Maven takes the clout-chasing out of social media as Reddit teams up with OpenAI

May 20, 2024

The podcast dives into OpenAI's partnership with Reddit, which could revolutionize AI by using user-generated content. A new social platform, Maven, emerges, promoting genuine connections over clout-chasing likes and followers. Discussions also touch on CyberArk's $1.54 billion acquisition of Venafi, reflecting on the evolving cybersecurity landscape. Lastly, a detailed analysis of Goodcarbon's pitch deck showcases its strengths and weaknesses, shedding light on the complexities of the carbon credit market.

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INSIGHT

AI Training with Reddit

OpenAI will use Reddit's vast amount of user-generated content, providing real-time data for AI training. This partnership highlights the value of interactive online communities for generative AI development.

ANECDOTE

The Birth of Maven

Kenneth Stanley, an OpenAI alum, co-founded Maven to promote serendipitous exploration over clout-chasing. Users report feelings of nostalgia for early internet days that focused on genuine connections.

INSIGHT

Cybersecurity Consolidation

The recent acquisition of Venafi by CyberArk reflects a broader trend of larger companies absorbing smaller firms to adapt to the evolving cybersecurity landscape. This indicates a growing need for enhanced security as businesses face increasing threats.

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Last week was a big one for AI news, and one thing that stood out to us was OpenAI's deal with Reddit. Per the terms of the deal, OpenAI will get to use content from Reddit like posts and replies to train its AI, and Reddit will get access to some unspecified AI tools. Reddit's stock soared 11% in extended trading following the news.

That's not all we talked about on today's episode of Equity. This morning, Rebecca Bellan also walked us through a new social media platform called Maven that wants to do away with likes, followers and clout-chasing in favor of more serendipitous internet exploration. Maven was co-founded by OpenAI alum Kenneth Stanley and is backed by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams. Speaking of Twitter, X.com is officially live as a platform. Annoyingly for Elon Musk, so is Twitter.com.

Bellan also covered some fresh cybersecurity consolidation. Israeli security firm CyberArk has purchased Venafi out from Thoma Bravo for $1.54 billion -- that's $1 billion in cash and the rest in shares.

Before you go, don't miss the latest Pitch Deck Teardown from Haje Kamps. In today's segment Haje digs deep on Berlin-based startup Goodcarbon's deck. The startup just raised a €5.25 million (around $5.5 million) seed round to make its mark on the big business of carbon credits, and its pitch deck does a great job at showing traction, but is not so great its team slide. Listen to the end to learn more!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast.

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

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