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

Good morning from OWITH.ai, the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.Despite predictions that AI would render consulting obsolete, firms like Capgemini continue to thrive by assisting companies in adapting AI technologies. Consulting firms are increasingly viewed as essential partners for implementing AI due to their expertise in organizational transformation, data governance, and cybersecurity. This expertise is crucial as AI demands significant restructuring of workflows and integration with existing systems. Boards still prefer the counsel of established consulting firms like McKinsey and BCG over AI models like ChatGPT, largely due to a trust deficit and the need for domain-specific insights. Consulting firms leverage their deep industry knowledge to guide clients in sectors where AI models lack expertise, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing and retail logistics. Capgemini's strategy emphasizes outcome-based solutions rather than technical specifications, pushing the firm to offer end-to-end solutions and assume some operational risks. AI enables consulting firms to tap into midmarket companies by reducing the cost structure of engagements, allowing firms like Capgemini to offer competitive solutions at price points attractive to these smaller clients while maintaining profitability. The shift towards AI in consulting presents both opportunities and challenges. While AI lowers costs and expands potential markets, it also necessitates retraining staff to work effectively alongside AI agents. This technological shift is seen as a significant opportunity for growth in the consulting industry.Transitioning now to broader AI news, Nvidia projects $1 trillion in AI chip sales by 2027, indicating robust demand. CEO Jensen Huang recently captivated the tech world with a marathon two-and-a-half-hour presentation at the GTC Developers Conference, showcasing a range of new products including plans for space data centers. Huang reassured attendees of NVIDIA's growth potential, predicting $1 trillion in business by 2027, up from earlier forecasts indicating an additional $500 billion in new demand. These announcements emphasize Nvidia's growing dominance in the AI hardware market.Meanwhile, Meta delays launching its new AI model "Avocado," considering licensing alternatives from Google due to performance concerns. Additionally, debates around ethical AI usage continue with terms like "cognitive surrender" and "moral crumple zones" gaining attention, highlighting the complexities of integrating AI into human decision-making processes.Shifting focus to the investment realm, in 2017, Darian Shirazi and Zach Bratun-Glennon co-founded Gradient, an AI-focused investment firm backed by Google at a time when artificial intelligence was not widely recognized as a lucrative business opportunity. Despite initial skepticism from other investors who were more interested in trends like cryptocurrency, Gradient aimed to support early-stage AI companies. The firm was established shortly after Google's influential "Attention Is All You Need" paper on AI marked the beginning of significant technological advancements though business applications remained limited at that time. The landscape has shifted dramatically since then, with AI now becoming a central focus for many investment firms. Gradient recently closed its fifth fund, raising $220 million to invest in seed and pre-seed AI startups—a significant achievement for Shirazi and Bratun-Glennon who have seen the number of viable AI companies grow significantly post-ChatGPT. As Gradient evolves, it has started taking on outside limited partners for the first time and noSupport the show
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Good morning from OWITH.ai, the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.On March 16, 2026, a groundbreaking event hosted by Bulletpitch marked a notable departure from conventional investment themes, emphasizing non-AI-based startups. Bulletpitch, led by Brett Perlmutter and managed by Felix Levine along with Alexis Ballo, is pioneering a new approach that connects content creators with startup founders. By organizing monthly events with influencers who have substantial followings, the initiative aims to provide startups with a unique platform for exposure. The latest gathering occurred at Bondst in Hudson Yards, where innovative startups like Eterneva and PopWtr presented their pitches. The goal of Bulletpitch is to harness the power of influencer reach to aid startup founders in gaining visibility. This approach suggests that narrative and reach can be just as valuable as traditional metrics in venture investing.Significant developments are occurring in the tech industry, impacting major players such as Meta and Apple. Meta is reportedly contemplating laying off up to 20% of its workforce as it seeks to reduce operating costs while enhancing its AI data centers. This decision underscores the complex relationship between AI advancements and job security. Meanwhile, Apple has announced a reduction in its App Store commission fees in China, aiming to ease tensions with tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance. This move is part of broader regulatory pressures Apple faces globally.Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, is rumored to be considering reacquiring Pronto AI. This potential move reignites interest in autonomous transportation technologies and Kalanick's ongoing ventures after his previous collaboration with Anthony Levandowski.Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, presents a thought-provoking perspective on the global economic landscape. He draws parallels between current times and "pre-1945 times," highlighting rising government debts and geopolitical conflicts as key factors. Dalio also identifies artificial intelligence as a disruptive force with potential implications for wealth distribution and employment patterns.In related discussions, Palantir's CEO Alex Karp reassures that AI's use within the Department of Defense focuses on international military partnerships rather than domestic surveillance. Additionally, David Sacks advocates for de-escalation in geopolitical conflicts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.Recent shifts in the AI landscape are driven by Large Language Models and agents. The narrative outlines three pivotal inflection points: ChatGPT's launch in 2022, OpenAI’s significant release in 2024 introducing reasoning capabilities, and further advancements in 2025 with Anthropic’s Opus 4.5 and OpenAI’s GPT-5.2-Codex releases. These developments highlight how agents are reshaping compute resource demands and transforming industries by enabling individual visionaries to undertake complex projects independently.As we conclude, it's clear that these stories reflect profound transformations across various sectors influenced by technological advancements and evolving economic dynamics. Stay tuned for our next episode as we continue to explore these rapidly evolving landscapes in AI and technology.Support the show
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Good morning from OWITH.ai, the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.The origin of one of the most successful AI investments in venture capital began with a significant shift when billionaire investor Vinod Khosla stepped in after Elon Musk withdrew his support for OpenAI. Initially, Musk had pledged $1 billion but later sought control, prompting Sam Altman and his team to seek alternative investors. Khosla viewed Musk as a "great entrepreneur" but felt Musk wanted to dominate OpenAI like a personal domain. Thus, Khosla made a bold $50 million investment into OpenAI, then a nonprofit with an unclear commercial model, at a $1 billion valuation. This was his largest initial investment in 40 years, leading him to send an apology letter to his limited partners acknowledging the deal's risky nature.Since then, OpenAI has transformed into a public-benefit corporation and partnered with Microsoft, granting it a 27% stake valued at approximately $135 billion. As of late February, OpenAI's valuation soared between $730 and $840 billion, turning Khosla’s initial investment into a multibillion-dollar success. His decision was driven not only by momentum but also by the desire to fill a strategic gap. With rapid advancements from Google and Baidu in AI, he aimed to ensure Western AI efforts remained competitive against Chinese advancements. His investment was both an ideological move towards democratizing AI and a geopolitical strategy.In addition to OpenAI's story, there is vibrant activity in the venture capital space across various tech industries. Noteworthy among them are Replit raising $400 million, Axiom Math securing $200 million for AI mathematical superintelligence development, and several other companies receiving significant funding rounds. IPOs were also highlighted: PayPay raised $880 million through a NASDAQ offering, while MDA Space secured $300 million on the New York Stock Exchange.Moving forward, former Indeed CEO Chris Hyams recently voiced his departure from big tech due to concerns not about AI itself but about the leaders driving its development. Hyams, who led Indeed for over six years, expressed worries over the lack of regulation and ethical limits on AI use by notable tech leaders like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta. He praised Dario Amodei of Anthropic as an exception advocating for responsible AI development.Hyams left Indeed in June 2025 to focus on aligning technology development with human-centered values. Now teaching at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, he emphasizes AI as a civil and human rights issue. Reflecting on his CEO tenure, he discusses the pressure to prioritize company survival over personal beliefs during leadership challenges under the Trump administration.In related news, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen announced his resignation amid investor concerns about AI impacting traditional software demand. Despite Adobe's strong first-quarter earnings, its stock dipped following Narayen's announcement due to broader sell-offs in SaaS and cloud stocks over fears that AI could disrupt traditional pricing models.Meta faces challenges in its AI endeavors as its model "Avocado" is delayed despite outperforming previous models and Google’s Gemini 2.5; it lags behind Google’s Gemini 3.0 and others from OpenAI and Anthropic. In an unexpected move, Meta reportedly considered licensing Google's Gemini—a significant revelation given their rivalry across several domains including AI.Elsewhere, Binance faces scrutiny following allegations of improper compliance practices with $1 billion flowing through Iran-linked wallets—raising questions about its complSupport the show
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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 show
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Good morning from OWITH.ai, the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in the AI and tech world.The upcoming NVIDIA GTC event is set to be a major highlight for the AI industry. CEO Jensen Huang is expected to outline NVIDIA's expansive ambitions across the AI stack, from hardware to software, including sectors like autonomous vehicles. This year's event promises significant announcements, such as NVIDIA's investment in AI cloud firm Nebius and a new startup by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Additionally, NVIDIA is deepening its involvement with open-source models, reportedly investing up to $26 billion in initiatives designed to keep developers engaged with its ecosystem, thereby driving demand for its chips. NVIDIA is also showcasing its advancements in autonomous driving, demonstrated by a video of Huang using the company's Alpamayo system in a Mercedes for a 2.5-hour ride through San Francisco. These developments underscore NVIDIA's strategic positioning at the heart of AI's growing influence across various industries.Transitioning now to broader industry shifts driven by AI, Atlassian has announced a 10% workforce reduction to reallocate resources toward AI development and enterprise sales amidst growing competition from generative AI tools. This reflects a broader trend of tech companies restructuring to focus on AI capabilities. Moreover, AI's impact is evident in the political arena with substantial financial contributions from AI companies influencing the U.S. midterm elections, aiming to shape future AI regulations. Security remains a critical concern as demonstrated by a recent hacking incident at McKinsey & Company, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity measures as AI systems are increasingly integrated into corporate operations.In the medical field, there is significant adoption of AI with 80% of physicians now using it professionally, primarily for research summarization and clinical care documentation. While there is optimism about AI's potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, concerns about skill loss and patient privacy persist among medical professionals. Overall, these developments emphasize the transformative impact of AI across various sectors and the necessity for strategic investments and regulatory considerations as technology continues to evolve rapidly.Shifting focus now to individual figures in tech news, Steven Sinofsky, a former Microsoft executive, has come under scrutiny for his associations with Jeffrey Epstein during his exit from the tech giant. Sinofsky engaged Epstein as a consultant on his resignation deal, reportedly paying Epstein after securing a substantial exit package. Documents indicate over 1,400 communications between Sinofsky and Epstein with Sinofsky reportedly maintaining personal contact until late 2017. Currently a board partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Sinofsky advises founders on product strategy and scaling. Despite these revelations, there have been no criminal charges or accusations of wrongdoing against him.Continuing with venture capital updates, several companies have secured significant funding rounds: Quince raised $500 million in Series E funding led by Iconiq; Rhoda secured $450 million; Xscape Photonics received $37 million; Swarm Aero raised $35 million; Standard Kernel obtained $20 million; Zymtrace garnered $12.2 million; Mantis Space raised $10 million; Taya secured $5 million; and Option Circle obtained $3 million. These developments underscore the dynamic nature of venture capital markets as they continue to evolve and drive innovation across various industries.In other news related to sustainability efforts, a U.K.-based inSupport the show
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