Great Chat

Everyone’s waiting for the robot butler, but the first robot in your life might be your car. This week on Great Chat, guest host Jameson Detweiler, co-founder and CEO of Chip Motors, joins us to talk about whether robots need a personality, why “right-sized” might be the next big thing, and what it takes to get a family to trust a car that parks itself. Plus: OpenAI’s tougher fundraise, what the coming wave of AI millionaires will do with their money, Martha Stewart’s Halloween non-apology, and a shoutout to formerly cool dads and perpetually cool moms.

Mercury is back as the headline sponsor for year two of Great Chat. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

This podcast is edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm

Amidst the human-extinction headlines, cybersecurity apocalypse warnings, and billionaires going viral for outsourcing parenting to AI, we do the most contrarian thing possible: find reasons for optimism. The full crew joined the chat to make the bull case: creativity barbelling between democratized slop and true genius, the “annoying” jobs getting automated first, AI as a true meritocracy lever, and value finally flowing to the work (caregiving, parenting, nursing) that was always undervalued. Plus: we won a Signal Award, marvel at Anthropic’s S-1, and Mac goes on an epic Instinct rant.

Mercury is back as the headline sponsor for year two of Great Chat. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

This podcast is edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm

Between Anthropic’s soft Q3 and CoreWeave’s meltdown, everyone’s suddenly asking: is AI over? Spoiler: we don’t think so, but it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This week on Great Chat, we dig into IPO timing, the margin question nobody can answer yet, and why early-stage founders seem more optimistic than the late-stage crowd. Plus: Victoria’s Secret’s return to form, Elizabeth Holmes’s redemption arc, and the year’s best corporate security warning.

Mercury is back as the headline sponsor for year two of Great Chat. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

This podcast is edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm

People beyond Silicon Valley used to love the products tech companies made. Now, they feel like AI tools (and data centers) are being shoved down their throats. This week, comms pro Aaron Zamost joins the chat to rant about tech’s reputational decline and leadership vacuum. Maybe what we really need is a spokesperson who is, well…normal (it's a lot to ask). Plus: we debate what has and hasn’t changed since Aaron’s famous “startup clock” essay from 2015, lament the AI to SI rebrands, and dissect Twitter beefs spanning Vinod Khosla and Kelly Clarkson.

Mercury is back as the headline sponsor for year two of Great Chat. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

This podcast is edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm

In the AI slop era, pre-seed startups are spending real money on cinematic launch videos, renting creator armies, and prioritizing attention over substance. This week on Great Chat, Ashley and Helen ask whether manufactured hype has peaked, what comes next, and how a young startup can actually stand out when everyone is shouting. Plus: what's in a name? We dig into the proposed AI-to-SI name change, discuss AI safety, and debate whether AI can feel.

Mercury is back as the headline sponsor for year two of Great Chat. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

This podcast is edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm