OWITH.ai - Only What's Important to Hear around AI and Tech

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AI Bubble: Catalyst for Innovation or Risky Business? Exploring the Potential of OpenAI's Capital Expenditure Plans
Good morning from OWITH.ai: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in AI and tech world. Sequoia Capital has announced that Alfred Lin and Pat Grady will be taking over as co-stewards of the firm, with Roelof Botha stepping down. Both Lin and Grady have extensive experience in the venture capital industry and are seen as excellent investors. The move comes as Sequoia faces challenges in an evolving venture capital landscape, including political issues and changes in the industry. Lin and Grady's backgrounds, including Lin's time at Zappos and Grady's previous work at Summit Partners, make them well-suited to lead Sequoia into the future. The firm is known for its focus on generating returns and maintaining excellence in a constantly changing industry. As they take the helm, Lin and Grady will need to navigate these challenges, potentially redefining the future of venture capital.Apple is reportedly working on a lower-cost laptop to compete with Chromebooks and Windows PCs. The new device, codenamed j700, would be powered by an iPhone chip and target students and casual users. Amazon is suing AI startup Perplexity over its Comet AI browser making purchases on users' behalf without permission. Getty Images lost a lawsuit against Stability AI for copyright infringement. In other tech news, Google introduces Project Suncatcher, AMD's Q3 revenue jumps 36%, IBM plans layoffs, and Spotify now has 281 million paid subscribers. Thank you for reading Fortune Tech.Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman's rise from earning $8 an hour to running the U.S.'s largest beauty retailer is highlighted in Fortune's CEO Daily. The Mamdani era begins in NYC with Zohran Mamdani winning the race for mayor. The U.S. government shutdown sets a new record, impacting consumer spending and widening economic divides. Concerns about an AI bubble and job cuts at IBM are also discussed. Other topics include Nvidia expanding in India, Palantir's winning strategy, and Grab CEO Anthony Tan's plans for robobuses. The markets are down globally, with the S&P 500 futures and Nikkei 225 both experiencing declines. Fortune's Leadership Next podcast features a conversation with Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman, highlighting her journey from humble beginnings to leading a major corporation. Democrats sweep major U.S. elections, with Mikie Sherrill winning New Jersey's gubernatorial race and Abigail Spanberger becoming Virginia's first female governor. The newsletter also covers news about OpenAI, Trump's trade policies, and Palantir's playbook.The text discusses the current AI bubble, focusing on OpenAI's massive capital expenditure plans and the potential benefits of bubbles. It explains that while bubbles may inevitably burst, they can lead to long-term positive outcomes by driving technological advancements and innovation. The text highlights the positive impact of previous bubbles, such as the dotcom era, which led to advancements in internet infrastructure and backend server innovation. It emphasizes the importance of bubbles in spurring technological advancements and breakthroughs, as well as the potential benefits of increased funding for research and experimentation during these periods. The text explores how the current AI bubble is driving investment in various aspects of the technology stack beyond just machine learning models, leading to diverse innovations that have the potential to transform industries. It also delves into the idea of stagnation in society and encourages readers to embrace risk and pursue innovative ideas. Overall, the text suggests that while bubbles can be risky, they also have the potential to catalyze positive change and accelerate technSupport the showThanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
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Cutting Through the Noise: AI and Tech Updates from OWITH.ai
Good morning from OWITH.ai: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in AI and tech world.The launch of olmoearth, an open-source platform by the Allen Institute for AI, aims to democratize access to AI technology for nonprofits and public agencies. It has been used in projects such as mapping crops in Kenya and spotting deforestation in the Amazon. Other AI-related news includes Getty Images losing a lawsuit, Anthropics revenue growth, China incentivizing AI chip development, and Amazon employees pushing back on AI expansion. A new research paper proposes a system called ThoughtComm that allows AI agents to share "thoughts" rather than just words, improving coordination and reasoning. The tension between AI's data needs and the journalism industry's copyright concerns is highlighted.Ritankar Das, founder of AI-focused holding company Titan Holdings, believes that holding companies are still relevant today and wants to build one for the AI era. Das started Titan Holdings in 2014, focusing on applying AI to industries like healthcare and finance. While holding companies have a vaunted history, there are still new opportunities for them in the modern business landscape.China has increased energy subsidies for data centers to boost its AI race against global competitors. OpenAI and Amazon signed a $38 billion cloud computing deal, while Palantir reported strong earnings surpassing analyst estimates. Other news includes Microsoft's $9.7 billion deal for AI compute, MongoDB CEO stepping down, Apple's new liquid glass option, Deel appointing a CFO, Xanadu going public via SPAC, and Coda's objection to OpenAI using copyrighted content from Japanese trade association members.In today's CEO Daily, there is a preview of election day in New York City. OpenAI has signed a $38 billion deal with AWS, Norway rejects Elon Musk's proposed pay package, Starbucks is selling a stake in its China business, and more. The market trends show downward movement globally, highlighting issues such as AI displacing labor and philanthropic donations to Howard University.Former Airbnb engineer Elizabeth Nammour has raised $25 million for her AI security platform Teleskope. Teleskope has 23 customers and has converted around 85% of pilots into paid customers, experiencing 600% year-over-year growth with 29 employees. Teleskope's innovative solution has attracted significant investor interest and positioned the company as a key player in the cybersecurity industry.Big tech companies now dominate the stock market more than ever. Google's AI model, Gemma, was accused of hallucinating sexual assault allegations against US Senator Marsha Blackburn. China's President Xi Jinping proposed the creation of a global body to govern artificial intelligence. Other tech news includes Anduril's uncrewed jet drone demo, Singapore seizing assets from an alleged scammer, Bluesky introducing "dislikes" on social media, and Israel trying to reverse tech brain drain.In a recent CEO Daily newsletter, Trump's presence at the APEC summit was highlighted. The newsletter also covered private credit lenders preparing for potential distress, market updates, and various news stories from around the globe. The shift towards renewable energy and sustainability was a key topic at the APEC summit.Meta's $27 billion partnership with Blue Owl Capital to build a new mega-data center in Louisiana marks a significant shift in how hyperscalers finance the AI era. The success of this deal could potentially set a template for other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to fund their data center buildouts through capital markets rather than their own cash flow generation.Apple predictSupport the showThanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
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2025-11-01 Saturday Special
Each Saturday we take the headlines of daily podcast and ask ChatGPT to create a Sci-Fi story inspired by the news. The outcome for this week is this short story.Support the showThanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
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AI's Golden Age: Investment, Innovation, and Ethical Challenges
Good morning from OWITH.ai: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.In a recent discussion at Fortune's Global Forum in Riyadh, Andreessen Horowitz's partner, Anjney Midha, shared insights into the future of AI investment. He highlighted reasoning models and frontier teams as pivotal areas for growth, suggesting they could drive the next "golden age" of AI investment. Reasoning models are seen as revolutionary, enabling AI systems to address problems step-by-step, akin to human logic. This advancement holds promise for solving complex, real-world challenges. Midha also emphasized the transformative potential of reinforcement learning for startups adept at tackling industry-specific issues. Defined reward models could lead to multi-billion-dollar enterprises through tailored reinforcement learning across industries.Amidst concerns about an AI bubble, Midha noted China's growing influence in open-source AI, posing potential challenges for the U.S. and its allies. A competitive response from Western labs is anticipated, possibly leading to more open-weight models from U.S. companies. Despite skepticism about current investment levels' sustainability, AI funding continues to surge. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, venture capital investment in generative AI has reached unprecedented heights in 2025. The total funding is set to more than double from last year, with $73.6 billion invested in genAI startups during the first three quarters alone. Overall investments in the broader AI ecosystem have climbed to $110.17 billion this year, marking an eightfold increase since 2019.In other business developments, Fortune released its annual Cyber 60 list in collaboration with Lightspeed Venture Partners. This list identifies promising cybersecurity startups developing tools to counteract AI-related threats. Several established companies on the list have increased their capital and expanded their customer bases.Transitioning to innovations in learning and ethical concerns: DeepLearning.ai has launched DeepLearning.ai Pro, a membership program designed to keep individuals at the forefront of artificial intelligence by providing access to numerous courses and tools for AI application development. However, alongside progress come challenges such as "AI psychosis," where interactions with AI chatbots can lead users to develop mental health issues or delusions. There are also economic concerns about a possible speculative bubble forming around AI investments.Furthermore, publishers are taking measures to restrict access to web data used for training AI systems due to concerns about data scraping impacting traffic and server costs. This could make high-quality training data more costly and less accessible.Another pressing issue is the use of autonomous weapons like drones in warfare. These technologies raise ethical concerns as they become more autonomous and are responsible for significant casualties in conflicts such as the Ukraine-Russia war.Shifting focus to financial results: On October 30, 2025, major tech companies reported strong financial performances. Meta announced a third-quarter revenue increase but faced a substantial drop in net income due to a one-time tax charge. Microsoft reported robust growth in its cloud computing sector, surpassing analyst expectations with increased revenues and earnings per share. Alphabet marked a milestone by logging its first-ever $100 billion quarter.Other notable tech news includes Nvidia reaching a $5 trillion valuation and Amazon opening a large AI data center named Project Rainier in Indiana.In global developments: Key topics include Delta Air Lines' straSupport the showThanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
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Navigating Global Tech Shifts: AI, IPO Resurgence, and Strategic Industry Moves
Good morning from OWITH.ai: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.Let's dive into the recent developments from the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This event brought together key financial leaders to discuss the evolving landscape of global exchanges amid the rise of cryptocurrencies and alternative investment platforms. Notable figures like Barclays CEO C. S. Venkatakrishnan and Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters shared their insights. Although some participants could not attend in person, they joined virtually for engaging discussions.The forum highlighted a resurgence in Initial Public Offerings after challenging years. Nasdaq hosted major U.S. listings like CoreWeave and Figma, raising $1.5 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. Yet, Hong Kong outpaced the U.S., with CATL's secondary listing raising a substantial $5.5 billion, showcasing intense global competition for IPOs.In this competitive environment, traditional exchanges are facing growing competition from alternative platforms as investors explore cryptocurrencies and other exotic instruments. Exchanges are increasingly collaborating to maintain relevance amidst these changes.Shifting gears to venture capital developments, Lightspeed Venture Partners is reorienting its focus away from China amidst U.S.-China trade tensions, emphasizing security and critical infrastructure investments elsewhere. Significant funding rounds for companies like Fireworks AI and Whatnot reflect continued interest in AI-powered platforms across industries.Transitioning now to urbanization trends, significant developments were discussed at the Fortune Global Forum regarding Saudi Arabia's transformation into an urban society. Urban development leader Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed emphasized urban areas as innovation hubs, with a goal of attracting 400,000 global executives to the kingdom in the coming years.Meanwhile, artificial intelligence continues to impact job markets as companies like Amazon and UPS reduce white-collar positions due to AI advancements. Seasonal hiring remains limited amid economic uncertainty. In a related development, NVIDIA's shares surged following President Trump's announcement of potential talks with China's President Xi Jinping regarding Blackwell chips.In tech industry news, OpenAI announced its restructuring into a for-profit entity with Microsoft acquiring a 27% stake valued at approximately $135 billion. This deal grants Microsoft access to OpenAI's technology and research intellectual property until 2032 or until AGI verification by an independent panel.Additionally, Nvidia has taken a $1 billion stake in Nokia to supply AI computers for Nokia's 5G and 6G networks, marking a strategic shift for Nokia toward mobile networks and data centers.Uber revealed plans to deploy 100,000 autonomous vehicles worldwide by 2027, partnering with Nvidia for technological support. This reflects Uber's aggressive strategy in the global robotaxi race.In other tech news, PayPal is partnering with OpenAI to facilitate transactions via ChatGPT starting in 2026. Meanwhile, Apple reached a market valuation of $4 trillion, joining Nvidia and Microsoft in this achievement.Finally, addressing security concerns around AI web browsers like OpenAI's new launch highlights ongoing challenges as AI technology continues to evolve rapidly.That wraps up today's updates on significant movements in AI integration across industries and strategic partnerships in telecom and autonomous vehicle sectors. Stay tuned for more insights on how these developments shape the future landscape of technology and innovation.Support the showThanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
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