Episodes
Ranjan Roy of Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) The revitalization of Zuck’s image 2) Twitter’s payments to creators 3) Whether Threads has staying power 4) Microsoft, Activision & the FTC’s failure to reign in Big Tech 5) Elon’s new AI company, xAI 6) OpenAI’s Code Interpreter plugin 7) SAG-AFTRA actors joining the writer’s strike, fearing AI's impact. -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of...
Published 07/14/23
Zach Coelius is the managing partner at Coelius Capital. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a conversation about Threads' real potential, asking whether it's a redux of Clubhouse — destined to fizzle — or a real threat to replace Twitter. In this conversation, we cover Threads' potential, Elon's effort at Twitter, and whether we can really make assessments from the outside. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss the venture capital environment and how Coelius' investments are...
Published 07/12/23
Alex Heath is a deputy editor at The Verge who's been reporting on Threads from the first row, including an interview with Instagram head Adam Mosseri. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss Meta's launch of Threads, discussing who exactly it competes with, what the feed will look like, and the implications for Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Join us for a lively conversation about the fastest growing social media app of all time. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five...
Published 07/07/23
Eliot Brown is a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and co-author of The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion. He joins Big Technology Podcast this week to talk about Big Tech's remarkable stock market comeback and how that's spilling over to VCs, startups, and IPOs. Stay tuned for the second half where we discuss the risks in the commercial real estate market, looking into examples Brown has reported on. We end discussing Evan Gershkovich, a friend and colleague...
Published 07/05/23
Jason Del Rey is the author of Winner Sells All Amazon, Walmart, and the Battle for Our Wallets. Matt Stoller is the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, and writes the Big newsletter on Substack. Ranjan Roy is the author of Margins. The three guests come together with host Alex Kantrowitz for an in-depth discussion about Amazon's challenges from government regulators and Walmart, and whether government action against the company could have an impact. --- Enjoying...
Published 06/30/23
David Pogue is a correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning and host of the Unsung Science Podcast. In November 2022, he boarded the OceanGate sub for a voyage just months before it imploded. Pogue joins Big Technology Podcast to share his story. In this interview, he offers a nuanced view of the sub, OceanGate, and its CEO Stockton Rush. We discuss his experience aboard the Titan submersible, his confidence in the safety of the sub at the time, the lessons learned, the merits of risk in the name of...
Published 06/28/23
Ranjan Roy of Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) The OceanGate Sub 2) Whether we should celebrate or condemn 'risk' 3) The Media's focus on the sub vs. migrant deaths 4) Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk's impending 'cage match' 5) The Walrus 6) Spotify's podcasting struggles 7) TikTok COO V Pappas leaves the company 8) Reddit's path to conflict -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For...
Published 06/23/23
Bill McDermott is the CEO of ServiceNow, a $113 billion, publicly-traded cloud computing platform that helps companies manage their operations. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss his career path, from owning a delicatessen on Long Island to now managing over 20,000 employees. We also dive deep into how generative AI helps companies foster innovation and force businesses to retool their workforces in the coming years. Tune in for a lively conversation with one of the world's most...
Published 06/21/23
Sara Fischer is the senior media reporter at Axios and media analyst at CNN. She joins Big Technology Podcast for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) The rebellion at Reddit 2) Rampant media job losses 3) The push of ad money to retail 4) Whether we should share our personal information inside ChatGPT and other LLMs 5) Political misinformation via AI generated text and images 6) The cost of always trying to distinguish real from fake 7) The White House's War on Junk...
Published 06/16/23
Bob Muglia is the former CEO of Snowflake, author of THE DATAPRENEURS: The Promise of AI and the Creators Building Our Future, and ex-head of Server and Tools at Microsoft. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the latest in artificial intelligence, including Marc Andreessen's essay — Why AI Will Save The World — and the lessons in his book. We also go deep into the emergence of Azure at Microsoft, which he was present for, and how Satya Nadella was able to push it forward despite the...
Published 06/14/23
Mark Gurman is the chief correspondent at Bloomberg covering Apple. He joins Ranjan Roy and Alex Kantrowitz for a special episode focused entirely on Apple's Vision Pro announcement. We cover: 1) The Vision Pros trajectory over the next five years 2) Whether it will be the future of the computer vs. a complementary media device 3) What the device's impact on society will be 4) Why Tim Cook didn't wear the device at the event 5) Apple vs. Meta 6) The $3,499 price. Enjoying Big Technology...
Published 06/09/23
Astro Teller is the CEO of X, Alphabet's moonshot division. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a taping in front of a live audience at Summit at Sea to discuss the calculations society must make around advancing AI research and how the technology can help the world. Listen for a dynamic discussion that digs into Teller's family history, the current 'moonshots' that X is taking, and whether AI moonshots should've stayed separate from Google for longer. Enjoying Big Technology Podcast?...
Published 06/07/23
Ranjan Roy of Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) Tech stocks consolidating growth in the S&P 500% 2) The 'Asset Market Meltdown Hypothesis' 3) Amazon's entry into wireless. 4) Japan's threat to AI copyright law 5) The lawyer that used ChatGPT and looked like a fool 6) The Center For AI Safety's bold Statement 7) The fake 'simulation' where an AI killed a military operator 8) Meta's new Quest 3 headset 9) What to expect at Apple's big WWDC...
Published 06/02/23
Ryan Mac is a tech reporter at The New York Times, Bobby Allyn is a technology correspondent at NPR. The two join Big Technology Podcast for a wide-ranging discussion touching on: 1) TikTik's ban in Montana and its potential spillover effects. 2) The rise of Instagram Reels. 3) Twitter's Role in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. 4) Elon Musk as Republican kingmaker. 5) Elizabeth Holmes reports to prison. 6) AI regulation's long road ahead. -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us...
Published 05/31/23
John Herrman is a contributing editor at New York Magazine. He joins Ranjan Roy and Alex Kantrowitz to break down the week’s news. We cover 1) NVIDIA’s Blowout quarter 2) The emergence of Temu and Shein — in great depth.  -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/ Questions? Feedback? Write to:...
Published 05/27/23
Jack Krawczyk is the director of Bard at Google. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss his vision for the chatbot, where it's heading, and whether this technology will be as impactful as many imagine. Join us for a fun look into one of the tech industry's most important generative AI initiatives. -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn:...
Published 05/24/23
Ranjan Roy of Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) Apple's mixed reality struggles 2) Whether the stock market is in an AI bubble 3) OpenAI's Sam Altman testimony in Washington 4) Montana's TikTok ban 5) The rise of Shein 6) Whether Musk or Bezos is in a better place today. -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn:...
Published 05/19/23
Richard Mathenge was part of a team of contractors in Nairobi, Kenya who trained OpenAI's GPT models. He did so as a team lead at Sama, an AI training company that partnered on the project. In this episode of Big Technology Podcast, Mathenge tells the story of his experience. During the training, he was routinely subjected to sexually explicit material, offered insufficient counseling, and his team members were paid, in some cases, just $1 per hour. Listen for an in-depth look at how these...
Published 05/17/23
Ben Smith is the author of Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. He's also the editor-in-chief of Semafor. He joins Ranjan Roy and Alex Kantrowitz for our weekly news recap show. We cover: 1) New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino 2) Tucker Carlson's move to Twitter 3) End of the streaming wars 4) Trump's CNN Interview 5) Lessons from Ben's book, Traffic 6) Mark Zuckerberg's jiu-jitsu prowess. You can find Ben's book here. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast?...
Published 05/12/23
Ashlee Vance is the author of When The Heavens Went On Sale, a new book about the modern day space race. Join us for a conversation about the commercial ventures fighting for their place in low earth orbit, and why governments have ceded the space to the private sector. We'll discuss SpaceX, Planet, Rocket Lab, Astra, and Firefly Aerospace. Stay tuned of for the final 20 minutes, where Vance discusses his relationship with Elon Musk and the state of the billionaire entrepreneur. --- Enjoying...
Published 05/09/23
Brian McCullough of the Techmeme Ride Home Podcast joins Ranjan Roy and Alex Kantrowitz for our weekly news recap show. We cover: 1) OpenAI's massive losses 2) Whether generative AI has a business model problem 3) The battle between open source AI and proprietary research 3) AI fears go mainstream 4) The White House hosts AI leaders amid worries 5) The AI PR industrial complex 6) The WGA strike and AI's potential to replace writers 7) The Fed pause 8) Apple earnings 9) Apple's mixed reality...
Published 05/05/23
Ellis Hamburger is Snap's ex-head of marketing strategy, where he spent seven years before moving to The Browser Company. He joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss his view on why social media apps inevitably move from differentiated, and at times delightful, to something where all of them look a lot like TikTok. Hamburger breaks down the cycle: start with a novel format, scale, try to justify expectations, and then capitulate to market forces. Join us for an insider's perspective on the...
Published 05/03/23
Ranjan Roy of Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the week's tech news. We cover: 1) The rise of Bluesky 2) What we want from a social network 3) Big Tech's strong earnings 4) What Big Tech's performance says about the broader economy 5) UK blocks Microsoft Activision 6) Clubhouse layoffs 7) End of the pandemic economy 8) Do we want humans to disclose when AI writes for them? -- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. For weekly...
Published 04/28/23
Josh Brown is the CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management and the host of the Compound and Friends podcast. Brown joins Big Technology Podcast to dig into why tech companies are still reeling from tighter financial markets even as their share prices return to something approximating normal after the 2022 bloodbath. In this episode, Brown shares what Wall Street demands from the tech industry and its employees and where it might be headed next. Stay tuned for the second half where we go company by...
Published 04/26/23
Nico Grant of The New York Times joins Ranjan Roy and Alex Kantrowitz for our weekly news recap show. We cover: 1) The state of the AI war between Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI 2) Google's AI reorganization and what it means 3) Sundar Pichai's PR offensive 4) Google's forthcoming product counterpunch 5) How finances factor in to the companies' decision 6) Where we are on the innovation curve 7) The forthcoming multimodal models 8) Who wins 9) Elon's rough 4/20 10) The end of BuzzFeed News and...
Published 04/21/23