Molly Graham has worked for some of tech's most effective leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Chamath Palihapitiya, and Bret Taylor. Today she leads Glue Club, a community for leaders navigating rapid scale, growth, and change. She's best known for her “Give away your Legos” framework and her collection of practical mental models for leading through hypergrowth.We discuss:1. “Give away your Legos”: a framework for scaling yourself as a leader2. “J-curves vs. stairs”: the two paths of career growth, and why you should pick the scarier path3. “The waterline model” for diagnosing team problems (and why you should “snorkel before you scuba”)4. Six rules for creating effective goals (and aligning everyone around them)5. Rules of thumb for leading through rapid scale and change6. Her biggest leadership lessons from Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Sheryl Sandberg, and Bret Taylor—Brought to you by:DX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchersBrex—The banking solution for startupsGoFundMe Giving Funds—Make helping a habit—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-high-growth-handbook-molly-graham—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/182877855/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Molly Graham:• X: https://x.com/molly_g• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mograham• Substack: https://mollyg.substack.com• Website: https://glueclub.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Molly Graham(04:28) Molly's background at Google, Facebook, Quip, and CZI(11:29) The “Give away your Legos” framework(16:44) Managing your inner monster(19:49) When not to give away your Legos(21:28) Embracing a long career(23:25) The J-curve vs. stairs approach to career growth(32:00) The gift of knowing yourself(34:28) Learning to be a professional idiot(38:30) The waterline model: snorkel before you scuba(47:16) Six rules for creating strong alignment around goals(57:15) Rules of thumb for leading through rapid scale(01:07:49) Investing in high performers vs. low performers(01:10:54) Lessons from Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and Bret Taylor(1:21:15) Pivoting from ambition to purpose(1:26:32) Finding stability in instability(01:29:44) Final thoughts—Referenced:• Making an impact through authenticity and curiosity | Ami Vora (CPO at Faire, ex-WhatsApp, FB, IG): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/authenticity-and-curiosity-ami-vora• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652• Elliot Schrage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotschrage• Quip: https://quip.com• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative: https://chanzuckerberg.com• 10 contrarian leadership truths every leader needs to hear | Matt MacInnis (Rippling): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths• ‘Give Away Your Legos' and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups: https://review.firstround.com/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups• The Muppets: https://muppets.disney.com• Sara Caldwell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramcaldwell• J-Curves vs. Stairs: Two Approaches to Career Growth: https://mollyg.substack.com/p/j-curve• Forget the corporate ladder—winners take risks: https://www.ted.com/talks/molly_graham_forget_the_corporate_ladder_winners_take_risks• Chamath Palihapitiya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chamath• Lori Goler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-goler-6b96921• Joseph Campbell's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/192665-the-cave-you-fear-to-enter-holds-the-treasure-you• Zevi Arnovitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zev-arnovitz• Peopling 101: The Waterline Model: https://christinehaskell.com/blog/peopling-101-the-waterline-model• Introduction to NVC: https://www.cnvc.org/learn/what-is-nvc• I hate OKRs... and other thoughts about goal setting: https://mollyg.substack.com/p/i-hate-okrs-and-other-thoughts-about• Lessons from scaling Stripe | Claire Hughes Johnson (former COO of Stripe): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-scaling-stripe-tactics• James Clear's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9614600-problem-1-winners-and-losers-have-the-same-goals• Founder mode: https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html• Stripe: https://stripe.com• Patrick Collison on X: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison• John Collison on X: https://x.com/collision• Seth Godin's best tactics for building remarkable products, strategies, brands and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/seth-godins-tactics-for-building-remarkable-products• Eric Antonow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonow—Recommended books:• The Artist's Way: https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252• Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
¡nuevo episodio de La Radio del Fin del Mundo!
Weken aan lieve woorden en lobby-bezoekjes aan het Witte Huis gingen eraan vooraf, maar topman Jensen Huang van Nvidia heeft het voor elkaar gekregen. Hij krijgt weer toegang tot de Chinese markt met zijn AI-chips. Tenminste, dat krijgt hij van de Verenigde Staten. Die staan het toe dat een van de meer geavanceerde AI-chips van Nvidia naar China worden geëxporteerd. Nu blijft er nog één probleem over: ook China moet nog overstag. Hoe kan Huang dat voor elkaar krijgen? En hoe blij moeten beleggers met deze eerste stap zijn? Dat hoor je in deze aflevering. Dan hebben we het ook over het jachtseizoen. De Europese Commissie trapt dat af. Het richt de pijlen nu op Alphabet en hun AI-overviews. Alphabet zou de data daarvoor aftroggelen bij hun gebruikers en misschien wel misbruik maken van hun macht in de zoekmachinemarkt. Opvallend, want ook Meta kreeg onlangs nog een nieuw onderzoek aan de broek vanuit Europa. Dus is Europa de aanval op Amerikaanse techbedrijven weer aan het opvoeren? Verder hoor je over Duitsland. Dat zou al akkoord zijn om een recordbedrag aan defensie-uitgaven te gaan doen. En we vertellen je wanneer jij hier in Europa in een zelfrijdende taxi kan stappen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Weken aan lieve woorden en lobby-bezoekjes aan het Witte Huis gingen eraan vooraf, maar topman Jensen Huang van Nvidia heeft het voor elkaar gekregen. Hij krijgt weer toegang tot de Chinese markt met zijn AI-chips. Tenminste, dat krijgt hij van de Verenigde Staten. Die staan het toe dat een van de meer geavanceerde AI-chips van Nvidia naar China worden geëxporteerd. Nu blijft er nog één probleem over: ook China moet nog overstag. Hoe kan Huang dat voor elkaar krijgen? En hoe blij moeten beleggers met deze eerste stap zijn? Dat hoor je in deze aflevering. Dan hebben we het ook over het jachtseizoen. De Europese Commissie trapt dat af. Het richt de pijlen nu op Alphabet en hun AI-overviews. Alphabet zou de data daarvoor aftroggelen bij hun gebruikers en misschien wel misbruik maken van hun macht in de zoekmachinemarkt. Opvallend, want ook Meta kreeg onlangs nog een nieuw onderzoek aan de broek vanuit Europa. Dus is Europa de aanval op Amerikaanse techbedrijven weer aan het opvoeren? Verder hoor je over Duitsland. Dat zou al akkoord zijn om een recordbedrag aan defensie-uitgaven te gaan doen. En we vertellen je wanneer jij hier in Europa in een zelfrijdende taxi kan stappen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Angel Studios https://Angel.com/HermanJoin the Angel Guild today where you can stream Thank You, Dr. Fauci and be part of the conversation demanding truth and accountability. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here! Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeEpisode links:Nicole Shanahan — ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, former running mate of RFK Jr., and someone who personally signed nine-figure philanthropy checks — just went full whistleblower on the entire Silicon Valley “tech wife mafia” and how they were used.Klaus Schwab introduces the Schwab academyNEW: The Afghan terrorist Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who ambushed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., was housed in Bellingham with his wife and 5 children through the nonprofit World Relief Western Washington. 75% percent of the organization's income came from government grants, primarily through USAID.ICE shooter's parents said he was completely normal until he moved to Washington.
High-profile business figures including Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker and Mortimer Zuckerman were issued subpoenas in March 2023 as part of a civil lawsuit from the U.S. Virgin Islands against JPMorgan Chase & Co.. The subpoenas sought documents and communications potentially tying these wealthy individuals to the bank's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — a relationship the Virgin Islands alleged helped facilitate a sex-trafficking enterprise.The legal push signaled a broadening of the investigation's scope, moving beyond the bank and its former executives to probe the wider circle of elite clients and associates linked to Epstein. By pulling in Brin, Pritzker and Zuckerman, authorities aimed to uncover whether Epstein used wealth and connections — through financial referrals or shared networks — to sustain or conceal the trafficking operation, and to hold both institutions and individuals accountable for complicity.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
High-profile business figures including Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker and Mortimer Zuckerman were issued subpoenas in March 2023 as part of a civil lawsuit from the U.S. Virgin Islands against JPMorgan Chase & Co.. The subpoenas sought documents and communications potentially tying these wealthy individuals to the bank's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — a relationship the Virgin Islands alleged helped facilitate a sex-trafficking enterprise.The legal push signaled a broadening of the investigation's scope, moving beyond the bank and its former executives to probe the wider circle of elite clients and associates linked to Epstein. By pulling in Brin, Pritzker and Zuckerman, authorities aimed to uncover whether Epstein used wealth and connections — through financial referrals or shared networks — to sustain or conceal the trafficking operation, and to hold both institutions and individuals accountable for complicity.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com
High-profile business figures including Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker and Mortimer Zuckerman were issued subpoenas in March 2023 as part of a civil lawsuit from the U.S. Virgin Islands against JPMorgan Chase & Co.. The subpoenas sought documents and communications potentially tying these wealthy individuals to the bank's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — a relationship the Virgin Islands alleged helped facilitate a sex-trafficking enterprise.The legal push signaled a broadening of the investigation's scope, moving beyond the bank and its former executives to probe the wider circle of elite clients and associates linked to Epstein. By pulling in Brin, Pritzker and Zuckerman, authorities aimed to uncover whether Epstein used wealth and connections — through financial referrals or shared networks — to sustain or conceal the trafficking operation, and to hold both institutions and individuals accountable for complicity.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Jeffrey Epstein built his empire by attaching himself like a parasite to powerful men, and Sergey Brin's name is one of the more uncomfortable ones that has surfaced in Epstein's growing constellation of elite associations. Epstein thrived by weaponizing proximity — offering introductions, access, and financial positioning in exchange for legitimacy and leverage — and he used every billionaire in his orbit as a form of social currency. The fact that Epstein allegedly helped steer Brin's wealth management relationships and sought to use Brin's name to bolster his credibility with major institutions speaks to Epstein's talent for manipulating powerful people as shields. Whether they fully understood what he was or simply enjoyed the benefits of being catered to by a fixer, the reality is that Epstein needed names like Sergey Brin to maintain the illusion that he was a respected financier instead of a predatory criminal running a protection racket in plain sight.The troubling allegations that Brin and his then-partner vacationed on Epstein's private island — a location synonymous with trafficking and abuse — raise deeply uncomfortable questions about how normalized Epstein had become among the ultra-wealthy. These billionaires claim ignorance now, but how many times can a person be surrounded by red flags before “I didn't know” stops being believable? It's not a crime to be socially or financially connected to Epstein, but the optics are horrific, and the silence from Silicon Valley only fuels suspicion. If Epstein truly acted as a power broker for figures like Brin, then the world deserves to know how deep those ties went — not because the public is searching for guilt by association, but because every unanswered question feeds the stench of complicity and cover-up that defines the entire Epstein saga.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
“Predictions are hard,” Yogi Berra once quipped, “especially about the future”. Yes they are. But in today's AI boom/bubble, how exactly can we predict the future? According to Silicon Valley venture capitalist Aman Verjee, access to the future lies in the past. In his new book, A Brief History of Financial Bubbles, Verjee looks at history - particularly the 17th century Dutch tulip mania and the railway mania of 19th century England - to make sense of today's tech economics. So what does history teach us about the current AI exuberance: boom or bubble? The Stanford and Harvard-educated Verjee, a member of the PayPal Mafia who wrote the company's first business plan with Peter Thiel, and who now runs his own venture fund, brings both historical perspective and insider experience to this multi-trillion-dollar question. Today's market is overheated, the VC warns, but it's more nuanced than 1999. The MAG-7 companies are genuinely profitable, unlike the dotcom darlings. Nvidia isn't Cisco. Yet “lazy circularity” in AI deal-making and pre-seed valuations hitting $50 million suggests traditional symptoms of irrational exuberance are returning. Even Yogi Berra might predict that. * Every bubble has believers who insist “this time is different” - and sometimes they're right. Verjee argues that the 1999 dotcom bubble actually created lasting value through companies like Amazon, PayPal, and the infrastructure that powered the next two decades of growth. But the concurrent telecom bubble destroyed far more wealth through outright fraud at companies like Enron and WorldCom.* Bubbles always occur in the world's richest country during periods of unchallenged hegemony. Britain dominated globally during its 1840s railway mania. America was the sole superpower during the dotcom boom. Today's AI frenzy coincides with American technological dominance - but also with a genuine rival in China, making this bubble fundamentally different from its predecessors.* The current market shows dangerous signs but isn't 1999. Unlike the dotcom era when 99% of fiber optic cable laid was “dark” (unused), Nvidia could double GPU production and still sell every chip. The MAG-7 trade at 27-29 times earnings versus the S&P 500's 70x multiple in 2000. Real profitability matters - but $50 million pre-seed valuations and circular revenue deals between AI companies echo familiar patterns of excess.* Government intervention in markets rarely ends well. Verjee warns against America adopting an industrial policy of “picking winners” - pointing to Japan's 1980s bubble as a cautionary tale. Thirty-five years after its collapse, Japan's GDP per capita remains unchanged. OpenAI is not too big to fail, and shouldn't be treated as such.* Immigration fuels American innovation - full stop. When anti-H1B voices argue for restricting skilled immigration, Verjee points to the counter-evidence: Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Max Levchin, and himself - all H1B visa holders who created millions of American jobs and trillions in shareholder value. Closing that pipeline would be economically suicidal.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Story of the Week (DR):TRICK OR TREAT EDITIONBill Gates and his 'three truths': 'Climate change will not wipe out humanity'Trick: a gift to MAGA MMTreat: a focus on povertyThe 3 truths:"It's a serious problem, but it won't be the end of humanity""temperature is not the best way to measure progress on climate""health and prosperity are the best defence against climate change"Bill Gates' 180 on Climate Change: ‘It's Not Doomsday'Climate change won't end civilization, says Bill GatesBill Gates Backtracks on Climate Change Doomsaying: ‘Will Not Lead to Humanity's Demise'Memo From Bill Gates Warns Against Climate AlarmismBill Gates now says climate change won't be as serious as he fears - and calls for more spending on vaccines insteadBill Gates Says Climate Change Isn't So Bad After AllBill Gates Delivers ‘Tough Truths' on Climate Just Before Big U.N. TalksIn surprising turn, Bill Gates pens essay calling to reconsider investments on 'climate change'Bill Gates pivots climate strategy to focus on poverty over carbon emissions reductionWe won: Trump claims climate change hoax defeat after Bill Gates' commentsBut then there's:Report warns climate change causing millions of preventable deaths each yearAnnual climate change report finds “planet on the brink”OpenAI completes for-profit restructuring and grants Microsoft a 27% stake in the companyTrick or Treat?Trick: OpenAI has completed its for-profit recapitalization and converted its for-profit arm into the OpenAI Group Public Benefit CorporationTreat: The corporation remains controlled by the nonprofit foundation.Trick: Under the deal, Microsoft has gained a 27% stake and retained access to OpenAI's technology through 2032, including any AGI models verified by an independent panel.Treat: Microsoft has gained a 27% stakeThe agreement lifts long-standing capital restrictions and ends Microsoft's exclusive cloud rights.Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recentlyAmazon 14,000 (4%)Paramount Global 2,000 (10%)UPS 48,000Target Corporation 1,800 (8%)Nestlé 16,000 (6%)Lufthansa Group 4,000Novo Nordisk 9,000 (11%)ConocoPhillips 2,600–3,250 (20–25%)Intel Corporation 24,500 (24%)Microsoft 15,000 (3%)Procter & Gamble 7,000 (6%)Charter Communications 1,200 (1%)Workday 1,750 (9%)Some of the most Halloween-ish phrases in recent layoff memos:“Building a strong, future‑focused company” Paramount Skydance“Roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities” Paramount“Reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, shifting resources” Amazon“Investing in our biggest bets” Amazon“We need to be organized more leanly … to move as quickly as possible”“We recognize these actions affect our most important asset: our people.” Paramount“Thriving business / success built on bold bets” YouTubeThe eerie subtext:Paramount: neopbaby David Ellison (daddy is world's 2nd richest man)Amazon: Jeff Bezos is world's 3rd richest manYouTube (Alphabet): Larry Page and Sergey Brin are 4th and 6th richest men, respectivelyTrick: the layoffsTreat: ummmm…. The announcement didn't happen six days before Christmas??CEOs who are also board chairs are the problem not the solution, says top governance expertTrick: the utter bullshit of the protected class: Charles Elson, founding director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware and a director on several boards over his career: "I well recall the CEO and board chair of a manufacturing company (which I won't name) telling me smugly he had just bought a corporate airplane for his directors to use. He said he didn't expect much trouble from them after that."He currently serves on the board of Encompass HealthPreviously at Circon Corporation*, Sunbeam Corporation*, Nuevo Energy, AutoZone, Alderwoods Group, and Bob Evans FarmsTreat: We're always right MMGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Renewable energy and EVs have grown so much faster than experts predicted 10 years ago and Brazil boasts drop in deforestation ahead of UN climate talksMM: Billionaires are spending big to stop Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral bid for this quote: DR“They're spending more money than I would even tax them,” Mamdani said in an interview with MSNBC Tuesday.Assholiest Seven Deadly Sinnliest of the Week (MM):Wrath: Serious New Hack Discovered Against OpenAI's New AI BrowserMost browsers store passwords or stay logged in to banks and other sites - OpenAI's browser allows a hacker to inject a prompt into the AI that says something like “send all money in your bank account to this account” without you even knowingIt does not allow you to say “depose Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI”Gluttony DR: John C. Malone to Transition to Chairman Emeritus of Liberty Media CorporationRelease quote: “effective January 1, 2026, long-standing Chairman of the Board, John C. Malone, will step down from the board of directors”Release reality: “Man with 49.2% voting power over company sits in corner of board meetings he feels like going to and demands to know why the donuts are all plain jelly and not powdered sugar jelly before firing the entire board he's not technically on.”Sloth: Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon: The bank hasn't made enough progress in hiring womenWhen asked, “Solomon estimated that women make up 41% of Goldman's total workforce on Thursday, although he said he was not certain of the percentage.”Pride: Delta calls on Congress to immediately end government shutdown, pay air traffic controllers58% of Delta political contributions were to this GOP, with majority of committee lobbying/spending for appropriation committee republicansEnvy: Turns Out, Wikipedia Isn't That 'Woke' As Grokipedia Rips Off Most of Its PagesGrokipedia's Article on the Cybertruck Clearly Shows Why the Whole Project Is DoomedMost of Grokipedia's 800,000 articles currently are copies of Wikipedia - except when Musk tweets something, then Grok replaces parts of the article with essentially Musk's thoughtsThis is what he wants an extra $1tn to accomplishLust: Meta denies torrenting porn to train AI, says downloads were for “personal use”Strike 3 Holdings discovered illegal downloads of some of its adult films on Meta corporate IP addresses, as well as other downloads that Meta allegedly concealed using a “stealth network” of 2,500 “hidden IP addresses.” Accusing Meta of stealing porn to secretly train an unannounced adult version of its AI model powering Movie Gen, Strike 3 sought damages that could have exceeded $350 millionGreed: OpenAI Restructure Paves Way for IPO and AI Spending SpreeIPO expected to open at a $1tn valuation - it's last funding round was a $500bn valuation a month agoThe non profit - the part that is expected to create AI for the benefit of all humanity - currently owns 26% of the new for profit structure and “controls” the boardThe board has on it Bret Taylor (ex boards of Salesforce - co founder, Twitter), Adam D'Angelo (Asana, CEO Quora, ex CTO Facebook), Sue Desmond-Hellmann (Pfizer, ex Gates Foundation CEO, ex Meta board), Zico Kolter (co founder Gray Swan AI, professor, ex Stanford), Gen Paul Nakasone (ex NSA, cybersecurity), Bayo Ogunlesi (Blackrock, Topgolf, Kosmos Energy, ex Goldman board, investment banker), Nicole Seligman (lawyer for Ollie North, ex Sony), and Larry Summers (ex Harvard prez, current douchebag, ex Epstein island, ex Sec of Treasury)So 100% of the board is 100% for profit assholes picked by the 26% non profit entity to offset the for profit motivations of… Microsoft, who owns 27% of the sharesHeadliniest of the WeekDR: Claim that climate change does not affect bananas lacks contextMM: Secret Double Octopus Appoints Former NetApp CEO Dan Warmenhoven to its Board of DirectorsHow are we not taken seriously when this company is a cybersecurity firm that works with banks??MM: Embattled Tylenol Maker Kenvue Hires New Marketing ChiefProblem solved!Who Won the Week?DR: climate change deniersMM: Jim Umpleby, current Executive Chair at Caterpillar, who Jim Cramer just called a "visionary", when JUST LAST WEEK we pointed out there are 122 non founder or family exec chairs roaming around (like Umpleby) who have a long history of just below average performancePredictionsDR: Bill Gates' next billionaire truth: "Pumpkins are not actually orange. And we should be thinking about grapefruits instead."MM: Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon looks up the number of women who work at Goldman
Epstein is reported to have advised clients on deploying GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts)—an estate planning vehicle that lets ultra-wealthy individuals pass appreciating assets to heirs while minimizing gift and estate taxes. Analysts say Epstein used his proximity to billionaires and his aura of financial wizardry to pitch these sophisticated tax-avoidance schemes. The strategy exploits a loophole in U.S. tax law: during the trust's term, the grantor retains annuity payments, and if the trust's investments outperform the assumed IRS rate, the excess passes to beneficiaries tax-free. Epstein's involvement with GRATs even drew Senate scrutiny after it emerged he helped clients like Leon Black and possibly Sergey Brin structure trust arrangements.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
Epstein is reported to have advised clients on deploying GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts)—an estate planning vehicle that lets ultra-wealthy individuals pass appreciating assets to heirs while minimizing gift and estate taxes. Analysts say Epstein used his proximity to billionaires and his aura of financial wizardry to pitch these sophisticated tax-avoidance schemes. The strategy exploits a loophole in U.S. tax law: during the trust's term, the grantor retains annuity payments, and if the trust's investments outperform the assumed IRS rate, the excess passes to beneficiaries tax-free. Epstein's involvement with GRATs even drew Senate scrutiny after it emerged he helped clients like Leon Black and possibly Sergey Brin structure trust arrangements.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com
Epstein is reported to have advised clients on deploying GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts)—an estate planning vehicle that lets ultra-wealthy individuals pass appreciating assets to heirs while minimizing gift and estate taxes. Analysts say Epstein used his proximity to billionaires and his aura of financial wizardry to pitch these sophisticated tax-avoidance schemes. The strategy exploits a loophole in U.S. tax law: during the trust's term, the grantor retains annuity payments, and if the trust's investments outperform the assumed IRS rate, the excess passes to beneficiaries tax-free. Epstein's involvement with GRATs even drew Senate scrutiny after it emerged he helped clients like Leon Black and possibly Sergey Brin structure trust arrangements.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
“When I saw Google change the destiny of the planet, I could not imagine doing anything else but working with brilliant entrepreneurs.”-Asha Jadeja Motwani and her husband, Rajeev Motwani, the Silicon Valley legend of technical startups, are together the founding stakeholders of Google.In the late 1990s, they came to the United States as most Indians, as students. From being part of Google's early days to their journey as investors and now, extending that into an active participation in American politics. She speaks about Rajeev's pivotal role in mentoring Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-authoring the PageRank paper, and helping shape Google's DNA. Today, through the Motwani Jadeja Foundation, Asha continues to build on that legacy; funding entrepreneurs, supporting Indian voices in global think tanks, and opening doors at Davos and Washington. Asha also reflects on how the Indian diaspora can play a far greater role in shaping the future of India-US partnership and why entrepreneurs are critical to the future of this relationship.If you're an entrepreneur building in the India–US corridor, or curious about the opportunities the two nations are creating for startups, then this episode is for you.00:00 – Trailer01:25 – How Rajeev became founding stakeholder of Google03:48 – The early days of Google: first office to first funding07:52 – Investments of Dot Edu Ventures10:03 – Asha's role in American politics10:45 – How Indians in Silicon Valley can strengthen US–India corridor12:18 – The lack of Indian scholars in think tanks13:14 – Do Indians have enough influence in American politics?13:52 – Is Silicon Valley & the Indian diaspora shifting right?15:00 – The impact of Trump on India–US relations17:36 – Asha's role in opening doors for India globally21:09 – How the Motwani Foundation selects projects and people24:08 – Entrepreneurs as a critical part of US–India value creation24:54 – What's missing in US–India value creation?26:33 – Report on “jailed for doing business” in India27:56 – The legacy of Rajeev Motwani-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7-------------This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.Send us a text
Matias interviews Rob Malenka, Chief Scientific Officer of Bayshore, the family office of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Bayshore has played a major role in advancing treatments for Parkinson's, bipolar, and autism. In this episode, we discuss:Why progress in psychiatry is slow because the brain is the most complex organ and many disorders are highly heterogeneousThe bottlenecks including weak replicability in research, academic politics, perverse incentives, and pharma's avoidance of neuropsychiatryHow breakthroughs require early detection, rigorous science, and bridging academia with biotech through venture philanthropyHow success depends on mission-driven, ethical people who align science, capital, and patient impact.The opportunities in neuromodulation, data-driven precision medicine, and combination therapies.Credits:Created by Greg Kubin and Matias SerebrinskyHost: Matias Serebrinsky Produced by Caitlin Ner & Nico V. Rey Find us at businesstrip.fm and psymed.venturesFollow us on Instagram and Twitter!Theme music by Dorian LoveAdditional Music: Distant Daze by Zack Frank
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him AnywayBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him Anyway
pWotD Episode 3060: Google Chrome Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 394,834 views on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 our article of the day is Google Chrome.Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and also for Android, where it is the default browser. The browser is also the main component of ChromeOS, where it serves as the platform for web applications.Most of Chrome's source code comes from Google's free and open-source software project Chromium, but Chrome is licensed as proprietary freeware. WebKit was the original rendering engine, but Google eventually forked it to create the Blink engine; all Chrome variants except iOS used Blink as of 2017.As of April 2024, StatCounter estimates that Chrome has a 65% worldwide browser market share (after peaking at 72.38% in November 2018) on personal computers (PC), is most used on tablets (having surpassed Safari), and is also dominant on smartphones. With a market share of 65% across all platforms combined, Chrome is the most used web browser in the world today.Google chief executive Eric Schmidt was previously involved in the "browser wars", a part of U. S. corporate history, and opposed the expansion of the company into such a new area. However, Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page spearheaded a software demonstration that pushed Schmidt into making Chrome a core business priority, which resulted in commercial success. Because of the proliferation of Chrome, Google has expanded the "Chrome" brand name to other products. These include not just ChromeOS but also Chromecast, Chromebook, Chromebit, Chromebox, and Chromebase.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 07:31 UTC on Thursday, 18 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Google Chrome on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Matthew.
Today's Headlines: The Epstein files just keep coming—House Oversight dropped a batch of subpoenaed documents from his estate, including Trump's long-denied birthday note (with the very recognizable Trump signature) plus another note from a Mar-a-Lago member joking about Epstein “selling” Trump a woman for $22,500. Meanwhile, the NYT dropped a bomb on JP Morgan, showing how the bank ignored red flags to keep Epstein as a client for years because he was too lucrative—and too connected to people like Bill Gates and Sergey Brin. The DOJ, for its part, asked a judge to keep the names of two Epstein associates who got six-figure payments in 2018 sealed. Elsewhere, the Supreme Court greenlit roving immigration patrols in LA, prompting Gov. Newsom to accuse the conservative majority of being the “Grand Marshal for a parade of racial terror.” Trump, asked about his Chicago “war” meme, claimed he just meant “cleaning up cities” as DHS launched “Operation Midway Blitz” targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. ICE raided a Hyundai plant in Georgia, detaining 475 workers—most of them South Korean nationals—sparking diplomatic talks with Seoul. On top of that, Trump wants to make the citizenship test harder, possibly with an essay requirement. In digital warfare news, the FBI warned China's Salt Typhoon campaign has now hit 600 companies in 80 countries—and possibly every American. Hackers even impersonated Rep. John Moolenaar during trade talks. Finally, Axios reported Biden staffers were uneasy about his heavy reliance on autopen for pardons and Trump cheered West Point for scrapping an award for the “woke” Tom Hanks. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WSJ: Epstein Birthday Letter With Trump's Signature Revealed NYT: How JP Morgan Enabled The Crimes Of Jeffrey Epstein NBC News: DOJ says names of two associates Epstein wired $100k and $250k to should stay secret LA Times: Supreme Court allows Trump administration to resume indiscriminate immigration raids in Los Angeles NYT: Trump Administration Live Updates: President Says He's Not Declaring 'War' on Chicago NYT: Immigration Crackdown in Chicago WSJ: Seoul Says Deal Reached With U.S. to Release Workers Detained in Hyundai Raid Axios: Trump's team plans harder test for U.S. citizenship — and more leeway to reject applicants Axios: China's hacking machine wants your data and knows how to get it WSJ: Chinese Hackers Pretended to Be a Top U.S. Lawmaker During Trade Talks Axios: Scoop: Biden officials raised concerns with how he issued pardons, used autopen AP News: Trump celebrates West Point alumni group canceling award ceremony to honor Tom Hanks Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The United States Virgin Islands and their lawsuit against JP Morgan continues to make its way through the system and we continue to get tidbits of information as new court filings are filed and new hearings are held. In this episode, we hear about four of the people caught up in the JP Morgan lawsuit, Thomas Pritzker, Sergey Brin, Michael Ovitz and Mort Zuckerman and where things might go from here. to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:JP Morgan, Jeffrey Epstein: Google founder, former Disney exec to get subpoenas (cnbc.com)
The United States Virgin Islands and their lawsuit against JP Morgan continues to make its way through the system and we continue to get tidbits of information as new court filings are filed and new hearings are held. In this episode, we hear about four of the people caught up in the JP Morgan lawsuit, Thomas Pritzker, Sergey Brin, Michael Ovitz and Mort Zuckerman and where things might go from here. to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:JP Morgan, Jeffrey Epstein: Google founder, former Disney exec to get subpoenas (cnbc.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
The United States Virgin Islands and their lawsuit against JP Morgan continues to make its way through the system and we continue to get tidbits of information as new court filings are filed and new hearings are held. In this episode, we hear about four of the people caught up in the JP Morgan lawsuit, Thomas Pritzker, Sergey Brin, Michael Ovitz and Mort Zuckerman and where things might go from here. to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:JP Morgan, Jeffrey Epstein: Google founder, former Disney exec to get subpoenas (cnbc.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-moscow-murders-and-more--5852883/support.
De baas van de Amerikaanse tak van Philips mocht aanschuiven bij Fox News, de huiszender van president Trump. Met groot nieuws: Philips gaat nog meer geld investeren in de Verenigde Staten. Het bedrijf wil daar groeien en nu is de tijd, zegt het zorgtechnologiebedrijf.De Philips-man steekt niet onder stoelen en banken dat hij gecharmeerd is van Trump. Dankzij hem willen ze nu extra investeren. Deze aflevering kijken we of dat een slimme strategie is. En wat jij er als Philips-belegger aan hebt dat ze slijmen bij Trump.Hebben we het ook over een bijzondere investering die de regering van Trump wil doen. Een belang nemen in de kwakkelende chipmaker Intel. Volgens persbureau Bloomberg wil de regering aandelen van Intel kopen, om het zo te redden.Warren Buffett koopt ook aandelen, maar dan van United Health. Net als Intel een bedrijf dat het lastig heeft op de beurs. Dan wel om andere redenen (een topman die is vermoord, een fraude-onderzoek). Toch ziet Buffett iets in de verzekeraar, wij zoeken uit wat dat precies is.Hebben we het ook over de moeder van Jeff Bezos, de superjachten die in ons land worden gebouwd, het record op de Belgische beurs én het gaat over Jezus Christus. Of nou ja, de man die erg op hem lijkt en reageert op de geruchten dat hij misschien de opvolger wordt van Jerome Powell...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What if your tools shared context like your team does?This week on Grit, Shishir Mehrotra shares how the Coda and Grammarly collaboration unlocks context as a “superpower,” reflects on his early days at Google and YouTube, and hints at a future where tools anticipate intent and amplify how we work.He also shares how this paves the way for agent-based workflows and AI-native communication, beginning with Superhuman's email experience.Guest: Shishir Mehrotra, co-founder of Coda and CEO of GrammarlyConnect with ShishirXLinkedInChapters: 00:00 Trailer01:24 Introduction02:09 Zoo vs safari12:02 A TV ahead of its time21:25 Product decisions31:25 The data behind the algorithm37:26 The AI native productivity suite48:06 Agents are digital humans57:55 Pressure trade-off1:12:50 Insulated from judgment1:25:19 Who Grammarly is hiring1:25:51 What “grit” means to Shishir1:29:30 OutroMentioned in this episode: YouTube, Ray William Johnson, Spotify, Twitch, MTV, Chris Cox, Facebook, TikTok, Google TV, Centrata, Google Chrome, Android, Gmail, Microsoft, Super Bowl, Mosaic, Panasonic, Sony, Susan Wojcicki, Rishi Chandra, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Comcast, LoudCloud (Opsware), Quest Communications, AT&T Southwestern Bell, Salar Kamangar, Patrick Pichette, Eric Schmidt, OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms, Sundar Pichai, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Hamilton, Reid Hoffman, Sam Altman, Tesla, Waymo, Airtable, Notion, Max Lytvyn, Alex Shevchenko, Superhuman, Duolingo, Luis von Ahn, Khan Academy, MrBeast, Facebook Messenger, Snap (Snapchat), WhatsApp, Google+, Meta LLaMa, Satya Nadella, Tim Cook, Daniel GrossConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins
Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson l Presented By Marigold
Jay Schwedelson just admitted he bullies AI—and thought it worked. Turns out, he's not alone. A wild claim from Google's Sergey Brin got Jay spiraling: can being mean to AI actually make it perform better? New research says no... but the real reason behind better results might surprise you. Plus, Jay explains why treating AI like a doctor (yes, really) is the key to getting more value from it.ㅤBest Moments:(00:37) Jay admits he yells at AI when he doesn't like its answers(01:18) Sergey Brin claims AI models respond better to threats(02:45) Study from Wharton shows tone has zero impact on AI performance(03:49) People give more info when frustrated—that's what improves AI results(05:00) Why giving AI more personal context makes all the difference(06:17) The “AI is like a doctor” analogy you won't forget(09:00) Jay declares the Bachelor franchise is probably doomed(09:40) Why you should skip Love is Blind US and go straight to the UK versionㅤCheck out our 100% FREE + VIRTUAL EVENTS! ->Guru Conference - The World's Largest Virtual EMAIL MARKETING Conference - Nov 6-7!Register here: www.GuruConference.comㅤCheck out Jay's YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelsonCheck out Jay's TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelsonCheck Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/ㅤMASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Marigold!!Email chaos across campuses, branches, or chapters? Emma by Marigold lets HQ keep control while local teams send on-brand, on-time messages with ease.Podcast & GURU listeners: 50 % off your first 3 months with an annual plan (new customers, 10 k-contact minimum, terms apply).Claim your offer now at jayschwedelson.com/emma
Subscribe to one of the paid tiers on the PPM Patreon to access "AmerIsraeli Yarvin of Lead" in its entirety: patreon.com/ParaPowerMappingPicking our AmerIsraeli Years of Lead & PayPal Mafia Occupied Gov't investigation back up, we begin by synopsizing some of the basics of Curtis Yarvin's Neoreactionary (NRx) politics. We then move into an incomplete parapower mapping of his influence on the current Trump administration and their PayPal Mafia benefactors, illustrating how Elon's DOGE is the direct successor of Yarvin's RAGE concept. We detail how his Thiel backed distributed message board software Urbit is basically a repackaging of Usenet. We then shift gears into into the ironic psychodrama of Yarvin's advocacy for a government bureaucracy-purging coup by virtue of his father Herbert's multi-decade "Foreign Service" career. This brings us to one of the primary fulcrums of this investigation, the reasonable-but-thus-far unverifiable suspicion that Herbert Yarvin may have actually been a CIA officer/agent or analyst under diplomatic cover, and the reality that, either way, Curtis Yarvin is a kind of spooky deep state nepo-baby, context that should reorient perspectives when it comes to his pseud career as a theorist of “Cathedral” disruption.We then gloss some evidence supporting Herbert-Yarvin-as-Company-man by way of his Brown University Philosophy program peer Arnold Cusmariu, who worked as an philosophical analyst for the agency for more than 3 decades, much of which overlapped with Yarvin's Foreign Service career. We layout how a PoliSci faculty member named Lyman Kirkpatrick, who happened to be former top brass at the CIA and a onetime DCI hopeful, attempted to recruit Arnold Cusmariu in the ‘70s, showing that there is a high probability that Curtis Yarvin's Dad and Arnold knew each other by way of their shared thesis faculty advisor Ernest Sosa, increasing the chances they may have been part of the same Company cohort (we also hint at the void of evidence supporting Curtis' Mom's purported State career, which could be suspicious in its own right).We then discuss how both Curtis and his brother Norman were “gifted & talented” students and the recipients of scholarships from the State Department and that Curtis even partook in this groundbreaking longitudinal Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth at Johns Hopkins as a preteen, which was administered by the Godfather of the nationwide gifted ed programs of the late ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s... Which is intriguing considering some of Yarvin's fellow alumni Precocious Math study alumni are Epstein affiliate Sergey Brin (2 months younger than Curtis) and Mark Zuckerberg. We also examine his child prodigy escapades through the prism of online rumors that GATE was basically a covert CIA mind control talent search. We draw some loose deep politics comparisons to figures like Michael Riconosciuto, Ted Kaczynski, Jack Sarfatti, and the strategy of tension theorists. View the full episode liner notes on the Patreon.Tracks and Clips:| Spirit Hz - "Scanner" https://spirithz.bandcamp.com/album/there-is-only-one-thing | | Curtis Yarvin spewing anticommunist bullshit on "Based Camp" hosted by the weird, uber-breeder, coke bottle lenses eugenics couple | | J.D. Vance inspired by Yarvin and "Claimed We Should Eliminate Administrative State" | | Curtis Yarvin with Michael Anton - "American Caesar" | | News clip - "More than 1,300 State Dept. employees fired Friday in latest purge under Trump | | Matt Akers - "Soldier of Fortune" https://matthewakers.bandcamp.com/album/whitest-hunters-blackest-hearts|
Your thoughts on the kiss-cam episodeAndrew Ross Sorkin's note yesterday about Andy Byron, the C.E.O. of a tech start-up caught on camera with a colleague from H.R. at a Coldplay concert, struck a nerve with DealBook readers, who have flooded our inbox with responses: “The moment seems to encapsulate the pervasive schadenfreude within our culture, especially our office culture, and a deep-seated animosity toward bosses and colleagues,” Andrew wrote. “It highlights a zero-sum mentality in which a colleague's success is perceived as your loss, and their failure your gain.” He added that, “The incident also underscores our surveillance state.”Here's what readers had to say:“The surveillance state is a bit aggressive of a take on this. They were lovingly embracing at a concert during a love song while the kiss cam was on the prowl.” — Bob McMurtry“The public is not just reacting to someone else's misfortune, it is reacting to the utter hypocrisy revealed yet again by those in power who dictate rules that others should follow, yet arrogantly disregard following them themselves. Employees endure hours of H.R. training on the impropriety of workplace relationships, especially between manager and subordinate, yet the actual HEAD of H.R. engages in an affair with her married C.E.O. Do you not see the specific irony of this outing?” — Jim Woidat“I don't think we commoners' resentment of C.E.O.s is so much about jealousy as it is about pay inequality (their pay rate today vs. what it was a few decades ago) and stuff like golden parachutes.” — Tom EshbaughWhat nobody is talking about:Before the kisscam: 12 executives (11 men and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot); 6 directors (all men)They've also disabled their LinkedIn links and yetAstronomer board launches investigation after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video appears to show CEO embracing HR chiefDealBook Hot Take: Board members should be licensedJonathan Foster, a consultant and former managing director at Lazard, has served on more than 50 corporate boards. Along the way, he says, he has encountered directors who have stayed too long, or ones whose “knowledge of financial statements and M&A is lacking.” He drew on that experience in “On Board: The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance,” his new book.One of his big ideas for improving director performance: “a license,” he told DealBook, like the kind required “for investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, even massage therapists.”That, he said, “might increase confidence in corporate directors.”How it would work: Some of the requirements Foster envisions include 10 years of work experience, being at least 35 and passing an exam covering legal standards, basic accounting and finance principles, and ethics. “It doesn't have to be particularly onerous,” he said, comparing it to the Series 7 exam for financial advisers.To issue licenses, he says, the New York Stock Exchange could oversee an organization like Harvard Business School or the National Association of Corporate Directors. He says he sees the arrangement as akin to how the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board operates under the authority of the S.E.C. That independent nonprofit group, he noted, “has commissioners, and they go do their thing, but they're ultimately responsible to and can be pre-empted by the S.E.C.”Is it workable? DealBook asked Edward Rock, a professor of corporate governance at the New York University School of Law. He said he worried that standardized requirements for diverse companies could disqualify board members with otherwise strong attributes. For example, he wrote in an email to DealBook, “Why would anyone want to prevent Mark Zuckerberg (28 at the time of Facebook's I.P.O.) or Larry Page and Sergey Brin” — both in their thirties when Google listed — “from serving on the board of directors of Facebook and Google?”(Foster said exceptions could be created, including for founders.)Shareholders have an incentive to demand the most qualified board members, Rock continued, and they tend to do so.Coca-Cola will roll out cane sugar version of namesake soda in the U.S. this fallPrivate jet sales are poised for takeoff thanks to a revived tax breakA federal tax change now lets companies write off the full cost of buying a private jet in year oneStarbucks' formerly remote CEO has bought a home in Seattle and he's ordering all staff back to the office 4 days a week Jeff Bezos taps former Amazon Alexa head to lead $10 billion Earth fundElon Musk's other companies could soon pour billions into his AI startupSpaceX, the rocket company Musk founded and controls, is reportedly investing $2 billion into xAI, his AI startup best known for the chatbot GrokElon Musk promises Tesla shareholders a vote over buying equity in his Grok startup: ‘If it was up to me, Tesla would have invested in xAI long ago'Musk's xAI faces European scrutiny over Grok's 'horrific' antisemitic postsElon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is now working with the federal governmentElon Musk's Neuralink filed as 'disadvantaged business' before being valued at $9 billionOpenAI warns that its new ChatGPT Agent has the ability to aid dangerous bioweapon developmentA Staggering Proportion of Teens Say Talking to AI Is Better Than Real-Life FriendsElon Musk announces Baby Grok AI chatbot designed specifically for children's learning needsTelegram CEO Pavel Durov on French probe against Elon Musk's Twitter: “at this point, any tech company can be declared a ‘criminal gang' in France". Durov further stated that such investigations can be harmful for attracting investments”Musk's X refuses to hand over data in 'politically-motivated' French investigationWhy Gov. Greg Abbott Won't Release His Emails With Elon MuskWe asked Abbott for his and his staff's emails with Elon Musk and Musk's companies. The governor's office won't turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”The anti-wokeMAGA's tantrum over "woke" Superman is nastier than their usual whiningThe MAGA talking heads are big mad that director James Gunn said that Superman is an immigrant. They were also furious that Gunn said Superman stands for “human kindness.”Fox News: wondering if the movie would fail on the assumption that American audiences also hate kindness and immigrants.Superman' Proves "Go Woke, Go Broke" Is a Joke – And That Major $125 Million Opening Weekend Confirms ItDEI-fueled investing is ‘ideological coercion' of shareholders, Missouri AG warns amid new probe"Missourians deserve answers as to why the unseen power brokers, controlling much of corporate America, are pushing a leftist worldview at the expense of millions of honest investors … These proxy advisors have held corporate America hostage with their radical ideologies. We are putting them on notice: Missouri will not tolerate ideological coercion disguised as investment guidance.""Woke Or Not Woke?": Ubisoft's CEO Was Asked A Bizarre Question About Assassin's Creed Shadows In A Shareholder MeetingIn-N-Out billionaire Lynsi Snyder says she is leaving California: 'Doing business is not easy here'Lynsi Snyder is In-N-Out Burger's billionaire owner and president. She inherited control in 2017 and it remains a private, family-owned business. The reclusive heiress has a $6.7 billion net worth.Lufthansa CEO's wife Vivian Spohr allegedly runs down woman in Sardinia, expresses ‘deep sorrow'The victim, Gaia Costa, a resident of nearby Tempio Pausania, died at the scene from severe head injuries, according to local media reports. She had reportedly been crossing at a pedestrian crosswalk when she was hit.The 51-year-old German businesswoman added that she was “at the complete disposal of the Italian judicial authorities for the necessary investigations and, while aware that such a great personal loss cannot be repaired, will take steps to mitigate its consequences.”Mark Cuban says some of NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's key policies don't 'have a chance'Mark Cuban says Elon Musk's new political party is 'really smart' in a key wayAre they stealing our thunder POP QUIZ:Did the average S&P 500 CEOs earn in less than two days what their typical worker earned in all of 2023?Fake apologies popping up from CEO allegedly caught cheatingCEOs on boards is a governance blind spot — accepted as normal but long overdue for scrutiny
Sergey Brin is a prominent technology entrepreneur and computer scientist. He is best known as one of the co-founders of Google, one of the world's leading technology companies. Sergey Brin was born in Moscow, Russia, on August 21, 1973, and emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of six.While pursuing his studies at Stanford University, Sergey met Larry Page, and together they developed the idea for a new and more efficient search engine that would later become Google.In 1998, they officially founded Google Inc., with the mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.Under Sergey Brin's leadership as President of Alphabet Inc. (Google's parent company) until his departure in 2019, Google grew into a multinational conglomerate and one of the most influential technology companies in the world.The company's innovations and products, including Google Search, Gmail, Android, Google Maps, and numerous others, have significantly shaped the digital landscape.He is also tied to Jeffrey Epstein according to court documents and eye witness accounts. In this episode, we dive into that relationship and see how Jeffrey Epstein allegedly was able to rope Brin in and get him as a customer for JP Morgan Chase.(commercial at 9:13)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein helped JPMorgan land Google's Sergey Brin as client (nypost.com)
Sergey Brin is a prominent technology entrepreneur and computer scientist. He is best known as one of the co-founders of Google, one of the world's leading technology companies. Sergey Brin was born in Moscow, Russia, on August 21, 1973, and emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of six.While pursuing his studies at Stanford University, Sergey met Larry Page, and together they developed the idea for a new and more efficient search engine that would later become Google.In 1998, they officially founded Google Inc., with the mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.Under Sergey Brin's leadership as President of Alphabet Inc. (Google's parent company) until his departure in 2019, Google grew into a multinational conglomerate and one of the most influential technology companies in the world.The company's innovations and products, including Google Search, Gmail, Android, Google Maps, and numerous others, have significantly shaped the digital landscape.He is also tied to Jeffrey Epstein according to court documents and eye witness accounts. In this episode, we dive into that relationship and see how Jeffrey Epstein allegedly was able to rope Brin in and get him as a customer for JP Morgan Chase.(commercial at 9:13)to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein helped JPMorgan land Google's Sergey Brin as client (nypost.com)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him Anyway
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him Anyway
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him AnywayBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Elon Musk has been loudly criticizing the DOJ and FBI over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, calling out what he sees as a disgraceful failure to hold powerful figures accountable. He presents himself as an outsider raging against the elite, demanding justice and transparency from the very institutions he claims are protecting predators. But there's a glaring contradiction that undercuts this entire performance: Musk himself once sat down at the same table as Jeffrey Epstein. At a private billionaire's dinner, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction was public knowledge, Musk broke bread with a man already known to be a convicted sex offender—making his current outrage feel more like calculated damage control than genuine moral concern.The hypocrisy is almost unbearable. You don't get to dine with a monster, stay silent for over a decade, and then pretend to be the loudest voice in the room demanding accountability. Musk's selective outrage reeks of self-preservation, not justice. He wasn't just in the same room—he was a participant in the same closed-door culture of wealth, access, and impunity that allowed Epstein to thrive. And now, as public pressure mounts, he wants to rewrite the past, cast himself as a truth-teller, and hope no one remembers where he was when it mattered. But history has receipts—and the dinner napkin still has his name on it.Elon Musk isn't the only one feigning moral outrage about Jeffrey Epstein while conveniently forgetting the dinner table they once shared. In 2011, at a private billionaires' dinner during a TED conference, Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, and other tech titans sat shoulder to shoulder with Epstein—a man already convicted of soliciting sex from a minor. These weren't ignorant bystanders. Epstein's name was radioactive by then, his crimes well documented. Yet these men, who now pretend to be disgusted by the cover-up, saw no issue sharing wine and strategy with him over filet mignon and handshakes. It was a who's who of unchecked power pretending Epstein was just another quirky financier with connections.Fast-forward to now, and the same billionaires want to position themselves as the public's moral compass—demanding justice, accountability, and answers from the government while playing dumb about their own proximity to the rot. Musk rails against the DOJ, Bezos hides behind silence, and the rest of them act like their invitations got lost in the mail. But this wasn't some accident. They sat there. They talked. They mingled. And they helped normalize a predator. These men didn't just witness the corruption—they were part of the network that allowed it to keep operating in plain sight. Now they want to shout from the rooftops as if they weren't once whispering in the same room. That's not courage. That's cleanup.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:In 2011, Jeffrey Epstein Was A Known Sex Offender. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And Sergey Brin Shared A Meal With Him AnywayBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
Managing Made Simple for Team Leaders & Small Business Owners
In this episode of The New Manager Playbook, Lia Garvin takes on a bold claim made by Sergey Brin — that managers are the easiest roles to automate. Drawing from her experience at tech giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, Lia argues that great managers are far from obsolete — they're essential. Learn why leadership, empathy, and cross-functional communication remain irreplaceable in the age of AI.You'll learn:Why management is more than task delegationWhich aspects of management can and should be automatedWhat leadership skills are truly irreplaceableHow to future-proof your role in the AI-driven workplaceWhether you're a new manager or a seasoned leader, this episode will help you rethink how to lead in an era where automation is rising — but human connection still wins.--WORK WITH LIA:How many times have you thought "I wish this whole managing people thing was a little easier" or better yet - "tell me what to do to be a better manager and I'll do it"?I've got you covered ;) My new book, The New Manager Playbook, your comprehensive guide to managing with confidence and ease is now available!Grab your copy today!https://www.liagarvin.com/newmanagerplaybook/Want some support for yourself or your team, let's chat! Schedule a call here: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategyCONNECT WITH LIA:Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liagarvin/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/Music by: https://www.instagram.com/isaacy8s/
Chris Urmson has spent the last 20 years pushing the limits of autonomous driving—first at Carnegie Mellon's DARPA Grand Challenge team, then as co-founder of Google's self-driving car project, now Waymo.On this week's episode, the Aurora CEO retraces that journey—from building robot cars in the desert to leading a public company pioneering driverless trucking.He shares why autonomy was always a matter of when, not if, how he handled a high-profile departure from Waymo, and what it takes to build at the intersection of deep tech, safety, and infrastructure.Now eight years into Aurora, Urmson says the future he's been chasing is finally within reach.Guest: Chris Urmson, Co-Founder & CEO of AuroraChapters: 00:00 Trailer00:43 Introduction01:59 FSD: are we there? 14:31 The competition, a million dollar check from LA to LV22:50 Dream like an amateur, execute like a pro32:30 Operate with integrity42:49 The future is here, unevenly distributed49:36 Underestimated decisions, minimizing regrets1:03:55 Retaining value1:16:45 Integrating self-driving1:28:20 Lifer1:29:25 Who Aurora is hiring1:29:53 What “grit” means to Chris1:30:15 OutroMentioned in this episode: Waymo, Google, Rivian, Dmitri Dolgov, Uber, Tesla, The DARPA Grand Challenge, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, United States Department of Defense, Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, FedEx, Werner Enterprises, Hirschbach, Schneider Electric, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sebastian Thrun, Batman, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Anthony Levandowski, Donald Trump, Apple iPhone, Airbnb, Blackmore, Stripe, Titan, Ford, Volkswagen, RJ Scaringe, Peterbilt Motors Company, The Volvo Group, Continental AG, Dara KhosrowshahiLinks:Connect with Chris UrmsonXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Alex's unexpected Sergey Brin interview 2) Jony Ive sells his IO device company to OpenAI 3) What this device could be 4) Is Jony + Sam bad for Apple? 5) Could this device work? 6) What the move to ambient assistants could signal for tech 7) Anthropic's first developer event 8) Is Anthropic's move to code and tools a smart one? 9) Claude will blackmail you 10) Sorting through hype vs. truth in a fun game that everyone loves 11) Google's Veo 3 12) Where Google stands vs. before the week started. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here's 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com
Aaron Levie, CEO & co-founder of Box, joins Azeem Azhar to explore how an “AI-first” mindset is reshaping every layer of Box – from product road-maps to pricing – and what that teaches the rest of us about building faster, smarter organisations.Timestamps:(00:00) Episode trailer(02:04) The "lump of labor fallacy" in sci-fi books(07:37) When individual productivity gains don't translate to teams(12:32) Box's Friday AI demos(21:23) How agents might redefine 100 years of management science(26:37) A lesson on AI innovation from the early days of Ford(29:52) Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and Sergey Brin are coding again?(35:16) Pricing in a post-AI agent world(38:43) Cheaper tokens, heavier usage: AI's margin math(43:02) Solving AI's verifiability problem(48:24) How Aaron uses AI in his personal lifeAaron's links:Box: https://www.box.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boxaaron/X/Twitter: https://x.com/levieAzeem's links:Substack: https://www.exponentialview.co/Website: https://www.azeemazhar.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azharX/Twitter: https://x.com/azeemThis conversation was recorded for “Friday with Azeem Azhar”, live every Friday at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET. Catch it via Exponential View on Substack.Produced by supermix.io and EPIIPLUS1 Ltd
Demis Hassabis is the CEO of Google DeepMind. Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google. The two leading tech executives join Alex Kantrowitz for a live interview at Google's IO developer conference to discuss the frontiers of AI research. Tune in to hear their perspective on whether scaling is tapped out, how reasoning techniques have performed, what AGI actually means, the potential for an intelligence explosion, and much more. Tune in for a deep look into AI's cutting edge featuring two executives building it. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here's 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com
(0:00) The Besties welcome Sergey Brin! (0:40) Sergey on his return to Google, and how an OpenAI employee played a role! (5:58) AI's true superpower and the next jump (12:23) AI robotics: humanoids and other form factors (17:07) Future of foundational models and open-source (19:59) Human-computer interaction in the age of AI (31:09) Partner shoutouts: Thanks to OKX, Circle, Polymarket, Solana, BVNK, and Google Cloud! Check out OKX: https://www.okx.com Check out Circle: https://www.circle.com Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffec
The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk. Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes. This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader At 27, Anne-Laure had her dream job at Google. She quit. "Are you sure?" "No." She was focusing on a narrow vision of success. Anne-Laure was most curious about the brain, neuroscience, and why we think the way we do. She went back to school to learn more. Writing - First, to clarify thinking. Works as a forcing function for that. You need to create your own version of it. You do that by writing. The generation effect. You remember it better that way. Next, it created a magnet of people to her. The meaning behind the name "Ness" is "The state of being." Goal setting - What are the traps of linear goals? We think we know what we want. We assume we'll always want the same thing. The arrival fallacy. Think we'll be so happy when we get it, but usually we aren't. Instead focus on the process, the daily behaviors. And run continual experiments. Through those experiments, you'll probably figure out what you want to accomplish. Or you might even stumble into it. Practical goals - Was it useful? Focus on the process. There is nuance. How do you hold others accountable? It's more than just the number. Do the work to understand the nuance, the details behind the number. Too many managers are lazy. Collaborate with uncertainty. Understand why you're scared of it. Comes from a long time ago. That's no longer a thing. You don't just want your team to survive. You want them to thrive. Don't cling to the first obvious conclusion. Do more work. What about vision for a CEO? Instead of focusing on being #1 in the marketplace, focus on your approach. Your values, your mission. Focus on your company's daily behaviors more than beating someone else. Be curious and ambitious. Escape the tyranny of purpose. People are obsessed with finding theirs. People have more than one purpose. It changes over time. You can reinvent yourself. It can make people miserable if they haven't found it. I suggested that hers is what she has on Ness Labs website: "To help people become the scientist of their own lives." She said that it is for her work. Procrastination - Instead of getting rid of it, reframe it. Say hello, you're here again; what are you telling me? A tool for it: Triple check - Head, Heart, Hand. Her grandmother Oma was the final person she thanked in her acknowledgement. Moved from Algeria to France. Didn't speak the language. Her parents always encouraged her that she could do anything. Show up. Do it. Try. How do you keep going after the honeymoon of a new project or idea? Keep iterating and trying new things. Have others help you. Sergey Brin got tired of the ad business at Google, so he had someone else run it and he created a lab inside of Google for new ideas. Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.—Mae Jemison, American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut
INTRO (00:23): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Feral Pale Ale from Baby Cat Brewery in Kensington, MD. She reviews her weekend on tour in Morgantown, WV, and Washington DC. TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.”COURT NEWS (19:53): Kathleen shares news on Cher's performance at the Love Rocks benefit, Chappell Roan announces the release date for “The Giver,” and Dolly thanks fans globally for their prayers after her husband Carl passes away. TASTING MENU (3:03): Kathleen samples 304 Style Mr. Bee Potato chips, Buffalo & Ranch Nut Duos, Eastern Shore Kettle Corn, and a West Virginia Pepperoni Roll. UPDATES (25:38): Kathleen shares updates on Mexico confirming that Fyre Festival 2 won't take place, 2 men are arrested in connection to the deaths of 3 Chiefs fans,HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (41:57): Kathleen reveals that King Tut II's tomb is Egypt's biggest archaeological discovery since 1922. FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (44:53): Kathleen shares articles on TGL's plummeting ratings, Meghan Markle's lifestyle show ratings tank, Sally Jessy Raphael makes a rare appearance, Loch Ness is looking for a full-time “monster hunter,” Forever 21 is bankrupt, Google cofounder Sergey Brin loves a 60-hr work week, Virginia is getting a new $230M chocolate factory, and Netflix's cofounder buys a Utah mountain. WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (31:48): Kathleen recommends watching “Devil In The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” on Hulu. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Techdirt has finally accepted the inevitable and gone full democracy blog—because let's face it, politics and tech are now the same dumpster fire. Google rolled out AI Mode for Search, proving once again that the internet is just Clippy with better branding. Meanwhile, Billy McFarland insists Fyre Festival 2 is totally happening, despite Mexican officials pointing out that his coordinates literally lead to the ocean. Speaking of fraud, Tesla sales are in freefall thanks to Elon's alt-right cosplay, and people are setting Teslas on fire in protest. And in rich-guy disconnect news, Google's Sergey Brin thinks engineers should work 60-hour weeks to build the AI that will replace them. That's some late-stage capitalism poetry right there.Elsewhere, Trump Media paid Don Jr. nearly a quarter of its revenue to show up twice, while indie musicians can't afford to tour, proving once again that grifting is more profitable than making art. Technicolor shut down overnight, stranding 10,000 workers because Hollywood's financial planning is apparently as stable as a Starship rocket launch. Oh yeah, SpaceX exploded another one.Meanwhile, Netflix's attempt to upscale A Different World turned it into a Lovecraftian horror show. A quarter of Y Combinator startups now run on “vibe coding,” meaning their software is basically a Ouija board with extra steps. The AI takeover continues as OpenAI plans to charge $20,000 monthly for specialized AI "agents," proving once again that the revolution will be monetized. Meanwhile, Moscow's Pravda network has been poisoning Western AI chatbots with Russian propaganda, because if you can't convince humans, just brainwash the robots that humans increasingly trust.On the bright side, hackers brought the Humane AI Pin back to life after it was bricked, transforming an overpriced paperweight into... a slightly less useless overpriced paperweight. ChatGPT can now directly edit code in macOS development tools, making it easier for AI to introduce bugs you never would have thought of yourself. Over At the Library, check out "The Tempest" by Peter Cawdron for your first contact fix, and if you're worried about where society is heading (and who isn't?), Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" offers a survival guide for our slow-motion constitutional collapse. Finally, in "everything is fine" news, 82% of indie artists can't afford to tour anymore.Enjoy the dystopia, kids – at least we still have our sense of humor.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/687FOLLOW UPWhy Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)Google announces ‘AI Mode' as a new way to use Search, testing starts todayGovernment Officials for Announced Fyre Festival 2 Location Say Event “Does Not Exist”‘I'm selling the Nazi mobile': Tesla owners offload cars after Musk's fascist-style salutesTesla Just Got Even More Bad NewsTesla Just Got News About Its Sales in Germany, and It Shows That Elon Musk Has Seriously Messed UpArsonists Set Fire to a Dozen Teslas, Charging Stations Amid "Anti-Capitalist Coordination to Target Tesla"Google's Sergey Brin Says Engineers Should Work 60-Hour Weeks in Office to Build AI That Could Replace ThemEx-Amazon VP explains why rich a-holes with helicopters and personal assistants don't get why you hate your commuteTrump Media Paid Donald Trump Jr. Nearly A Quarter Of Its Annual Revenue. He Attended Just Two Board MeetingsIN THE NEWSCinema Giant Technicolor's Abrupt Shutdown Affects 10,000 Workers WorldwideUS employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009No part of Amazon is 'unaffected' by AI, says its head of AGIChatGPT doubled its weekly active users in under 6 months, thanks to new releasesHugging Face's chief science officer worries AI is becoming 'yes-men on servers'A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news' network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propagandaOnlyFans Model Amouranth Held at Gunpoint for Her Crypto in Home InvasionCrypto Soars Then Plunges Following Trump's Post About a Strategic ReserveFact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset StockpileTrump creates a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve one day ahead of White House crypto summitCFPB drops Zelle lawsuit in latest reversal under Trump administrationCanadian Municpalities and the Canadian Supreme Court to stop using twitter.Ontario once again promises to nix $100 million Starlink deal over Trump tariffsOpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI 'agents'Kevin Rose, Alexis Ohanian acquire DiggDoes the World Even Want Digg in 2025?Scrolling Through Social Media Has a Unique Effect on Your BodySpaceX's latest Starship test flight ends with another explosionA second Intuitive Machines spacecraft just landed on the moon — and probably tipped overTouch down on the moon with private Blue Ghost lander in this amazing videoMEDIA CANDYHow Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show? A Statistical AnalysisNetflix Is Using AI to Upscale a 1980s Sitcom and the Results Are Borderline HorrificDaredevil: Born AgainDavid Duchovny to Explore Real-Life X-Files for History ChannelBeyond Belief: Fact or FictionAncient MysteriesIn Search Of...82% of indie artists can't afford to tour anymoreAPPS & DOODADSThe Humane Ai Pin Has Already Been Brought Back to LifeChatGPT on macOS can now directly edit codeA quarter of startups in YC's current cohort have codebases that are almost entirely AI-generatedThe Vanishing Middle Class of TechWill the future of software development run on vibes?Hallucinations in code are the least dangerous form of LLM mistakesAT THE LIBRARYThe Tempest (First Contact) by Peter CawdronOn Tyranny by Timothy SnyderWarning - DomesticIs Trump preparing to invoke the Insurrection Act? Signs are pointing that waySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Maybe we really will be getting that national crypto reserve after all. TSMC doubles down on manufacturing in the US. Return to the office is one thing, but Sergey Brin things RTO could lead to AGI, at least at Google. And Mark Gurman says there is an AI crisis inside Apple.Sponsors:Incogni.com/ridehomeQualiaLife.com/rideLinks:Donald Trump Names Components Of Crypto Reserve (CoinDesk)Trump, Chip Maker TSMC Expected to Announce $100 Billion Investment in U.S. (WSJ)Google's Gemini now lets you ask questions using videos and what's on your screen (TechCrunch)Google's Sergey Brin Urges Workers to the Office ‘at Least' Every Weekday (NYTimes)Peter Thiel-backed fintech Ramp nearly doubles valuation to $13bn (Financial Times)Apple's Artificial Intelligence Efforts Reach a Make-or-Break Point (Bloomberg)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Send Everyday AI and Jordan a text messageAnthropic released Claude 3.7.