How to Grease a Chatbot: E-Commerce Companies Seek a Backdoor Into AI ResponsesRead more

May 13, 2023 6:00 AM PDT

Samantha Whitmore has run seven marathons and six ultramarathons. Her favorite was a 44-mile rim-to-rim-to-rim run of the Grand Canyon, which she and her husband have traversed four times. “You’ll come away from the experience feeling like you are capable of anything,” she said. “It’s a mental as well as physical test.”

Whitmore, a machine-learning engineer who is currently working on a stealth artificial intelligence startup in San Francisco, Calif., tackles such extreme feats with the Hoka Speedgoat ($170), a running shoe with excellent traction. For her many road marathons, she wears her Nike Vaporflys ($250). The “it” running shoes of Silicon Valley, the sneakers are favored by tech-addled runners for their carbon plate, a thin carbon-fiber layer in the sole that acts like a springboard, letting runners expend less energy with each footfall. “The [Nike] Alphafly and Vaporfly are leaps and bounds ahead of every other racing shoe,” Whitmore said.

With the summer outdoors season approaching, we asked a batch of hard-charging tech pros for the new gear that helps them run faster, get stronger and propel their workouts.

Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
Microsoft's Satya Nadella, left, and Peter Lee. Photo by Bloomberg, Microsoft
Exclusive
How Microsoft Swallowed Its Pride to Make a Massive Bet on OpenAI
Satya Nadella didn’t want to hear it. Last December, Peter Lee, who oversees Microsoft’s sprawling research efforts, was briefing Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, and his deputies about a series of tests Microsoft had conducted of GPT-4, the then-unreleased new artificial intelligence large-language model built by OpenAI.
Art by Clark Miller
The AI Age e-commerce ai
How to Grease a Chatbot: E-Commerce Companies Seek a Backdoor Into AI Responses
When Andy Wilson’s company received its first successful client referral through ChatGPT, he was shaken to his core.
Chris Britt, co-founder and CEO of Chime.
Exclusive startups Finance
Chime’s Slowdown Highlights Limits of Bank Disruptors
Chime found a way to offer zero-fee banking services without being a bank itself. But that approach is starting to show its limits.
Art by Clark Miller
The Big Read markets Finance
The Master of Destruction Rides Again
In the spring of 2022, the irascible Wall Street short seller Marc Cohodes was in a particularly foul mood.
Art by Mike Sullivan
startups asia
Venture Capitalists Face Pressure to Divest From China
Silicon Valley venture capitalists are coming to terms with a new reality: Their once-prized China investments may be victims of a simmering cold war.
Chart by Mike Sullivan.
Data Point enterprise
Enterprise Software’s Laggards: Firms Growing Slowly And Still Burning Cash
It’s the age-old refrain in American business: You have to spend money to make money. And it’s particularly true of the tech industry, where startups pour millions into untested new businesses and technologies.