Packy McCormick joins MTS to discuss ocean-based data centers, stranded energy assets powering the AI buildout, and the state of tech optimism in 2026.

--

https://x.com/packyM

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS: 

X | ⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠

YouTube | ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠

Spotify | ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠ 

Apple | ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠ 

Substack | ⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠

Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to connect thousands of agents and tools to build AI right. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts

--

Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:27) The Evolution of Not Boring and the Second Industrial Revolution
(06:22) Assessing the Soul of Apple and the New CEO Leadership
(08:50) Monitoring the Situation and the Return of 24/7 Live Media
(09:42) The West Coast Coffee Sector and Monetizing Local Culture
(14:48) Tracking AI Eval Updates and the Model Performance Obsession
(18:47) Panalasa and the Future of Floating Data Centers at Sea
(23:21) Shape Rotators vs Word Cells and Geometric Alpha
(33:47) Unlocking Stranded Energy and Energy Abundance Through AI Compute

Signüll joins MTS to discuss why modern dating apps are broken, his thesis that the internet tends to reverse pre existing social norms, and what Apple's next chapter looks like as AI reshapes the iPhone.

--

https://x.com/signulll

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS: 

X |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠

YouTube |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠

Spotify |⁠ ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠ 

Apple |⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠ 

Substack |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. https://granola.ai/mts

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. https://konghq.com

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. https://blitzy.com

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. https://merge.dev/mts

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. https://adquick.com

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. https://macroscope.com/mts

Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

--

Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:17) Analyzing the NYC Speed Dating Crisis and Gender Mismatches
(03:41) Hinge Streamers and the Performance Art of Digital Dating
(06:14) The Failure of Dating App Paradigms and Why Bumble BFF Stalled
(12:03) The Matchmaking Crisis and How the Internet Reverses Cultural Norms
(17:06) Performative Influencers and De-Centering Men on TikTok
(23:06) Why the Apple CEO is More Important Than the President
(29:31) Why AI Won’t Disrupt the iPhone Form Factor
(35:40) Building a Single Stream of Ranked AI Intelligence

10x Engineer joins MTS to discuss the backlash over Anthropic's silent token limit test, the tradeoffs between Claude Code and Codex for daily development, and why vibe coding should replace LeetCode in the engineering interview process.

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS: 

X |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠

YouTube |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠

Spotify |⁠⁠ ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠ 

Apple |⁠⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠ 

Substack |⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠

Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts⁠

--

Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:31) OpenAI vs Anthropic Vibes and Secret AB Testing
(01:56) Developer Frustrations with Claude Pro and Token Limits
(04:24) Claude Code vs Codex and the Scarcity Mindset in Development
(07:23) XAI Acquisition of Cursor and the Future of Agent Harnesses
(09:30) Open Source Innovation and Fundamental Architecture Changes
(18:16) Replacing LeetCode Interviews with Vibe Coding Evaluations
(22:07) Countering AI Cheating in Big Tech Engineering Interviews
(27:24) Advice for New Grads and Augmenting Learning with AI Tools

Taylor Lorenz joins MTS to discuss what makes new media experiments work, why she opposes school phone bans, and how AI-generated aesthetics and streamer culture are producing the internet's next wave of IP.

--

https://x.com/TaylorLorenz

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS: 

X |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠

YouTube |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠

Spotify |⁠ ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠ 

Apple |⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠ 

Substack |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠

Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. https://granola.ai/mts

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. https://konghq.com

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. https://blitzy.com

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. https://merge.dev/mts

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. https://adquick.com

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. https://macroscope.com/mts⁠⁠

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:31) Monitoring the Situation and Experimenting in the New Media Space

(02:31) Advice for Live Shows and the Power of On-Air Debates

(07:15) Moving Beyond Media Resentment and Proactive Content Creation

(08:32) The Rise of Synchronized Human Experiences and Synchronized Streaming

(12:36) The UK Phone Ban and Smarter Technical Engagement in Schools

(15:12) The Death of Techno Optimism on the Political Left

(23:35) AI Generated IP and the Cambrian Explosion of Short Form Content

(29:59) Optimization Culture and the Body as the Final Asset Class

Ben Smith of Semafor joins MTS to discuss Marc Andreessen's retreat from media and the group chat era that followed, how Semafor was built to go straight up the middle on a polarized media landscape, and why the digital fog of war has made it harder than ever to know what's actually happening in real-time conflicts. He also reflects on BuzzFeed's collapse, the platform risk of building around X, and what Twitter has always needed but rarely had.

--

https://x.com/semaforben

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts⁠⁠

--

Timestamps:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:36) Secret Group Chats and the Evolution of Modern Media Strategy
(01:34) The Legacy of Clubhouse and Real-Time Intellectual Communities
(02:58) Mark Andreessen and the Shifting Relationship Between VCs and Press
(07:37) Analyzing the Media Narrative Around the 2016 Election and Tech Backlash
(11:59) Evaluating the State of X and the Fragmentation of Social Discourse
(13:46) Digital Media Fog of War and the Difficulty of Finding Truth in Conflict
(17:42) The Collapse of Traditional Television and Everything Becoming Television
(21:34) Building Semafor and Solving the Problem of Global News Polarization

Martin Shkreli joins MTS to discuss the OpenAI and Anthropic rivalry, why he believes optical computing will end the silicon era, and how generics, GLP-1 patent expirations, and the DIY peptide movement are reshaping pharma economics.

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts⁠

Cremieux joins MTS to discuss China's rapid ascent to the top of global clinical trial output, the structural regulatory reforms that drove it, and what the US would need to do to close the gap. He covers novel gene therapy pipelines, the market authorization holder system, and why pharmaceutical profit margins may be the biggest bottleneck to American biomedical innovation.

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts⁠

Aella joins MTS to discuss AI doom, transhumanism, and the economic illiteracy of young people. She walks through her approach to microdosing psychedelics, her views on wireheading and gene editing, and her new creator project Please Don't Kill Us.

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. ⁠https://granola.ai/mts⁠

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. ⁠https://konghq.com⁠

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. ⁠https://blitzy.com⁠

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. ⁠https://merge.dev/mts⁠

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. ⁠https://adquick.com⁠

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. ⁠https://macroscope.com/mts⁠

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:17) The AI Romantic Partner Market and Gendered Differences in Demand

(01:41) Evaluating Scenarios and Evidence That Could Lower Probability of AI Doom

(04:34) Biological Evolution vs AI Training and the Internalization of Values

(06:58) Predicting Takeoff Speeds and the Potential for a Superintelligent Singleton

(15:42) Philosophy of Consciousness and the Feasibility of Digital Brain Uploading

(17:58) Transhumanism and the Risks and Merits of Human Intelligence Augmentation

(23:40) Please Don't Kill Us and Improving Content Creation Around AI Safety

(30:23) Youth Economic Illiteracy and the Impact of Obscured Policy Feedback Loops

Balaji Srinivasan joins Erik Torenberg and Theo Jaffee on MTS to discuss why media sits upstream of politics and money, how tech can build verifiable alternatives to legacy news, and what polytheistic AI and on chain proof mean for the next decade.

https://x.com/balajis

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. https://granola.ai/mts

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. https://konghq.com

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. https://blitzy.com

Merge -  OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster. https://merge.dev/mts

AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. https://adquick.com

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. https://macroscope.com/mts

Marc Andreessen joins MTS to discuss why the shape of media determines behavior, how CNN's original "it" strategy became today's current thing cycle, and why moral panics, availability cascades, and scapegoating keep repeating across new and legacy outlets.

--

MTS is a live news and interview show covering technology, business, politics, and culture as it happens.

Follow MTS:

X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/MTSlive⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mtsituation⁠⁠⁠⁠

Spotify | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4HUNNmV1pjV7CW6Lphm1rM⁠⁠

Apple | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mts/id1891088763⁠⁠⁠⁠

Substack | ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mtslive.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Interested in sponsoring the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

--

Brought to you by:

Granola - The AI notepad. Try it once and never go back. https://granola.ai/mts

Kong - The AI connectivity platform. Connect APIs, LLMs, agents, and systems with serious security and governance. https://konghq.com

Blitzy - Autonomous software development for enterprise codebases. Ship 5x faster. https://blitzy.com

Merge - OpenAI, Dropbox, and Ramp use Merge to get AI to production faster https://merge.dev/mts
AdQuick - Make your brand a billboard. Out-of-home advertising as easy to scale as digital. https://adquick.com

Macroscope - AI codebase understanding for engineering leaders. https://macroscope.com/mts