In part two of our story about Elon Musk’s growing data center empire, we visit the battle between people in Memphis and xAI. And we try to understand a strange, untested assumption at the heart of the AI financing boom.

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Tech billionaires have made an enormous bet on AI, the biggest bet that tech has made on anything in a very long time. Reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni goes on a journey – from Data Center Alley to the shadow of Colossus – to see what the money’s being spent on, and to learn what happens if things go wrong.

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A reporter spends a year diving into a subculture of young men online who unite around their extreme commitment to constant, unadulterated porn consumption.  Why are they doing this, what is it doing to them, and what does their existence tell us about the internet we’re all stuck on?

The Goon Squad by Daniel Kolitz for Harper’s Magazine

Daniel’s Twitter

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People review everything, but they almost never review what it’s like to live in another country. Until now. 

We interview a writer who’s lived in China, covered China, and has had to choose between life here and there. What are the big misconceptions Americans have about China? How could America learn to build trains and bridges as fast as China does? And how should the two countries actually be copying each other? 

Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang

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Can you tickle your way to victory in an MMA fight? An investigation into a sports scandal with journalist Pablo Torre.

See videos mentioned in this episode.

Check out Pablo Torre Finds Out on Youtube or Spotify.

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Last week, OpenAI released an app that quickly shot to the #1 spot in Apple's App Store. Sora is like TikTok, except all the videos are AI generated. Is this ... what we're doing now? What's the business case for a fake AI video platform? 

Check out Casey Newton's newsletter (Platformer) and podcast (Hard Fork)

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This week, we’re sharing something we loved. An interview with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross about a life made out of conversation.

Check out Talk Easy

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The makers of the medical drama The Pitt have been sued. The allegation: that the show is an unauthorized copy of ER. 

This week, investigative reporter Nicholas Kulish walks us through the ensuing drama, reads us the possibly damning private emails, and finally helps us decide where inspiration ends and theft begins. 

Is ‘The Pitt’ Really an ‘ER’ Spinoff? - Nicholas Kulish

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Not long after Alex’s wife Whitney dies, he looks at her obituary and discovers something strange. A sect of people online has hijacked her story and turned it into a disturbing conspiracy theory.

Check out the place Whitney worked, Project: Onward, a non-profit studio for artists with disabilities. (They have very cool & reasonably priced art for sale).

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A member of an unusual Bay Area community decides to try to have a baby in an unusual way – by putting out a very large prize for anyone who can help her find a mate. How the internet shaped one person’s decision-thinking. 

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