Written in 1931 and published in 1932, 'Brave New World' is a dystopian novel set in a futuristic World State where humans are bred in vitro and predestined into a rigid social hierarchy. The novel explores themes of technological advancement, social conditioning, and the loss of individuality and freedom. The story revolves around characters such as Bernard Marx, an Alpha who questions the society, Mustapha Mond, the World Controller, and John, a 'Savage' from a reservation who introduces elements of emotion and individuality into the highly controlled World State. The novel critiques the optimism of technological progress and its potential to create a society that values stability and happiness over humanity and freedom[2][4][5].
Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.
Is training AI on copyrighted content stealing, or just learning? A major U.S. court just weighed in, and the verdict could rewrite the rules for startups using generative AI.
Too many founders assume "training data" is fair game but that blind spot could cost them billions. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad, experienced startup operators and product strategists, dive into a landmark copyright ruling and what it means for anyone building with AI.
They also explore why AI voice transcription tools are finally taking off after decades of mediocrity, and react to a deeply unsettling video from tech billionaire Peter Thiel, revealing Silicon Valley’s growing influence on politics and democracy.
In this episode, you will:
- Understand why a U.S. court ruled Anthropic’s AI training methods as partially legal—and partially not
- Learn the difference between fair use and piracy when it comes to LLM training
- Discover why AI voice dictation is suddenly scaling and attracting huge VC funding
- Explore the product strategy lesson behind voice tech’s decades-long false start
- Unpack how timing, quality, and market readiness affect product-market fit
- Hear the dark side of Silicon Valley power through a rare Peter Thiel clip
ChatGPT’s takeover plan: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16S97eepGe/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Peter Thiel's philosophy: https://youtu.be/45o8tQMGtvU?si=QrJ48xsAdQS-MxAC&t=264
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Key links
Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A
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Learn more about Chris and Yaniv
Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/
Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/
Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/
Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur
Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/
The Startup Podcast 
