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Down Round

Down Round

A Technology and Business podcast

#31 in Technology · 🇦🇺 #110 in Technology · 🇳🇿
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About the show

The number one podcast about tech business and culture, from James "JR" Hennessy and Raph Dixon.

Newest episodes

The Spy Who Shagged Me 2 Starring Jensen Huang

47 min

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been outed as having had an affair with Alice Huang (no relation), a Chinese businesswoman suspected of being a spy. Not only is it juicy gossip, but it's got the markets and the establishment in a tizzy about what it means for his role in US AI supremacy. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.https://linktr.ee/downround See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

R.I.P The Free Internet

45 min

Reddit's CEO has stated that the forum site will move to “a logged-in-only experience”, and has pointed the finger at AI for forcing this change. When you ask google "Best Computer to buy 2026 Reddit" it now gives you the reddit consensus in it's summary, you're no longer browsing Reddit and giving them precious ad revenue. Is this the last domino to fall for the death of the 'free internet' as we once knew it? And moreover, does that even matter?   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Monumentally Important Episode

5 min

Years in the future historians will cite this humble podcast episode as a first hand account of an irreversible shift. There is now only the before and the after.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All episodes

The newest 50 of 315 episodes

The Spy Who Shagged Me 2 Starring Jensen Huang

47 min

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been outed as having had an affair with Alice Huang (no relation), a Chinese businesswoman suspected of being a spy. Not only is it juicy gossip, but it's got the markets and the establishment in a tizzy about what it means for his role in US AI supremacy. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.https://linktr.ee/downround See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

R.I.P The Free Internet

45 min

Reddit's CEO has stated that the forum site will move to “a logged-in-only experience”, and has pointed the finger at AI for forcing this change. When you ask google "Best Computer to buy 2026 Reddit" it now gives you the reddit consensus in it's summary, you're no longer browsing Reddit and giving them precious ad revenue. Is this the last domino to fall for the death of the 'free internet' as we once knew it? And moreover, does that even matter?   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Monumentally Important Episode

5 min

Years in the future historians will cite this humble podcast episode as a first hand account of an irreversible shift. There is now only the before and the after.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BONUS: Richard Cooke Book Launch Interview

59 min

Friend of the pod Richard Cooke has published his new book - The Last Best Place on the Internet: A Human History of Wikipedia. At his book launch in Sydney, James and Raph of Down Round podcast fame sat down for a discussion of the work, the human interest story behind it, and of course AI. Grab yourself a copy of the book here: https://richardcooke.com/books Recorded live at Gleebooks Sydney on 15/10/26 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tesla Roadster And Apple Home

32 min

Elon Musk and his cronies over at Tesla had an event last week where they showed off the latest version of the Roadster. You may be thinking 'hey, didn't they announce that car like 8 years ago?' Yes, they did, yet it remains unreleased. Tesla have also kicked that can down the road another 2 years, announcing a 2028 release. Who better to detangle this web of theatrics than Henno and the Riph Raph.Also, Raph gives his thoughts on the newly announced Apple Homeview, a device which should be right up his alley as an Apple Home user. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Firmus IPO Disaster

39 min

Over the course of a week, Aussie neocloud company Firmus went from expecting a $40B IPO to cancelling it all together. The company and its Co-CEO Oliver Curtis have, to some, become a punching bag for the media and online critics alike. On the other hand, some are suggesting that Australia's 'tall poppy syndrome' may be obscuring a key opportunity for the country to get a slice of the AI pie. In this episode, Raph and Jimbo take us through the media circus day-by-day to diagnose what went wrong. Get your tickets for the Richard Cooke Book launch AKA Down Round LIVE (GET IN QUICK, ONLY STANDING ROOM LEFT!): https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1647769 If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hallowed Be Thy Tokens

34 min

Some higher-up from Anthropic tried to talk the Pope into conceding that AI agents have a consciousness. Your hosts, Henno and The Riph Raph, discuss why they would make this claim, whether it's a possibility, and what it really means to be sentient.Get your tickets for the Richard Cooke Book launch AKA Down Round LIVE: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1647769If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did Sam Altman Steal My Medicare Card?

31 min

OpenAI "hacked" an Australian Government website and said NOTHING!? Well, sort of?Albo pulled up his big boy pants and stormed up to New York on Thursday to tell the world and Sam Altman that he was displeased with OpenAI's recklessness in allowing their bots to scrape the "Medicare statistics reporting service portal". But, it didn't necessarily break any laws - it didn't use any passwords or workarounds - it just found some unprotected files and took them for research. Raph and James hike up some big boy pants of their own to get to the bottom of what really went down, and whether or not we should be freaking out about it.  Get your tickets for the Richard Cooke Book launch AKA Down Round LIVE: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1647769If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI for the Normies

44 min

Raph and James sit down to answer a simple question: what the hell does an average person need an AI agent for?This question arises from the recent launch of Joe Schmoe-targeted agentic AI platforms like Instinct and Meta's Muse. Until now, AI agents have been the pipe dreams of techno sickos, who aim to use them for nefarious means like booking pickleball courts. Are the normies ready to start agentically booking holidays?Richard Cooke Book launch AKA Down Round LIVE: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1647769   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I Don't Wanna Be A Paperclip

44 min

After a former Anthropic employee went on a press tour telling everyone he quite because the stuff they're cooking up is big and scary, a whole new round of discourse has hit the proverbial fan. Many of the big players have come out to say "yes, we SHOULD be pumping the breaks!" but only in a particular way and without too much government intervention? There's a whole lot to dig through and a whole lot of ulterior motives at play here, and Henno and The Riph Raph are here to get to the bottom of it. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AGI is here?

34 min

Artificial General Intelligence. Computers using computers. Computers getting Raph a coffee because he yelled "me coffee". Computers curing diseases before we even discover them. Computers discovering the infinite money glitch and creating a work-free utopia. Sound familiar? Well, it should! Because clearly, since the release of OpenAI's GPT-6: Astra, Artificial General Intelligence has been achieved! We're here! Take-off! Well, kind of? If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flock Cameras: Safety or Surveillance?

27 min

In the past few years, Flock Safety have peppered the United States with their license plate reading cameras. Together, they form a lattice network capable of tracking anyone with pinpoint accuracy across a wide area. Lately, they have become the subject of widespread backlash, as citizens raise numerous concerns including privacy, misuse by law enforcement (including ICE), and the cameras being left up despite their contracts not being renewed. Is this the beginning of the end for individual privacy? Or did it already die years ago?If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cameras on Everything: Hardware in 2026

34 min

That damned rumour mill is spinning up again with word that the next AirPod Pro model will feature cameras in the ear buds. Is this really true? Kind of, but probably not the way you think. James and Raph sat down to discuss the prevalence of cameras and surveillance in modern tech/our lives. But first, Raph gives James a gift? If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI Markers: The Scarlet Letter

41 min

The EU is making AI companies put identifiable markers in their AI generated content, so that they can be easily spotted as such. A lot of the big hitters have played ball, but it opens up an interesting discussion about how much AI use earns the title of slop, who stands to benefit from it, and whether or not the models' outputs are going to be worse as a result.   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demis Hassabis and Google's AI Plan

38 min

Demis Hassabis has stepped up/down/around from his position as CEO of Google Deepmind, becoming Chair of Deepmind and Chief Scientist at Alphabet. "Henno and the Riph Raph" discuss how this reflects on Google and it's AI landscape as a whole.   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wunderkind No More

35 min

Eminent babychild/investor Leopold Aschenbrenner has been in the news lately as his over-leveraged AI fund "Situational Awareness" collapsed in a dramatic fashion. Interestingly, the portfolio shares striking ideological similarities with the Down Round Investment Fund™️...    If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Future of Computers ft. Dan Nolan

40 min

One of the oldest friends-of-the-pod, Dan Nolan returns triumphant, joining James and Raph for some victory laps and speculation on the future of AI and computing.   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Battle Lines are Drawn

55 min

President Xi has weighed in on the AI chat, touting the virtues of open source models as a great equaliser for AI as a tool across the world. Some American AI heads are shitting and pissing their pants because of the threat open source could pose to their business models. James and Raph discuss the potential road map for a future where China's powerful and cheap models take a dominant position in the market, and also touch on the idea of distillation. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OpenAI: New App, New Lawsuit, New Beef

47 min

🥚 I WANT TO CONSULT THE EGG. 🥚 In a grab-bag style, James and Raph plunge into the murky waters of OpenAI's current state. They're being sued by Apple for [allegedly] doing corporate espionage, they've released a new desktop app which is alienating parts of their audience, and Sam "Scam Altman" Altman is on twitter chatting a bunch of shit about his competitors. Where is this all going? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bending Spoons' Spending Boons

48 min

Bending Spoons, a company you may not have heard of, went public last week and had a decent pop. Some people are attributing this as a short bet on software. The boys sit down to discuss the market dynamics at play and dissect the company's playbook. PLUS! Cow chat.   If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't Tread on GPT

37 min

We're back to discuss this whole Anthropic Mythos thing again, this time with a focus on one question: Should the U.S. government exercise control over the AI companies, deciding what is and isn't suitable for release? Also, Raph sings a song. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snap Specs

37 min

Glasses/goggle chat is so back, folks. Today our hosts convene to discuss Snap, the company best known for creating Snapchat. You know, the app for teenagers and perverts alike. Last week they announced their new 'SPECS', a chunky pair of AR glasses. They make some big promises, but a high price tag and a few obvious hurdles brought them wide skepticism and ridicule online. Paradigm shift coming? iPhone is dead? Possibly? but probs not. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthropic's Fable is TOO POWERFUL

45 min

Anthropic has been talking up their world-threateningly powerful new Mythos model, suggesting it needs to be held back from the public because we cretins can't be trusted with it. So they gave us a nerfed version called 'Fable', but the US government got tipped off, said "Not today, champ" and forced Anthropic to take it back down. James and Raph come together this week to discuss why this all happened, the marketing of AI as big and scary, and also plastic in your balls. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WWDC 2026

59 min

Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference happened on Monday. It was an odd one, with a large emphasis on safety and trust, with a little bit of mea culpa sprinkled in after their promised AI features from a few years ago have still failed to ship. Did they announce any cool new features coming to your iPhone in the coming months? Well, that depends if you think protecting children from gore and nudity is 'cool', you little sicko. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthropic: Might IPO Maybe Sometime Eventually?

47 min

Anthropic have confidentially filed for an IPO, slipstreaming in behind SpaceX in the race to be the first AI shop to go public. Whether or not you are claude-pilled, the move could shed some light on the guts of the company and give us a peek at how these AI companies are running things. Also, a humanoid robot thesis is born. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SpaceX IPO: $1.7 Trillion for What?

42 min

Elon Musk's SpaceX is hurtling towards and IPO and have dropped their S1 document. James and Raph come together to elucidate what the hell is going on in there, and how the company attempts to justify a $1.7 Trillion valuation.If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon vs OpenAI: Pt. 1

29 min

Across timezones and many oceans, our intrepid boys commune via video chat to dig into the top story of the last week or so - Musk vs OpenAI. You may recall that Musk was a part of OpenAI in it's infancy as an AI safety org. Well, now it's gone from a not-for-profit organisation to a public benefit corporation, and Musk reckons he's owed his slice of the pie. Idk something along those lines, I don't know about this stuff, I'm just a truck driver. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kick Streaming: Degenerate Playground

43 min

You've heard of Twitch, formerly Justin.tv, the website where you watch sweaty guys play Fortnite. But are you aware that there is a dark and twisted bizarro Twitch called 'Kick'? It's where some of our planet's greatest degenerates have decided to call home, with extremely lax terms of service allowing them to do and show much more than they could on the comparatively draconian purple app. Your children are watching this filth, mouth agog, and it's letting them vicariously experience what it's like to be the most annoying prick on the high street. Or worse, watching 'rapper' Drake mindlessly bet on slots with house money [allegedly].Noted establishmentarians James and Raph stretched on their shoulder length rubber gloves to sort through one of the internets strangest pass times - watching other people exist.But first, a quick run down on GameStop's offer to buy Ebay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manus and Meta: Forbidden Lovers

18 min

Meta bought this company called Manus AI which is like some sort of computer thing? It's from China but they moved to Singapore? Anyway the deal was basically done but then the Chinese government was like "actually, nah". Kinda nuts.Jimmy H and Rapho had a chat about that AND the new Deep Seek drop being a bit of a nothing-burger. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Cook Is Out

44 min

ALERT, ALERT: Timmy Cook is officially stepping down from his CEO position, but it's more like a step to one side as he shifts into chairman mode. His replacement has been announced as John Ternus, Apple's current senior vice president of hardware engineering. So, what legacy is big Cookie leaving behind, and what will change with Ternus at the helm?ALSO, a quick run down on that Allbirds AI thing from last week. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zuckerbot Agrees With Us

33 min

Remember when Zuck chucked a hissy fit and started headhunting a bunch of AI weapons and offered them 9 figure salaries to work at Meta AI? Well, this crack team of computer geeks have gone and announced their first AI model. James and Raph pick through the details and try to discern just where Meta might fit in this whole AI debacle.Plus, they made an AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg for their staff to interact with. Why? Not too sure. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scam Altman

33 min

So, OpenAI bought a podcast? For possibly hundreds of millions? Most importantly, it wasn't us?Our spurned hosts come together to question the decision with the jealous contempt of an ex-lover. Moving through the stages of grief, we also interrogate Sam Altman's character, and whether he even deserved us in the first place, as some have recently called him duplicitous and sociopathic. Lose our number, Sammy boy, we're going to ask Dario to the dinner dance instead. 💅 If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claude Down Under

29 min

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has graced the land of plenty this week, opening an office in Sydney before swinging by Canberra to put the fear of god into our elected officials on big, spooky, scary AI bots coming to take your job and wife. The boys use this as a springboard to examine Australia's relationship with AI and data centres, whether these execs are trying to 'pull the ladder up behind them', and leaks possibly detailing Claude's next model. Also, a brief chat about what will come of that Meta court case loss.If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sora? I Hardly Know 'Er!

30 min

Another week, another episode about OpenAI. The eponymous chatbot company has announced that it's video generation/social media app Sora is shutting up shop as they seem to be chasing Anthropic's enterprise focused success. This is important to discuss because it means the boys were sort of right again? They also dipped their toes into the sloppy waters of AI Fruit Love Island, and wrapped back around to revisit private equity.Warning: James' computer decided to switch his mic input from the gorgeous RODE mic he had plugged in to his crusty little airpods, meaning his recording sounded like dog doo-doo for the first 20 minutes of the ep. Please accept our sincerest apologies, and know that he will be severely punished for this malfeasance in due course.If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State of Play Pt.1

29 min

Week two of baby season and we're still out here, still feeding you content-starved little varmints hot and fresh intelligence. This week, we thought it was a good time for a general temperature check on the AI world. Who's leading, who's flailing, and who the hell is curing their dog's cancer with ChatGPT. Join us for the first part here, then head over to DownRound.net to get Premium access and hear the other half of the chat, plus ad free listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthropic Goes To War

1 hr 1 min

For today's free ep, we examine the current spat between Anthropic and Trump's Department of War over use of their AI model Claude. Should a next-token prediction model be allowed to make decisions in the heat of battle? Should the snuffing out of a human life be prompted by a computer? Is Mark Zuckerberg losing his white boy swag? These are all important questions which WILL be answered in this episode. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Far-Flung Future of 2028

55 min

When one thinks of impossible futures, they often think of a luxurious, technological wonderland. An unimaginable utopia where humans live in perfect harmony, their every want and need being fulfilled through meteoric advances in artificial intelligence. A prosperous society of abundance and civility.But what if these same technological strides lead humanity to a different, more sinister outcome. One in which our dependable world economies simply evaporate as organic beings are removed from the equation. One where only next-token prediction engines are granted access to wealth, and those who clairvoyantly bought reasonably-priced Macintosh computers before the uprising rocket skyward into an insurmountable upper crust.Some researchers have written a piece of speculative fiction which describes one of these two possibilities arriving by in 2028. Listen to the podcast to find out which one they foresaw, and hear two of DM Research's finest alum examine this theory in great depth. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Down Round Q&A Pt.1

46 min

Some have argued that doing Q&A episodes is just a way of farming out the hard bits of doing a podcast to your audience. Not around these parts, buster. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OpenAI vs Anthropic

48 min

Gossip episode alert. The OpenAI/Anthropic rivalry is boiling over. We sip on the most piping hot tea around OpenAI and Anthropic's ad spots at the Super Bowl and the growing animosity between the two giants. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The SpaceX + xAI Merger

40 min

Keen-eared listeners may remember when Elon bought his own company X (formerly Twitter) with his OpenAI spite company xAI. Well, he's done it again, folks. This time SpaceX has bought xAI, meaning that SpaceX now owns xAI and X as part of the largest private company on Earth. We discuss. If you like the pod, chuck us a review on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airwallex + Payments

35 min

You asked, we answered. We're doing a much-requested episode on "Australian" fintech Airwallex, which has gotten a lot of untoward attention of late — anti-money laundering audits, accusations by American VCs of being a financial backdoor to China. But there's a bigger story here: the proliferation of payments companies doing a big land grab from traditional financial institutions, and quickly learning that regulation and bank policy exists for a reason. We take a crash course of Airwallex, its current controversies, and where it fits into the bigger payments story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is SaaS Dead?

46 min

As somewhat of a follow up to our Claude Code/Coworker episode last week, today we regroup to evaluate what it could mean for YOUR favourite SaaS products. That's right, folks, AI is coming to take away your precious QuickBooks and you're going to watch and clap as it rips and tears it to pieces. We also touched (if briefly) on the Siri x Gemini announcement. If you like the pod, chuck us a 5 star on your podcast player of choice, or go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grok Freaks Rejoice

42 min

New year, new studio, same red hot takes. This episode covers the typhoon of AI-generated filth created by Grok, Elon Musk's AI venture, currently flooding X. We also touch on the general state of X as a platform. Go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xmas Spectacular 2025: Has He Got The Juice? (ft. Mark Di Stefano)

30 min

We're joined by friend of the pod and Rear Window columnist Mark Di Stefano for a loose chat covering a swathe of topics from capital-J Journalism, the tech oligopoly and AI in politics. This is our final dispatch from our Christmas recording.Go to downround.net to sign up for PREMIUM to get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xmas Spectacular 2025: Shart Tank, Pt 1

33 min

We're joined by Rowan "Joyride" Dix and Becky "Becky Lucas" Lucas for another round of our annual community shark tank, where we listen to our listeners pitch their startup ideas and decide whether we're going to invest.Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM to hear the other 45 minutes of Shark Tank, get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xmas Spectacular 2025: The Year That Was

1 hr 0 min

In the inaugural episode of this years holiday special, we rack up Ws as we dissect the predictions we made last silly season for 2025. Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM and get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. In this week's premium ep, we make our predictions for 2026, which will almost certainly come true (not financial advice). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feelin' Fine

40 min

A highly requested topic in the Down Round Discord is mental health and mindfulness apps — from meditation platforms like Calm to therapist marketplaces like BetterHelp. That's the topic of today, discussing the boom during the ZIRP era, the peak during COVID, and how it all relates to other engagement platforms like Duolingo.Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM and get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix Eats Everything

47 min

Netflix wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Both for many billions of dollars. Why? We break down the $70 – 100 billion bids, the Ellison–Trump court politics, and why this could mark the final enclosure of the film industry by tech. Also: James chronicles the history of film industry disruption, and Raph reveals his long-awaited top ten movies of 2025 list. We also provide some follow-up on prediction markets after last weeks episode. Go to https://www.downround.net/ to sign up for PREMIUM and get ad-free listening PLUS an extra episode every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything is Sportsbet Now

51 min

This week we're going deep on the rise of prediction markets — the hybrid of futures trading, sports gambling, and economic theology that suddenly seems to have eaten the world. Platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are booming and an increasingly big part of both tech culture and also gambling culture. We trace the whole arc: from Hayekian fantasies about prices revealing truth, to the far bigger truth: people just really, really like having a punt.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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