Unpacked Podcast - Weekly Tech Deep Dive

Viggy Balagopalakrishnan, James Watterson
Unpacked Podcast - Weekly Tech Deep Dive

Dive deeper into the world of technology with Unpacked, where every week, Viggy Balagopalakrishnan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vigneshbalagopalakrishnan/] & James Watterson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-watterson-342bb349/] bring you more than just news. They dissect the layers of tech company strategies, product updates, AI developments, and policy shifts with a critical eye. Built on the belief that informed opinions are shaped by understanding the full story, Unpacked delivers research-driven insights, free from surface-level summaries and one-sided opinions.  With their extensive experience in building technology products, our hosts offer listeners a unique perspective on the 'how' and 'why' behind the latest tech news. Follow Unpacked for a no-frills, nuanced conversation on the most pressing tech topics of our time.

Episodes

  1. MAR 29

    DOJ Sues Apple & the Perplexity Hypothesis | EP9

    We dive into two meaty topics today. First, we analyze the Department of Justice's recent antitrust lawsuit against Apple. We look at the crux of their arguments, compare against past cases and debate whether Apple's lack of interoperability can be construed as anticompetitive. Second, we dive into a new crop of search engine alternatively coming up called answer engines, the most popular one today being Perplexity. We dig into how these are different from search engines, past attempts at replacing Google Search and debate whether answer engines can replace search. We also dig into nuances around informational vs commercial queries, what that means for monetization and Google's potential response to these risks. Follow us and join the conversation - every week, we provide research-based deep dives on the latest news, company strategies and trends in tech. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:32) Tee up - DOJ sues Apple (04:09) Brief summary of monopoly laws in the US (07:15) How this case's arguments compare against Google, Amazon cases (12:38) Thoughts on "performance smartphones" as a relevant market (18:20) Alleged anti competitive behavior, Apple's lack of interoperability (30:09) Answer engines, chat based search interfaces and the Perplexity hypothesis (34:29) Past attempts at replacing Google search (37:16) Can answer engines replace search (41:56) Is is easier to build an answer engine today than it was to build a search engine in the past (49:28) Informational vs commercial intent queries, hybrid interfaces (57:30) Risks for Google and what they will likely do

    1h 4m
  2. NVIDIA Explained: Origins, GPUs and AI stock bump | EP8

    MAR 13

    NVIDIA Explained: Origins, GPUs and AI stock bump | EP8

    NVIDIA has seen their valuation 5x over the last 5 years and is now worth more than $2 trillion. This week, we dive a few layers deep into the company. We start with the origin of the company and the launch of their first GPU in 1999 which unlocked several computing-heavy applications including gaming and video editing. We then talk about the NVIDIA of today that generates 78% of revenue from their AI-focused data center business (compared to 40% in 2021). Finally, we analyse what assumptions need to be true for the company's high valuation to hold up including long-term AI demand and competitive landscape. Bonus - Viggy & James share their non-financial analyst takes on whether they'd buy the stock today.  Follow us and join the conversation - every week, we provide research-based deep dives on the latest news, company strategies and trends in tech. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:28) Tee up - NVIDIA hype and steep stock growth (03:18) Company origins, first GPU launch, why GPUs matter, what is CUDA architecture, and use cases like gaming unlocked by GPUs (14:19) NVIDIA business units today, explosive growth in data center revenue driven by AI, valuation, revenue multiples compared to peers (21:04) Is there steep AI demand long term, GPU need for model training & inference (33:45) Competitors, cloud providers making chips, can NVIDIA hold market share long term (44:25) Non-financial analyst takes - will Viggy and James buy the stock today?

    48 min
  3. Instagram Curbs Political Posts & Google Unveils Gemini App | EP 5

    FEB 13

    Instagram Curbs Political Posts & Google Unveils Gemini App | EP 5

    In this episode, we dive into Meta's policy shift [https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/09/instagram-and-threads-will-no-longer-proactively-recommend-political-content/?guccounter=1] from last week, which halts the proactive recommendation of political content on platforms like Instagram Reels and Threads. We explore the criticism Meta has faced over its handling of political content, the factors driving this significant decision, the fragmented media environment, and how this decision impacts political discourse especially in an election year.   Switching gears, we dive into the launch [https://www.engadget.com/google-rebrands-its-bard-ai-chatbot-as-gemini-which-now-has-its-own-android-app-151303210.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly96ZW5jYXN0ci5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACrt6f_-Mva4Vko-ZtX9GA_26hOiPeSLqDikT3hyBg_xKCDx86EWdbFQyFozDjkrbEENAGzcTn6ogN7t26iTFemTn0eSqVQc2aZrZK6cv4x_0_oFVkOJ2FZFeHTSU82oSlNjLW1XkDPg6QCtl0NukjL9abv4Za7bSS7AwsUmfX2Q] of Google Gemini app, which is the upgraded version of web-based Google Bard. Our discussion navigates through the app's consumer value proposition, its monetization prospects (or lack thereof), and its role in Google's broader competitive strategy. We unpack what Gemini means for users and how it positions Google in the evolving tech landscape.  Follow us and join the conversation - every week, Viggy & James provide research-based deep dives on the latest news, company strategies and trends in tech.

    1h 9m

About

Dive deeper into the world of technology with Unpacked, where every week, Viggy Balagopalakrishnan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/vigneshbalagopalakrishnan/] & James Watterson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-watterson-342bb349/] bring you more than just news. They dissect the layers of tech company strategies, product updates, AI developments, and policy shifts with a critical eye. Built on the belief that informed opinions are shaped by understanding the full story, Unpacked delivers research-driven insights, free from surface-level summaries and one-sided opinions.  With their extensive experience in building technology products, our hosts offer listeners a unique perspective on the 'how' and 'why' behind the latest tech news. Follow Unpacked for a no-frills, nuanced conversation on the most pressing tech topics of our time.

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