What happens when Sam gets fed up with shady secondary brokers mid-recording?

He starts vibe coding a platform to replace them—live on the pod!

On this week’s More or Less, the gang dives deep into the messy mechanics of the secondary markets and how early cashouts might be a bigger red flag than anyone wants to admit.

Plus:

• Airbnb’s déjà vu product strategy
• The quiet crisis in venture liquidity (and who’s actually good at selling)
• OpenAI’s new “CEO of Applications”, and
• The looming threat of Trump’s nonprofit tax crackdown (and what it means for Harvard, endowments, and… Froyo)

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

The countdown to Episode 100 is on, but this week, it's more news and less Sam.

Jessica, Brit, and Dave dig into a jam-packed week across tech, AI, VC, and culture—starting with Dave topping a surprise list of top angel investors (yes, above Peter Thiel), raising questions about who really shows up on cap tables and why no women made the cut.

The crew unpack:

• Windsurf’s $3B acquisition by OpenAI
• Apple’s potential move to replace Google with its own AI search in Safari
• A historic week of M&A with DoorDash, Datadog, and Function Health, and
• Why tech was (mostly) absent from this year’s Met Gala

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:24 Nearly 100 episodes

02:35 Top one angel investor: David Morin

07:22 Big M&As and vibe coding

20:09 Digital media

22:09 Is Google search dying?

30:13 New Netflix interface

32:18 Fund entities and structures (Sam, don't listen!)

44:37 Pop culture corner: Barry Diller

46:20 Pop culture corner: Met Gala

54:44 Happy birthday to Jess

55:26 Outro

Jess, Sam, Brit, and Dave are back on More or Less with plenty to unpack—from Meta and Google’s AI sprawl to Snap’s fading relevance and the monetization questions hanging over tech.

Here’s what they get into:

– Why OpenAI is crushing the consumer AI game

– Sam’s new startup: The Ruck Rock fitness empire

– Meta’s AI app confusion (and Ray-Ban power moves)

– Snap’s ad crash—and a left-field fix involving Sam Altman

– AI and mental health: the risks no one’s talking about

Plus: the parenting trick Meghan Markle and Sam both swear by—and why Dave might soon be replaced by an AI on the board.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:20 AI investors, New York, Austin

05:01 The Ruck Rock, Methaphone, Weighted Tungsten cases

11:02 Meta AI, Google Gemini, ChatGPT

21:46 The way to win in AI

31:39 Snap snapped, and macroeconomics too

34:29 Thinking Machines Lab

38:21 AI and mental health

45:32 Pop culture: Beyonce, Warriors, Meghan Markle

48:56 Outro

Jess, Sam, Brit, and Dave returned from spring break to catch up on chaotic headlines from the last week — from Tesla’s bad quarter to Google’s courtroom drama.

On the docket:

– the antitrust cases shaking up Google, Meta, and the entire ad economy

– is OpenAI quietly building the next Facebook?

– Sam’s theory on “zombiecorns”

– is OnlyFans the new Uber?

We’re also on ↓

X: https://x.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:25 Recruiting PMs and hard-to-fake filters

08:34 Google anti-trust legal theater

13:58 Market narratives and fruit monopolies

22:21 LLMs and media companies

25:49 Is the web dying?

32:05 People want resonance

38:19 Adult content and AI

40:59 Meme stock Tesla and messiah Elon

47:30 How Musk handles the poliola

49:15 "Spam" Lessin's factory-farmed VC unicorn end

52:23 National medal of motherhood

55:48 Be the mountain, not the storm

58:10 Outro and announcement

With Jess and Sam taking the week off Brit and Dave are joined by two leading voices in venture and tech: Ben Lerer (Managing Partner, Lerer Hippeau) and Morgan Beller (General Partner, NFX; Co-creator of Libra). 

Together, they dive into the shifting tides of tech, venture, and AI:

– OpenAI’s next move: A social network?

– Venture’s broken math

– The ‘AI’ label inflation, and

– Figma’s IPO and what it signals for tech

Plus, Ben and Morgan weigh space travel risks—would you commit to a ticket to Mars?

Let us know in the comments below!

00:00 Trailer

01:16 Guest Intro

03:39 VC East Coast scene

08:39 Offline from tech

10:32 OpenAI social media leak?

15:08 Investing in AI

22:59 Like AI companies

28:49 Figma's Potentital IPO

33:08 LPs and founders are pissed

41:52 Pop culture corner: Katy Perry went to space

45:02 Humans on Mars by 2040?

46:36 Outro

Featuring:

Ben Lerer: https://x.com/benjlerer

Morgan Beller: https://x.com/beller

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

This week on More or Less, Jessica hosts with Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at The Daily Beast, while Sam, Dave, and Brit are off for “spring break”!

They explore:

• Elon’s DC stint

• Trump’s cabinet leaks: Leaks fuel Rubio-Elon tension

• China’s AI edge: Cheap tech shakes Valley’s lead

Plus, Joanna ponders plastic surgery risks in space—will implants hold up?

Featuring:

Joanna Coles: https://x.com/JoannaColes

The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

01:13 The only one standing felt abandoned

03:05 Guest intro

04:36 What's it like inside the newsroom frontlines

07:03 Betrayal, greed, power, ambition, love...

12:17 What character is Elon Musk playing

20:25 The Donald, the Valley, and the Trade War

28:29 What the insider insiders are talking about

31:20 Space, plastic surgeons, celebrities

37:06 Another pop culture moment: Meghan Sussex

40:52 Royalty and the tabloid

46:05 Gloria Steinem, women's rights, reproductive health

48:23 Moments that break out

51:46 Outro

This week on More or Less: Tesla reports a steep drop in deliveries, investor confidence wavers, and BYD continues to close in. The crew also dives into:

• Elon’s "Fake News": More Drama, Less DOGE

• OpenAI’s record-breaking $40B raise

• TikTok’s algo standoff, and

• The UFC’s deal with Meta

Plus: Brit’s True Crime fascination with the Deel v. Rippling spy story!

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:03 Sam and Dave's clones

02:59 Are we getting closer or further away from Mars?

05:58 Tesla Drama

13:36 Elon News fatigue

18:13 Dave social middle ground and drunk Sam

20:20 Everyone’s vibe coding

24:13 OpenAI

28:03 Costs vs potential monetization

46:43 Rippling v. Deel James Bond Spying

49:56 UFC × Meta

51:41 Outro

The debate is heating up—DC and Silicon Valley are deeply split over DOGE.

This week on More or Less, Jessica and Brit hold down the fort (while the husbands ski Alaska’s powder) with media heavyweights Ben Smith of Semafor and Nick Carlson of Dynamo.

This week’s big swings:

• The Signal Group Chat Scandal

• DOGE divides: Silicon Valley cheers efficiency, DC smells ideology

• China’s BYD overtakes Tesla: Is Elon losing supporters?

Plus, whispers of fake AI revenue, ChatGPT’s image wizardry, and a nod to The Information’s SABEW haul.

Featuring:

1) Ben Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-smith-04b1403/

2) Nicholas Carlson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasmcarlson/

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Ben Smith: https://x.com/semaforben

2) Nicholas Carlson: https://x.com/nichcarlson

3) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

4) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

5) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

6) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:29 Our guests and our husband clones

08:23 The Signal group chat scandal

12:01 The Atlantic's marketing

19:25 Ethics impact

23:27 DOGE divides

35:06 Trump, the tech giants and pragmatism

39:35 Wiz deal, arms race,

42:44 11X and straight up fraud

49:50 ChatGPT's Image Generator

51:41 Using AI: what would JD Vance do?

55:40 AI and journalism side by side

57:02 Outro

Silicon Valley’s heating up—and we’ve got the inside scoop.

This week on More or Less, Jessica, Dave, Sam, and Brit unpack a whirlwind of drama: Google’s $32B Wiz grab, rippling’s spy scandal with Deel, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s bold intimacy coordinator diss. Dave’s back from YC Demo Day, where AI-driven startups are still fetching 25 to 40 million despite shaky traction.

Here’s what’s cooking:

• Google’s Wiz deal—will Trump’s FTC let it fly?

• Rippling vs. Deel: a spy caught in a Slack honeypot

• Gwyneth says no to intimacy coordinators—culture’s shifting

• Brit’s new AI-built app, Guarding, locks down kids’ usernames

Plus, Solana’s PR flop, NVIDIA’s chip wars, and Elon’s billion-dollar X raise.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:10 No introductions needed

03:34 The New York Times Ethics Department

07:06 Solana video disaster

13:16 Gwyneth Paltrow vs intimacy coordinator

17:03 Google acquires Wiz for $32 billion

18:59 Trump administration's tech leverage

30:08 Brit's app Guardling (higuardling.com)

35:06 The Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!

46:34 Are there VC spies?

50:53 Elon raises a billion for X

52:19 Drive-through AI and going bankrupt

56:29 Sam Lessin has left the chat

59:03 Outro

On this week's episode of More or Less, Jessica, Dave, Sam, and Brit tackle a chaotic week hashing out Waymo’s Peninsula push, Sam’s million-dollar Mars wager with Brit, and YC’s agentic AI craze—fresh from ski season vibes and office debates.

Also on the deck this episode:

• Waymo’s expansion has Jessica ditching Lyft (almost)

• Sam vs. Brit: a million bucks on Mars colonization odds

• TikTok’s sale—Oracle’s in, but ByteDance might still call the shots

• Anthropic’s CEO says AI will write all code soon—engineers aren’t having it.

Plus, recession drums beat louder, Jessica’s tennis mag Racket swings big, and Sam’s still trolling with billboards.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer + Introduction

01:46 Sam has another billboard!

04:23 Waymo news

09:12 New space age, flying motorcycles, tech CEOs

14:21 Starlink, rockets, the space war use case

19:56 More or Less bet: humans on Mars by 2040?

24:34 Can this entity afford TikTok?

27:53 Recession? Who cares?

35:32 Startups are recession-proof

42:30 Anthropic and vibe coding

44:55 Billionaire free caltrain

45:29 What's on our Instagram explore pages?

47:42 Tennis magazine