Tech Gumbo

Haggai Davis
  • 5.0 (4)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We started Tech Gumbo in Nov 2014 as a conversational show of news, information & updates about the past, present & future of all things technology in a topical, interesting and digestible way.

  1. 1D AGO

    AI Taxes, Screenless Wearables, and Google's Chromebook Successor

    News and Updates: AI Compute Tax Debate: Economists and policymakers are debating taxing AI processing power to offset job displacement and fund social services, though critics argue it's too blunt a tool. AI Dividend Proposal: NY congressional candidate Alex Bores unveiled an "AI Dividend" plan funding direct payments to Americans through a token tax on AI consumption and equity stakes in frontier AI firms. Screenless Fitness Trackers Surge: Screenless wearables like Oura Ring and Whoop are booming, with U.S. fitness tracker purchases up 88% and smart ring sales up 195% between 2024 and 2025. Canvas Hacker Payout: Instructure, maker of the Canvas education platform, reached an undisclosed "agreement" with the ShinyHunters hacking gang after a breach exposed data from 275 million users across 9,000 institutions. FCC Router Ban vs. Supply Chain: AT&T warned the FCC that a global DRAM and NAND flash shortage, driven by AI deployments, is complicating compliance with its ban on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers. Google Unveils Googlebook: Google announced a new laptop line called Googlebooks running a fused Android/ChromeOS platform, featuring Gemini AI integration and a "Magic Pointer," with hardware partners including Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

    22 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Dating App Lawsuit, Meta Smart Glasses Scandal, N.M. vs. Meta, OpenAI's Goblin Ban, PodSlop, and Gov’t AI Oversight

    News and Updates: Dating App Steals Student's Image: A Tennessee college student sued dating app Meete for allegedly taking her TikTok video without consent and geofencing it as a "friends with benefits" ad to nearby men. Meta Glasses Workers See Too Much: Kenyan data workers reviewing Meta smart glasses footage reported seeing graphic content, including nudity. Meta then cancelled its contract with their employer, Sama. Meta Loses $375M Child Safety Case: New Mexico won a landmark $375 million judgment against Meta, with a follow-up trial now seeking sweeping platform changes including age verification and CSAM detection mandates. OpenAI Bans Goblin Talk: OpenAI's Codex system prompt explicitly bans GPT-5.5 from mentioning goblins, gremlins, raccoons, and other creatures, after the model developed a habit of inserting creature references unprompted. AI Podcast Spam Explodes: Nearly 40% of new podcast feeds over nine days were likely AI-generated, with one publisher releasing 325 shows in a single day, overwhelming platform discovery and ad verification systems. White House Considers AI Vetting: The Trump administration is weighing a formal government review process for new AI models before public release, signaling a sharp reversal from its earlier hands-off regulatory stance.

    22 min

  3. MAY 11

    Photoshop's Origin, Gemini in Cars, Samsung Smart Glasses, Starlink's Growth, Utah VPN Law, BlackBerry's Comeback, and Google Translate Turns 20

    News and Updates: Photoshop's Accidental Origin: A 1987 PhD student's grayscale display fix evolved into Adobe Photoshop, launching commercially in 1990 and reshaping photography, publishing, and design forever. Gemini Hits the Road: Google is rolling out its Gemini AI to millions of cars with Google built-in, enabling natural, conversational interaction for navigation, tasks, and hands-free responses. Gemini Ads Coming Soon: Google's chief business officer signaled openness to placing ads inside the Gemini app, shifting from its previously ad-free stance amid growing monetization pressure. Samsung Smart Glasses Leaked: Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Glasses, code-named "Jinju," rival Meta's Ray-Bans with a 12MP camera and Snapdragon chip, priced between $379 and $499. Starlink Poised for Explosive Growth: A Starlink chip supplier projects LEO satellite internet subscribers will surpass 100 million by 2028, driven by falling hardware costs and new global competitors. Utah VPN Law Takes Effect: Utah became the first U.S. state to hold websites liable for users masking locations via VPNs, drawing criticism as technically unenforceable and harmful to privacy. BlackBerry's Quiet Comeback: BlackBerry's QNX software powers 275 million vehicles worldwide, now representing half the company's revenue and driving four consecutive profitable quarters for the once-struggling brand. Google Translate Turns 20: Google Translate now serves one billion monthly users across nearly 250 languages, adding AI-powered pronunciation practice and real-time conversation features to mark its 20th anniversary.

    22 min

  4. MAY 7

    Claude's Mythos Too Powerful, DeepSeek, OpenAI Misses Targets, Anthropic Hits $1 Trillion, and Taylor Swift TMs Her Voice

    News and Updates: Claude Mythos Finds Thousands of Flaws: Anthropic's unreleased Claude Mythos AI autonomously discovered thousands of zero-day vulnerabilities, including a 27-year-old OpenBSD flaw and critical Linux kernel exploits, without human assistance. DeepSeek V4 Goes Public: Chinese AI firm DeepSeek released V4, an open-source model matching top closed-source competitors at a fraction of the cost, with a 1-million-token context window and dramatic memory efficiency gains. OpenAI Misses Growth Targets: OpenAI reportedly fell short of internal ChatGPT user and revenue goals, rattling investors and sending Nvidia, AMD, Oracle, and CoreWeave shares lower in pre-market trading. Anthropic Surpasses $1 Trillion Valuation: Secondary market demand for Anthropic shares has pushed its valuation to $1 trillion on Forge Global, now trading above OpenAI despite OpenAI's larger official valuation of $852 billion. Taylor Swift Trademarks Her Voice and Likeness: Swift filed three U.S. trademark applications covering specific spoken phrases and a stage performance image, aiming to establish legal protection against unauthorized AI-generated deepfakes. Legal experts note Swift's approach of trademarking her voice is unprecedented in court, but could set a new legal standard for how public figures protect their identities in the AI era.

    22 min

  5. MAY 4

    Tim Cook's Apple Exit, Facebook Scam Billions, Mandatory Car Surveillance, and Prediction Market Insider Trading

    News and Updates: Tim Cook Retires as Apple CEO: Cook's 15-year tenure ends Sept. 1; his supply chain discipline built a trillion-dollar company. Incoming CEO John Ternus faces pressure to sustain both innovation and operational excellence. Apple's Succession Question: New CEO John Ternus is a proven hardware engineer, but analysts question whether he can manage Apple's complex global supply chain the way Cook did. Facebook Leads Social Scam Losses: Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, with Facebook alone accounting for $745 million in reported losses, per a new FTC report. Federal Car Surveillance Mandate: A 2021 federal law requires all new vehicles by 2027 to include infrared driver-monitoring technology that can detect impairment and limit vehicle speed or prevent ignition. The new car surveillance mandate raises fears about biometric data sharing with insurers, while adding an estimated $100–$500 per vehicle in costs passed to consumers. Hairdryer Rigged Weather Bets: Someone allegedly used a battery-powered hairdryer to manipulate a Paris airport temperature sensor, winning approximately $34,000 on Polymarket before French weather authorities filed a formal complaint. Soldier Arrested for Prediction Market Insider Trading: U.S. Special Operations soldier Gannon Van Dyke was arrested for betting classified intel on Maduro's capture, turning a $33,000 Polymarket wager into over $400,000 in profit. Van Dyke's indictment marks the first DOJ case for insider trading on a prediction market, signaling increased federal scrutiny of platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi.

    22 min

  6. APR 23

    AI Index Trust Gap, Orbital Compute Cluster, Computing Power Crunch, and Data Center Backlash

    News and Updates: Stanford AI Trust Gap: The 2026 AI Index reveals a widening divide: while 56% of experts feel positive about AI, only 10% of the public agrees. Orbital Compute Launch: Canada’s Kepler Communications successfully launched an orbital cluster of 10 satellites using Nvidia processors, proving software can operate effectively in space. Compute Power Shortage: Soaring demand for autonomous "agentic" AI is causing severe compute rationing, forcing companies like OpenAI to scrap products to prioritize enterprise tools. Wisconsin Data Center Referendum: Port Washington voters passed a landmark referendum requiring community approval for large-scale data projects receiving more than $10 million in tax benefits. Texas Tax Break Scrutiny: Texas data center tax breaks are ballooning toward $1.8 billion annually, prompting state lawmakers to consider repeal or stricter oversight for 2027.

    22 min

  7. APR 20

    Roblox Safety Tiers, Netgear FCC Exemption, Meta Ad Dominance, Copilot Debrand, Netflix Rate Hikes

    News and Updates: Roblox Age Tiers: Roblox is introducing "Roblox Kids" and "Roblox Select" tiers in June, implementing strict chat and content restrictions based on age-specific maturity labels. Roblox now requires video selfies or ID uploads for chat usage, despite concerns over biometric data privacy and the resale of verified accounts. Netgear FCC Exemption: The FCC granted Netgear a temporary exemption from the foreign-made router ban after the Defense Department found no national security risks. Meta Overtakes Google: Meta is projected to become the world’s top digital advertiser this year, surpassing Google with an estimated $243.46 billion in net revenue. Meta’s success is fueled by Reels and AI recommendation systems, which increased U.S. watch time by 30% and improved video-generation ad tools. Windows 11 De-branding: Microsoft is removing "Copilot" branding from apps like Notepad and Snipping Tool, opting for more generic labels like "Writing Tools" and "Advanced features." Netflix Price Hikes: Netflix raised monthly subscription prices for every tier by up to 12.5%, with the Premium ad-free plan now reaching a high of $27.

    22 min

  8. APR 16

    Kalshi Legal Wins, Microsoft’s AI Roadmap, Claude Integration, and Data Center Delays

    News and Updates: Kalshi Prediction Markets: Kalshi is a federally regulated exchange where users trade "yes/no" contracts on real-world events like elections and interest rates, recently valued at $22B. A federal court ruled Kalshi’s sports bets are "swaps," giving the federal government exclusive jurisdiction and preventing states like New Jersey from banning them. Copilot "Entertainment" Clause: Microsoft faced backlash over terms calling Copilot "for entertainment purposes only." Officials claim this is legacy language and will be updated to reflect professional use. Microsoft’s 2027 Goal: Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman announced a plan to build "state-of-the-art" frontier models by 2027 to reduce reliance on external partners like OpenAI. Claude 365 Integration: Anthropic released a Microsoft 365 connector for all Claude users, allowing the AI read-only access to Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive for better context. Data Center Bottlenecks: Nearly half of U.S. data centers planned for 2026 face delays or cancellation due to power grid shortages and a lack of critical electrical components.

    22 min
See All (102)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

We started Tech Gumbo in Nov 2014 as a conversational show of news, information & updates about the past, present & future of all things technology in a topical, interesting and digestible way.

Information

  • Creator
    Haggai Davis
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    102
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Tech Gumbo

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