E169: Elon + OpenAI Dispute, Microplastics Alert, Groq's Surge, TikTok Dilemma, and Apple's Stumble
A Deep Dive into Today's Tech Tensions and Environmental Challenges
In our latest roundup, we delve into some of the most pressing topics in the tech and environmental sectors, armed with the latest numbers and facts to give you a clearer picture of the current landscape straight from E169.
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Elon Musk vs. OpenAI: A Legal and Ethical Quandary
Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, the AI research lab he once co-founded, has sparked a significant debate about the future direction of AI development. Musk, who reportedly contributed $45 million to OpenAI, alleges that the organization has veered off its original non-profit mission. This legal battle raises critical questions about the balance between innovation, profit, and ethical responsibility in the rapidly evolving AI industry.
Here's a quote from the podcast discussing Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI:
"I think Elon is making two points one is that when open AI was set up it was set up to to be a nonprofit and to promote AI as an open source technology that everyone could benefit from and no one large tech company would control… nonetheless the idea was that this would be open source so I think Point number one is Elon feels like the rug was pulled out from under him after he donated 40 something million dollars to this they completely changed what it was going to be…" [6]
Microplastics: A Growing Health Concern
The discovery of microplastics in human arteries has shed light on a disturbing trend. With a ratio of plastic to plaque found to be approximately 1 to 50 in patients, the health implications are becoming impossible to ignore. Studies suggest that individuals with these particles in their bloodstream have a 4.5 times higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, or death, underscoring the urgent need for action against plastic pollution.
"This microplastics thing we talked about it on the show and uh since that time I refused to open plastic bottles I'm doing all glass I'm getting rid of all this goddamn plastic I I already did glass bottles in my house cuz I'm cheap and I like to fill it from my water filter but we're uncovering more information and then I saw this headline this week that microplastics are in our blood streams in some cases and what the heck does that mean it's worse than that team of scientists in Italy collected samples from patients that had plaque" [6]
Groq and Sunny Madra: Pioneering the Next Tech Wave
The collaboration between Groq and Sunny Madra has led to remarkable achievements, with over 16,000 developers now engaged in Groq's platform and more than a thousand apps developed using their API. This momentum highlights the potential of Groq's technology to revolutionize computing, driven by a partnership that has spanned multiple successful ventures.
"This is my fourth business that I've done with Sunny Madra… Sunny's a veritable rabbit's foot… we have now 16,000 plus developers in our self-served playground, there's well over like a thousand apps that people have developed using the API… it is a real Community that's come together building around Groq." [6][7]
The TikTok Ban Debate: Security vs. Freedom
The potential ban of TikTok in the U.S. has ignited a fierce debate over national security and free expression. With bipartisan support for legislation that could make it illegal for app stores to host TikTok unless ByteDance divests it, the future of the app remains uncertain. This controversy reflects the broader challenges of regulating global tech platforms in an era of geopolitical rivalry and digital warfare.
“Bipartisan ban will the CCP agree a bipartisan group of a dozen plus lawmakers introduced a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the house this week the bill is officially called the protecting Americans from foreign adversary controlled applications act gives bite dance 165 days to divest from TikTok that's the parent company the Chinese company that owns TikTok the app that's very popular in the west especially here in America it would make it legal for companies like Apple and Google to show TikTok in their app stores as you know TikTok 170 million us users and they claim that they're headquartered headquartered in Singapore I know people who have worked at TikTok or do work at TikTok and they said that's nonsense to me the company said it has not and will not share user data with the CCP in my mind it's an obvious lie in 20121 the CCP took a board seat on bite dance Beijing based subsidiary that's according to Reuters and then in 2022 by dance admitted that it accessed IP addresses and data by journalists covering TikTok to see if they'd been in the same places as B Dan employees obviously to find leakers and by Dan claims they fired the people involved y yada last year a former head of engineering at by Dan us said CCP members had god mode access to user data in 2018" [6]
Apple's Decline: A Wake-Up Call?
Apple's recent challenges, including criticisms over anti-competitive practices and the heavy-handed treatment of developers, have sparked discussions about the company's future. With Apple now being described as a GDP plus Growth Company, concerns are growing about its ability to sustain innovation and growth in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
"I think it's the beginning of of the decay of Apple Peak Apple well let's let's get into that um there's tons of headwinds facing Apple you can add a bunch of other things to the list as well Jason yeah the thing is Apple for the last couple of years has been what is effectively what we call a GDP plus Growth Company which means that take GDP 2 3 4% maybe they can grow by a couple of percentage points more than that but they are effectively levered to GDP meaning when you look at a Facebook or an Nvidia they're growing at 50% 200% 2,000% whatever it is that's not tied to GDP they're just taking share but Apple is is a company now that grows as the as the economy of the world growth so that's not super great for its future prospects unless it can expand the surface area of where they operate…" [6]