Uptin & Thomas cover:

• Google vs OpenAI: Wall Street is suddenly betting on Google as Gemini 3 boosts Alphabet and Broadcom — while Microsoft and Nvidia lag.

• Australia Teen Ban: Australia moves to block under-16s from TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat with a national age-verification system.

• India vs Apple: Apple refuses India’s push to preload a government-made “cyber safety” app, setting up a major privacy showdown.

• MrBeast Financial: MrBeast is launching a full financial services platform and mobile carrier, potentially becoming the first creator-led fintech giant.

• Meta’s Pivot: Zuckerberg quietly cuts the metaverse budget by up to 30% as Meta shifts focus fully toward AI.

• Gemini vs ChatGPT — Google drops Gemini 3 and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he switched from ChatGPT after just two hours, signaling a potential shift in the AI race.

• Target’s ‘Diabolical’ Black Friday — People lined up at 3 a.m. for gift bags with candy and shampoo samples, while Lowe’s stole the show with tool-filled buckets and $2,000 appliance giveaways.

• Google’s Hurricane Predictor — DeepMind’s new GraphCast AI beats world-class weather models in 90% of tests, delivering 10-day forecasts in under a minute and raising big questions about Big Tech running global weather.

• Apple Watch vs Rolex — Rolex’s CEO says the Apple Watch actually helped Rolex by getting younger consumers used to wearing a watch, fueling record luxury sales and years-long waitlists.

• Billie Eilish vs Elon Musk — A comment from Billie sparks a full-blown internet culture war between Gen-Z climate anxiety and Silicon Valley techno-optimism.

• Campbell’s Soup Meltdown — A VP is caught on tape calling Campbell’s “food for poor people,” triggering a corporate crisis around brand trust, product pride, and whistleblower retaliation.

• Waymo Freeways & New Cities — Waymo expands to Miami, Dallas, Houston, and more — and begins freeway driving in LA, SF, and Phoenix, pushing robotaxis into real transportation territory.

Tinder’s Head of Product, Mark Kantor, sits down with Uptin to break down the future of dating: AI-powered profile creation from your camera roll, personalized match recommendations, and why Tinder actually wants you to get off the app fast.

We talk swipe fatigue, Gen Z’s new dating rules, safety tech like FaceCheck, the explosion of Double Date mode, and whether AI can ever understand “vibe” or chemistry.

A rare look inside how the world’s most influential dating app is redesigning connection.

Uptin & Thomas discuss:

• Home prices: More than half of U.S. homes are worth less than a year ago on Zillow, but most owners are still sitting on huge equity and almost no one is truly underwater.

• Nvidia earnings: Nvidia posts a record $57 billion in quarterly revenue, mostly from AI data centers, raising the question of whether this is an AI bubble or just the new normal.

• Target’s identity crisis: Longtime CEO Brian Cornell is out, an insider is in, and Target is stuck between Walmart prices, Amazon convenience and culture war fatigue.

• Sonder’s collapse: Once a billion dollar Airbnb–hotel hybrid, Sonder goes straight to Chapter 7 liquidation after its lifeline Marriott deal implodes.

• Turkey dinner math: Bird flu and higher wholesale costs behind the scenes, but supermarkets are using cheap turkeys as loss leaders to keep your Thanksgiving bill down.

• White Lotus in France: HBO confirms season 4 in Paris and the French Riviera, setting up a new round of rich people drama in châteaux, beach clubs and luxury hotels.

Meta’s Chief Marketing Officer Alex Schultz joins Uptin & Thomas to break down the future of social media, AI, smart glasses, creators, and why the United States is still the last major country that hasn’t fully embraced WhatsApp.- Why Americans don’t use WhatsApp and Meta’s plan to change that- Smart glasses vs headsets and why Meta believes glasses will win- The Ray-Ban Meta partnership and why the new designs matter- Vibes, Meta’s AI-only content app, early trends and the vision- Meta’s AI strategy across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp- The future of creators & monetization and what platforms won’t tell you- Is social media actually declining? Meta’s internal data says something different- How teens should use social platforms, and Alex’s take on safety & screen time- How Facebook is still huge for Gen Z in Asia, Middle East & beyond- Why Meta still cares about connecting the next billion users - Where VR/AR is headed — gaming → entertainment → productivity- Alex’s digital marketing book & why principles matter more than channels🔥 Then Uptin and Thomas break it all down:- Why the U.S. messaging ecosystem is so different- Whether smart glasses really are the next big consumer device- The future of creator monetization (and why platform payouts are unreliable)-----0:00 - Intro1:35 - Why Americans Still Ignore WhatsApp3:43 - Ray-Ban x Meta Partnership4:57 - Smart Glasses vs Headsets: Who Wins?6:56 - Creator Money: What Platforms Don’t Tell You8:53 - Meta’s Race to Connect the Next Billion9:56 - Why Gen Z Still Uses Facebook (Outside the West)11:00 - Is Social Media Dying? Meta Says No11:17 - How Teens Should Use Social Media12:50 - Vibes App: Meta’s AI-Only Experiment13:55 - Why Marketing Principles Still Matter based on Alex's Book15:29 - Meta’s Big AI Play Across All Apps16:02 - Final Question: What excites Alex the most right now?16:33 - Uptin & Thomas React to the Interview16:43 - Why the U.S. Messaging Ecosystem Is Unique21:58 - Are Smart Glasses the Next Big Thing?24:15 - The Future of Creator Monetization31:42 - Final Notes from Uptin & Thomas

Uptin & Thomas discuss:

• Trump’s proposed 50-year mortgage lowers monthly payments but dramatically increases lifetime interest and doesn’t fix the real issue: housing supply.

• Bitcoin plunged from $126K to under $96K as rate-cut hopes collapsed and high leverage amplified the fall.

• Apple released a $230 knitted iPhone pouch with Issey Miyake, turning the phone into a full-on fashion accessory.

• One in three Americans earning $100K say they’re financially distressed as rising housing, childcare, and inflation erase purchasing power.

• Target launched the “10-4 program,” requiring employees to smile and greet customers to boost holiday sales, sparking debate about forced friendliness.

• Sony bought the rights to Labubu and is developing a movie around the viral collectible toy phenomenon.

• Brittany Kaiser explains why Gen Z finally cares about data privacy and why Telegram’s TON ecosystem could be the next major alternative to Meta.

Microsoft President Brad Smith joins Uptin at Web Summit to discuss the company’s $15B investment in AI and what comes next after ChatGPT.

From Microsoft’s early bet on OpenAI to the rise of AI-powered jobs and the global digital divide, Brad explains how the company is balancing innovation with responsibility.

They cover AI regulation, education, and why the UAE is leading global adoption.

Plus, Brad shares what keeps him up at night — and why he believes AI should help us think more, not less.

Uptin & Thomas discuss:

- Elon Musk’s $1T pay deal ... Tesla approves a record plan that could make him the world’s first trillionaire.

- NYC elects socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani ... Wall Street panics over higher taxes and rent freezes.

- Peter Thiel’s 2020 email resurfaces ... he predicted millennials would turn on capitalism, and it’s happening.

- Amazon’s robot grocery experiment ... a “store-within-a-store” that shows Amazon still hasn’t cracked grocery.

- Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas ad sparks backlash online for looking like “AI slop.”

Uptin & Thomas discuss:

• The rich are still spending while everyone else pulls back — America’s K-shaped economy

• Jensen Huang’s fried-chicken meetup with Samsung and Hyundai goes viral and boosts chicken stocks

• Chipotle’s traffic falls and the stock sinks as young diners cut back

• Growing frustration with sloppy, low-effort fast-casual bowls at rising prices

• Luxury brands and premium experiences continue to boom while fast-casual chains struggle

Uptin & Thomas discuss:

• AI layoffs: Big companies are cutting thousands of white-collar jobs while San Francisco runs billboards saying “Stop hiring humans.”

• Middle management squeeze: CEOs are removing layers of managers because AI can handle reporting, planning, and coordination.

• Should we panic?: Layoffs sound scary, but economists say we are not anywhere near recession-level firing yet.

• Airbnb Halloween crackdown: Anti-party algorithms are blocking suspicious bookings and using noise sensors to prevent ragers.

• Prop 50 in California: California wants to redraw election maps to counter Republican-friendly maps in other states.

• OpenAI’s potential $1T IPO: The company needs massive capital to build chips, energy infrastructure, and data centers for AGI.

• Nvidia hits $5T: Demand for AI chips pushed Nvidia to become the most valuable company on earth.

• AOL gets acquired: A European app firm is buying AOL, betting that legacy email and nostalgia still print cash.