The Information

How (Not?) to Exit Your AI Company, Analyzing the New Google-Apple Tie Up

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 22, 2024 10:42am PDT

There are weeks when it is really fun to be a reporter! And then even more fun to discuss what is happening with your friends! This was one of those. Lots of AI news, a Reddit IPO and more. I hope you enjoy! Apple Spotify There are weeks when it is really fun to be a reporter! And then even more fun to discuss what is...

Hartz and Minds and TikTok w/ Special Guest Julia Hartz

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 15, 2024 10:12am PDT

There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz posed a question that stuck with me. How do we help our kids manage smartphones when we, as adults, don't have a handle on our usage? It prompted an interesting discussion that framed this episode. I hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify YouTube... There was a moment in this week's episode when our special guest Eventbrite CEO Julia...

TikTok’s Latest Crisis, Elon’s Emails, AI Monopolies

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 8, 2024 10:19am PST

A potential TikTok ban is back in the news—and this attempt feels different. Plus, Musk on the attack and more on this week's More or Less. Hope you enjoy! Apple Spotify A potential TikTok ban is back in the news—and this attempt feels different. Plus, Musk on...

RIP Apple Car, Google’s AI Reality Problem, Long Live Consumer Tech

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 1, 2024 1:00pm PST

RIP Apple Car, Google’s AI Reality Problem, Long Live Consumer Tech

By Jessica E. Lessin · Mar 1, 2024 1:00pm PST

This week, the gang of More of Less had a lot to chat about. The Morins gave us the download from what they called the "most premier VC conference" around. The event was surely a sign that the venture capital industry is not dead (or at least doesn't believe it is dead). We also couldn't refrain from armchair... This week, the gang of More of Less had a lot to chat about. The Morins gave us the download from...

2024 IPO Dreams, Apple’s Sports Game and Reddit’s Biz Gamble

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 23, 2024 10:44am PST

This week, the drama that has been brewing across the tech industry entered another gear. Top of mind: Reddit, OpenAI and investors that don't see eye to eye with CEOs. Hope you enjoy! Apple Spotify This week, the drama that has been brewing across the tech industry entered another gear....

7 Trillion Reasons Why

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 16, 2024 2:08pm PST · 6 comments

After a week of going full Vision Pro, the Lessins' reaction may surprise you. (It certainly surprised me.) This week's podcast covered all of that and zoomed out with some predictions about how this next tech battleground will play out. Plus, our take on the string of AI headlines this week. And the return of Pop Culture Corner! ... After a week of going full Vision Pro, the Lessins' reaction may surprise you. (It...

Yes/No, Vision Pro? w/Special Guest Brian Singerman, Founders Fund

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 9, 2024 11:21am PST

You rarely know where new technology is going to lead. In some ways, Apple's Vision Pro has seemed like a watershed product. Some believe it is the start of how computing will look five, ten, twenty years from now. Others think it is essentially a flat-screen television—the latest cool entertainment device. We debated that, of... You rarely know where new technology is going to lead. In some ways, Apple's Vision Pro has...

Taylor Swift vs. MrBeast w/ Casey Neistat and Ricky Van Veen

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 2, 2024 1:07pm PST · 1 comment

Taylor Swift vs. MrBeast w/ Casey Neistat and Ricky Van Veen

By Jessica E. Lessin · Feb 2, 2024 1:07pm PST · 1 comment

What a special week! This week we sat across the table from two of our favorite digital media personalities, filmaker and YouTuber Casey Neistat and Ricky Van Veen, the co-founder of CollegeHumor and a VP of partnerships at Meta. Between the six of us, we covered everything from the downsides of true digital fame to how AI will and... What a special week! This week we sat across the table from two of our favorite digital...

Fintech Struggles, Netflix Rises and ‘Big’ is Winning

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 26, 2024 12:46pm PST

It's been a bleak week. From the blood bath in the news industry to further job cuts throughout tech, 2024 is off to a brutal start. Unless you're Netflix. Plus, why we're so into football, pop culture and peptides at the moment. That and more on this week's More or Less. Apple Spotify It's been a bleak week. From the blood bath in the news industry to further job cuts...

Is the Year of Startup Austerity Over? What Can Save the News Business?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 12, 2024 11:44am PST

There are few topics as polarizing in tech and media today as the question of whether AI companies should compensate media professionals for training their models on copyrighted work. On this fight, the gang of More or Less mostly agree—but with some interesting nuances. That and which startups will and won't make it in 2024... There are few topics as polarizing in tech and media today as the question of whether AI...

What We Got Right and Wrong in ‘23 and Calls for ‘24

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 22, 2023 6:11pm PST

2024 is going to be a big year for tech. And already, the More or Less gang is taking opposite sides on the launches to come. For our final episode of 2023, it was fun to look ahead (and back) on a wild, wild year. To what we got right and wrong and to a very happy holiday. Episode below, and we'll see you in 2024. ... 2024 is going to be a big year for tech. And already, the More or Less gang is taking opposite...

Make Number Go Up, and the Problem with Nonprofits

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 15, 2023 4:41pm PST · 1 comment

Make Number Go Up, and the Problem with Nonprofits

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 15, 2023 4:41pm PST · 1 comment

"Hodgepodge with a theme" is what I am calling this week's episode of More or Less. The hodgepodge is all the week's headlines, from the latest in AI to some eye-popping VC moments. The theme: What's the next shoe to drop? I feel it in the air. Do you? Hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify "Hodgepodge with a theme" is what I am calling this week's episode of More or Less....

Google Gemini Meet Crypto-Cyber-Crystals

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 8, 2023 11:29am PST

One of the things I enjoy most about recording More or Less every week is learning to use all the new tech creators have at their fingertips. To that end, Dave found a new feature that used AI to compile the show note summaries for this episode. I think they are pretty great. That's the beauty of AI: making... One of the things I enjoy most about recording More or Less every week is learning to use...

TikTok, Porn and the Immediate Risks of AI

By Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 1, 2023 11:31am PST · 4 comments

One of the things I loved about this week's episode is that it got out of abstract questions about the future of AI and into the here and now implications. That led the gang to TikTok and the future of the app. A big thanks to Brit for moderating this week's episode as my one hour at the DMV turned into two and a half and I missed... One of the things I loved about this week's episode is that it got out of abstract questions...

Sam Altman: Religious Cult Leader or CEO?

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 22, 2023 12:22pm PST · 3 comments

In a crash pod filmed hours before The Information broke Sam Altman would be returning to OpenAI, the More or Less gang got to the root of why the last five days of chaos around OpenAI is like nothing we've seen before in business. For those of you looking for the broader significance—and where the industry goes next—this... In a crash pod filmed hours before The Information broke Sam Altman would be returning to...

Why (and How) SMBs and Creators Will Win With AI, the New Financing Contracts, and More

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 17, 2023 9:27am PST · 3 comments

Why (and How) SMBs and Creators Will Win With AI, the New Financing Contracts, and More

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 17, 2023 9:27am PST · 3 comments

A few weeks ago, Sam predicted the end of the "venture capital industrial complex," a term he coined to refer to the old way of doing things in the industry. And so, I asked him this week, how—amid news of major new fundraises—that was holding up. That, and lots more, on this week's episode of More or Less. Apple ... A few weeks ago, Sam predicted the end of the "venture capital industrial complex," a...

Your GPT Will Make More Money Than Your Substack? Please Tell Us More…

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 10, 2023 12:58pm PST

So, have you built your GPT yet? What are you going to try first? It will not surprise you that the More or Less gang was brimming with ideas about OpenAI's lastest demos and what they mean for the AI arms race. Some of us had some skeptism, of course. Still, a big week, and we had a lot of fun unpacking it and sharing the pop culture... So, have you built your GPT yet? What are you going to try first? It will not surprise you that...

AI Regulation, War and the Future of the American Tech Stack

By Jessica E. Lessin · Nov 3, 2023 12:01pm PDT

This week, the United States and the European Union tipped their hands on how they plan to regulate AI. The rules amounted to a sea change in the relationship bewteen tech businesses and the government and spurred a whole lot of thinking on our part about what comes next. We hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify This week, the United States and the European Union tipped their hands on how they plan to...

The New Founder Mindset: The End of the Product-Focused CEO

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 27, 2023 10:24am PDT · 3 comments

People often ask me how being a founder changes how I report on founders. Let me count the ways! I got the chance to discuss some of them as the gang debated the state of founderhood and some prominent founders of the moment. I hope you enjoy. Apple Spotify People often ask me how being a founder changes how I report on founders. Let me count the...

Answering for Misinformation: The New York Times Needs To Be Held to Account

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 20, 2023 2:15pm PDT · 23 comments

Answering for Misinformation: The New York Times Needs To Be Held to Account

By Jessica E. Lessin · Oct 20, 2023 2:15pm PDT · 23 comments

All of us at More or Less are quite upset about the continued proliferation of misinformation about Hamas's ongoing terrorism against Israel. That, sadly, includes coverage from legacy media sites like the New York Times. It's okay to make mistakes. But it is imperative that leaders own up to—and fix—them. I hope you... All of us at More or Less are quite upset about the continued proliferation of misinformation...