Podcasts about TechCrunch

This week, we discuss AI's impact on Stack Overflow, Docker's Hardened Images, and Nvidia buying Groq. Plus, thoughts on playing your own game and having fun. Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/LQSxLbjvz3c?si=ao8f3hwxlCrmH1vX) 554 (https://www.youtube.com/live/LQSxLbjvz3c?si=ao8f3hwxlCrmH1vX) Please complete the Software Defined Talk Listener Survey! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfl7eHWQJwu2tBLa-FjZqHG2nr6p_Z3zQI3Pp1EyNWQ8Fu-SA/viewform?usp=header) Runner-up Titles It's all brisket after that. Exploring Fun Should I go build a snow man? Pets Innersourcing Two books Michael Lewis should write. Article IV is foundational. Freedom is options. Rundown Stack Overflow is dead. (https://x.com/rohanpaul_ai/status/2008007012920209674?s=20) Hardened Images for Everyone (https://www.docker.com/blog/docker-hardened-images-for-every-developer/) Tanzu's Bitnami stuff does this too (https://blogs.vmware.com/tanzu/what-good-software-supply-chain-security-looks-like-for-highly-regulated-industries/). OpenAI OpenAI's New Fundraising Round Could Value Startup at as Much as $830 Billion (https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openais-new-fundraising-round-could-value-startup-at-a[…]4238&segment_id=212500&user_id=c5a514ba8b7d9a954711959a6031a3fa) OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT "Prioritize" Advertisers in Conversation (https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-chatgpt-sponsored-ads) OpenAI bets big on audio as Silicon Valley declares war on screens (https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/01/openai-bets-big-on-audio-as-silicon-valley-declares-war-on-screens/) Sam Altman says: He has zero percent interest in remaining OpenAI CEO, once (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/sam-altman-says-he-has-zero-percent-interest-remaining-openai-ceo-once-/articleshow/126350602.cms) Nvidia buying AI chip startup Groq's assets for about $20 billion in its largest deal on record (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/24/nvidia-buying-ai-chip-startup-groq-for-about-20-billion-biggest-deal.html) Relevant to your Interests Broadcom IT uses Tanzu Platform to host MCP Servers (https://news.broadcom.com/app-dev/broadcom-tanzu-platform-agentic-business-transformation). A Brief History Of The Spreadsheet (https://hackaday.com/2025/12/15/a-brief-history-of-the-spreadsheet/) Databricks is raising over $4 billion in Series L funding at a $134 billion (https://x.com/exec_sum/status/2000971604449485132?s=20) Amazon's big AGI reorg decoded by Corey Quinn (https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/jassy_taps_peter_desantis_to_run_agi/) “They burned millions but got nothing.” (https://automaton-media.com/en/news/japanese-game-font-services-aggressive-price-hike-could-be-result-of-parent-companys-alleged-ai-failu/) X sues to protect Twitter brand Musk has been trying to kill (https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/17/x_twitter_brand_lawsuit/) Mozilla's new CEO says AI is coming to Firefox, but will remain a choice | TechCrunch (https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/17/mozillas-new-ceo-says-ai-is-coming-to-firefox-but-will-remain-a-choice/) Why Oracle keeps sparking AI-bubble fears (https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/ai-oracle-stock-blue-owl) What's next for Threads (https://sources.news/p/whats-next-for-threads) Salesforce Executives Say Trust in Large Language Models Has Declined (https://www.theinformation.com/articles/salesforce-executives-say-trust-generative-ai-declined?rc=giqjaz) Akamai Technologies Announces Acquisition of Function-as-a-Service Company Fermyon (https://www.akamai.com/newsroom/press-release/akamai-announces-acquisition-of-function-as-a-service-company-fermyon) Google Rolling Out Gmail Address Change Feature: Here Is How It Works (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-rolling-gmail-address-change-033112607.html) The Enshittifinancial Crisis (https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-enshittifinancial-crisis/) MongoBleed: Critical MongoDB Vulnerability CVE-2025-14847 | Wiz Blog (https://www.wiz.io/blog/mongobleed-cve-2025-14847-exploited-in-the-wild-mongodb) Softbank to buy data center firm DigitalBridge for $4 billion in AI push (https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/12/29/digitalbridge-shares-jump-on-report-softbank-in-talks-to-acquire-firm.html) The best tech announced at CES 2026 so far (https://www.theverge.com/tech/854159/ces-2026-best-tech-gadgets-smartphones-appliances-robots-tvs-ai-smart-home) Who's who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter (https://www.ft.com/content/ad94db4c-95a0-4c65-bd8d-3b43e1251091?accessToken=zwAGR7kzep9gkdOtlNtMlaBMZdO9jTtD4SUQkQ.MEYCIQCdZajuC9uga-d9b5Z1t0HI2BIcnkVoq98loextLRpCTgIhAPL3rW72aTHBNL_lS7s1ONpM2vBgNlBNHDBeGbHkPkZj&sharetype=gift&token=a7473827-0799-4064-9008-bf22b3c99711) Manus Joins Meta for Next Era of Innovation (https://manus.im/blog/manus-joins-meta-for-next-era-of-innovation) The WELL: State of the World 2026 with Bruce Sterling and Jon Lebkowsky (https://people.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/561/State-of-the-World-2026-with-Bru-page01.html) Virtual machines still run the world (https://cote.io/2026/01/07/virtual-machines-still-run-the.html) Databases in 2025: A Year in Review (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pavlo/blog/2026/01/2025-databases-retrospective.html) Chat Platform Discord Files Confidentially for IPO (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-06/chat-platform-discord-is-said-to-file-confidentially-for-ipo?embedded-checkout=true) The DRAM shortage explained: AI, rising prices, and what's next (https://www.techradar.com/pro/why-is-ram-so-expensive-right-now-its-more-complicated-than-you-think) Nonsense Palantir CEO buys monastery in Old Snowmass for $120 million (https://www.denverpost.com/2025/12/17/palantir-alex-karp-snowmass-monastery/amp/) H-E-B gives free groceries to all customers after registers glitch today in Burleson, Texas. (https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/s/ZEcblg7atP) Conferences cfgmgmtcamp 2026 (https://cfgmgmtcamp.org/ghent2026/), February 2nd to 4th, Ghent, BE. Coté speaking - anyone interested in being a SDI guest? DevOpsDayLA at SCALE23x (https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/23x), March 6th, Pasadena, CA Use code: DEVOP for 50% off. Devnexus 2026 (https://devnexus.com), March 4th to 6th, Atlanta, GA. Coté has a discount code, but he's not sure if he can give it out. He's asking! Send him a DM in the meantime. KubeCon EU, March 23rd to 26th, 2026 - Coté will be there on a media pass. Whole bunch of VMUGs, mostly in the US. The CFPs are open (https://app.sessionboard.com/submit/vmug-call-for-content-2026/ae1c7013-8b85-427c-9c21-7d35f8701bbe?utm_campaign=5766542-VMUG%20Voice&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_YREN7dr6p3KSQPYkFSN5K85A-pIVYZ03ZhKZOV0O3t3h0XHdDHethhx5O8gBFguyT5mZ3n3q-ZnPKvjllFXYfWV3thg&_hsmi=393690000&utm_content=393685389&utm_source=hs_email), go speak at them! Coté speaking in Amsterdam. Amsterdam (March 17-19, 2026), Minneapolis (April 7-9, 2026), Toronto (May 12-14, 2026), Dallas (June 9-11, 2026), Orlando (October 20-22, 2026) SDT News & Community Join our Slack community (https://softwaredefinedtalk.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-1hn55iv5d-UTfN7mVX1D9D5ExRt3ZJYQ#/shared-invite/email) Email the show: questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Free stickers: Email your address to stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Follow us on social media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/softwaredeftalk), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@softwaredefinedtalk), Mastodon (https://hachyderm.io/@softwaredefinedtalk), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/software-defined-talk/), BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/softwaredefinedtalk.com) Watch us on: Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/sdtpodcast), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OJPV6h9tp-hbsGBLGsDQ/featured), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/softwaredefinedtalk/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@softwaredefinedtalk) Book offer: Use code SDT for $20 off "Digital WTF" by Coté (https://leanpub.com/digitalwtf/c/sdt) Sponsor the show (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/ads): ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Recommendations Brandon: Why Data Doesn't Always Win, with a Philosopher of Art (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-points-you-shouldnt-score-a-new-years-resolution/id1685093486?i=1000743950053) (Apple Podcasts) Why Data Doesn't Always Win, with a Philosopher of Art (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AdbePyGS2M&list=RD7AdbePyGS2M&start_radio=1) (YouTube) Coté: “Databases in 2025: A Year in Review.” (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pavlo/blog/2026/01/2025-databases-retrospective.html) Photo Credits Header (https://unsplash.com/photos/red-and-black-love-neon-light-signage-igJrA98cf4A)

Our 230th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 01/02/2026Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:Nvidia's acquisition of AI chip startup Groq for $20 billion highlights a strategic move for enhanced inference technology in GPUs.New York's RAISE Act legislation aims to regulate AI safety, marking the second major AI safety bill in the US.The launch of GLM 4.7 by Zhipu AI marks a significant advancement in open-source AI models for coding.Evaluation of long-horizon AI agents raises concerns about the rising costs and efficiency of AI in performing extended tasks.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:01:58) 2025 RetrospectiveTools & Apps(00:24:39) OpenAI bets big on audio as Silicon Valley declares war on screens | TechCrunchApplications & Business(00:26:39) Nvidia buying AI chip startup Groq for about $20 billion, biggest deal(00:34:28) Exclusive | Meta Buys AI Startup Manus, Adding Millions of Paying Users - WSJ(00:38:05) Cursor continues acquisition spree with Graphite deal | TechCrunch(00:39:15) Micron Hikes CapEx to $20B with 2026 HBM Supply Fully Booked; HBM4 Ramps 2Q26(00:42:06) Chinese fabs are reportedly upgrading older ASML DUV lithography chipmaking machines — secondary channels and independent engineers used to soup up Twinscan NXT seriesProjects & Open Source(00:47:52) Z.AI launches GLM-4.7, new SOTA open-source model for coding(00:50:11) Evaluating AI's ability to perform scientific research tasksResearch & Advancements(00:54:32) Large Causal Models from Large Language Models(00:57:33) Universally Converging Representations of Matter Across Scientific Foundation Models(01:02:11) META-RL INDUCES EXPLORATION IN LANGUAGE AGENTS(01:07:16) Are the Costs of AI Agents Also Rising Exponentially?(01:11:17) METR eval for Opus 4.5(01:16:19) How to game the METR plotPolicy & Safety(01:17:24) New York governor Kathy Hochul signs RAISE Act to regulate AI safety | TechCrunch(01:20:40) Activation Oracles: Training and Evaluating LLMs as General-Purpose Activation Explainers(01:26:46) Monitoring Monitorability(01:32:07) Sam Altman is hiring someone to worry about the dangers of AI | The Verge(01:33:38) X users asking Grok to put this girl in bikini, Grok is happy obliging - India TodaySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode Description - Join host Marv for an in-depth conversation with Sam Sethi, entrepreneur, former tech journalist, and co-creator of True Fans. Discover the evolution of podcasting technology, the future of RSS feeds, and how blockchain-based micropayments could revolutionize creator monetization. Sam shares insights from his 30+ year journey through tech giants like Microsoft, Netscape, and BBC, and explains why podcasting 2.0 might be the industry's biggest shift since iTunes.  Key Topics Covered - Podcasting 2.0 & The New Namespace Sam explains the revolutionary metadata tags transforming podcast discovery and functionality, from person tags and chapters to location-based podcast mapping. Learn how open-source collaboration is challenging Big Tech's dominance.  The Future of Podcast Monetization Discover programmable money and value-for-value models that could replace traditional advertising. Sam reveals how listeners can earn micropayments for their attention while giving creators direct revenue streams. Streaming vs. Downloads: The Coming Shift Why the podcast industry's obsession with download numbers is outdated, and how first-party listen time data will revolutionize advertising effectiveness and creator insights.  AI in Podcasting: Hype vs. Reality Sam's take on "assisted intelligence" - where AI transcripts and automated chapters add value, and where synthetic voices fall short of authentic creator-listener relationships.  Timestamps - [00:00] Introduction and Sam's tech journalism background [02:00] From army officer to Microsoft: Sam's unconventional career path [04:00] The early days of blogging and TechCrunch Europe [05:00] COVID pivot: Building a radio station and discovering podcasting [06:00] Launching Pod News Weekly Review with James Cridland [07:00] Getting involved with Podcasting 2.0 and building True Fans [08:00] Apple finally adopts transcripts and chapters - validation for the namespace [10:00] Location tags and the future of podcast discovery [12:00] Why Sam loves technology over advertising metrics [14:00] The Spotify-Netflix deal and protecting niche podcasting [15:00] Advertising as "Emperor's new clothes" - the measurement problem [17:00] Revolutionary concept: Paying listeners to watch ads with programmable money [20:00] Value-for-value and streaming micropayments explained [22:00] Co-listening feature and building podcast communities [26:00] The Pod News Weekly dynamic: British humor and rapport [28:00] Moving from downloads to streaming: The next five years [30:00] Why listen time percentage matters more than raw numbers [33:00] The death of the download model and rise of streaming data [36:00] BBC Sounds international availability debate [40:00] The Panorama editing scandal and BBC's reputation [42:00] What makes a great podcast: Content, chemistry, and audio quality [45:00] Parasocial relationships and podcast magic [46:00] Claire Waite Brown's "Podcasting 2.0 in Practice" - essential listening [47:00] Concerns about declining podcasting 2.0 content creators [51:00] Sam's podcast listening habits: Politics, sports, and intelligent conversation [53:00] AI as "assisted intelligence" not artificial intelligence [54:00] AI voices vs. authentic creator relationships [56:00] Different AI podcast models: Editorial control vs. content farms [58:00] How to connect with Sam and True Fans  Key Quotes - "I think micropayments and wallets might take a little longer, but I can see in 2026  that catching on as well... the merit of what the technology provides and why people want it stands out very well."  "The joy and the promise of podcasting is about the long tail, about the niche of  podcasting... somebody who's got a niche podcast about fishing or knitting or  whatever, can still have an audience."  "I think advertising is the Emperor's new clothes. I think it's a scam... Who heard my ad? Oh, we can't tell you. How long did they listen to my ad? I don't know."  "The download isn't irrelevant, but actual listen time is a real metric. And so I think  in 2026, 2027, you'll see more and more people tell you what their listen time is not their download numbers."  Resources Mentioned - People & Podcasts  ● James Cridland - Pod News Weekly Review co-host  ● Adam Curry - Podcasting pioneer, Podcasting 2.0 namespace creator  ● Dave Jones - Podcasting 2.0 co-creator  ● Claire Waite - "Podcasting 2.0 in Practice" podcast  ● Elsie Escobar - Former host of The Feed  ● Kara Swisher - Pivot podcast  ● Emily Maitlis - The News Agents, The Rest is Politics Platforms & Tools  ● True Fans - Sam's podcasting app and hosting platform  ● Fountain - Podcasting 2.0 app  ● Pod Verse - Podcasting 2.0 app  ● Buzzsprout - Podcast hosting with AI features  ● Zencaster - Recording platform  ● 11 Labs - AI voice generation  ● Wonder Craft - AI audio production Companies & Technologies  ● Podcasting 2.0 namespace  ● Value-for-value model  ● Booster Gram Ball  ● Lightning Network micropayments  ● BBC Sounds   Articles & Concepts - ● Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" essay  ● Micro formats and micro data  ● Premium RSS feeds  ● Value time splits (wallet switching)  ● Timed links in transcripts   Connect with Sam Sethi - ● Email: sam@truefans.fm  ● LinkedIn: Sam Sethi  ● Listen: Pod News Weekly Review  ● Listen: Creators from True Fans  ● Platform: truefans.fm  ● Mastodon: Active  SEO Keywords -  podcasting 2.0, podcast monetization, RSS feeds, micropayments, value for value podcasting, podcast analytics, listen time metrics, streaming podcasts, podcast advertising, AI in podcasting, podcast transcripts, podcast chapters, True Fans app, podcasting namespace, blockchain podcasting, creator economy, independent podcasters, podcast technology, podcast discovery, niche podcasting  About the Guest - Sam Sethi is a tech entrepreneur and former journalist with over 30 years of industry experience. He's worked with Microsoft, Netscape, BBC, and TechCrunch, and currently serves as co-creator of True Fans and co-host of Pod News Weekly Review. Sam is deeply involved in the Podcasting 2.0 movement, developing innovative solutions for podcast monetization and listener engagement through blockchain-based micropayments and enhanced RSS metadata.  For more episodes of Pods Like Us, visit themarzone.org or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Support the show on Patreon.

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Hillel Fuld is a globally recognized startup advisor, tech marketer, and speaker helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into scalable, profitable businesses. Named Israel's top marketer by Forbes—who called him "the man transforming Startup Nation into Scale-up Nation"—he has mentored over 600 founders in marketing, growth, and storytelling, guiding startups from vision to revenue. His work and insights have been featured in CNBC, Inc., Fast Company, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, The Next Web, and Business Insider, and he was ranked the 7th most influential tech blogger worldwide. Hillel partners with top global brands including Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and Nike, creating strategies that deliver lasting impact. A sought-after international speaker, Hillel shares his expertise on marketing, entrepreneurship, and Israeli innovation. Above all, he's a proud husband to Racheli and father of five.  During the show we discuss: The key mindset shifts required to move from startup mode to a sustainable business. Why many startups struggle to turn ideas into revenue—and how to bridge the gap. Why every founder should create an investor deck, even without plans to raise capital. How to validate product–market fit before scaling too early. The role of authentic storytelling in building trust and brand credibility. Common traits shared by the most successful founders. How startups balance innovation and execution with limited resources. The most overlooked marketing lever that can make or break early growth. Resources:  https://www.hillelfuld.com/

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Jimmy Donaldson, the YouTube titan known as MrBeast, has been making waves with bold pivots that could redefine his empire just days into the new year. In a fresh interview with creator Jon Youshaei posted Monday, Business Insider reports Donaldson revealing plans for a dedicated YouTube channel on financial literacy, teaching fans about investing, Roth IRAs, and smart money moves. Its a natural evolution from his cash-stuffed stunts, like the 10 million dollar giveaway on Beast Games first season, and ties into his teased MrBeast Financial services business, with CEO Jeffrey Housenbold confirming expansion into loans and insurance via investor decks.At The New York Times DealBook Summit earlier this month, Donaldson dished on shifting his main channel strategy as fans tire of spectacle, per Business Insider. Hes doubling down on emotional storytelling, longer 25 minute videos, animation, and micro dramas, while cutting costs after losing millions on extravagant productions. Housenbold hinted at a potential IPO, eyeing ways to let his 1.4 billion global viewers own stakes in Beast Industries, now valued at five billion dollars, as TechCrunch details amid lawsuits over Beast Games set conditions and MrBeast Burger woes.Business buzzed with Starbucks partnering for Beast Games season two, debuting January seventh on Prime Video, fueling contestants with 24/7 coffee in Beast City and a limited Cannon Ball Drink from January 14th, Marketing Dive confirms. On December 26th, Associated Press covered Donaldson advising parents of aspiring kid influencers to prioritize education over fame. His December 20th 30 Days in the Sky YouTube challenge featured a Starbucks drop for a contestant vying for a 50 thousand dollar gift card.No major headlines in the past 24 hours, but these moves signal long term bets on education, finance, and efficiency, potentially cementing his biographical leap from stunt king to mogul.Thanks for tuning into this MrBeast episode of Biography Flash. Subscribe to never miss an update on MrBeast and search Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

This year turned out to be a pretty big year for autonomous vehicles. Waymo is the leader in the robotaxi race and over the last year, its signature Jaguar electric vehicles have become a common sight on the streets and recently freeways of cities around the country.Companies like Uber and Zooks have expanded their fleets to several metropolitan areas. And Tesla finally rolled out its cybercab service in a limited capacity in Austin.Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke to Kirsten Korosec, transportation editor at TechCrunch, about how the robotaxi became a common fixture on city streets this year.

This year turned out to be a pretty big year for autonomous vehicles. Waymo is the leader in the robotaxi race and over the last year, its signature Jaguar electric vehicles have become a common sight on the streets and recently freeways of cities around the country.Companies like Uber and Zooks have expanded their fleets to several metropolitan areas. And Tesla finally rolled out its cybercab service in a limited capacity in Austin.Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke to Kirsten Korosec, transportation editor at TechCrunch, about how the robotaxi became a common fixture on city streets this year.

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Jimmy Donaldson, the YouTuber known as MrBeast, just dropped a bombshell in an interview with creator Jon Youshaei posted Monday, revealing plans for a new YouTube channel dedicated to financial literacy, teaching fans about investing, Roth IRAs, and smart money moves. Business Insider reports this fits his cash-heavy stunts like the 10 million dollar Beast Games prize, while teasing an upcoming MrBeast Financial services venture, possibly including student loans and insurance via a fintech partner. Entrepreneur echoes the scoop, noting his 454 million subscribers could make personal finance go viral.In the past 24 hours, National Post highlighted a fresh clip where Donaldson insists it would feel irresponsible not to leverage his platform reaching one in 10 people worldwide for positivity, underscoring his global sway. Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold fueled IPO buzz at the DealBook Summit earlier this month, per TechCrunch, hinting at letting his 1.4 billion recent viewers become company owners someday, building on last years five billion dollar valuation.No major public appearances or social media mentions popped in the last few days, but his philanthropy machine keeps humming with the Rockefeller Foundations recent strategic partnership with Beast Philanthropy, as Devex details, blending influencer flair with institutional aid amid 2025s humanitarian crises. Ongoing lawsuits from Beast Games contestants over set conditions linger without updates, Fortune notes from September, yet his empire Feastables chocolates outprofiting media arms signals long-term biographical muscle.Thanks for tuning into this MrBeast episode of the podcast. Subscribe to never miss an update on MrBeast and search Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Our 229th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 12/19/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:Notable releases include OpenAI's GPT-5.2 Codex for advanced coding and Google's Gemini Free Flash for competitive AI application performance. Nvidia's new open-source Trion-3 models also showcase impressive benchmarks.Funding updates highlight Lovable's $330M Series B, valuing the AI coding startup at $6.6B, and Faya's $140M Series D for AI model hosting, valued at $4.5B.China makes significant strides in semiconductor technology with advances in EUV lithography machines, led by Huawei and SMIC, potentially disrupting global chip manufacturing dominance.Key safety and policy updates include OpenAI's GPT-5.2 system card focusing on biosecurity and cybersecurity risks, while Google partners with the US military to power a new AI platform with Gemini models.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:02:09) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:02:56) Google launches Gemini 3 Flash, makes it the default model in the Gemini app | TechCrunch(00:10:13) ChatGPT launches an app store, lets developers know it's open for business | TechCrunch(00:13:35) Introducing GPT-5.2-Codex | OpenAI(00:19:23) Story about OpenAI release - GPT image 1.5(00:22:27) Meta partners with ElevenLabs to power AI audio across Instagram, Horizon - The Economic TimesApplications & Business(00:23:16) OpenAI to End Equity Vesting Period for Employees, WSJ Says(00:28:20) How China built its ‘Manhattan Project' to rival the West in AI chips(00:36:47) China's Huawei, SMIC Make Progress With Chips, Report Finds(00:41:03) OpenAI in Talks to Raise At Least $10 Billion From Amazon and Use Its AI Chips(00:43:32) Amazon has a new leader for its ‘AGI' group as it plays catch-up on AI | The Verge(00:47:27) Broadcom reveals its mystery $10 billion customer is Anthropic(00:49:12) Vibe-coding startup Lovable raises $330M at a $6.6B valuation | TechCrunch(00:50:38) Fal nabs $140M in fresh funding led by Sequoia, tripling valuation to $4.5B | TechCrunchProjects & Open Source(00:51:10) Nvidia Becomes a Major Model Maker With Nemotron 3 | WIRED(00:59:24) Meta introduces new SAM AI able to isolate and edit audio • The Register(00:59:54) [2512.14856] T5Gemma 2: Seeing, Reading, and Understanding Longer(01:03:10) Anthropic makes agent Skills an open standard - SiliconANGLEResearch & Advancements(01:03:47) Budget-Aware Tool-Use Enables Effective Agent Scaling(01:08:21) Rethinking Thinking Tokens: LLMs as Improvement Operators(01:10:50) What if AI capabilities suddenly accelerated in 2027? How would the world know?Policy & Safety(01:12:58) Update to GPdfT-5 System Card: GPT-5.2(01:18:04) Neural Chameleons: Language Models Can Learn to Hide Their Thoughts from Unseen Activation Monitors(01:20:47) Async Control: Stress-testing Asynchronous Control Measures for LLM Agents(01:24:37) Google is powering a new US military AI platform | The VergeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Jimmy Donaldson, the unstoppable force behind MrBeast, made waves at the New York Times DealBook Summit earlier this month, where he and Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold teased a potential IPO that could let his 1.4 billion global viewers snag ownership stakes in the empire. TechCrunch reports Housenbold pitching it as a fan-first move, while Donaldson shrugged off lawsuits from Beast Games contestants alleging set mistreatment, calling it a learning curve for handling 2,000 competitors. Business Insider details how hes shifting YouTube strategy from cash-spectacle stunts to emotional storytelling, longer 25-minute videos, animation drops, and less reliance on his face, admitting fans are numbing to giveaways amid 2024 losses now offset by sponsors.No major headlines in the past 24 hours, but Feastables chocolate outprofits his YouTube channel and Prime Video show per leaked docs cited by TechCrunch, fueling plans for a creator-marketer marketplace, mobile phone launch, financial services, and a Saudi theme park. A UNILAD Tech piece from a day ago notes fans buzzing over Donaldsons warning about AI overtaking YouTube, sparking fears hes sowing digital doom. Ongoing Virtual Dining Concepts lawsuit lingers over MrBeast Burger woes, but Season 2 of Beast Games promises efficiency.Hes vowed ultra grind mode for 2026s greatest content, eyeing micro-dramas and ethical sourcing tie-ins, all while swiping at TikToks brain rot despite dominating there. No fresh public appearances or social posts verified in the last few days, keeping the focus on Beast Industries $5 billion valuation trajectory.Thanks for tuning into this Biography Flash episode on MrBeast. Subscribe to never miss an update, and search Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Our 228th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 12/12/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:OpenAI's latest model GPT-5.2 demonstrates improved performance and enhanced multi-modal capabilities but comes with increased costs and a different knowledge cutoff date.Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI to generate Disney character content, creating unique licensing agreements across characters from Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars franchises.The U.S. government imposes new AI chip export rules involving security reviews, while simultaneously moving to prevent states from independently regulating AI.DeepMind releases a paper outlining the challenges and findings in scaling multi-agent systems, highlighting the complexities of tool coordination and task performance.Timestamps:(00:00:00) Intro / Banter(00:01:19) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:01:58) GPT-5.2 is OpenAI's latest move in the agentic AI battle | The Verge(00:08:48) Runway releases its first world model, adds native audio to latest video model | TechCrunch(00:11:51) Google says it will link to more sources in AI Mode | The Verge(00:12:24) ChatGPT can now use Adobe apps to edit your photos and PDFs for free | The Verge(00:13:05) Tencent releases Hunyuan 2.0 with 406B parametersApplications & Business(00:16:15) China set to limit access to Nvidia's H200 chips despite Trump export approval(00:21:02) Disney investing $1 billion in OpenAI, will allow characters on Sora(00:24:48) Unconventional AI confirms its massive $475M seed round(00:29:06) Slack CEO Denise Dresser to join OpenAI as chief revenue officer | TechCrunch(00:31:18) The state of enterprise AIProjects & Open Source(00:33:49) [2512.10791] The FACTS Leaderboard: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Large Language Model Factuality(00:36:27) Claude 4.5 Opus' Soul DocumentResearch & Advancements(00:43:49) [2512.08296] Towards a Science of Scaling Agent Systems(00:48:43) Evaluating Gemini Robotics Policies in a Veo World Simulator(00:52:10) Guided Self-Evolving LLMs with Minimal Human Supervision(00:56:08) Martingale Score: An Unsupervised Metric for Bayesian Rationality in LLM Reasoning(01:00:39) [2512.07783] On the Interplay of Pre-Training, Mid-Training, and RL on Reasoning Language Models(01:04:42) Stabilizing Reinforcement Learning with LLMs: Formulation and Practices(01:09:42) Google's AI unit DeepMind announces UK 'automated research lab'Policy & Safety(01:10:28) Trump Moves to Stop States From Regulating AI With a New Executive Order - The New York Times(01:13:54) [2512.09742] Weird Generalization and Inductive Backdoors: New Ways to Corrupt LLMs(01:17:57) Forecasting AI Time Horizon Under Compute Slowdowns(01:20:46) AI Security Institute focuses on AI measurements and evaluations(01:21:16) Nvidia AI Chips to Undergo Unusual U.S. Security Review Before Export to China(01:22:01) U.S. Authorities Shut Down Major China-Linked AI Tech Smuggling NetworkSynthetic Media & Art(01:24:01) RSL 1.0 has arrived, allowing publishers to ask AI companies pay to scrape content | The VergeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ilana Golan is a powerhouse trailblazer. She began her remarkable journey as the first woman commander and instructor for all F 16 flight simulators in the Israeli Air Force. From there, she transitioned into engineering, led startups to multimillion-dollar exits, became a tech investor and board director, and is now founder and CEO of Leap Academy—an award winning, globally recognized coaching and career acceleration platform. She's impacted over 70,000 professionals across four continents, been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, NBC, CBS, ABC, and has built multiple seven and eight figure businesses. Ilana joined host Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to discuss her military career, lessons she learned from service, entrepreneurial success and coaching great leaders. Thank you to the sponsors of The Elevate Podcast Mizzen & Main: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mizzenandmain.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Promo Code: elevate20) Shopify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Indeed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠indeed.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Masterclass: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠masterclass.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Northwest Registered Agent: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠northwestregisteredagent.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Homeserve: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠homeserve.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.In the past few days Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr Beast, has been in that rare zone where every move is both a business story and a pop culture moment, and the biggest development is his quiet but very real pivot from superstar creator to would be financial and telecom mogul. At The New York Times DealBook Summit, in an onstage interview now posted on the Times YouTube channel, Donaldson and Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold laid out plans for a new mobile phone service called Beast Mobile, positioned as a creator branded wireless carrier that leans on his more than 450 million YouTube subscribers. Housenbold said the company is also building a MrBeast Financial platform, with a trademark filing describing a banking and crypto enabled app, and he framed it as financial literacy plus access to services rather than just another sponsorship deal, a move that Business Insider reports would make him one of the first major creators to enter consumer finance at this scale. TechCrunch and Entrepreneur both highlight that these products sit inside Beast Industries, the holding company recently valued around 5 billion dollars, with Feastables chocolate still its most profitable line, and Housenbold openly floated the idea of a future IPO so that fans could own a slice of the empire, an idea echoed in coverage by TechCrunch and Unilad as a potential creator led public listing. Those DealBook remarks doubled as a rare long form public appearance, where Donaldson acknowledged that some recent YouTube uploads have not met his own standards and pledged to refocus on “great stories,” even as he juggles Beast Games on Amazon, an animation push, a creator brand marketplace and physical consumer products from toys to snacks. He also addressed the lawsuits from MrBeast Burger partner Virtual Dining Concepts and from a small group of Beast Games contestants; in the Times interview he characterized the show disputes as an inevitable risk when nearly 2,000 people compete, saying some people sue to “try to make money,” while Housenbold insisted the team is learning and that season two, due early next year, will be “a lot better.” There is online speculation, amplified by fan social media and tabloid style sites, that Beast Mobile and MrBeast Financial could evolve into a full scale “MrBeast bank” or that an IPO is imminent, but as of now reputable outlets like Business Insider and TechCrunch report only early stage plans and trademark groundwork rather than a firm launch date or listing timetable. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Mr Beast. To keep going deeper on the people shaping our world, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

TechCrunch's Dominic-Madori Davis writes about women who ran an experiment to see if LinkedIn's new algo was being sexist and thought they proved it. But experts say there's more complexity involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has spent the past few days doing what he does best: blending spectacle, business strategy, and a carefully managed public image into one nonstop storyline. In his home state of North Carolina, local outlet Chapelboro reports that he is set to appear at the UNC men's basketball game against USC Upstate, where he will run a ten thousand dollar giveaway exclusively for students, with an in‑arena appearance at halftime and the giveaway taking place after the final buzzer. That kind of campus‑scale stunt is classic MrBeast: hyperlocal, highly photogenic, and guaranteed to generate social clips that will live far beyond one night in the Dean Smith Center.On the business front, the longer arc of his empire may be shifting in a profound way. TechCrunch reports that his new CEO at Beast Industries, Jeff Housenbold, has openly floated the idea of a future public offering, saying they want the roughly 1.4 billion unique viewers who watched MrBeast content in the last 90 days to have a chance to be owners of the company. That is not a formal IPO filing, but it is a clear, on‑the‑record signal that an eventual listing is on the table, and it would mark one of the first true creator‑led conglomerates to step onto public markets, with Feastables candy now described as the most profitable piece of the business.At the same time, MrBeast is leaning even harder into philanthropy as brand strategy. The 1 Billion Followers Summit has launched a global campaign called 1 Billion Acts of Kindness with MrBeast, in collaboration with his company, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and the Varkey Foundation. Official terms show that creators worldwide are being asked to post videos of acts of kindness, tag MrBeast, and compete for a January 2026 trip with him to Ghana, where they will help build a village and appear in his content. That initiative, running right now, positions him not just as an entertainer but as a global organizer of influencer philanthropy.Overlaying all of this is the unresolved legal and reputational cloud: TechCrunch, citing prior reporting, notes the ongoing litigation over MrBeast Burger and the lawsuits from contestants on the first season of Beast Games alleging mistreatment and a toxic work environment. Those cases have not been resolved publicly, and any new filings or statements would be major news; for now, the most recent verified developments are the continuing suits and his guarded comments about having “learned” from running a 2,000‑person competition. Anything beyond that, including rumored settlements or internal policy changes, remains speculative and unconfirmed.There are also forward‑looking product headlines: fintech industry outlet The Paypers reports that MrBeast is working on a financial services platform and Beast Mobile, a phone company aimed squarely at his audience. Details are sparse, and there is no launch date yet, but if executed, those moves would push him from consumer packaged goods and shows into something closer to a lifestyle ecosystem, with payments, connectivity, and media all under one fan‑facing umbrella. Some social chatter has tried to connect those plans directly to IPO timing, but no credible outlet has reported any regulatory filings or dates, so talk of an imminent listing is, at this stage, pure speculation.Across social media, clips from his recent conversation on the attention economy with Jeff Housenbold have been circulating, showing him doubling down on a brutal work ethic, the idea that every day ending in “Y” is a workday, and a willingness to be “humbled” by more traditional hosts as he refines Beast Games. Coverage of Season 2 of that show, including a Survivor‑style twist highlighted by entertainment site The Knockturnal, frames him as increasingly comfortable stepping back and letting contestants drive the story, an evolution that could matter for his long‑term reputation as more than just the guy shouting over stunts.That is your rapid‑fire update on MrBeast's world this week. Thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on MrBeast, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

My guest this week is Matt Sutton, SVP and head of marketing at Columbia Sportswear, a leader who thrives on tough challenges and new terrain. With 15 years across agency, brand and platform side marketing, Matt's led global teams, own P &Ls north of 700 million and driven growth across apparel, jewelry and home goods. His superpower? Solving brand problems end-to-end, rethinking everything from CRM and brand identity to channel mix and digital transformation. His work has been featured in Adweek, CNBC, TechCrunch, and the New York Times. And he's advised leaders at American Express, Geico, P&G, Expedia, and Nissan on how to turn marketing into momentum.

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

The Friday Five for December 12, 2025: Wrapping Up AEP 2026 Spotify Wrapped 2025 Pebble Index 01 2026 ACA Enrollment Snapshot #1 KFF 2026 Medicare Advantage Spotlight   Get Connected:

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! The former CEO of Hinge left his position this week to launch an AI-powered dating app. Pebble is coming out with its take on a smart ring. What is the AI Model Context Protocol? And could grocery delivery services be using AI to charge different prices for groceries to consumers? Amanda talks about a new AI-powered dating app called Overtone that the former CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, has founded. Pebble is coming out with its own smart ring with a built-in microphone, and Mikah has some quarrels with the device. Mikah talks about the Model Context Protocol, or MCP: an approach companies like Google and OpenAI have adopted that would allow AI agents to access information online in a standardized manner easily, and now Anthropic has donated the protocol to the Linux Foundation. And Derek Kravitz of Consumer Reports joins the show to talk about its investigation into Instacart utilizing artificial intelligence that would offer different prices of the same product to consumers. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Derek Kravitz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: ventionteams.com/twit threatlocker.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

Our 227th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 12/05/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie HarrisFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:Deep Seek 3.2 and Flux 2 release, showcasing advancements in open-source AI models for natural language processing and image generation respectively.Amazon's new AI chips and Google's TPUs signal potential shifts in AI hardware dominance, with growing competition against Nvidia.Anthropic's potential IPO and OpenAI's declared ‘Code Red' indicate significant moves in the AI business landscape, including high venture funding rounds for startups.Key research papers from DeepMind and Google explore advanced memory architectures and multi-agent systems, indicating ongoing efforts to enhance AI reasoning and efficiency.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:02:42) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:03:30) Deepseek 3.2 : New AI Model is Faster, Cheaper and Smarter(00:23:22) Black Forest Labs launches Flux.2 AI image models to challenge Nano Banana Pro and Midjourney(00:28:00) Sora and Nano Banana Pro throttled amid soaring demand | The Verge(00:29:34) Mistral closes in on Big AI rivals with new open-weight frontier and small models | TechCrunch(00:31:41) Kling's Video O1 launches as the first all-in-one video model for generation and editing(00:34:07) Runway rolls out Gen 4.5 AI video model that beats Google, OpenAIApplications & Business(00:35:18) NVIDIA's Partners Are Beginning to Tilt Toward Google's TPU Ecosystem, with Foxconn Reportedly Securing TPU Rack Orders(00:40:37) Amazon releases an impressive new AI chip and teases an Nvidia-friendly roadmap | TechCrunch(00:43:03) OpenAI declares ‘code red' as Google catches up in AI race | The Verge(00:46:20) Anthropic reportedly preparing for massive IPO in race with OpenAI: FT(00:48:41) Black Forest Labs raises $300M at $3.25B valuation | TechCrunch(00:49:20) Paris-based AI voice startup Gradium nabs $70M seed | TechCrunch(00:50:10) OpenAI announced a 1 GW Stargate cluster in Abu Dhabi(00:53:22) OpenAI's investment into Thrive Holdings is its latest circular deal(00:55:11) OpenAI to acquire Neptune, an AI model training assistance startup(00:56:11) Anthropic acquires developer tool startup Bun to scale AI coding(00:56:55) Microsoft drops AI sales targets in half after salespeople miss their quotas - Ars TechnicaProjects & Open Source(00:57:51) [2511.22570] DeepSeekMath-V2: Towards Self-Verifiable Mathematical Reasoning(01:01:52) Evo-Memory: Benchmarking LLM Agent Test-time Learning with Self-Evolving MemoryResearch & Advancements(01:05:44) Nested Learning: The Illusion of Deep Learning Architecture(01:13:30) Multi-Agent Deep Research: Training Multi-Agent Systems with M-GRPO(01:15:50) State of AI: An Empirical 100 Trillion Token Study with OpenRouterPolicy & Safety(01:21:52) Trump signs executive order launching Genesis Mission AI project(01:24:42) OpenAI has trained its LLM to confess to bad behavior | MIT Technology Review(01:29:34) US senators seek to block Nvidia sales of advanced chips to ChinaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.In the last few days, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr Beast, has quietly been in one of the most pivotal stretches of his career, with business, philanthropy, and long term strategy all converging into a more traditional mogul story than just a viral YouTuber arc. TechCrunch reports that his CEO Jeff Housenbold has openly floated the idea of eventually taking Beast Industries public so that fans could own a piece of the empire, a move that, if realized, would mark one of the first true creator born conglomerates heading toward an IPO scale future rather than just a channel or brand play. TechCrunch also notes that leaked financials reported by Bloomberg show Feastables as the most profitable arm of the operation, even outperforming both the flagship YouTube channel and the Amazon Prime game show Beast Games, underscoring how seriously Donaldson has pivoted into consumer products and studio level production. At the same time, the legal hangover from earlier hypergrowth continues; TechCrunch highlights the ongoing lawsuit with Virtual Dining Concepts over the now shuttered MrBeast Burger, and the separate suit from Beast Games contestants alleging mistreatment and a hostile environment on set. Those cases are still working their way through the system, and much of what is claimed remains unproven allegations rather than established fact, but they are the main shadow on an otherwise soaring public profile. On the philanthropic front, Fortune and an official announcement from the Rockefeller Foundation detail a new strategic partnership between Beast Philanthropy and the 112 year old institution, designed to blend Mr Beasts youth reach with Rockefeller data driven development work and planned travel to Ghana next year to study community led change together. That collaboration, alongside his role fronting the 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign with the 1 Billion Followers Summit and partners in Dubai, where creators can submit kindness videos through mid December to potentially join him on a Ghana village building trip, shows Donaldson deliberately anchoring his image in large scale, institutional philanthropy rather than one off stunts alone. Across his social feeds in recent days, he has continued teasing upcoming high budget videos and Beast Games related content rather than dropping any bombshell new controversies, with most coverage now dissecting his net worth, his multi billion dollar brand valuation, and what an eventual Beast Industries stock listing could mean. For now, the verified story is clear: Mr Beast is spending this week less as an impulsive viral creator and more as a carefully managed founder steering a media, food, and philanthropy empire toward Wall Street, global NGOs, and massive viewer driven charity campaigns. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Mr Beast, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Mr. Beast Biography Flash a weekly Biography.In the past few days Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has been in the news less for a single viral stunt and more for the long term architecture of his empire. TechCrunch reports that his CEO Jeff Housenbold is now openly floating the idea of taking Beast Industries public one day, with the explicit goal of letting fans become owners of the company. That IPO talk is still speculative and no filing has been made, but the fact it is being discussed on the record underscores that MrBeast is now positioning himself less as a lone creator and more as the head of a future consumer entertainment conglomerate. TechCrunch also notes leaked figures, originally reported by Bloomberg, indicating that his Feastables chocolate line has already become more profitable than both his flagship YouTube channel and his Prime Video show Beast Games, a shift that suggests his long term biography may be defined as much by CPG and IP as by YouTube views.At the same time, Donaldson is trying to evolve his philanthropic brand. Fortune and an official announcement from the Rockefeller Foundation both confirm a new strategic partnership between Beast Philanthropy and the 112 year old foundation, aimed at combining his youth reach with their expertise in helping the worlds most vulnerable communities. The Rockefeller Foundation says the collaboration will include joint work in places like Ghana early next year, and Donaldson has been quoted saying he wants their guidance to avoid repeating philanthropy mistakes and to turn his massive, often spectacle driven giving into what he calls real lasting change. Framed biographically, this looks like the opening chapter in a shift from viral charity videos to institutional philanthropy with establishment partners.That Ghana focus also ties into a more public facing, participatory campaign. The 1 Billion Followers Summit has posted terms and conditions for a 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign run in collaboration with MrBeast, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Varkey Foundation. The campaign invites creators worldwide to post videos of acts of kindness with specific hashtags and, for ten selected winners, includes a fully paid trip to the summit and a journey with MrBeast to Ghana to help build a village and appear in his content. The documents make clear this is a formally structured initiative, with content licensing, code of conduct and legal waivers spelled out, which again speaks to how systematized the MrBeast operation has become.On the media side, MrBeast has also just appeared in a long form conversation titled MrBeast on Cracking the Attention Economy, alongside CEO Jeff Housenbold. In that discussion, promoted on YouTube, the pair lay out how they think about attention, business growth and the responsibilities that come with their influence. While not a headline making controversy, it is a notable public appearance because it continues to cement Donaldson as a leading voice on the future of entertainment, not just a practitioner inside it.Meanwhile, storm clouds remain in the background. TechCrunch points out that Beast Industries is still locked in litigation with Virtual Dining Concepts over the collapse of MrBeast Burger, and that lawsuits from contestants on the first season of Beast Games alleging mistreatment and a misogynistic culture are ongoing. In a recent DealBook appearance covered by TechCrunch, Donaldson spoke cautiously about those suits, essentially portraying them as an almost inevitable byproduct of running a 2000 person gameshow, rather than as evidence of systemic failure, a framing that will likely be revisited in any serious biography of his rise.There are, as always, countless unverified rumors swirling on social media about upcoming videos, new Feastables flavors, and a possible second large scale series order from Amazon, but at this stage those remain speculation without confirmation from MrBeast or major outlets.Thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on MrBeast. To dive into more fast paced life stories like this one, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Mr. Beast. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBvThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Our 226th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 11/24/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and co-hosted by Michelle LeeFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode: New AI model releases include Google's Gemini 3 Pro, Anthropic's Opus 4.5, and OpenAI's GPT-5.1, each showcasing significant advancements in AI capabilities and applications.Robotics innovations feature Sunday Robotics' new robot Memo and a $600M funding round for Visual Intelligence, highlighting growth and investment in the robotics sector.AI safety and policy updates include Europe's proposed changes to GDPR and AI Act regulations, and reports of AI-assisted cyber espionage by a Chinese state-sponsored group.AI-generated content and legal highlights involve settlements between Warner Music Group and AI music platform UDIO, reflecting evolving dynamics in the field of synthetic media.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:01:32) News Preview(00:02:10) Response to listener commentsTools & Apps(00:02:34) Google launches Gemini 3 with new coding app and record benchmark scores | TechCrunch(00:05:49) Google launches Nano Banana Pro powered by Gemini 3(00:10:55) Anthropic releases Opus 4.5 with new Chrome and Excel integrations | TechCrunch(00:15:34) OpenAI releases GPT-5.1-Codex-Max to handle engineering tasks that span twenty-four hours(00:18:26) ChatGPT launches group chats globally | TechCrunch(00:20:33) Grok Claims Elon Musk Is More Athletic Than LeBron James — and the World's Greatest LoverApplications & Business(00:24:03) What AI bubble? Nvidia's strong earnings signal there's more room to grow(00:26:26) Alphabet stock surges on Gemini 3 AI model optimism(00:28:09) Sunday Robotics emerges from stealth with launch of ‘Memo' humanoid house chores robot(00:32:30) Robotics Startup Physical Intelligence Valued at $5.6 Billion in New Funding - Bloomberg(00:34:22) Waymo permitted areas expanded by California DMV - CBS Los Angeles - Waymo enters 3 more cities: Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa | TechCrunchProjects & Open Source(00:37:00) Meta AI Releases Segment Anything Model 3 (SAM 3) for Promptable Concept Segmentation in Images and Videos - MarkTechPost(00:40:18) [2511.16624] SAM 3D: 3Dfy Anything in Images(00:42:51) [2511.13998] LoCoBench-Agent: An Interactive Benchmark for LLM Agents in Long-Context Software EngineeringResearch & Advancements(00:45:10) [2511.08544] LeJEPA: Provable and Scalable Self-Supervised Learning Without the Heuristics(00:50:08) [2511.13720] Back to Basics: Let Denoising Generative Models DenoisePolicy & Safety(00:52:08) Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws | The Verge(00:54:13) From shortcuts to sabotage: natural emergent misalignment from reward hacking(00:58:24) [2511.15304] Adversarial Poetry as a Universal Single-Turn Jailbreak Mechanism in Large Language Models(01:01:43) Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign(01:04:36) OpenAI Locks Down San Francisco Offices Following Alleged Threat From Activist | WIREDSynthetic Media & Art(01:07:02) Warner Music Group Settles AI Lawsuit With UdioSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Want to use your retirement funds to invest beyond the stock market? In this episode, Henry Yoshida, CFP®, shares how his fintech company empowers investors to use their IRAs and 401(k)s to invest in private assets, all while maintaining tax advantages. Learn how he modernized retirement investing and why today's investors must think beyond traditional markets to build true diversification and long-term wealth.   Key Takeaways To Listen For The story behind Honest Dollar Why big financial institutions resist alternative investments How self-directed IRAs empower investors to fund private real estate What true diversification means in investing Psychological advantages of investing through tax-advantaged retirement accounts   Resources/Links Mentioned In This Episode Honest Dollar Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey | Hardcover and Audiobook The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason | Kindle and Paperback Rocket Dollar Knowledge Base   About Henry Yoshida, CFP®Henry Yoshida, CFP®, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Rocket Dollar, a platform that empowers individuals to unlock their retirement savings by investing through Self-Directed IRAs and Solo 401(k)s. A three-time entrepreneur in the retirement services industry, Henry previously founded Honest Dollar, which was acquired by Goldman Sachs, and served as a Vice President of Retirement Business at Merrill Lynch, where he managed over $2.5 billion in client assets. He has been recognized by InvestmentNews as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" financial professionals and is a nationally sought-after voice on retirement innovation, alternative investing, and fintech. Henry frequently appears in major media outlets, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, and TechCrunch, where he shares insights on modern retirement planning and wealth-building strategies.   Connect with Henry Website: Rocket Dollar LinkedIn: Henry Yoshida, CFP® Phone: (855) 762-5383   Connect With UsIf you're looking to invest your hard-earned money into cash-flowing, value-add assets, reach out to us at https://bobocapitalventures.com/.   Follow Keith's social media pages LinkedIn: Keith Borie Investor Club: Secret Passive Cashflow Investors Club Facebook: Keith Borie X: @BoboLlc80554

Tim and Tyler check in on their fitness, content their consuming right now, and address the Monarch Tractor lawsuit reported by TechCrunch. UPDATE: https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/19/monarch-tractor-preps-for-layoffs-and-warns-employees-it-may-shut-down/  — This episode is presented by Corteva R&D.  — Links Monarch Lawsuit - https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/18/monarch-tractor-sued-over-tractors-that-were-unable-to-operate-autonomously/

In this episode of The Outdoor Classrooms Podcast, we sit down with filmmaker and storyteller Juliet Grable, co-creator of the powerful documentary In Our Nature. Juliet and her creative partner, James Parker, have captured the extraordinary ways people are reconnecting with the natural world—one story at a time.Together, we explore the inspiration behind In Our Nature, how the team chose the stories featured in the film, and the lessons learned along the way. Juliet shares her hopes for how the film will inspire action, connection, and deeper appreciation for the environment.We also dive into their current Seed & Spark fundraising campaign, what it takes to bring independent films like this to life, and how storytelling can be a catalyst for change.

Our 225th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 11/16/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and co-hosted by Michelle LeeFeel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:New AI model releases include GPT-5.1 from OpenAI and Ernie 5.0 from Baidu, each with updated features and capabilities.Self-driving technology advancements from Baidu's Apollo Go and Pony AI's IPO highlight significant progress in the automotive sector.Startup funding updates include Incept taking $50M for diffusion models, while Cursor and Gamma secure significant valuations for coding and presentation tools respectively.AI-generated content is gaining traction with songs topping charts and new marketplaces for AI-generated voices, indicating evolving trends in synthetic media.Timestamps:(00:01:19) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:02:13) OpenAI says the brand-new GPT-5.1 is ‘warmer' and has more ‘personality' options | The Verge(00:04:51) Baidu Unveils ERNIE 5.0 and a Series of AI Applications at Baidu World 2025, Ramps Up Global Push(00:07:00) ByteDance's Volcano Engine debuts coding agent at $1.3 promo price(00:08:04) Google will let users call stores, browse products, and check out using AI | The Verge(00:10:41) Fei-Fei Li's World Labs speeds up the world model race with Marble, its first commercial product | TechCrunch(00:13:30) OpenAI says it's fixed ChatGPT's em dash problem | TechCrunchApplications & Business(00:16:01) Anthropic announces $50 billion data center plan | TechCrunch(00:18:06) Baidu teases next-gen AI training, inference accelerators • The Register(00:20:50) Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun plans to exit and launch own start-up(00:24:41) Amazon Demands Perplexity Stop AI Tool From Making Purchases - Bloomberg(00:27:32) AI PowerPoint-killer Gamma hits $2.1B valuation, $100M ARR, founder says | TechCrunch(00:29:33) Inception raises $50 million to build diffusion models for code and text | TechCrunch(00:31:14) Coding assistant Cursor raises $2.3B 5 months after its previous round | TechCrunch(00:33:56) China's Baidu says it's running 250,000 robotaxi rides a week — same as Alphabet's Waymo(00:35:26) Driverless Tech Firm Pony AI Raises $863 Million in HK ListingProjects & Open Source(00:36:30) Moonshot's Kimi K2 Thinking emerges as leading open source AIResearch & Advancements(00:39:22) [2510.26787] Remote Labor Index: Measuring AI Automation of Remote Work(00:45:21) OpenAI Researchers Train Weight Sparse Transformers to Expose Interpretable Circuits - MarkTechPost(00:49:34) Kimi Linear: An Expressive, Efficient Attention Architecture(00:53:33) Watch Google DeepMind's new AI agent learn to play video games | The Verge(00:57:34) arXiv Changes Rules After Getting Spammed With AI-Generated 'Research' PapersPolicy & Safety(00:59:35) Stability AI largely wins UK court battle against Getty Images over copyright and trademark | AP News(01:01:48) Court rules that OpenAI violated German copyright law; orders it to pay damages | TechCrunch(01:03:48) Microsoft's $15.2B UAE investment turns Gulf State into test case for US AI diplomacy | TechCrunchSynthetic Media & Art(01:06:39) An AI-Generated Country Song Is Topping A Billboard Chart, And That Should Infuriate Us All | Whiskey Riff(01:10:59) Xania Monet is the first AI-powered artist to debut on a Billboard airplay chart, but she likely won't be the last | CNN(01:13:34) ElevenLabs' new AI marketplace lets brands use famous voices for ads | The VergeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the use of AI within the Church, and when and how it might be used. There's no question that AI has become ubiquitous in our world. And while it might not bother you to know that your grocery store, for example, uses AI to generate suggestions to improve your shopping experience, how would you feel knowing that your pastor used AI to write this weekend's message? Episode Links Alexis mentioned a study conducted by Barna last year about pastors and their use of AI, which found that 12% said they felt comfortable using AI to write their sermons. You can read more details in an article about the findings on NPR HERE. Dr. White does not share that level of comfort. In fact, he wrote a blog earlier this year titled “Why I Won't Use AI for Writing,” outlining his reason for making this decision. You can read that blog in its entirety HERE. And if you're interested in viewing the scene from Walk the Line that Dr. White talked about related to that blog entry, you can watch that on YouTube HERE. AI is entering the Church in places other than pastors' sermons. Dr. White wrote another blog simply titled “AI Jesus” about a Catholic chapel in Switzerland where an avatar of “Jesus” was tucked into a confessional booth and parishioners could come and confess their sins and ask it questions. You can read that blog HERE. There are a number of articles that provided information linked to today's episode or that were mentioned during the conversation. Should you wish to read more about the ways that AI is impacting our culture and the life of the Church, you can find those below: Lila Shroff, “ChatGPT Gave Instructions for Murder, Self-Mutilation, and Devil Worship,” The Atlantic. Jocelyn Gecker, “Teens say they are turning to AI for friendship,” AP News. Deena Prichep, “Are AI sermons ethical? Clergy consider where to draw the line.” Religion News Service. James Titcomb, “Musk launches AI girlfriend available to 12-year-olds,” The Telegraph. Steven Lee Myers & Stuart A. Thompson, “Right-Wing Chatbots Turbocharge America's Political and Cultural Wars,” The New York Times. Emma Roth, “Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults,” The Verge. Rebecca Bellan, “California becomes first state to regulate AI companion chatbots,” TechCrunch. Lee V. Gaines, “1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has,” NPR. Chloe Veltman, “AI's getting better at faking crowds. Here's why that's cause for concern,” NPR. Howard Blume & Jocelyn Gecker, “What counts as cheating with AI? Teachers are grappling with how to draw the line,” Los Angeles Times. Brian Kennedy et al., “How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society,” Pew Research Center. Lauren Jackson, “Finding God in the App Store,” The New York Times. Finally, Dr. White discussed how parents need to be so aware of how and when their kids are using technology and AI. The Meck Institute at Mecklenburg Community Church has an on-demand class called “FaceTime: What Parents Need to Know About Technology, Social Media, Video Games and More,” which you can find HERE. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

Today's episode is all about the real gaps in women's healthcare and what it actually takes to support women in a way that honors our differences, our bodies, and our lived experiences.I'm joined by Kirsten Karchmer, a true pioneer in women's health tech and the founder/CEO of Conceivable Technologies. After working with more than 10,000 women in her clinic, Kirsten recognized something big: women were struggling because our healthcare system simply wasn't designed to meet our unique, day-to-day needs.So she built one of the very first AI-driven fertility platforms to help women uncover hidden factors that affect cycles, energy, fertility, and overall wellbeing. Her work has been spotlighted everywhere from TechCrunch to Fox News, and she's built a community of more than 300,000 women who show up for her honest, empowering insights.TakeawaysWomen often lack the necessary support for their health needs.Healthcare should empower women to understand their bodies.Menstrual pain is a significant issue that affects many women.Liver health is crucial for overall well-being and fertility.Generic health advice can be misleading and harmful.Nutrition plays a vital role in fertility and menstrual health.Personalized supplements can enhance health outcomes.PCOS is a metabolic condition that requires careful management.Tracking health metrics can provide valuable insights into well-being.Seasonal changes can impact women's health and should be considered in care.If you've ever felt brushed off, confused by your symptoms, or simply wished someone would explain what's going on in a straightforward, grounded way this episode is for you. Connect with Kirsten & Conceivable • Website: conceivable.com • TikTok: @yourfertilityexpert • Instagram: @conceivable.official • Facebook: Conceivable Fertility • YouTube: @Conceivable.Official • LinkedIn: Kirsten Karchmer----- Connect with Learn Feng Shui HERE:Subscribe to the newsletter on Substack! LFSonSubstackSend questions here: ⁠info@learnfengshui.com Connect on social media & contact me HERE ⁠https://linktr.ee/learnfengshuinow⁠Timestamps: Chapters00:00 Introduction to Women's Health and Fertility02:22 Kirsten's Journey to Women's Health Advocacy06:02 Understanding the Cycle and Hormonal Health09:09 Optimal Health vs. Normal Health11:27 The Role of the Liver in Hormonal Balance14:34 Detox Myths and Liver Health17:53 The Truth About Parasites and Health19:47 Personalized Nutrition for Menstrual Health26:00 Understanding PCOS and Its Implications31:26 The Importance of Quality Supplements36:12 Utilizing the Conceivable App for Health Management

“The best ideas in drug discovery were often blocked not by biology, but by synthesis,” Boiko told TechCrunch. Synthesis is the creation of new molecules by using chemical reactions. It's like a recipe or Lego pieces, where small pieces, ingredients, molecules, come together to form a wider puzzle picture, a food dish, a larger molecule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this powerful first part of a two-part series, host Sharna Southan sits down with Kirsten Karchmer, health tech pioneer, women's health expert, and founder & CEO of Conceivable Technologies. About Our Guest Kirsten is revolutionising women's health through technology. Conceivable was named one of the most innovative health tech startups by MedTech in 2015 and Best Fertility App by Healthline in 2016. She's been featured in TechCrunch, Fox News, and Huffington Post, and recognized as one of the top female startup founders to watch. What You'll Learn in Part 1 Kirsten's Transformation Story: How being diagnosed with MS led her to discover acupuncture and Chinese medicine Her journey from linguistics professor to becoming a fertility acupuncturist Working with over 10,000 women across three clinics over 20 years Your Period as a Health Diagnostic Tool: Why every symptom of your menstrual cycle tells a story about your health How blood color, consistency, volume, and cycle length reveal fertility potential The connection between period health and ability to conceive and stay pregnant The Three Key Factors for Staying Pregnant: Energy levels - Why you need an 8/10 energy level (without caffeine or exercise) Body temperature - The critical temperature threshold after ovulation that most women don't know about Menstrual flow - What healthy bleeding should look like and why clots matter Why Current Medical Approaches Fall Short: The limitations of jumping straight to fertility treatments without addressing root causes How medications like Clomid and letrozole can impact long-term fertility Why the medical system isn't equipped to provide comprehensive reproductive health support Key Takeaways Your menstrual cycle is a monthly report card on your overall health Getting pregnant isn't enough - your body needs to be prepared to stay pregnant Many fertility issues can be addressed through understanding and optimizing your cycle Technology can democratize access to fertility knowledge previously only available to a few Resources Mentioned Conceivable Technologies app Kirsten's book "Seeing Red" The Institute of Healing Through Pregnancy Loss Pregnancy Loss Practitioner Certification Program Don't miss Part 2 where we dive deeper into practical solutions and how technology is changing the fertility landscape. Connect with our guest: Kirsten Karchmer, Conceivable Technologies: www.conceivable.com TikTok @yourfertilityexpert Stan store: HERE IG: @conciveable.official Connect with Sharna: ** Grab the FREE Loss to Purpose Masterclass if you want to learn how to turn your experience into your expertise: https://www.sharnasouthan.com/loss-to-purpose-masterclass ** Apply for the Certification: HERE IG: @instituteofhealing_pl IG: @pregnancylosscertification IG: Podcast: @pregnancyloss_podcast LinkedIn: @sharnasouthan Share screenshots and tag us to show what resonated DM for conversation and support Check show notes for Pregnancy Loss Practitioner Certification application Important Note: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider for personalized medical guidance. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify For those seeking guidance and support, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone, and there are resources and communities ready to help you through your healing journey. Thank you for tuning in, and if you found this episode valuable, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. We look forward to supporting you in the next episode.

Membership | Donations | Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Discord | FB GroupThis week (actually, April) I speak with Rimma Boshernitsan (Website | LinkedIn), a speaker, interviewer, facilitator, and advisor who has partnered with senior leadership at Fortune 500 companies—including Google, Kaiser Permanente, Roche, TATA, and Aesop—guiding them through transformation and growth. Her writing has appeared in Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Tech Crunch and Forbes.She began her career in management consulting at Deloitte, focusing on M&A and large-scale transformation, before moving into industry advising across healthcare, consumer business, and telecommunications. Later work in the art world taught her how cultural and political insights could drive innovation and transformation in business, leading her to found DIALOGUE in 2016.She now combines strategic foresight, human-centered innovation, and interdisciplinary thinking to help her clients reframe challenges, identify opportunities, and lead with intention. She sits on the board of trustees at Headlands Center for the Arts and on the SECA Council Board at SFMOMA, and is also an advisor to Stanford's Women in Design Program.Her most recent focus is in co-intelligence: integrating human, machine, and planetary intelligence to build future-facing organizations.I'm glad to have such an excellent partner in conversation to, as the Taoists say, “Feel our way across the river stone by stone” in a discussion about all of this and more: the re-emergence of nomadic populations and intentional communities, fumbling toward an idea of planetary culture, the role of intuition in leadership and biophilia in the design of our work spaces...it's a marvelously nondisciplinary co-exploration.There are well over a dozen episodes in the editing queue and founding members can access the entire trove of unedited conversations before they're released:✨ Show Links• Dig into nine years of mind-expanding conversations• Learn more about the Humans On The Loop project and its goals• Browse the books we discuss on the show at Bookshop.org• Contact me if you have a problem you think I can help you solve• Explore the interactive knowledge graph grown from over 250 episodes• Explore the Google Notebook for How To Live In The Future, my five-week science and philosophy course at Weirdosphere✨ Mentioned Media & PeopleIn Threads' dwindling engagement, social media's flawed hypothesis is laid bareIn a Time of Stress, Neuroaesthetic Spaces and Places Create a Path to Healing and HopeThe Triad of Intelligences: Harnessing Machine, Planetary, and Human Intuition in The Age of AIDIALOGUE Interviews: Ivy RossDIALOGUE Interviews: Susan MagsamenDIALOGUE Interviews: Kevin KellyMore Is Different: Broken symmetry and the nature of the hierarchical structure of scienceNikki SilvaBruce LiptonEd BernaysKen Wilber This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe

Recorded live in San Francisco during TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 week, this Fund/Build/Scale session brings together Cyan Banister (Long Journey Ventures) and Cristian Cibils Bernardes (Autograph) for a practical look at building consumer AI and the investor-founder dynamics that make it work. We dig into pre-traction signals that actually predict momentum, how to validate a weird idea, raise smart money, and ship products people return to. Cristian shares Autograph's first moment of value, retention indicators, and a trust-by-design stance; Cyan unpacks the decision rules and behaviors that earn a second meeting. Together, they outline small-budget experiments and the frameworks they use to create products that stick. For first-time founders and early operators, this episode delivers concrete steps you can start taking tomorrow. Thanks very much to Jenna Birch and the team at SISU for co-hosting and making this live recording possible! EPISODE BREAKDOWN (1:54) Why Cristian named Autograph's AI agent “Walter.” (3:37) When they connected, Cristian saw “a bunch of synchronicities along the way that just kept pointing in this direction.” (4:59) Cyan: “When he showed up and we were sitting together having coffee, I immediately was like, ‘yes.'” (6:03) The sheer number of coincidences linking these two is unsettling — “quantum entanglement” comes to mind. (8:18) Cristian and Cyan share their non-consensus takes on consumer AI. (10:53) Cyan describes the framework she's using to assess early signals as an investor. (12:51) “I will not look at your résumé. I won't look at what you did. Whatever you tell me in that interview is what I'm going to go off of.” (14:42) “Fundraising is grueling. It was 50 conversations before I met Cyan, and then I had, I think, another 30.” (16:53) Cyan's framework for backing vs. passing. (18:26) The three essential ingredients Long Journey Ventures seeks in founders. (22:00) What a “magically weird” founder looks like — and why they're so valuable. (26:15) A red flag that ensures you won't get a second meeting with Cyan. (27:52) A behavior that virtually guarantees a second meeting. (29:45) Cristian describes Autograph's moat. (34:40) “This whole thing doesn't work if the trust element isn't there.” (38:08) What founder-investor fit looks like in their working relationship. (41:57) One experiment founders should run this week. (43:10) The most underrated founder superpower. (44:10) “If you were interviewing for a job at an early-stage startup, what's one question you'd have to ask the CEO before you could take the offer?” RUNTIME 47:19 LINKS Cristian Cibils Bernardes Cyan Banister Autograph Long Journey Ventures The Ugly Duckling SISU SUBSCRIBE

Feeling frustrated this enrollment season? This episode is for you! We've got some ideas to help you take a break, take care, and make it through AEP and OEP.   Get Connected:

Ravit Dotan argues that the primary barrier to accountable AI is not a lack of ethical clarity, but organizational roadblocks. While companies often understand what they should do, the real challenge is organizational dynamics that prevent execution—AI ethics has been shunted into separate teams lacking power and resources, with incentive structures that discourage engineers from raising concerns. Drawing on work with organizational psychologists, she emphasizes that frameworks prescribe what systems companies should have but ignore how to navigate organizational realities. The key insight: responsible AI can't be a separate compliance exercise but must be embedded organically into how people work. Ravit discusses a recent shift in her orientation from focusing solely on governance frameworks to teaching people how to use AI thoughtfully. She critiques "take-out mode" where users passively order finished outputs, which undermines skills and critical review. The solution isn't just better governance, but teaching workers how to incorporate responsible AI practices into their actual workflows.  Dr. Ravit Dotan is the founder and CEO of TechBetter, an AI ethics consulting firm, and Director of the Collaborative AI Responsibility (CAIR) Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and has been named one of the "100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics" (2023), and was a finalist for "Responsible AI Leader of the Year" (2025). Since 2021, she has consulted with tech companies, investors, and local governments on responsible AI. Her recent work emphasizes teaching people to use AI thoughtfully while maintaining their agency and skills. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Financial Times, and TechCrunch. Transcript My New Path in AI Ethics (October 2025) The Values Encoded in Machine Learning Research (FAccT 2022 Distinguished Paper Award) - Responsible AI Maturity Framework  

Our 224th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news!Recorded on 10/31/2025Hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and co-hosted by Gavin Purcell (check out AI For Humans and AndThen!)Feel free to email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekinai.com and/or hello@gladstone.aiRead out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/In this episode:OpenAI completes its for-profit restructuring, redefining its relationship with Microsoft and securing future investments. Meanwhile, Qualcomm and other tech giants announce new AI chips aimed at competing with Nvidia and AMD, marking major advancements in AI hardware capabilities. Amazon and Google deepen their partnerships with Anthropic, providing extensive computing resources to enhance AI research and applications. These developments signal significant growth and competition in the AI industry. Major AI tools and models were released and updated, including Cursor 2.0, CLAUDE coding capabilities, and open-source options from Minimax. These new tools offer a range of functionalities for coding, design, and more. Legal battles around AI copyright issues persist, as OpenAI faces ongoing lawsuits from authors over text generation using copyrighted material. Universal Music Group settles a copyright suit with AI music startup UDO, transitioning to a licensed model for AI-generated music. This shift reflects broader challenges and adaptations in the AI-generated content space, where copyright and ethical usage remain highly contentious issues.Timestamps:(00:00:10) Intro / Banter(00:02:44) News PreviewTools & Apps(00:03:44) Cursor 2.0 shifts to in-house AI with Composer model and parallel agents(00:07:44) Anthropic brings Claude Code to the web | TechCrunch(00:10:01) Microsoft's Mico is a 'Clippy' for the AI era | TechCrunch(00:14:20) Anthropic's Claude catches up to ChatGPT and Gemini with upgraded memory features | The Verge(00:18:46) Canva launches its own design model, adds new AI features to the platform | TechCrunch(00:21:07) Elon Musk's Grokipedia launches with AI-cloned pages from Wikipedia | The VergeApplications & Business(00:25:10) OpenAI completed its for-profit restructuring — and struck a new deal with Microsoft | The Verge(00:31:25) Qualcomm announces AI chips to compete with AMD and Nvidia(00:34:02) Amazon launches AI infrastructure project, to power Anthropic's Claude model | Reuters(00:38:52) Google and Anthropic announce cloud deal worth tens of billions(00:39:46) Google partners with Ambani's Reliance to offer free AI Pro access to millions of Jio users in India | TechCrunchProjects & Open Source(00:41:17) MiniMax Releases MiniMax M2: A Mini Open Model Built for Max Coding and Agentic Workflows at 8% Claude Sonnet Price and ~2x Faster - MarkTechPost(00:45:22) [2510.25741] Scaling Latent Reasoning via Looped Language Models(00:47:59) OpenAI's gpt-oss-safeguard enables developers to build safer AI - Help Net SecurityResearch & Advancements(00:49:51) [2510.15103] Continual Learning via Sparse Memory Finetuning(00:54:01) [2510.18091] Accelerating Vision Transformers with Adaptive Patch Sizes(00:57:46) [2510.18871] How Do LLMs Use Their Depth?Policy & Safety(01:01:07) AMD, Department of Energy announce $1 billion AI supercomputer partnership | The Verge(01:03:03) Synthetic Media & Art(01:09:34) Universal partners with AI startup Udio after settling copyright suit | The Verge(01:16:04) OpenAI loses bid to dismiss part of US authors' copyright lawsuit | ReutersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens if you cross ChatGPT with a Roomba vacuum? Turns out it spins into a comedic doom spiral and then rhymes to the lyrics to musicals. Researchers at a startup in San Francisco recently did an experiment where they gave a simple task to robots powered by large language models, known as LLM's, like ChatGPT. And let's just say things did not go well. Julie Bort, an editor for the tech publication TechCrunch covered this experiment and explains what went wrong, and what this says about the future of AI powered robots.

Good morning, tech fam! ☕️ It's Monday, November 3rd — and we're kicking off the week smart with 5 stories shaping the future of tech:   1️⃣ Apple's AI Game Plan: Tim Cook finally reveals Apple's strategy for AI — and it's all about collaboration. Expect ChatGPT, Gemini, and more to power a smarter Siri next year.

Happy Halloween, tech fam!

In this episode of the Thread Podcast, host Justin Vandehey sits down with Max Mozes, Director of Revenue Operations at Walmart for Business, to unpack what it takes to build a world-class B2B motion inside one of the world's largest retail organizations.Before joining Walmart, Max carried a quota as a seller, scaled local business teams at LevelUp (acquired by Grubhub for $400M), and held key operational roles at Amazon Business — giving him a unique perspective on how to connect frontline sales experience with scalable systems and data strategy.Together, Justin and Max dive into:The evolution of RevOps from sales enablement to strategic business architectureHow Walmart is redefining B2B commerce for 30+ million potential business customersWhat RevOps looks like when you're serving both local bakeries and Fortune 500sThe art of structuring and prioritizing massive datasets across millions of prospectsWhy data enrichment and hierarchy matter more than just “more data”What's hype vs. what's real when it comes to AI and GTM automationAnd the soft skills that separate good operators from great ones: agency, resourcefulness, and ownership Key TakeawaysB2B at scale is an architecture problem. Data flows, enrichment, and prioritization define how sales teams actually execute.RevOps must translate complexity into clarity. The role is as much about storytelling as it is about systems.AI and data are only as powerful as the processes behind them. Automation should amplify human productivity, not replace it.Resourcefulness + Agency = Operator Superpowers. The best RevOps leaders identify problems, fix them, and bring solutions already in motion.Memorable Quotes“Every business in the U.S. is a potential Walmart customer — from a one-person bakery to a university with a $300M endowment.” “There's no sales team big enough to manually reach every account — so data prioritization becomes your growth strategy.” “RevOps isn't about the system you use. It's about how you organize information so sellers can take action.” “Agency and resourcefulness — that's the difference between operators who just report problems and those who drive change.”Chapters00:00 — Introduction: From Seller to RevOps Leader 02:00 — Lessons from LevelUp and Amazon Business 03:30 — Bridging Sales and Operations 05:00 — Inside Walmart for Business: Scaling B2B at Retail Scale 08:00 — Data Architecture, Enrichment, and Prioritization 11:00 — AI Hype vs. Reality in Enterprise RevOps 14:00 — Building Resourceful Teams and Taking Ownership 17:00 — Walmart for Business: Hiring and Next StepsResources & MentionsWalmart for Business — https://business.walmart.comGrubhub acquires LevelUp — $400M acquisition (TechCrunch, 2021)Max Mozes on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellmozes About the GuestMax Mozes is the Director of Revenue Operations at Walmart for Business, where he leads strategy, data, and process optimization for one of the largest B2B commerce initiatives in the U.S. His career spans sales and RevOps roles at Amazon, Grubhub/LevelUp, and high-growth startups, giving him a rare perspective on building go-to-market infrastructure from both startup scrappiness and enterprise scale.

TechCrunch's new owner faced a familiar challenge: modernizing an old tech stack built for a different era. Matt Gross, vp of digital initiatives at TechCrunch owner Regent, joins Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk to discuss how they untangled years of tech debt, rebuilt email from the ground up, and reframed newsletters as core editorial products rather than traffic drivers.Note: This episode is part of a commercial partnership between The Rebooting and Beehiiv. Learn more about how Beehiiv works with enterprise publishers.

Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techishHosts Michael Berhane and TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis unpack what's really going on with funding for Black founders — and why so many are heading back to the 9-to-5. They also get into Elon Musk's clash with X's head of product, Nikita Bier, Meta's smart glasses and the end of privacy, and why academics need to step out of the ivory tower.Follow Dom on Instagram (@dominicmadori) and subscribe to her Substack, The Black Cat.Chapters00:28 Black Founders Are Facing an Uphill Battle05:36 Sperm Racing Startup Raises $10M Seed09:30 Elon Musk and Nikita Bier's Bot Battle18:24 The Future of Social Media25:29 Marc Lamont Hill on the Joe Budden Podcast [Patreon-Only]Extra Reading & ResourcesQ2 2025 Black Venture Funding Report [HBCU.vc]Sperm-racing investors blow $10 million on ‘seed round' for sports venture [The San Francisco Standard]A new wave of social media apps provide hope in a doomscrolling world [TechCrunch]Support the show————————————————————Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techish Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@techishpod/Advertise on Techish: https://goo.gl/forms/MY0F79gkRG6Jp8dJ2———————————————————— Stay in touch with the hashtag #Techishhttps://www.instagram.com/techishpod/https://www.instagram.com/abadesi/https://www.instagram.com/michaelberhane_/ https://www.instagram.com/hustlecrewlive/https://www.instagram.com/pocintech/Email us at techishpod@gmail.com

Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! Casio has a new smart toy companion powered by AI. The UK is still seeking to develop backdoor encryption for Apple users. ChatGPT is looking to act more like an operating system. And how the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' model has built a $120 billion industry. Amanda has her hands on a new AI-powered smart companion from Casio! She and Mikah talk about the device, how it works, and the possible data security and privacy concerns. Mikah talks about the UK's continued push to create backdoor encryption for Apple users in the country. Sabrina Ortiz of ZDNet joins the show to discuss OpenAI's Dev Day and the company's ambitions to make OpenAI function like an OS with the launch of the Apps SDK. Finally, Mikah shares an article from The New York Times Magazine about the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' market, which allows buyers to obtain their items easily and traps users in a swarm of debt. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Sabrina Ortiz Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: pantheon.io threatlocker.com/twit cachefly.com/twit