I speak to Senator Ron Wyden about the TikTok ban, AI and regulation, tech regulation in general, and his new book: It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change

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The Supreme Court rules against TikTok, but at this point, I think this is all kabuki theater. Somehow TikTok is going to survive. Bumble’s founder returns to the company. Is Apple Intelligence really working for anyone? Does anyone care that the Chinese have allegedly hacked everything at this point? And, of course, The Weekend Longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

• MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN

Links:

• Supreme Court Upholds Law That Threatens US TikTok Ban (Bloomberg)
• Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to Return as CEO in March (Bloomberg)
• iOS 18.3 temporarily disables Apple Intelligence notification summaries for select apps, more (9to5Mac)
• General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years (NYTimes)
• FBI Warned Agents It Believes Phone Logs Hacked Last Year (Bloomberg)
• Chinese Hackers Accessed Yellen's Computer in US Treasury Breach (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Charlwin Mao, the Chinese tech founder welcoming ‘TikTok refugees’ (Financial Times)
• Kids Turn to a Mental-Health Chatbot to Share Their Anxieties (WSJ)
• To release Animal Crossing in the West, Nintendo ‘had to change everything’ (Polygon)

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Nintendo finally takes the wraps off the Switch 2. Everybody seems to want to give TikTok more time, but can they find a way to do it? A big new AI research lab. A check in with Nothing. The company, I mean. And the weird story of when Walgreens tries to replace refrigerator doors with smartscreens.

Sponsors:

• TryJoyMode.com and code RIDE at checkout

Links:

• Here’s the Nintendo Switch 2 (The Verge)
• Trump considers executive order hoping to ‘save TikTok’ from ban or sale in U.S. law (Washington Post)
• Biden administration looks for ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S. (NBCNews)
• AI researcher François Chollet founds a new AI lab focused on AGI (TechCrunch)
• Phone Startup Nothing Raises Funding, Crosses $1 Billion in Lifetime Sales (Bloomberg)
• Walgreens Replaced Fridge Doors With Smart Screens. It’s Now a $200 Million Fiasco (Bloomberg)

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The SEC is suing Elon Musk. Big AI insertions in Microsoft Copilot, Google Workspace and even LinkedIn. How TikTok plans to handle the immediate aftermath of a shutdown. Another new Instagram alternative. And have your AirPods been misbehaving? Here’s what Apple did without telling anyone.

Sponsors:

• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Musk Accused by SEC of Cheating Twitter Investors Out of Millions (Bloomberg)
• Microsoft relaunches Copilot for business with free AI chat and pay-as-you-go agents (The Verge)
• Google Workspace business users getting full Gemini experience, price increasing (9to5Google)
• LinkedIn adds free AI tools for job hunters and recruiters (TechCrunch)
• TikTok Prepares for Immediate Shut-Off in the U.S. on Sunday (The Information)
• Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed launches mobile apps (TechCrunch)
• Apple starts pushing AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 owners into Transparency or Noise Cancellation modes repeatedly, without an easy opt out (Key Discussions)

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Break out your 2025 headline bingo cards. Did you have Elon Musk maybe buying TikTok on there? You’re a better bingo player than I am. Is the EU going to back off Tech in the Trump era? More layoffs come to Meta. The big streaming sports play that isn’t gonna happen now. And why is Barcelona a hub for spyware companies?

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn.com/ride

Links:

• China Weighs Sale of TikTok US to Musk as a Possible Option (Bloomberg)
• EU reassesses tech probes into Apple, Google and Meta (Financial Times)
• Meta to Cut Roughly 5% of Staff, Targeting Lowest Performers (Bloomberg)
• Databricks Inks $5 Billion of Private Credit, Bank Funding (Bloomberg)
• Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Pull the Plug on Venu Sports Streaming Venture (THR)
• Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery call off plans to launch Venu sports streaming service (CNBC)
• How Barcelona became an unlikely hub for spyware startups (TechCrunch)

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The Biden administration unveils its long planned new chip export rules, and Nvidia isn’t happy. That whole botched Sonos app debacle has cost the CEO his job. Why we might not see blockbuster tech IPOs this year. Why some of Nvidia’s customers are returning Blackwell chips. And say hello to China’s answer to Instagram.

Sponsors:

• Robinhood.com/gold

Links:

• US imposes export controls on chips for AI to counter China (FT)
• Sonos CEO Leaving After Botched App Revamp Led to Customer Revolt (Bloomberg)
• Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch (The Verge)
• Silicon Valley’s largest start-ups to shun IPOs in 2025 (Financial Times)
• Nvidia’s Top Customers Face Delays From Glitchy AI Chip Racks (The Information)
• Xiaohongshu, China’s answer to Instagram, hits no. 1 on the App Store as TikTok faces US shutdown (TechCrunch)

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The great Simon Willison joins SWYX and I to talk about everything we learned about LLMs in 2024, and what the state of AI is generally, as we go into 2025.

Here is Simon's blog post we keep referring to:

https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31...

00:00 The State of AI in 2025

10:05 The Evolution of AI Models

19:54 Challenges in AI Agents

30:07 The Future of AI in Creative Industries

38:29 The Rise of AI Influencers

40:54 Credibility in the Age of AI

43:15 The Future of User Interfaces for LLMs

51:17 Local LLMs and Desktop AI Applications

55:17 AI Tools and Applications for Everyday Use

01:01:26 The Future of OpenAI and AI Regulation

01:08:08 The Need for Better Criticism of LLMs

01:10:41 The Future of Wearables and AI Integration

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All the controversies continue. I’ll update you on the Meta moderation controversy. The latest twist in the WordPress brouhaha. The TikTok thing is coming to a head right now as we speak, in the form of Supreme Court arguments. Asking again if the business model of Triple A gaming development is broken. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Qualialife.com/ride and code ride

Links:

• Mark Zuckerberg gave Meta’s Llama team the OK to train on copyrighted works, filing claims (TechCrunch)
• Automattic says it will reduce its contribution to WordPress core project to match WP Engine (TechCrunch)
• Billionaire Frank McCourt's Project Liberty proposes bid for TikTok's US assets (Reuters)
• Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location (Wired)
• Call of Duty's massive development budgets revealed: $700 million for Black Ops Cold War (Game File)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• The New $30,000 Side Hustle: Making Job Referrals for Strangers (Bloomberg)
• The smart glasses era is here — I got a first look (The Verge)
• The Anti-Social Century (The Atlantic)

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Big new zero day to tell you about. Apple says Siri is safe, honest. Google rolls out an AI Daily Listen audio feature. Looking at the next wave of wearable AI. And let me tell you about WatchDuty, the app everyone in LA was using overnight.

Sponsors:

• Timeline.com/ride33

Links:

• Hackers are exploiting a new Ivanti VPN security bug to hack into company networks (TechCrunch)
• Apple says Siri isn’t sending your conversations to advertisers (The Verge)
• Google’s ‘Daily Listen’ lab is a personalized podcast based on your Discover feed (9to5Google)
• SoftBank’s Chip Designer Arm Considers Acquiring Ampere Computing (Bloomberg)
• Your Next AI Wearable Will Listen to Everything All the Time (Wired)
• With L.A. on alert, wildfire app Watch Duty adds 600,000 users overnight (Los Angeles Times)
• LA residents find a lifeline in this free wildfire-tracking app (The Verge)
• ‘It’s not just alerts, it’s a state of mind’: How a wildfire monitoring app became essential in the US west (The Guardian)

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Tons and tons of controversy and fallout from Meta’s announced content moderation changes yesterday. I’ve got I think a fair, comprehensive rundown of all the angles. Interesting new rounds for Bluesky and Anthropic. And the coolest stuff I’ve seen from CES thus far, including: are rollable laptop screens finally ready for prime time?

Sponsors:

• Acorns.com/ride

Links:

• Meta’s fact-checking changes are just what Trump’s FCC head asked for (The Verge)
• Social-Media Companies Decide Content Moderation Is Trending Down (WSJ)
• AI Startup Anthropic Raising Funds Valuing It at $60 Billion (WSJ)
• Lenovo’s Latest Laptop Has a Rollable OLED Screen (Wired)
• BMW’s new iDrive turns the whole windshield into a heads-up display (The Verge)
• New Nike Therapeutic Shoes at CES 2025 Look Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before (CNET)
• EcoFlow’s Solar hat is better for the planet than your style (Engadget)
• Anker made a solar beach umbrella, because of course (Engadget)
• This Slim Little Battery I Saw at CES 2025 Is Like a Tesla Powerwall for Your Fridge (CNET)
• I Watched a Printer-Size Gadget Boost a Phone's Battery Life in Seconds (CNET)
• This toaster-looking gadget boosts your phone’s battery in seconds (The Verge)
• If you’re constantly losing cables, this could be your ideal charger (The Verge)

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