Episodes
Shares of Uber and Expedia were on the move today’s session after reports that Uber had explored a takeover bid for Expedia. Plus, Google’s realistic AI-generated podcast tool as gone viral, and the company is now unveiling new features to make the product even more customizable. Google Labs Vice president Josh Woodward joined us for a closer look at the technology.
Published 10/17/24
The mad dash to develop and deploy AI chips is intensifying, with Amazon now inking a new deal with the startup Databricks in which it’ll use Amazon’s custom chips to train its AI model.
Published 10/15/24
A big step this weekend for SpaceX's bid to develop reusable rockets, successfully catching a descending rocket booster on the launch pad with mechanical "chopstick" arms. But officials in California are putting up some hurdles to even more expansion for the startup. Plus, as Florida residents recover from Hurricane Milton, one platform they’re turning to for news and updates is Nextdoor. The social media network says activity has shot up 50% in affected areas. We speak to CEO Nirav Tolia on...
Published 10/14/24
After Tesla’s Robotaxi day, the focus has been on Uber with shares up 8%. But the biggest winner is with the widest lead is actually Alphabet’s Waymo, already delivering 100k+ driverless rides a week. We spoke to riders in San Francisco and skeptics in New York City on their robotaxi hopes and fears.
Published 10/11/24
A new report from OpenAI on cyber operations and dangerous actors' use of AI could be a signal that companies are feeling the pressure to take AI-generated misinformation seriously. The 54-page report analyzes more than 20 covert influence operations that used its models to launch deceptive campaigns on social media and other platforms.
Published 10/10/24
Google’s regulatory headaches continue. A judge, yesterday, ordered the Alphabet-subsidiary to open up its Google Play app store as part of the Epic Games antitrust suit, and today it could face potential remedies in the DOJ's search monopoly trial. Plus, shares of the video game platform Roblox are falling today after the short-seller Hindenburg Research announced a short position, claiming that Roblox is lying about the number of people on the platform and failing to protect underage users...
Published 10/08/24
The presidential election is continuing to sow divisions in Silicon Valley. Two giants of the tech industry are now coming out on opposite sides, after Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the VC firm Andreessen Horowitz back-pedaled on his support for Trump while Elon Musk hits the campaign trail.
Published 10/07/24
Google recently released a new AI-generated podcast-making tool called NotebookLM – and it’s gone viral on X and in the tech world. We tested it out using CNBC and Wall Street’s favorite study tool: an analyst note. Powered by Google’s most advanced AI model, Gemini 1.5 Pro, could this be the next killer app for generative AI?
Published 10/03/24
Nvidia and Accenture announced a partnership today, aiming to set the blueprint for how to begin integrating AI into the workplace and drive productivity gains. But it's not the first time Nvidia has signed a deal like this - and investors are still looking for those gains.
Published 10/02/24
A controversial AI safety bill died on California governor Gavin Newsom’s desk over the weekend -- a sweeping bill would have been one of the first moves toward real oversight of the nation’s dynamic new technology. But is it already too late for regulation to catch up?
Published 09/30/24
Google has filed a complaint in the EU against its rival Microsoft, accusing it of unfairly locking clients into using its cloud product. But the suit could be just the latest in recently renewed scrutiny against Microsoft after enjoying a more under-the-radar status relative to its big tech counterparts for the last two decades.
Published 09/25/24
In a new threat to Google’s ad dominance, AI search startup Perplexity is in talks with major brands on a new advertising model for sponsored questions. We spoke with the CEO of AI search optimization startup Profound on why it represents a new pillar in marketing: AI visibility. Plus, Sam Altman could be on his way to becoming the biggest power player in Silicon Valley, with new reporting giving a glimpse into the web of tech titans he’s now tied to.
Published 09/23/24
Shares of Facebook parent company Meta are still hitting fresh all-time highs today. But one potential headwind could be a slowdown in growth at one of its biggest customers, Temu. The Chinese e-commerce app has seen new customer activations stall, according to new data, which could also put Alphabet under pressure.
Published 09/20/24
23andMe could get delisted from the Nasdaq after all 7 members of its board resigned this week. CEO Anne Wojcicki is a big name in Silicon Valley but has struggled to find a sustainable business model and shares are 99% off its peak valuation post-SPAC merger. Wojcicki is now hoping to pivot and take the company private by buying back all outstanding shares in what could be seen as a “founders mode” leadership move.
Published 09/19/24
The AI boom is putting a big strain on America’s energy grid, as big tech companies scramble for more energy capacity by buying up nuclear-powered data centers or investing in renewable energy sources. White House officials convened the leaders of top AI companies to discuss how to move forward, including Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang who spoke exclusively to CNBC on the opportunity ahead for public and private collaboration.
Published 09/12/24
The race to perfect the robotaxi is on. Tesla is prepping for its October 10 self-driving event as Waymo raises industry standards with a brand new safety dashboard, making the case that its vehicles are actually safety than human drivers.
Published 09/11/24
Funding for AI startups is still white hot. The search startup Glean just announced a new funding round that would double its valuation in just six months, raising $260 million at a $4.6 billion valuation. Plus, shares of Oracle are hitting all-time highs today after posting an earnings beat along with a slew of data center announcements and cloud computing partnerships. Keeping the edge though, could prove difficult for its chaiman Larry Ellison.
Published 09/10/24
Apple’s biggest competition in China, Huawei, is trying to upstage the company with a smartphone event showdown. Its triple-folding phone is unveiling tonight, just a few hours after Apple’s iPhone reveal, and has already racked up more than 3 million pre-orders. Plus, the trial for the Department of Justice’s new case against Google around its advertising technology kicked off today, with potentially big implications for how users browse the internet.
Published 09/09/24
Shares of Tesla are sinking today, giving back its gains for the week but still outperforming the rest of the megacaps as investors bank on its proposition around full self-driving launches and AI. Plus, Apple is gearing up for its highly-anticipated “Glowtime” event on Monday, where it’s expected to unveil the iPhone 16 with AI features. But will it be enough to help the tech giant stake its place in the AI race?
Published 09/06/24
Valuations for AI startups are continuing to skyrocket. This time, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever raising a whopping $1 billion as a seed round for his AI startup Safe Superintelligence Inc, with just around 10 employees and nowhere close to having a product. It's the epitome of a growing trend of a breakneck gen AI race for top talent.
Published 09/05/24
Antitrust pressure against Google is ramping up this week, with a joint filing today from Google and the DOJ outlining their timeline for remedies from the Search case, followed quickly by the beginning of an ad tech trial. Plus, the post Labor Day-period is typically a busy one for IPOs, but not the case this year. We discuss the outlook for IPOs, market trends, and big tech’s antitrust concerns with Notable Capital Managing Partner Jeff Richards.
Published 09/04/24
Megacaps including Microsoft, Google and Amazon have been getting creative with how they’re poaching talent from top AI startups. Google with Character.ai, Microsoft with Inflection and Amazon’s faux-acquisition of Adept. They hire away prominent founders and talent and cut a deal to license technology… without actually buying the startups. It’s a playbook that skirts the regulatory crackdown on big tech dominance, provides an exit for AI startups struggling to make money and allows megacaps...
Published 08/30/24
Salesforce earnings tonight a major test of AI's impact on the software winter, especially after the CEO of Buy Now Pay Later giant Klarna said he aims to use AI to cut his workforce in half, and that he's shutting down a lot of SaaS providers, including Salesforce and Workday. Plus, Box shares are jumping after beating on the top and bottom lines and hiking their revenue outlook. We speak to CEO Aaron Levie on its partnership with Nvidia, AI strategy around utilizing data, the debate around...
Published 08/28/24
Elon Musk has now come out in support of a California bill to regulate AI safety, in stark contrast to big names including Google, Meta, OpenaAI and Andreessen Horowitz, which are all opposed. It represents a larger divide within big tech, which is split on whether AI should be regulated and who should be the ones doing it.
Published 08/27/24