Spotify is conducting big layoffs, thanks in part to debt it took out in a zero-interest rate environment. What is more problematic is that the company has little to show for its spending.
2023
Regretful Accelerationism
The Internet removed constraints from the analog world, and AI is finishing the job. That this may be the final blow for the Internet as a source for truth may ultimately be for the best.
The College Football Playoff, Events Over Inventory, NASCAR’s New Deal
The College Football Playoff, along with the overall evolution in college football, highlight the importance of events over inventory. Plus, NASCAR’s new TV deal, which includes Amazon.
An Interview with Roblox CEO David Baszucki About Advertising and AI
An interview with Roblox CEO David Baszucki about advertising, AI, and expanding the business in the wake of the pandemic.
AWS:reInvent Continued, AI PaaS and SaaS, Nvidia and AI IaaS
More on AWS:reInvent, as the day’s second keynote focused primarily on AI. Plus, how Nvidia successfully pushed DGX Cloud onto every major cloud provider.
AWS:reInvent, Serverless and the Smiling Curve, AI Services
The opening keynote at AWS:reInvent was about serverless, which is a technical manifestation of how the Internet leads to smiling curves. Plus, AWS’s CEO comments on OpenAI.
Sam Altman Back at OpenAI, Q*, Going Forward
Catching up on the OpenAI situation, which has reached a resolution — for now, anyways.
The OpenAI Saga Continues, Microsoft’s New Chips, Microsoft’s AI Platform Hedge
More updates on the OpenAI saga, including the problematic board. Then, Microsoft unveils new chips, and is creating an AI platform that looks a lot like Microsoft’s other platforms.
OpenAI’s Misalignment and Microsoft’s Gain
The end of a dramatic weekend in tech is that OpenAI has split and Microsoft is partnered with one and has hired the other; this is the ultimate failure case of what should have been a for-profit company organized the wrong way.
An Interview with Bill Bishop and Andrew Sharp Checking In on China
An interview with Bill Bishop and Andrew Sharp about one year of Sharp China, the chip ban, AI in China, TikTok, and the Biden-Xi visit in San Francisco.