Techmeme Ride Home

At the time of this writing, the tariffs are back off, but who know what will happen by the time you hear this. OpenAI sues back. Google wants a framework for AI agents to talk to each other. Oh, and how many iPhones can you pack in a jumbo jet? Sponsors: Acorns.com/ride Links: Trump temporarily drops tariffs to 10% for most countries, hits China harder with 125% (CNBC) Nintendo Gains Time to Prep Switch 2 Debut With Tariff Pause (Bloomberg) How Many New iPhones Can Fit on a Freight Plane? (Daring Fireball) Wall Street Consultant Paul Atkins Confirmed to Lead SEC (Bloomberg) OpenAI countersues Elon Musk, claims harassment (Reuters) Google launches Agent2Agent protocol to connect AI agents across platforms (Testing Catalog) OpenAI launches program to design new ‘domain-specific’ AI benchmarks (TechCrunch) AI is set to drive surging electricity demand from data centres while offering the potential to transform how the energy sector works (IEA) AI to double data centre energy demand by 2030 (S

Google unveils its new TPU’s, this time with inference! Temu and Shein officially get nuked from orbit. More signs of pullback in AI datacenter buildout. Are we actually, for real, about to get an iPad Instagram app? And a cute little home robot from ages ago, looks like it’s finally coming to a house near you this summer. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Ironwood is Google’s newest AI accelerator chip (TechCrunch) Google announces ‘Workspace Flows’ automation with Gems, audio in Docs, and more Gemini (9to5Google) US Raises Charges on Small Parcels, Targeting Chinese Retailers (Bloomberg) Microsoft pauses $1bn data center plans in Licking County, Ohio (Data Center Dynamics) Instagram’s Mosseri Positions App for TikTok Turmoil (The Information) Amazon Seeks Partners for $15 Billion Warehouse Expansion Plan (Bloomberg) Google Maps is launching tools to help cities analyze infrastructure and traffic (The Verge) Samsung Taps Google AI to Launch Long-Promised Ballie Robot With Video Projector (Bl

Uh oh, it looks like the tech price hikes are already starting! People are accusing Meta of doing some weird things with those latest AI models. Shopify tells workers that they need to embrace AI for everything. Is AI killing web traffic? And how AI is being used to automatically create sequels for books. Sponsors: Kinsta.com/brian LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Framework “temporarily pausing” some laptop sales because of new tariffs (ArsTechnica) Exclusive: Micron to impose tariff-related surcharge on some products from April 9, sources say (Reuters) Apple Plans to Source More iPhones From India as Potential Tariff Fix (WSJ) Apple Customers Dash to Stores to Buy iPhones Ahead of Tariffs (Bloomberg) Meta got caught gaming AI benchmarks (The Verge) Shopify CEO says staffers need to prove jobs can’t be done by AI before asking for more headcount (CNBC) Google AI Search Shift Leaves Website Makers Feeling ‘Betrayed’ (Bloomberg) THE A.I. ROMANCE FACTORY (Bloomberg Businessweek) Learn more a

TikTok lives! Again. Again. At least for another 75 days. Meta’s big new Llama models are out. AI coding assistant Cursor has become the big breakout hit of the AI moment. And then yes, we get into the tariff situation, including, me polling tech execs who make consumer facing gadgets: do you plan to raise prices? Here’s what they told me. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/gold Qualialife.com/ride and code RIDE Links: Trump extends TikTok deadline for the second time (CNBC) Meta releases two Llama 4 AI models (The Verge) AI Coding Assistant Cursor Draws a Million Users Without Even Trying (Bloomberg) Tariffs are tanking tech stocks, so why is Microsoft escaping the worst of the bloodbath? (Fortune) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is what happened with the Studio Ghibli ChatGPT image generation stuff even legal? I spoke with AI lawyer Rob Rosenberg, former general counsel at Showtime Networks and founder and principal of Telluride Legal Strategies about it, and what he told me was very interesting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well we gotta talk about this tariff thing because the early indications are this could impact almost every nook and cranny of the tech industry. Could we get an announcement about TikTok within days? I think I figured out why CoreWeave’s stock popped back up. And how Nintendo plans to fight the scalpers. Links: Trump’s New Tariffs Test Apple’s Global Supply Chain (NYTimes) Trump to Outline TikTok Deal Proposal, With ByteDance Retaining Stake (The Information) Google in Advanced Talks to Rent Nvidia AI Servers From CoreWeave (The Information) AI Video Startup Runway Valued at $3 Billion in Funding Round (Bloomberg) Amazon targets April 9 launch of first Kuiper internet satellites (Reuters) Nintendo’s Switch 2 preorder process has strict requirements to thwart scalpers (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the details from the big Nintendo Switch 2 reveal this morning. Wikimedia says AI bots are increasing its costs by 50%. North Korean IT workers allegedy continue to go after remote IT jobs worldwide. Meta is reading its more ambitious, more expensive smartglasses for maybe later this year. And maybe the CoreWeave IPO wasn’t a bust? Sponsors: Udacity.com/ride and promocode RIDE Links: Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the U.S. (NYTimes) Everything announced at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct (Polygon) AI crawlers cause Wikimedia Commons bandwidth demands to surge 50% (TechCrunch) North Korean IT worker army expands operations in Europe (BleepingComputer) How Meta’s Upcoming $1,000+ Smart Glasses With a Screen Will Work (Bloomberg) Stablecoin issuer Circle files for IPO as public markets open to crypto (CNBC) CoreWeave shares rip nearly 42% higher, rising above IPO price (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masa Son came through for OpenAI, to the tune of a $40 billion dollar round at a $300 billion-dollar post-money valuation. Sam Altman says OpenAI is going back to open weights. A new encryption model for Gmail. A new movie strategy for Amazon. And why the Switch 2 represents a new revenue strategy for Nintendo. Sponsors: FreshBooks.com Links: OpenAI closes $40 billion funding round, largest private tech deal on record (CNBC) OpenAI Finalizes $40 Billion Funding at $300 Billion Value (Bloomberg) OpenAI plans to release a new ‘open’ AI language model in the coming months (TechCrunch) Gmail is making it easier for businesses to send encrypted emails to anyone (The Verge) Amazon’s New Movie Strategy Starts With Theaters (NYTimes) Nintendo Departs From Its Founding Philosophy With Switch 2 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend Elon said that xAI has acquired X. Elon does love to blend his companies together. Tensions between SpaceX and Apple. Apple is working on a major Health app overhaul. And in this era of crypto ascendency, is Ethereum being left behind? Links: Elon Musk says xAI has acquired X in deal that values social media site at $33 billion (CNBC) Musk’s xAI Startup Swallows Up X Social Network in Surprise Deal (Bloomberg) Amazon unveils Nova Act, an AI agent that can control a web browser (TechCrunch) Apple and Musk Clash Over Satellite Expansion Plans (WSJ) Apple Readies Its Biggest Push Into Health Yet With New AI Doctor (Bloomberg) Crypto’s Trumpian Embrace Is Leaving Bitcoin’s Big Rival Behind (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Me On The Big Technology Podcast Talking This Week In Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley is in more trouble than I think people are talking about... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Move big moves in the gaming space. But we need to talk about that CoreWeave IPO. It. Didn’t. Go. Well. Facebook has a shocking idea: what if you could see what your friends were up to? Anthropic says it’s getting close to understanding how LLM’s actually work. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Maker Ubisoft Jumps After Games Carve Out (Bloomberg) CoreWeave prices IPO at $40 a share, below expected range (CNBC) CoreWeave’s Shaky IPO Signal (The Information) Facebook Returns to Its Roots: Showing Posts From Friends and Family (NYTimes) Thoughts on setting policy for new AI capabilities (Joanne Jang) Anthropic makes a breakthrough in opening AI’s ‘black box’ (Fortune) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Yahoo Is Still Here—and It Has Big Plans for AI (Wired) Inside arXiv—the Most Transformative Platform in All of Science (Wired) YouTube Video Of My Essay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone is using that new ChatGPT image generator to make Miyazaki memes. Google is taking Android development private. Are we seeing signs of an AI datacenter pullback? Now even you can do extra gig work for Instacart. And quantum computers seem to have cracked truly random random number generators. Sponsors: Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, at SELECTQUOTE.COM/RIDE Shopify.com/ride Links: OpenAI’s viral Studio Ghibli moment highlights AI copyright concerns (TechCrunch) OpenAI CEO Responds to ChatGPT Users Creating Studio Ghibli-Style AI Images (Variety) Exclusive: Google will develop the Android OS fully in private, and here's why (AndroidAuthority) Microsoft Abandons Data Center Projects, TD Cowen Says (Bloomberg) China built hundreds of AI data centers to catch the AI boom. Now many stand unused. (MIT Technology Review) Apple chips will be made in US at faster pace, says TSMC (9to5Mac) Instacart will pay shoppers to take videos of store shelves (The Verge) JPMorgan Say

It’s all AI today basically. New Gemini “thinking” models. New “deep reasoning” agents for Copilot. But the really big news is the new image generator from OpenAI. Fidelity wants to get in the stablecoin business. And if Europe wants to create its own Starlink, it’s got some serious hurdles to overcome. Links: OpenAI rolls out image generation powered by GPT-4o to ChatGPT (The Verge) Gemini 2.5 Pro is Google’s ‘most intelligent AI model’ with thinking built-in (9to5Google) Microsoft adds ‘deep reasoning’ Copilot AI for research and data analysis (The Verge) Fidelity plans to launch stablecoin in digital assets push (FT) ‘No substitute’: Europe’s battle to break Elon Musk’s stranglehold on the skies (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looks like the EU is bringing down the hammer on Meta. Waymo’s next city is Washington DC. Napster continues to live! And it has a new owner! Maybe domestic chip production can be cost competitive? And what happens if Europe decouples from Silicon Valley? Sponsors: Tonal.com promocode RIDE for $200 off Links: European Union to slap Meta with fine up to $1B or more for breaching strict antitrust rules: sources (NYPost) EToro Files for IPO Showing Commissions Jumped 46% Last Year (Bloomberg) Waymo plans robotaxi launch in Washington, DC in 2026 (The Verge) Napster pioneered music sharing over 25 years ago. It just got bought for $207 million (CNBC) Producing wafers at TSMC Arizona is only 10% more expensive than in Taiwan: TechInsights (Toms Hardware) Trump’s Aggression Sours Europe on US Cloud Giants (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Are mergers and acquisitions officially back on the menu of Silicon Valley? Are cameras coming to the Apple Watch? Devs, does your AI experience line up with your peers? And how Broadway is using AI live translation to reach new audiences. Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride Links: DNA Tester 23andMe Files Bankruptcy to Sell Firm, CEO Quits (Bloomberg) Big Startup Deals Soar to $55 Billion, Passing Quarterly Record (Bloomberg) Ticket reseller StubHub files for an IPO (Axios) AI Chip Startup FuriosaAI Rejects Meta’s $800 Million Offer (Bloomberg) Google is rolling out Gemini’s real-time AI video features (The Verge) Apple Working on Turning Watches Into AI Devices With Cameras (Bloomberg) How Software Engineers Actually Use AI (Wired) New York’s longest-running play offers AI-powered live translations to attract new audiences (Semafor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That whole thing with Meta allegedly scraping all the world’s books using LibGen is back in the news. Cloudflare is fighting AI scraping with AI slop. A super interesting executive shakeup at Apple. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: FreshBooks.com Links: The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem (The Atlantic) Cloudflare builds an AI to lead AI scraper bots into a horrible maze of junk content (The Register) Apple Shuffles AI Executive Ranks in Bid to Turn Around Siri (Bloomberg) Gmail rolling out AI-powered ‘Most relevant’ search update (9to5Google) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How the AI Boom Created the Most Valuable Monopolies in History (Bloomberg) One Man’s Crypto Windfall Is Funding a $1 Billion Space Station Dream (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SoftBank acquires a chip making startup. Nvidia says it hasn’t been approached to help save Intel. OpenAI announces another expensive AI tier. Apple TV+ is losing more than a billion dollars a year. And do Apple’s recent stumbles indicate their where Microsoft was in the Windows Vista era? Sponsors: Incogni.com/ridehome and code ridehome Links: SoftBank Seals $6.5 Billion Deal for Chip Designer Ampere (Bloomberg) Nvidia CEO says company has not been asked to buy a stake in Intel (Reuters) Nvidia to spend hundreds of billions on US supply chain, says chief (FT) A First Look at How Apple’s C1 Modem Performs With Early Adopters (Ookla) OpenAI’s o1-pro is the company’s most expensive AI model yet (TechCrunch) Apple Streaming Losses Top $1 Billion a Year (The Information) Apple innovation and execution (Benedict Evans) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The EU Commission has brought the hammer down on Apple and Google at the same time. All the big news from Nvidia’s big event yesterday. More details on that Google/Wiz deal. Two new Pebble smartwatches and Google’s new entry-level Pixel… that you can’t preorder yet. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com and promocode BRIAN Links: EU sends Apple first DMA interoperability instructions for apps and connected devices (TechCrunch) Google Search charged with breaking EU antitrust rules (The Verge) Nvidia announces Blackwell Ultra and Rubin AI chips (CNBC) The key takeaways from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s GTC keynote (SiliconAngle) NVIDIA GTC 2025 – Built For Reasoning, Vera Rubin, Kyber, CPO, Dynamo Inference, Jensen Math, Feynman (SemiAnalysis) Google's $32 billion deal for Wiz accelerated under Trump, sources say (Reuters) The first new Pebble smartwatches are coming later this year (The Verge) The Pixel 9A is a midrange phone that actually looks like a good deal (The Verge) Learn more about your a