Tech Today with Eric Tarczynski

Scott Belsky, a partner at A24 and former Chief Product Officer at Adobe, discusses the transformative power of AI in creativity. He delves into how taste is becoming a key differentiator in a sea of content and the shift toward ideation over production. Belsky emphasizes the growing importance of authenticity in storytelling, and how behind-the-scenes perspectives will be vital. He also touches on the future landscape of AI-creative collaborations and shares insights on significant tech developments making waves in the industry.

In this engaging discussion, Beezer Clarkson, Managing Director at Sapphire Partners, dives into the current landscape of venture funding from a limited partner's viewpoint. She explores the liquidity drought and its impact on fundraising, emphasizing the need for emerging managers to adapt. The rise of secondary markets as a solution for private company liquidity is examined, alongside why LPs maintain faith in venture's long-term prospects. Beezer also touches on exciting tech developments like Apple's Liquid Glass and the implications for the venture ecosystem.

Larry Cheng, co-founder and managing partner at Volition Capital, dives into the importance of capital efficiency for tech startups. He explains how companies can grow sustainably without overspending while highlighting lessons from Chewy's early days. The discussion includes the resurgence of capital expenditure in frontier tech and the potential of hardware-enabled SaaS. Cheng also analyzes Circle’s IPO, the Rippling–Deel legal conflict, and AI's impact on academic results at Alpha School, offering insightful frameworks for evaluating return on capital.

Quinn Slack, co-founder and CEO of Sourcegraph, discusses the transformative power of AI coding agents reshaping software development. He explains how Sourcegraph's tools, Cody and AMP, focus on model-product fit instead of traditional feature lists. The conversation highlights the importance of customer trust for innovation and the strategic significance of transparency in a rapidly evolving industry. Slack also touches on recent funding developments, including Anysphere's impressive raise, and the competitive landscape surrounding AI advancements in defense.

AJ Piplica, Founder and CEO of Hermeus, shares insights on the dawn of hypersonic aviation after successfully flying the Quarterhorse Mk 1. He explains the significance of hypersonic travel for both national defense and commercial aviation, highlighting the technological advancements needed. Piplica also discusses the competitive landscape between governments and private sectors in hypersonic development and envisions a future where global travel becomes unimaginably fast. Get ready to rethink air travel!

Reddit has always been a cultural force online — but today, it's also something else: a core piece of the internet’s AI infrastructure.In this episode, Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman joins Eric to talk about the company’s first year as a public company, why Reddit still feels like it’s just getting started, and how it’s navigating a new era where AI-generated content is flooding the internet. They discuss Reddit’s evolution from a link aggregator to a community engine, the irony of becoming an LLM training backbone, and why Huffman thinks Reddit can preserve its human core even as it grows.We also covered recent headlines including SpaceX’s projected $15.5 billion in revenue for 2025, Meta’s billion-dollar deal to extend the life of an Illinois nuclear plant, Colossal Labs’ plan to release dire wolf howls later this year, and Amazon’s newly announced film about the OpenAI boardroom drama.

Today on Tech Today, Kyle is joined by Zavain Dar, founder and managing partner of Dimension, to talk about what he calls the “self-inflicted corrosion” of American hegemony. In a viral tweet, Zavain laid out two pillars of the U.S.’s strength, immigrant-driven innovation and global alliances, and argued that both are being systematically undermined. In this episode, he explains why the U.S. is pouring concrete over the very wellspring of scientific and technological leadership that made it dominant for decades.They also discuss the immigrant roots of America’s most valuable companies, the geopolitical dynamics forcing allies to hedge toward China, and how elite researchers and founders are starting to bypass the U.S. altogether.We also covered Neuralink’s $650 million raise, xAI’s $5 billion debt deal, IBM’s Seek AI acquisition, and TechCrunch’s exit from Europe.

Jeremy Neufeld, Director of Immigration Policy at the Institute for Progress, explains how immigration fuels American innovation, especially in tech. He discusses the crucial role of student visas and H-1Bs in powering AI startups, revealing that 70% of founders come from this pipeline. Neufeld highlights the risks of policy missteps that let other countries, like China, gain an edge. He also proposes a more talent-friendly immigration system that could strengthen national security while promoting innovation.

Marc Freed-Finnegan, co-founder and CEO of Chalk, explores the critical shift from AI training to real-time inference. He dives into why fresh data is vital for AI infrastructure and how Chalk achieves sub-5ms pipelines for clients like Whatnot and MoneyLion. Marc also discusses challenges in implementing AI in businesses and the need for robust infrastructure. Plus, he shares insights on innovations across industries, from fintech to e-commerce, emphasizing the transformative power of real-time data in enhancing customer experiences.

Sam Bowman, Editor of Works in Progress and Head of Publishing at Stripe, dives into the under-discussed regulatory science behind nuclear energy costs. He details how the Linear No Threshold model and ALARA principle led to financial stagnation in nuclear power. The conversation also touches on innovative ideas for global improvement, industry insights including Salesforce's acquisition of Informatica, and challenges in the tech job market. Bowman's blend of optimism and practicality shines through, urging a rethinking of regulatory standards that have hindered nuclear development.