This episode covers eight stories across AI hardware, venture capital, labor markets, transportation, cybersecurity, politics, gaming, and consumer tech. From OpenAI's first custom chip to a $27 million super PAC influencing a local election, nearly every segment carries a number or detail worth a second look.

Listeners will come away with a clearer picture of how the AI infrastructure race is shifting, what the latest labor data actually says about engineering jobs, and where consumer technology is heading as prices drop and physical media continues to disappear.

• OpenAI's Jalapeño chip, built by Broadcom, marks the company's first move into custom silicon and raises real questions about Nvidia's long-term grip on AI hardware.
• Menlo Ventures closed a $3 billion fund largely on the strength of a well-timed $750 million Anthropic investment made in 2024.
• SignalFire data shows engineering roles growing as a share of new hires, pushing back against the narrative that AI is broadly eliminating tech jobs.
• A 2022 stolen credential from Klue cascaded into breaches at multiple cybersecurity firms, including LastPass, three years after the initial theft.
• Corporate AI super PACs spent $27 million on a single local election, and a congresswoman's staff used Claude to work on a defense funding amendment — neither with clear public disclosure.

Also covered: Slate Auto's $24,950 electric truck, Zoox's robotaxi upgrades ahead of commercial launch, GTA VI shipping without a disc, and Meta's push toward mass-market pricing on smart glasses.

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