Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business

179 - $6.5B for a Designer? OpenAI’s Wildest Move Yet, with Liz Knopf


Listen Later

🚨MY NEWSLETTER https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe 🚨

In this week’s convo with Liz, we unpacked the AI news that should’ve broken the internet:

🔹 $6.5B for Johnny Ive?!
OpenAI “acquires” the legendary Apple designer’s agency in a full stock deal. No one knows what they’re building, but it’s probably wearable, creepy, and context-aware—and it’s a flex timed perfectly to steal headlines from Google I/O.

🔹 Google’s comeback attempt
They’re finally rolling out AI-native search with ads—and it’s a big deal. $60B+ of ad revenue is on the line. We dig into what’s launching, how to use tools like Gemini, Flow, and VO, and why Google still feels like 27 startups duct-taped together.

🔹 VO3 is insane
AI-generated video so good, you can’t tell it’s fake. We demo what it can do (photo-realistic balloon animals discussing AI??) and debate if it’s ready for real ad production.

🔹 Energy is the real bottleneck
You want AGI? You better build power plants. Liz drops a chart that shows how far ahead China is in electricity generation—and why AI’s future might be limited by kilowatts, not compute.

🔹 Trades are about to boom
If you can build a data center, wire a panel, or install cooling systems, the AI wave might make you rich. We riff on counterculture investments, labor shortages, and why electricians may beat coders in the next economy.

🔹 The privacy backlash is coming
We debate whether AI wearables will be a privacy nightmare—or the best documentation tool ever (think body cams for healthcare). Liz shares surprising data that body cams reduced lawsuits. Mind blown.

🔹 Bonus: Anthropic teaser
We didn’t even get to it—but next week we’re diving into Claude, Model Context Protocol, and tools normal people can use without needing a CS degree.

__________________________

Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback.

Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts.

__________________________

MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT

__________________________

This week we covered:

00:00 The Acquisition of Johnny Ive by OpenAI

05:10 The Future of AI and Wearable Technology

09:45 Privacy Concerns in AI and Wearable Devices

14:58 Google's Response to AI Competition

20:05 The Evolution of AI and Its Impact on Society

24:48 The Future of Energy and AI Infrastructure

29:55 The Role of Trades in the Future of AI

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Nikonomics - The Economics of Small BusinessBy Nikolas Hulewsky

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

86 ratings


More shows like Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business

View all
Startups For the Rest of Us by Rob Walling

Startups For the Rest of Us

697 Listeners

Built to Sell Radio by John Warrillow

Built to Sell Radio

209 Listeners

Founders by David Senra

Founders

2,081 Listeners

Noah Kagan Presents by Noah Kagan

Noah Kagan Presents

901 Listeners

The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

The Game with Alex Hormozi

4,409 Listeners

POWERS by Chris Powers

POWERS

494 Listeners

My First Million by Hubspot Media

My First Million

2,647 Listeners

Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating by Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley

Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating

244 Listeners

Acquiring Minds by Will Smith

Acquiring Minds

254 Listeners

The Startup Ideas Podcast by Greg Isenberg

The Startup Ideas Podcast

203 Listeners

The UpFlip Podcast by UpFlip

The UpFlip Podcast

252 Listeners

Marketing Against The Grain by Hubspot Media

Marketing Against The Grain

354 Listeners

OPERATORS by OPERATORS

OPERATORS

46 Listeners

Moneywise by Hampton

Moneywise

650 Listeners

The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Small Business Deep Dives with Entrepreneurs by Chris Koerner

The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Small Business Deep Dives with Entrepreneurs

221 Listeners