Hi, welcome to your Weekend!
This is Abe filling in for Jon, who returns as Weekender-in-Chief next Saturday.
If the cars, brain implants and spaceships don’t pan out, Elon Musk has a promising future as a fear-monger. His was the leading name attached to a widely discussed open letter published this week that urged a halt in artificial intelligence research, warning that AI poses “profound risks to society and humanity.” Quickly, the letter’s pushback on the AI boom received its own pushback. “The sky is not falling,” said Daniel Castro, director of the Center for Data Innovation, “and Skynet is not on the horizon.” As for Musk specifically, his motivations seem muddled at best: Tesla has long experimented with AI, and Musk is a cofounder of OpenAI. Moreover, he has considered launching his own AI startup; cajoling the industry into a pause might plausibly give Musk his best chance to catch up to the competition.
While staying in this world, I’d like to offer a respite from these Chicken Littles. In this week’s cover story, Arielle profiles Richard Socher, co-founder and CEO of You.com, a AI-powered search startup with startling promise. After a decade-plus studying AI, he started You.com in 2020 and longs to find a place for it in today's crowded market—a David battling industry Goliaths, like Google and Microsoft. (Maybe Musk too if he follows through on that startup.) “I’ve had very smart people and investors say, ‘Richard, why would you build a search company?…It's a fool’s errand,’” he admitted. Still, he’s won some major investors, including Marc Benioff’s Time Ventures, Breyer Capital and Day One Ventures.
When Socher finds time for a break, he unwinds at a 40-acre ranch in the San Mateo hills. (Arielle joined him at the $3 million property for part of her reporting, which reminded her of the “beautiful home of the programmer in ‘Ex Machina,’” she said. “Fortunately, the interview with Richard ended better than that movie.”) One of Socher’s favorite hobbies: paramotoring, which involves flying around on what resembles a propeller-powered hang-glider. Arielle declined a ride. “Tried paragliding once, and it scared the bejesus out of me. So, no thank you.”
Even in a week full of scary talk, Arielle’s story reminds me of my favorite part of the AI Wars. The people within it are such wonderfully vibrant characters, particularly the underdogs willing to aim a slingshot at a giant rival or three.
the big read
Search Has Its Goliath. Could Richard Socher Be Its David?
As Google and Microsoft remodel their search engines with AI assistants, the CEO of You.com explains to Arielle how he can do better.
market research
The Full-Body Scanners Will See You Now
High-touch body-imaging clinics are increasingly part of the executive health toolkit, attracting investments from Andreessen Horowitz, Daniel Ek and others. Zara Stone explores the growing demand for these devices, which double as both radiological spas and early warning systems.
show us everything
The Health Commandos
Annie spends an afternoon with the founders of Fount—a highly regimented fitness and supplement startup that tells its moneyed clients what to do and when to do it.
founders' keepers
Ancient Swords, Stylus Pens and Other Things CEOs Can’t Work Without
From a video game entrepreneur's gilded weapon to Arianna Huffington's Roman statue, writer Paul Armstrong has another enjoyable entry in our series that spotlights tech leaders’ treasured mementos.
Listening: Mobile Mozart
My soundtrack as I worked on this newsletter came from a vibrant rendition of Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto from the Vienna Philharmonic, followed by the forceful French cellist Gautier Capuçon playing the “Game of Thrones” theme. The track is part of a lengthy playlist called “Classical Motivation,” one of many pleasing collections within Apple’s new Classical music app. To start, there’s a robust search function that puts Spotify’s to shame, making it easier to find a specific piece, composer and conductor. And it contains playlists galore, including options perfect for classical ingenues like me: “Hidden Gems,” “Composers Undiscovered” and “Music by Mood,” among many others. The app’s not free: It’s available as a new part of Apple Music’s $10.99 monthly subscription. But, hey, go for baroque—and splurge. —Abe
Reading: Neighborhood Watch
The newest TikTok trend is…moving to Peoria, Illinois? That’s thanks to Angie Ostaszewski, an influencer on a mission to make her Midwest city a hotspot for young homeowners. So far, she’s already convinced 300 of her TikTok followers to pack up for Peoria, according to The New York Times, thanks to her compelling argument: Why throw away thousands of dollars in New York or San Francisco rent when the average cost to buy a house around her is $128,100? Plus, it’s not just about dirt-cheap prices. There’s the chance to join the town’s increasingly diverse community, too. Many of Peoria's new residents are people of color or come from lower socioeconomic classes—populations statistically less likely to become homeowners. One such Peorian, who is Black and transgender, told The Times she never expected to own a house until arriving there: “It feels like I’m ending generational curses.” —Margaux
Watching: Dragon Riders
Searching for a schmaltzy, lighthearted distraction to pop on while washing dishes or shopping online? Try “Unstable,” a new half-hour Netflix comedy starring Rob Lowe and his son, John Owen Lowe. The elder Lowe plays Ellis Dragon, a volatile and arrogant biotech executive grieving his wife’s death; fittingly, the younger Lowe plays Ellis’ son, Jackson, who reluctantly swoops in to save Daddy Dragon from a downward spiral. The Lowes do fine, but the show’s scene-stealer is actress Sian Clifford, who’s best known as Claire in “Fleabag” (of “I look like a pencil” fame). She’s Anna, the chief financial officer counterbalancing Dragon’s absurdity, and she nails some of the show’s better lines. As she rebuffs one dumb Dragon idea, she asks aloud: “What kind of dreadful CFO would I be if I didn’t approve an infrared sauna, so you could heat yourself from the inside out like a microwave burrito?” —Annie
Makes You Think
Until next Weekend, thanks for reading.
–Abe
Senior reporter, The Information
