All The Headlines, All The Model Drops...

All The Headlines, All The Model Drops...

Author: Morning Brew April 24, 2026 Duration: 23:30
DeepSeek dropped V4 Pro and V4 Flash, undercutting US labs on price by roughly 5x. OpenAI fired back with GPT-5.5, reclaiming benchmark crowns from Claude. Meta confirms 8,000 layoffs on May 20, and Google plans to invest up to $40B in Anthropic. DeepSeek releases its new flagship models V4 Pro and V4 Flash in preview, saying V4 Pro trails the performance of state-of-the-art models by about 3 to 6 months (Bloomberg) Simon Willison's comparison chart of DeepSeek V4 pricing vs. US frontier models (Simon Willison) OpenAI says "GPT-5.5 matches GPT-5.4 per-token latency in real-world serving", performs "at a much higher level of intelligence", and is more capable for Codex (OpenAI) Meta plans to cut 10% of its employees, or ~8,000 jobs, on May 20 and won't fill 6,000 open roles, trying to boost efficiency and offset its heavy AI spending (Bloomberg) Google plans to invest up to $40B in Anthropic: $10B now at a $350B valuation, with another $30B if Anthropic hits performance targets (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions A look at the AI nonprofit METR, maker of maybe the most important AI benchmark, whose time-horizon metrics are used by researchers and Wall Street to track AI development (NYT) The Infinite Machine Olto e-bike review: a more elegant solution for trips too long to walk but too short to drive (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever feel like the tech world moves too fast to keep up? Tech Brew Ride Home is that concise, insightful conversation you wish you had caught by the office coffee machine, delivered straight to your headphones. Produced by the team at Morning Brew, this daily podcast distills the essential news from Silicon Valley and beyond into a focused, fifteen-minute session designed for your commute or a short walk. Instead of drowning in headlines, you get a clear summary of what actually matters-the major deals, the intriguing controversies, and the subtle shifts that define the industry. Think of it as your audio debrief, cutting through the noise with context and a bit of wit. Each episode of this news-focused podcast ensures you’re not just informed but prepared, turning the flood of information into a manageable stream. It’s the efficient, engaging way to stay current without dedicating your entire afternoon to research, making that ride home a little smarter.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Tech Brew Ride Home
Podcast Episodes
Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” Moment? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:24
The big ruling from that big social media trial is in and it could have big implications for big tech going forward. Wikipedia bans the use of AI for creating Wikipedia entries. GitHub is about to train AI on what you do…
Sora Sinks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:10
OpenAI is abandoning Sora to do the big refocus they’ve been signaling. Meta is starting to rack up the losses in court. Is China going to block the Manus acquisition by Meta from going through? They’re not even letting…
Your Router Is Likely Banned [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:18
Buying an internet router made outside the US is now verboten. Claude can now basically fully use your computer for you. More layoffs and surprising production cuts in the gaming industry. And the two big prediction mark…
Zuck’s Personal AI Agent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:19
Mark Zuckerberg has spun up his own AI bot to do his job for him. Or help him do his job quicker, I guess. OpenAI hires an ad guru from Meta. Elon loses a case. Maybe some managers actually want you to use as many tokens…
AI Superapps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:21
OpenAI is becoming a superapp. Does Amazon really want to try its hand at a smartphone again? Google is making further steps to obviate classic Google Search in that innovator’s dilemma way. And in the Longreads, why has…
The AI Race Is Now A Land Grab For Dev And Design Work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:31
In three parts I’ll make the case that in Q1 of this year, the AI race has become basically a land grab for design and development tasks. MLB fully embraces our new prediction market overlords. Even if they’re behind in…
Crypto Gets Its Rulebook [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:48
At long last, the government has issued guidance to crypto on what is or is not allowed. The blowup from gamers has caused Jensen to push back. A tale of contrasting IPOs from wildly different industries. And is your bos…
Westworld For Real [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:56
All the headlines from Nvidia’s big event yesterday. Can Apple make fetch happen with foldable phones cause nobody else seems to be able to. One hour deliveries is the new, screw it, we’re doing five razorblades. And the…
The Mother Of All Meta Layoffs? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:56
Is Meta about to do the mother of all layoffs? New AirPods Max 2. Why OpenAI delayed its sexytime chat… the calls to do so were coming from inside the house. What does it mean if the San Francisco real estate market is r…
Is Avocado… Toast? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:16
Meta’s big new AI model is delayed because they still can’t get to state of the art. The social media addiction trial is winding down. All the video apps are going to end up looking exactly like one another eventually. A…