Down Round

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comThis week we’re tackling not one but two topics. And they’re both kind of related to Elon Musk.First we’re giving you an update on what’s been going on with Twitter, which despite our unshakeable faith Musk’s stewardship seems to not be doing so well. Then we dig into some new developments in the world of AI, including an open letter calling for researc…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past few years we’ve had to listen to Western governments repeatedly threaten to ban TikTok and then ultimately not do much about it. But it does seem like the conversation is heating up. Will they do it? Or will an army of Zoomers addicted to those videos where a robot voice reads Reddit posts over Minecraft footage stop them?We discuss.Links• Project Texas: The Details of TikTok’s Plan to Remain Operational in the United States — Lawfare Blog• Australia-wide ban of TikTok on government devices announced as senior politicians quit the app — The Guardian This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comWe’ve alluded a few times on the pod to the weird developments in tech industry politics over the last few years. Bitcoin! Conservatives! New societies! Things are getting weird.In today’s ep we go a little deeper, diving into the political tendencies currently driving Silicon Valley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shein is one of the world’s most insane companies, and yet flies weirdly under the radar. One of the most popular shopping platforms in the world, it is revolutionising the fast fashion industry with its incredibly vertically integrated manufacturing, marketing and e-commerce machine.We’re joined this week by writer, podcaster and former Triple J host Veronica Milsom, who recently hosted Threads, a series about the fast fashion industry.We talk about fast fashion, Shein’s particular business model, and what the future of fashion holds for certifiably swagged out and drippy boys like Raph and James.Links* Shein: The TikTok of Ecommerce - Packy McCormick and Matthew Brennan* How Shein beat Amazon at its own game and reinvented fast fashion – Rest of World This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comEvery time we think we’re done with AI episodes, they release something else. Can we catch a break?Last week, OpenAI dropped GPT-4, the latest version of the large language model which powers ChatGPT. It’s now more creativ and less frequently wrong, and it’s caused another minor freakout online.Is it all that? We discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent reports have indicated Apple is gearing up to announce its mixed-reality headset, which the company wants to be the next iPhone. CEO Tim Cook reportedly wants it to be his product legacy.So, we thought it was a good time to take a look at Apple in 2023. At the precipice. What are they up to? And are we ready to put big clunky headsets on and enter the Cookverse?Links- Tim Cook bets on Apple’s mixed-reality headset to secure his legacy – Financial Times- Inside the Tech Powering Apple’s Envelope-Pushing, Risky Mixed Reality Headset - The Information This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comDown Round listeners who don’t work in software development or associated fields are always asking us about Atlassian. What the hell do Atlassian do? Why do devs complain about Jira all the time? Why do I have to see Mike Cannon-Brookes on TV?Well, we’re here to answer your questions, and slightly more. If you know nothing about Atlassian, you’ll walk o…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comSilicon Valley Bank imploded last week, becoming the second-largest bank collapse in US history. This led to an insane meltdown within the tech industry and beyond.In this ep, we explain what happened, what it means, and offer 1-2 prolonged rants along the way. This was recorded on Monday March 13, so if anything insane happens after that which doesn’t vindicate our predictions, please give us the benefit of the doubt and assume we were right anyway.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of a two part episode, for subscribers only.In the second part of our AI doom episode, for subscribers only, we dive into the nitty gritty. What are people actually saying when they claim AI is going to kill us all? (They can be pretty vague on the specifics, after all.) Are they right? Is ChatGPT going to end your life?Let us answer these questions, and perhaps a little more. Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part one of a two part episode.With the end of a long AI winter and the rise of large language models and platforms like ChatGPT, we’re experiencing a renaissance of AI doomerism, and people making wild and bold predictions of the incoming robot apocalypse.It’s almost quaint, in a way. Charming. This week, we’re looking at the AI doomer movement, who predict we’ll all be dead at the hands of ultrasmart computers in a few short years. In part one, we chart a course of its history, and the unusual places it developed over the past couple of decades. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit downround.substack.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.