John Borthwick on Betaworks shares his journey from a tech-savvy youth to a prominent figure in the New York City tech scene. He discusses his early experiences with computers, the transformative impact of the World Wide Web, and the vibrant tech culture of the 90s. Borthwick reflects on his role in creating Total New York, the lessons learned from the AOL acquisition, and the challenges faced during the dot-com bubble burst. He also highlights the rise of social media platforms like Photolog and the evolution of BetaWorks as a hub for innovation, particularly in the AI space. Throughout the discussion, Borthwick emphasizes the importance of creativity, constraints, and the ever-changing landscape of technology.
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1:01:51
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1:01:51
OpenAI And Microsoft Make Up And Make Nice?
OpenAI and Microsoft say they have ironed out their differences… tentatively. Not officially. I’ll explain why that is interesting. With new FDA clearance for the Apple watch are millions of people about to discover they have hypertension? What if AI is less corrupt than humans? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
OpenAI and Microsoft reach tentative deal to revise partnership (Axios)
OpenAI Takes Big Steps Toward Its Long-Planned Reorganization (NYTimes)
OpenAI & Microsoft Agree to Agree, Tentatively (Spyglass)
Apple Watch hypertension alerts feature receives FDA clearance (9to5Mac)
Albania appoints AI bot as minister to tackle corruption (Reuters)
Weekend Longreads Suggestions:
Why is AI struggling to discover new drugs? (Financial Times)
Online travel platforms prepare for rise of artificial intelligence ‘agents’ (Financial Times)
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20:26
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20:26
Oh THAT $300B Contract With OpenAI…
Well we now know one of the big contracts that sent Oracle shares flying. OpenAI of course. We have another IPO pop. YouTube videos now have multilanguage dubbing. Is it risky to bet on just one version of AI? And a deep dive analysis of how Oracle got AI religion.
Oracle, OpenAI Sign $300 Billion Cloud Deal (WSJ)
Klarna Climbs 15% in Trading Debut After $1.37 Billion IPO (Bloomberg)
Microsoft's first preview of Visual Studio 2026: Deeper AI and a design refresh (The Register)
YouTube’s multi-language audio feature for dubbing videos rolls out to all creators (TechCrunch)
AI’s $344 Billion ‘Language Model’ Bet Looks Fragile (Bloomberg)
How Oracle’s Larry Ellison rode the AI ‘tsunami’ (Financial Times)
Paris 1944: Occupation, Resistance, Liberation: A Social History
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21:42
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21:42
Is Oracle The New Nvidia?
Larry Ellison becomes the richest person in all the land! Is Oracle the new Nvidia? Spotify finally delivers on lossless audio. Robinhood is going to roll out true social trading. Quantum computing continues to be hot. And the startup that’s taking my AI podcast experiment to the next, logical level.
Oracle Is the New Nvidia, for Better or Worse (WSJ)
Spotify adds lossless streaming after 8 years of teasing (The Verge)
Apple says the iPhone 17 comes with a massive security upgrade (The Verge)
Robinhood, a Broker Built for Social-Media Age, to Launch Its Own Social Network (WSJ)
Quantum computing company raises a record $1bn (FT)
5,000 Podcasts. 3,000 Episodes a Week. $1 Cost Per Episode — Behind an AI Start Up’s Plan (The Hollywood Reporter)
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19:53
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19:53
The iPhone Air
All the headlines from the iPhone event earlier today, including the new iPhone Air. The judge isn’t happy with Anthropic’s $1.5 B payday to authors. OpenAI isn’t happy with California and might leave. And despite what it’s said publicly, Google recently argued in court that the post-AI web is already dying.
Links:
Apple announces iPhone Air: the thinnest iPhone ever (9to5Mac)
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro has the biggest battery of any iPhone (The Verge)
Anthropic Judge Blasts $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement (2) (Bloomberg Law)
Xbox is coming to cars thanks to an LG and Microsoft partnership (The Verge)
OpenAI Executives Rattled by Campaigns to Derail For-Profit Restructuring (WSJ)
Microsoft mandates a return to office (The Verge)
New Google Court Doc: Open Web Is In Rapid Decline (Search Engine Roundtable)
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