In the last episode of Season 1, the hosts reflect on four major tech stories that shaped the year: state-sponsored hacking, the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google, Databricks’ acquisition of Tabular, and OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model.

“Most Likely to Keep You Up at Night” goes to Midnight Blizzard, a Russian hacking group using password spray techniques and evading detection. The hosts explore whether a safer digital landscape is possible in the face of increasingly strategic cyberattacks.

“Most Likely to Cause a Breakup” goes to the DOJ, with its landmark antitrust case against Google. Is Google’s dominance driving innovation—or stifling it? The hosts break down the DOJ’s argument, Google’s rebuttal, and what this case means for Big Tech.

“Most Likely to Have Buyer’s Remorse” goes to Databricks, following its $2 billion acquisition of Tabular, a company with just $1 million in ARR. The hosts dive into the tech behind Apache Iceberg, the data table format, at the heart of Databricks’ battle with Snowflake.

“Most Likely to Sell Out” goes to OpenAI, which shifted from a nonprofit mission to a for-profit model, losing key founders and researchers along the way. The team debates the implications of this move for the future of AI and AI’s role in shaping global dynamics.

See you in Season 2 premiering the first week of January. You can follow us @getthecheckpod on all socials!

00:19 State-sponsored cyberwarfare

10:42 DOJ v Google

22:22 Databricks acquires Tabular

31:09 OpenAI non-profit to PBC

44:22 Closing