Down Round

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comGaming, which was considered a nasty little hobby for maladjusted dweebs as recently as 2018, is now as important to the global economy as healthcare and the natural resources industry.OK, maybe that’s not true. But anyway. Gaming is big business, and it’s become deeply intertwined with the rest of the tech industry. This week, we’re talking about how t…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comThe history of tech is littered with rivalries. Apple vs. Microsoft. Netflix vs. Amazon. PlayStation vs. Xbox. IBM vs. HP. Raph vs. Henno.Microsoft vs. Google is one you hear about slightly less. But it’s been thrust to the forefront of the discourse now as the two companies battle in the world of AI and Google tries to tackle the ChatGPT threat. But the rivalry goes back far longer and deeper than that. We dig in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comSports betting. It’s an enduring part of Australian culture, where having a flutter on your sport of choice is as natural as breathing oxygen, or putting your paycheque through the pokies, or having a flutter on something else like the dishlickers at Wentworth Park. But sports betting is even more topical now that it has swept through the US in the wake of a Supreme Court decision back in 2018. Now it looks like Australia’s obsessive sports betting culture is hitting the global mainstream.To dig through the detritus of the tech-enabled sports betting universe, we’re joined by Down Round repeat guest Mark Di Stefano, a reporter at the Australian Financial Review. We don’t even invite him at this point, he just wanders into the studio like he owns the place.LinksHow Sports Betting Hit the Mainstream in America – NY TimesSportsbet under investigation for dodging online betting rules – AFRSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit downround.substack.comReddit. Once infamous as a haven for libertarians, endless arguments about video games and borderline illegal porn, it has managed to survive the last decade of internet development as one of the last genuinely useful online communities.We dive into the history, the culture, and why ‘Reddit’ has become one of the most common and effective Google search …See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instant grocery (also known as instant commerce, 10-minute grocery, ultrafast delivery and a million other names) was one of the hottest categories globally at the tail end of the last investment craze. It seemed every major city had 3-5 companies trying to be the one to deliver you a bag of oranges at superhuman speed.Now it doesn’t look so hot. In Australia, only Milkrun is left, with Voly and Send having collapsed already. And it’s looking shaky for Milkrun too.What happened? Was instant grocery doomed from the start? How can they fix it? And where can a guy get toothpaste in five friggen minutes in this town??Links* Milkrun, the last local grocery delivery standing, is still trying to find fresh capital after raising $75 million - Startup Daily* Instant grocery delivery app Send collapses - Sydney Morning Herald 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.comThe creator economy was one of the most hyped sectors at the tail end of the last boom, promising that anyone with an iPhone and a $15 ring light could become a phenomenally wealthy celebrity if they just believed in themselves. It even convinced two crazy-ass white boys from Sydney they could become successful Substack podcasters.Now the dust has settled, was the hype justified? We’re talking everything from YouTubers and Instagram influencers to link-in-bio startups and whatever the hell Mr Beast does on this week’s episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The tech industry has had a long-time obsession with revolutionising food and the way we eat. From Soylent, the nutrient slurry intended for lifehacking programmers to optimise their sad lives, to the current obsession with plant-based and cell cultured meat, there are always venture-backed startups trying to disrupt the crap we stuff into our chompholes.We dive in.Links* Fake Meat Was Supposed to Save the World. It Became Just Another Fad” - Bloomberg* The original Soylent blog 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.comSince the last time we did an episode about AI, there’s been enough movement that we are being dragged back in. Join us… A few updates we dive into:– Microsoft is deepening its investment in OpenAI, and integrating it into its cloud computing offering and software like Office.– Google has called a “code red” and plans to roll out more customer-facing AI stuff this year and next.– ChatGPT is turning into a paid product.– Artists are becoming angrier and angrier about AI image generation, and the culture war is getting more intense.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Down Round’s 50th episode. We’re celebrating this momentous occasion by discussing a real upper of a topic: the avalanche of layoffs which have hit the tech industry over the past several months. So what’s going on? Is the world economy about to collapse? Or are these hugely profitable big tech companies working themselves into a tizzy? 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.comFans of tech scams will enjoy the first big one of the year. Frank, the student loan startup acquired by U.S. bank JP Morgan, turned out to be less of a business and more of a fraudulent Excel spreadsheet. We discuss how it fits in among the greats.Links* JP Morgan Says Startup Founder Used Millions Of Fake Customers To Dupe It Into An Acquisition – ForbesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.