The hosts are very excited to be back with Season 2. They dive into four exciting tech stories right now: the potential TikTok ban, Netflix going into live streaming, OpenAI’s o3 model, and the H-1B debate.

Congress has agreed to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns. TikTok is challenging the decision, and the Supreme Court is set to hear their case on January 10th. The hosts dive into the complex debate between national security vs. the First Amendment, and the economic fallout for small businesses and influencers. They examine the risks associated with TikTok, focusing on concerns over data privacy and TikTok’s potential to have political influence in the US. Follow @getthecheckpod on TikTok in case there is no ban after all.

Netflix is making bold moves into live streaming. From the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight to the record-breaking Christmas Day NFL games, Netflix is proving it can compete in the live event space. The hosts dive into the technical challenges Netflix has faced, including its pivot from on-demand streaming architecture to real-time streaming. They also explore the company’s rebound over the last couple of years as they diversify their offerings to include live streaming and an ad-supported tier. Tune in to hear if the hosts think Netflix’s technical difficulties are a thing of the past or not. 

Next, they dive into OpenAI's groundbreaking o3 model, which is the closest AI has come to AGI. They explore its impressive performance on benchmarks, while examining criticisms around its inefficiency and cost. The hosts also compare o3 to China's open-source DeepSeek v3, which delivers a competitive performance at a fraction of the price. Finally the hosts talk about if developers (aka Maya and Vidushi) are cooked or not.

The hosts dive into the heated debate surrounding H-1B visas and explore why it has resurfaced in public discourse. They discuss the recent controversy involving the MAGA base, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, and Bernie Sanders. Beyond the political drama, they delve into the program's history and examine potential proposals for reforming the H-1B system. 

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00:00 Intro

00:18 TikTok ban

15:21 Netflix dives into live streaming

29:37 Open AI's o3 model

43:09 H1-B debate