25 Feb 2026

3h 24m

Happy Nvidia Day, Salesforce Earnings with Marc Benioff, Anthropic's New Stance on Safety | Doug O'Laughlin, Maxwell Meyer, Ben Lerer, Michael Manapat, Adam Warmoth, Connor Sweeney, Matthew Harpe

TBPN

The hosts analyze a range of topics including AI adoption rates, energy consumption by data centers, and the future of content creation. They dissect a research paper indicating that 80% of firms report AI having little impact on productivity, contrasting this with data from Stripe showing increased AI spending. The conversation explores Trump's proposal for tech companies to build their own power plants and debates whether rising energy bills are the primary concern driving opposition to AI. They question Anthropic's shift in AI safety commitments and discuss a study where AI models chose to deploy nuclear weapons in simulated war games. The hosts also examine the concentration of venture capital in AI labs, the potential for a SaaS apocalypse, and the future of marketplaces in the age of AI.

Outlines

Part 1: AI Adoption and the Reality Gap

Part 2: Macro Trends, Energy, and Global Competition

Part 3: Venture Capital and the AI IPO Landscape

Part 4: Anthropic, Safety, and Geopolitics

Part 5: Market Moves and Industry News

Part 6: Media, Espionage, and Space Technology

Part 7: Hollywood, Content, and Market Sentiment

Part 8: Hardware, Infrastructure, and Big Tech Earnings

Part 9: Startup Spotlights and Specialized AI

Open full episode in Podwise

Happy Nvidia Day, Salesforce Earnings with Marc Benioff, Anthropic's New Stance on Safety | Doug O'Laughlin, Maxwell Meyer, Ben Lerer, Michael Manapat, Adam Warmoth, Connor Sweeney, Matthew Harpe

TBPN

Part 1: AI Adoption and the Reality Gap

00:00TBPN Show Lineup: Nvidia Earnings, Salesforce, Arena Magazine, and AI Adoption

TBPN Show Lineup: Nvidia Earnings, Salesforce, Arena Magazine, and AI Adoption

02:24Debunking the 80% AI Impact Statistic: Usage, Executive Involvement, and Future Forecasts

Debunking the 80% AI Impact Statistic: Usage, Executive Involvement, and Future Forecasts

07:20The Messy Reality of Measuring AI Adoption and the Disconnect with Government Statistics

The Messy Reality of Measuring AI Adoption and the Disconnect with Government Statistics

12:05AI Adoption Predictions, Misconceptions, and the Risk of Slow Adoption

AI Adoption Predictions, Misconceptions, and the Risk of Slow Adoption

17:35Improving AI Adoption Surveys: Learning from Presidential Election Polling

Improving AI Adoption Surveys: Learning from Presidential Election Polling

Part 2: Macro Trends, Energy, and Global Competition

22:37AI as a Scapegoat for Job Loss and the Silver Lining of Overbuilt Energy Infrastructure

AI as a Scapegoat for Job Loss and the Silver Lining of Overbuilt Energy Infrastructure

27:07Debate Over a Chinese Hypercar's "Fastest Drift" Guinness World Record

Debate Over a Chinese Hypercar's "Fastest Drift" Guinness World Record

30:42AI Adoption Takes Time: Manual Reports, Red Tape, and the Speed of AI

AI Adoption Takes Time: Manual Reports, Red Tape, and the Speed of AI

Part 3: Venture Capital and the AI IPO Landscape

33:33Venture Capital Concentration in AI Labs and the Shift in IPO Timelines

Venture Capital Concentration in AI Labs and the Shift in IPO Timelines

35:57The Scale of Potential AI IPOs and the Challenge of Float Absorption

The Scale of Potential AI IPOs and the Challenge of Float Absorption

Part 4: Anthropic, Safety, and Geopolitics

38:21Anthropic Dials Back AI Safety Commitments Amidst Competitive Pressure

Anthropic Dials Back AI Safety Commitments Amidst Competitive Pressure

42:33The Nuances of AI Safety: Nuclear War Games, Government Pressure, and Vague Definitions

The Nuances of AI Safety: Nuclear War Games, Government Pressure, and Vague Definitions

47:54Anthropic's Push for Regulation and the Pentagon's Need for Claude

Anthropic's Push for Regulation and the Pentagon's Need for Claude

53:10Anthropic's Security Issues, the US Government, and the Alignment Problem

Anthropic's Security Issues, the US Government, and the Alignment Problem

Part 5: Market Moves and Industry News

57:50Stripe's Potential Interest in Acquiring PayPal and the Antitrust Implications

Stripe's Potential Interest in Acquiring PayPal and the Antitrust Implications

1:02:33Perplexity Computer's New App, Citrini's AI Thought Piece, and Kathy Wood's Response

Perplexity Computer's New App, Citrini's AI Thought Piece, and Kathy Wood's Response

1:07:34Stripe Atlas, Tether's Investment in WAPT, and the OpenAI vs. XAI Lawsuit

Stripe Atlas, Tether's Investment in WAPT, and the OpenAI vs. XAI Lawsuit

Part 6: Media, Espionage, and Space Technology

1:12:31Arena Magazine's Spy-Themed Issue and the Intersection of Espionage and Space

Arena Magazine's Spy-Themed Issue and the Intersection of Espionage and Space

1:15:10Spy Stories, American Defense Tech, and the Resolution of Satellite Imagery

Spy Stories, American Defense Tech, and the Resolution of Satellite Imagery

1:21:25Data Centers in Space, Tidal Energy, and the Political Economy of Energy

Data Centers in Space, Tidal Energy, and the Political Economy of Energy

1:27:04AI's Impact on Original Reporting, Storytelling, and the Value of Editors

AI's Impact on Original Reporting, Storytelling, and the Value of Editors

Part 7: Hollywood, Content, and Market Sentiment

1:32:51Upfront Ventures, AI-First Movie Studios, and the Future of Hollywood

Upfront Ventures, AI-First Movie Studios, and the Future of Hollywood

1:38:16The Impact of AI on Movie Budgets, Talent Leverage, and the Hollywood Middle Class

The Impact of AI on Movie Budgets, Talent Leverage, and the Hollywood Middle Class

1:42:44Vertical Short Form Video, Live Shopping, and the Challenge of Competing with Tech Giants

Vertical Short Form Video, Live Shopping, and the Challenge of Competing with Tech Giants

1:47:54Processing the Citrini Virality, Market Angst, and the Search for AI-Resistant Marketplaces

Processing the Citrini Virality, Market Angst, and the Search for AI-Resistant Marketplaces

1:52:33Labor Marketplaces, Inference Companies, and the Urgency of AI Adoption

Labor Marketplaces, Inference Companies, and the Urgency of AI Adoption

1:55:14The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of AI Investment and the Importance of Enduring Spaces

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of AI Investment and the Importance of Enduring Spaces

Part 8: Hardware, Infrastructure, and Big Tech Earnings

2:01:46Nvidia Earnings, Deflation, and the Need for Government and Company Action

Nvidia Earnings, Deflation, and the Need for Government and Company Action

2:04:02The Rapid Diffusion of AI and the Potential for Broadcast Deflation

The Rapid Diffusion of AI and the Potential for Broadcast Deflation

2:07:32The Software Engineer Job Market and the Carnage for New Entrants

The Software Engineer Job Market and the Carnage for New Entrants

2:10:18The Haterade Effect, Market Angst, and the Moats of Software Companies

The Haterade Effect, Market Angst, and the Moats of Software Companies

2:13:12Agentic Commerce, Consumer Adoption, and China as a Leading Indicator

Agentic Commerce, Consumer Adoption, and China as a Leading Indicator

2:17:22Public Cloud Instability, CPU Shortages, and the Lapping Supply Chain

Public Cloud Instability, CPU Shortages, and the Lapping Supply Chain

2:20:51TSMC Bottlenecks, Intel's Opportunity, and the Importance of Faster Model-on-a-Chip Companies

TSMC Bottlenecks, Intel's Opportunity, and the Importance of Faster Model-on-a-Chip Companies

2:25:59Nvidia Earnings Preview: Memory Price Inflation and the Power Bottleneck

Nvidia Earnings Preview: Memory Price Inflation and the Power Bottleneck