1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,320 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland, Diamond executive producer with I Heart Radio and 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: how the tech are you. It's time for the tech 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: News for Thursday, July twenty twenty two, and we are 6 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: going to cover a ton of news about meta slash 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: Facebook because the company recently held an earnings call for 8 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: Q two of twenty two, that's second quarter in case 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: you're not familiar with the terminology, and it gives us 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: more insight into the company and its priorities. Also, we've 11 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: got other meta stuff that wasn't part of the earnings call, 12 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: for example, and executive blogged about how the company hopes 13 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: that it's totally okay to ease off on the crackdown 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: for COVID misinformation. But we'll get to that in a bit. 15 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: First up, let's talk about we learned during that earnings call, 16 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: and one really big piece of news is that net 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: income is down by thirty six percent compared to this 18 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: time last year. Now that is net income, mind you. 19 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: That's when you take your total revenue and you subtract 20 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: costs from it. If we go by total revenue. The 21 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: company is actually only down by a single percentage point 22 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: compared to this time last year, so Meta brought in 23 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: a little less money overall than Facebook did last year. 24 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: This is fun because remember the company changed its name 25 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: from Facebook to Meta in late so Q two METAe 26 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: is actually Facebook. Anyway. Meta made way less profit in 27 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: Q two twenty twenty two than Facebook did in Q 28 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: two one, and by way less, I don't mean that 29 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: Meta is, you know, strapped for cash or is in 30 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: danger of going out of business. Is far from it. 31 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: In Q two, the company brought in nearly seven billion 32 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: dollars in profit. That is an unfathomable amount of money, 33 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: at least for someone like me. I would love to 34 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: fathom it, but my tax brackets like not even in 35 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: the same solar system as that. Anyway. The Wall Street 36 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: Journal claims that this is the first time in metas 37 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,679 Speaker 1: history that it actually had a drop in revenue, even 38 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: though again it was just a one percent drop in 39 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: revenue drop in profit year over year. The company also 40 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: reported it saw a modest increase in the number of 41 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: users across its platforms. Facebook the platform, their average daily 42 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: users increased by three percent. Users across the company's platforms 43 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: overall increased by four percent, which is better news than 44 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: what Facebook reported earlier this year, when the company saw 45 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: a decline in users on some of its properties. Another 46 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: thing that Mark Zuckerberg revealed ring that earnings call is 47 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: that your experience on Instagram, if in fact you do 48 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: use Instagram, is going to change. Now. Already, MENA realize 49 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: on artificial intelligence to promote content to users, content from 50 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: accounts that those users don't necessarily follow, and that is 51 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: not going away. In fact, it's going to increase. Zuckerberg 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: revealed that they were essentially going to double how frequently 53 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: this happens. So currently AI is responsible for recommending around 54 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: of the content that shows up in your feet as 55 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: you're scrolling through Instagram. Soon that's going to go up 56 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: to so nearly a third. So you could think of 57 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: this as like every third thing you see on Instagram 58 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: will be presented to you from this AI algorithm, and 59 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: you're gonna see a lot more stuff from accounts that 60 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: you don't actually follow. This also means that the content 61 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: that is posted by your friends and the accounts that 62 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: you're actually interested in is going to get more diluted 63 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: by all this other stuff And you might say, why, Well, 64 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: it all comes down to money. Really, Uh, it's a 65 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: continuing effort to compete against TikTok. TikTok has a recommendation 66 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: engine that has proven to be incredibly effective at keeping 67 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: people on the platform, and Zuckerberg says that since introducing 68 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: the AI recommendations on Instagram, the company has seen engagement 69 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,679 Speaker 1: on the rise. And by engagement, we're really just talking 70 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: about the amount of time the average user spends while 71 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: on the platform. That directly ends up translating into how 72 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: much AD revenue Metic can generate off each user. So 73 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: Meta's goal is to coerce users into spending as much 74 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: time on their platforms as is possible, and according to Zuckerberg, 75 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: AI recommended content gets the job done. Oh brave new 76 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: world to have such algorithms in it. Getting back to 77 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: that earnings call, one thing that factored into the thirty 78 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: six percent drop in net income was the cost of 79 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 1: operating the Reality Labs division. Now that's the division within 80 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: Meta that's responsible for stuff like mixed reality hardware like 81 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 1: the the stuff that used to be Oculus essentially, and 82 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 1: also the Metaverse R and D department. Reality Labs generated 83 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: four hundred fifty two million dollars in revenue in Q 84 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: two of twenty twenty two. That's actually up from the 85 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: previous year. So Q two one the division brought in 86 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: three hundred five million dollars, so four fifty two million 87 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: dollars good, we get to see an increase. But the 88 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: division overall lost two point eight billion dollars. That's up 89 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: from two point four billion this time last year. That 90 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: being said, in Q one of this year, the division 91 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: actually lost two point nine six billion. Now last year overall, 92 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: that division lost ten billion dollars for for Meta. Essentially 93 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: they said they spent ten billion UM. By the way 94 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: this is going, we might be looking at between eleven 95 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: and twelve billion for this year. We'll have to see 96 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,599 Speaker 1: unless things dramatically change in the second half of the year. 97 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: Uh and Meta is trying to bring the concept of 98 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: the metaverse into reality, so that does require a lot 99 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: of money in order to make it happen. We're also 100 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 1: about to see some changes in Meta strategy with this division. 101 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: The company is about to hike prices on the Meta 102 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: quest to VR headsets, so each of those models of 103 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: those headsets is about to become a hundred dollars more expensive, 104 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: the prices going up by a hundred bucks for each 105 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: of them. Other peripherals will also get a price hike, 106 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: and you might wonder why a company is increasing prices 107 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: on hardware that's it's been selling for quite some time now. 108 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: It's not like this is brand new, it's not like 109 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: it's a new generation. It's the hardware that the company 110 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: has been selling. It's just now going to be a 111 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: hundred dollars more expensive. And one reason for this is that, 112 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: like much of the industry, Meta was selling hardware at 113 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: a loss, or at least at a much lower price 114 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: than what it could have demanded. This was in an 115 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: effort to create a large install base. You want to 116 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: get as many people out there as possible using the product, 117 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: and we see this with video game consoles all the time. 118 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: You know, video game companies like you know, Microsoft and 119 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: Sony will sell their consoles for less than what it 120 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: cost to make the consoles because they know they're gonna 121 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: make their money back in game sales and subscription services, 122 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: specifically the subscription services. That's gonna be like an ongoing 123 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: theme throughout this episode, even when we get away from Meta. 124 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,119 Speaker 1: So you could see this as a move that Meta 125 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: is going to ease off on, you know, subsidizing it's 126 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: VR hardware at least to the extent that it had 127 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: been uh and that some more of that expense is 128 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: going to fall on customers. Related to this, the US 129 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has sued Meta in an 130 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: effort to block a planned acquisition of a company called Within. Now. 131 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: Within makes a v our workout app called Supernatural, which 132 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: has a subscription revenue model, so you pay an ongoing 133 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: monthly fee in order to keep using this this particular app. 134 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: The FDC argues that the reportedly four million dollar deal 135 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: would reduce competition in the VR fitness space, which would 136 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: potentially make Meta a monopoly for that specific market. Now 137 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: that sounds pretty niche to me, right. It's it sounds 138 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: really kind of laser focused in a way. So I 139 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: find it an interesting approach. And while I don't necessarily 140 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: disagree with the FTC on this, I'm actually left to 141 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: wonder if maybe this is a case where a regulatory 142 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: agency is looking for footholds in order to grab opportunities 143 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: to reduce the company's influence. I have no way of 144 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: knowing that all of that is just wild speculation on 145 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: my part, and that could be totally the furthest from 146 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: the truth. But one thing that might have set off 147 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: FTC is that Meta has been acquiring various VR software 148 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: developer over the last few years. That includes the company 149 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 1: Beat Games, which makes the popular VR title Beat Saber. 150 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 1: The FDC also argues that Met up, you know if 151 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: they own both Beat Games and Within. If they own 152 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: both of those companies, those two companies will have no 153 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 1: incentive to innovate because their main competitor is no longer 154 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: a competitor. They both belong to Meta. That's the argument 155 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: is that you know, identifying Beat Games and Within as 156 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: being chief competitors in the space, and when you have 157 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: a lack of competition, there's typically a lack of innovation. 158 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: There's no reason to innovate. You don't need to because 159 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: you've already got all the players. So why spend the 160 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: resources to innovate if there's no competition? Uh, and that 161 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: this ultimately hurts consumers, and it's an interesting take. We'll 162 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: have to see if it's successful or if Meta will 163 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: continue its trend of gobbling up other companies in an 164 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: effort to achieve corporate goals. Meanwhile, as Meta tries to 165 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: the biggest Fish is also looking to reduce employee head 166 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: count so the company can buy other companies, but it 167 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: can't afford to pay the folks who do its work, 168 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: which is interesting, I can't afford them being snarky here, 169 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: Zuckerberg says he expects to do more with less, potentially 170 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: reducing head count by as much as ten percent by 171 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: the end of the year. According to inCider, the process 172 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: has already started. The company has been slowing down headcount 173 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: growth also known as hiring, across pretty much all of 174 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: its departments. That's going to continue, and then some teams 175 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: within the company will, in Zuckerberg's own words, quote, shrink 176 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: so we can shift energy to other areas inside the 177 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: company end quote. He said that work at METTA will 178 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: require more intensity with fewer resources, and that he kind 179 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: of sees this as a trial by fire situation in 180 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: which the company will emerge stronger on the other side. 181 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: This echoes things that we've heard Zuckerberg say before, like 182 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: he essentially said there are people who work at Facebook 183 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: who probably shouldn't be working there, and that this process 184 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: is in part a way to shake the tree pretty hard. 185 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: So that the folks who shouldn't be there will fall 186 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: out of it. That's weird analogy for me to use, 187 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: but I think it's accurate and Gali, we're still going 188 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: with a meta stories here. So next up, The Verge 189 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: managed to get a recording of an internal company meeting 190 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: at Meta in which Zuckerberg named Apple as a top 191 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: rival when it comes to developing the metaverse. Zuckerberg argued 192 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: that Apple's approach would be to create a closed off ecosystem, 193 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: and yeah, that's pretty much in line with Apple's m O. 194 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: All you have to do is look at how the 195 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: company has traditionally handled everything from the Macintosh platform to 196 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: iOS devices to see that Apple is all about creating 197 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: uh an entire ecosystem, a foundation, and then maintaining tight 198 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: control and influence over whatever is built on top of 199 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: that foundation. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. If 200 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: it's done well. It can help ensure that the content 201 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: and services that are created to be on top of 202 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:08,440 Speaker 1: that platform all meet certain standards. But this also makes 203 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: Apple the final arbiter and also the fee collector. That's 204 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: something that has left Apple in the target sites of 205 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: various regulatory agencies around the world. So in this Meta 206 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: internal meeting, Zuckerberg said that Meta's approach would be a 207 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:29,599 Speaker 1: little more open than Apple's. Uh. He also argued that 208 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: Apple is a company that counts on profit from hardware sales, 209 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: at least to a point. I would actually argue that 210 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 1: Tim Cook has really been guiding Apple to lean much 211 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: harder into becoming a services company and less of being 212 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 1: a hardware company in recent years. But Zuckerberg's point was that, 213 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 1: you know, Apple sells iPhones at really high prices. They're 214 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: not like marking down the cost or the price rather 215 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: of these devices and selling them at cost or even 216 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: lower than at cost to customers, whereas Facebook had been 217 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: doing that at least with things like mixed reality headwear. 218 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: Even with the recent news of the price hike, my 219 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 1: guess is that the hardware that there, you know, the 220 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 1: price that they're selling the hardware at is probably still 221 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: pretty close to at cost for the company. So he said, 222 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: you know, that's a totally different approach. We are trying 223 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: to create an enormous user base, and then we will 224 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: really rely on services to generate revenue, which ultimately, again 225 00:13:28,080 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: I think takes it right back to Apple's own strategy. 226 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: It's just that Apple is kind of transitioning from being 227 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: so so much hardware focused to being services focused, and 228 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: Meta in this case is looking at just going services 229 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: focused from the get go. But I would argue that 230 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: they really aren't that different in the long run. All Right, 231 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: last Meta story for today, and then we're gonna move 232 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: on to other stuff. Nick Clegg, Meta's head of global affairs, 233 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,439 Speaker 1: released a statement indicating that Meta is as king it's 234 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: oversight board if maybe, possibly it would be okay for 235 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: the company to start allowing misinformation about COVID to post 236 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:11,679 Speaker 1: on the site now that everything's fine again. But Jonathan, 237 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: I hear some of you say things are most certainly 238 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: not okay. Well, yeah, that's that's true. That's reality. But 239 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: Meta's argument is that, you know, maybe things are okay 240 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: and we're back to normal now, maybe or something. Anyway, 241 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: Clegg said that what the company is considering is a 242 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: major change in policy. Currently, the official policy at Meta 243 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: is that the company will prevent or remove posts that 244 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: promote COVID misinformation in an effort to protect users. Now, 245 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: some people argue that this infringes upon free speech. I 246 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: would counter that argument by saying, free speech has never 247 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: been entirely free. There have always been limitations in place. Namely, 248 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: if the speech were to cause harm to others, it 249 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: is not protect it as free speech. Anyway, Meta would 250 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: like to change this policy they have been using so 251 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 1: that the company could maybe go back to perhaps pushing 252 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: misinformation posts lower in priority for its recommendation algorithms, so 253 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: in other words, it would still allow the posts to post, 254 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: but they wouldn't spread as far in theory, and they 255 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: would have less reach, and maybe also to include labeling 256 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: them as potentially including misinformation rather than just outright banning 257 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: the post entirely. And The Guardian and several other news 258 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: outlets have all kind of positive that since the oversight 259 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: boards recommendations are not mandatory, like Meta is under no 260 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: obligation to actually enact any suggestion the oversight board makes. 261 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: They're more like advisors in this In this capacity, this 262 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: could be a case where Meta actually already has a 263 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: plan in place of what it is going to do, 264 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: like it they've already decided, but that the company is 265 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 1: trying to use the oversight board to kind of shoulder 266 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: some of the responsibility for that decision so that all 267 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 1: the hate doesn't hit Meta itself. In other words, Meta 268 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: is probably going to ease off on how it police 269 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: has misinformation because there's way more money. If it allows 270 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: misinformation to proliferate on the platform, it just gets more engagement, 271 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: and that means more money, and the company loves that money, 272 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: especially since you know, in the last couple of quarters 273 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: things have been a little more shaky and they really 274 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: need to reassure stakeholders shareholders that the company is is 275 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: heading in a strong financial direction. Uh, but you know, 276 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: the company who still would really like someone else to 277 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 1: kind of take at least some of the heat for 278 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: that decision. So if the oversight board says, yeah, you know, 279 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: this is a reasonable thing for you to to switch 280 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 1: gears because how things have changed in the world, you 281 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: don't need to ban everything, well, then the oversight board 282 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: can take some of the heat for that decision one 283 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: that I think again that Meta has already made so 284 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,200 Speaker 1: it it becomes theater. In other words, now the oversight 285 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: board has actually opened this matter up to public comment, 286 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 1: which I suspect will be very active, and I can't 287 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: predict what the board will conclude. I just feel fairly 288 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: sure that no matter what the board says, Meta is 289 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: heading to a future where it will not be taking 290 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: a hardline stance against misinformation as it had been forced 291 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: to do in the recent past. All Right, we've got 292 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 1: a lot more news today. Before we get any of that, 293 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:40,880 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. Yesterday, which was Wednesday, July 294 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: twenty two, for those of you from the future who 295 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 1: for some reason decided to listen to a news episode 296 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,640 Speaker 1: of tech Stuff, Google announced several new policies that will 297 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 1: affect developers who are creating apps for Android. Now. A 298 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: lot of those policies are for small technical things. Uh. 299 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:01,200 Speaker 1: For example, they're going to be restrictions on the types 300 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: of apps that will be able to access the alarm 301 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:08,119 Speaker 1: function on an Android device. So if the app doesn't 302 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: fall into one of a couple of specific categories, then 303 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: it should not tap into that that particular function, and 304 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: any app that's discovered to do that that doesn't fall 305 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: in those categories could be removed from Google Play. Other 306 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,880 Speaker 1: policies are much more sweeping, such as measures that are 307 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: meant to limit the spread of misinformation through apps, also 308 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: to limit things like impersonation. So this means Google is 309 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: going to crack down on apps that advocate. For example, 310 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: harmful health practices, conversion therapy being a big and terrible 311 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: example of that. If an app is found to promote 312 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:54,160 Speaker 1: that sort of stuff that is fundamentally harmful, Google will 313 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: remove it. Uh. Also, if an app actively spreads misleading 314 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: claims about stuff vaccines, like if an app says this 315 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: vaccine will alter your DNA, which is a false claim, 316 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,640 Speaker 1: Google will remove it. It's it's this is these policies 317 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: are are the rules that Google establishes so that it 318 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,360 Speaker 1: has the authority to do things like remove apps from 319 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,120 Speaker 1: the play Store. Right. This is this is saying, hey, 320 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,640 Speaker 1: we told you what the rules were. If you don't 321 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: follow them, then we get to act um. And as 322 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: for impersonation, well, that actually covers a lot of ground. 323 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,879 Speaker 1: Like impersonation in this sense doesn't mean an app that 324 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: somehow impersonates a person necessarily. Instead, it's like creating false 325 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: expectations or false representations in the eyes of app users. So, 326 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: as an example, it is against Google's policy now for 327 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: you to design your app in such a way that 328 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: it implies that you have a relationship with some other 329 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: well known entity, which could be another app, it could 330 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,120 Speaker 1: be a famous person that could be an official organization, 331 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 1: and yet no actual relationship really exists between the two 332 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: of you. So if I were to make an app 333 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 1: that implied that somehow the app was connected to the FBI, 334 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 1: but that was not true, that there was no connection 335 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: to the FBI, but I was claiming that, then I 336 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: would be in violation of that policy and Google could 337 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: remove my app from the play Store. Um Or if 338 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 1: I made an app that just claimed to be the 339 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: official app of some celebrity, let's say Tim Curry, I 340 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 1: say it's the Tim Curry Official app, but I provide 341 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: no evidence to prove that it's the Tim Curry official app, 342 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,919 Speaker 1: that there has been any involvement with Tim Curry or 343 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: anything like that. Again, I would be violating Google's new policy. 344 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 1: Other changes will create more positive experiences for customers, including 345 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,920 Speaker 1: a policy that or required developers to make it easier 346 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 1: for users to cancel a subscription. Now this change requires 347 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: developers to make cancelation settings easier to find. It has 348 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: to be included in the apps account settings that cannot 349 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: be obfusekated, or buried like ten menus down, and if 350 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: you click on the cancel uh feature or option in 351 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: that menu, then you are supposed to be taken directly 352 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: to that apps cancelation process or to Google Place subscription center. 353 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,159 Speaker 1: If the app is using the Google architecture for that 354 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 1: and there, you should be able to cancel your subscription. 355 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: It should not set you on a wild goose chase 356 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 1: where the whole goal again is to discourage you from canceling, 357 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,439 Speaker 1: not by convincing you that the services worth having, but 358 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: by convincing you it's too much trouble to go through 359 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: the process to actually cancel the ding dang darn thing. 360 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: There are a lot of other policy changes that Google announced, 361 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: including some really important ones, like restrictions on apps that 362 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: have been marketed as surveillance or spying apps, like apps 363 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: that are meant attract people's movements, that kind of stuff. Uh, 364 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: there's a policy that now restricts developers that are using 365 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: the VPN service function on Android from collecting personal user 366 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: data without first giving prominent disclosure and getting consent from 367 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,919 Speaker 1: the users. Developers will have a thirty day grace period 368 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: to make sure that their apps are conforming to these 369 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: new policies before Google will start to take any action 370 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: against apps that you know don't do that. The US 371 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: Senate has voted in favor of a bill that will 372 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: ultimately allow for subsidies, grants, and tax brakes valued at 373 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: more than fifty billion dollars in an effort to bring 374 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States on a grand scale. Uh, 375 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: that's not to say that it doesn't happen in the 376 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: US already. It does, it's just at a fraction of 377 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: what it used to. So quick history lesson. We used 378 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,159 Speaker 1: to have a lot of silicon manufacturing here in the 379 00:22:55,240 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: United States, but other regions, namely Taiwan, invested huge amounts 380 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: of money to build out facilities that could make chips 381 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: cheaper and at enormous manufacturing scale. Naturally, this meant that 382 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 1: most semi conductor manufacturing would move overseas, and today the 383 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: US makes up just twelve percent of the world's chip manufacturing. 384 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 1: Taiwan is producing nearly half of all semi conductors used 385 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: around the world. And it's it's even more than that 386 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: when you start looking at advanced semi conductors, not just 387 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: like simple ones for you know, micro controllers and stuff, 388 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: but when you're looking at advanced semiconductors, Taiwan produces more 389 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: than half of those and Taiwan's um relationship with China 390 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 1: is a big cause for concern. You know, Taiwan is 391 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: an island that's just off the coast of mainland China. UH. 392 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:53,400 Speaker 1: The history of these two regions is tightly intertwined. The 393 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 1: the Republic of China, not the People's Republic of China, 394 00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: but the Republic of China, which was in charge of 395 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 1: the whole country up to nineteen forty nine, effectively retreated 396 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: to Taiwan and still lays claim over mainland China. Mainland 397 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,959 Speaker 1: China is ruled by the People's Republic of China, and 398 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: it lays claim over Taiwan. So you've got these two 399 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: entities that simultaneously claimed that they're in charge of the other. Uh. 400 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,679 Speaker 1: Except that China is way bigger than Taiwan is, and 401 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: there's always this concern that China might invade Taiwan or 402 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: otherwise use methods to force Taiwan under Chinese rule. And 403 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 1: if you are dependent upon semiconductor manufacturing and an economic 404 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 1: and political adversary is in charge of the manufacturing center, 405 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,399 Speaker 1: that's a bad thing. It's not good for national security, 406 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 1: it's not good for self reliance. And as we have 407 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: seen with the pandemic. When there are interruptions, then there 408 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: are massive disruptions across multiple industries. The semiconductor shortage has 409 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 1: a affected everything in tech. So also there's also the 410 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: concern about China and industrial espionage. This this, at least 411 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:13,879 Speaker 1: this perception, if not reality, that China is actively attempting 412 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: to steal technologies from other countries, primarily the United States. 413 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: So moving manufacturing back over to the United States in 414 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: large amounts would help the US become more self reliant, 415 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: and it would improve national security. It would improve the 416 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: chances for the United States to make up some lost 417 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: ground against China in high tech fields like artificial intelligence, 418 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 1: machine learning, that sort of thing. And personally, I think 419 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: that this move is well past do. The effects of 420 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 1: the pandemic really highlighted how necessary it is to diversify 421 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: your manufacturing process for things that are as critical as semiconductors. 422 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: If you rely really heavily on a small number of 423 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: manufacturing facilities in a particular region and that region is 424 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:03,439 Speaker 1: disprop ortunately affected by something, whether it's a pandemic or 425 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 1: a natural disaster or a war or whatever it may be, 426 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: you see where that ends up having this massive consequence 427 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: for everybody else, so it's good to diversify that. However, 428 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: I also think this is just the beginning of a 429 00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: series of investments that the United States is going to 430 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:26,439 Speaker 1: have to make into promoting semiconductor manufacturing within the country 431 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: if the US expects to keep them here because other 432 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: nations are doing that other than that's why. That's how 433 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: Taiwan got the semiconductor industry established there in the first place. 434 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:42,439 Speaker 1: The government poured billions of dollars worth of investment into 435 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: that to make it a reality. If the United States 436 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: doesn't do that, other countries will, and then ultimately companies 437 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: will say, hey, we have an obligation to our shareholders, 438 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 1: and for us to do business that's profitable, we have 439 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: to go overseas or else we're wasting money, and shareholders 440 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: hate that, and then you start to see where we 441 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: get stuck where we are now. Samsung has admitted to 442 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: false advertising in Australia regarding exactly how water resistant certain 443 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 1: Samsung Galaxy Line smartphones actually are. So the argument here 444 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: is that Samsung ran some marketing campaigns, like commercials and 445 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: things like that claiming that these phones are more water 446 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: resistant than reality would reflect, and that if people were 447 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,959 Speaker 1: to actually put these phones through any kind of activities 448 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,960 Speaker 1: that would get them wet, they might find them turn 449 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:43,080 Speaker 1: out to be, uh, you know, inoperable. So the company 450 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 1: copped up to the fact that between two thousand and 451 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: sixteen and two thousand eighteen it exaggerated that water resistant 452 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:53,399 Speaker 1: feature on seven different smartphone models. So the Australian courts 453 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:58,919 Speaker 1: levied a fourteen million dollar fine that's Australian dollars on 454 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: the company. Now, if you earned fourteen million Australian dollars 455 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,640 Speaker 1: upside down, you find out it's about nine point eight 456 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 1: million US dollars. That is a big fine. But obviously 457 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: for really huge companies, you know, ten million dollars US 458 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 1: is as a relatively small expense once you get down 459 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:18,879 Speaker 1: to it. I mean, you never want to see a 460 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,960 Speaker 1: ten million dollar expense if you can avoid it. But 461 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: it's not like this cripples Samsung. Uh. You might even 462 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: argue that it might not be enough of a slap 463 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:32,199 Speaker 1: for Samsung to to purposefully avoid this kind of thing 464 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: in the future. But it is good for the Australian 465 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: court system to get Samsung to own up to false advertising. 466 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: And my hope is that you know, I don't think 467 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: this is gonna stop false advertising, but I do hope 468 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 1: it makes people a little more critical when they evaluate products, 469 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: because while companies are supposed to be fourth right when 470 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: they describe what their products do, that's not always the case. 471 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 1: And I would argue many times companies will use language 472 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: lets them creatively enhance the truth. Let's say, in recent 473 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: episodes about Apple's former head of industrial design, Johnny I've 474 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 1: I mentioned that the company has long been at work 475 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: designing a car, but that project has taken more time 476 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: than expected because, as it turns out, that's hard to do, 477 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: and there have been a lot of delays because of 478 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: different things that have happened within Apple and within that 479 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: project specifically. However, Apple has recently hired Luigi tera Borelli, 480 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: who previously worked at a little supercar company called Lamborghini. 481 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: In fact, he worked there for more than twenty years. 482 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 1: Must have been a heck of an offer for Apple 483 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: to convince tera Borelli to come over to Apple from Lamborghini. Now, 484 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: Apple has still not come out and said what Tara 485 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: Borelli will be doing at the company or what this 486 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: project is, but the obvious conclusion is that he's going 487 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: to be working on Apple's attempts to design and build 488 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 1: its own electric vehicle. Apple's internal name for this project, 489 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: which is technically still secret, it's just a very poorly 490 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 1: kept secret, is Project Tighten. And it's been going on 491 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: for at least eight years already. Now does this mean 492 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,960 Speaker 1: it's actually building up the traction that's going to be 493 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: needed to develop an Apple electric vehicle? I don't know. 494 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: It has been long in development. I don't know if 495 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: it's getting any closer to becoming a reality. I don't 496 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:35,200 Speaker 1: know if Apple will ultimately kill this project before we 497 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:39,720 Speaker 1: ever get to see an actual like prototype, let alone 498 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: a production model. It would be interesting. I've long been 499 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: curious to see what an Apple vehicle would look like. 500 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 1: Of course, without Johnny I've there, the design is not 501 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:56,000 Speaker 1: necessarily going to have his influence built into it, though 502 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: I've did work on designs for this project while he 503 00:30:59,720 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 1: was there. Are It's just again, they never came to fruition. 504 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: We'll have to wait and see, But I am very curious. Okay, 505 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 1: I've got some more stories to cover before we get 506 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 1: to those, let's take another quick break. So a few 507 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: weeks ago, I mentioned in a news story that BMW 508 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: is testing out something in a market, not the United States, 509 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: but in South Korea, in which it is turning its 510 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: heated seats option into a subscription service, and how folks 511 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: got upset about that because the actual electronics that are 512 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: necessary to heat the seats are already in the vehicle 513 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: models right like it's there, it's just waiting to be 514 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: turned on. So everything you need to heat a seat 515 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: is still is already installed in the car. But to 516 00:31:55,720 --> 00:32:00,719 Speaker 1: access the feature, drivers in what the test market, South Korea, 517 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: would first have to subscribe to a service, and only 518 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: then with the vehicle actually provide heating to the seats, 519 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: it's behind a paywall. In other words, this led to 520 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: discussions about car options and whether or not it makes 521 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,600 Speaker 1: sense to charge for those kind of features up front, 522 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: where you know, at the time of purchase it's built 523 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,480 Speaker 1: into the price tag of the vehicle, so you're buying 524 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: the vehicle and all the options right then and there, 525 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: or if it makes sense to go to an ongoing 526 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: subscription based service. And a few news outlets like Wired 527 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 1: and Vice are reporting the drivers are already seeking out 528 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: hacks that will let them get around this lock on 529 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:43,440 Speaker 1: the feature, so bypassing the need to subscribe to BMWs 530 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: services in order to get access to it. And I 531 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 1: think we're seeing consumers draw a line between ongoing services 532 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 1: that are largely software driven, such as a subscription to 533 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 1: Internet radio. That's something that a lot of people feel. Okay, 534 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 1: I understand this is an ongoing sir of this that 535 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,560 Speaker 1: does not exist within the vehicle I am paying for 536 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:08,480 Speaker 1: that that makes sense to be a subscription versus subscriptions 537 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: that just enable functions that are already present in physical hardware. 538 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 1: That's there seems to be like this fundamental barrier there, 539 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: which I understand. I would think, Hey, if if the 540 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: thing I bought can do this, but the manufacturer won't 541 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: enable that function unless I cough up even more money. 542 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 1: That's infuriating. Now, just to be fair to BMW, it 543 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: does look like this subscription approach with the heated seats, 544 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: it's really a pilot program. They're testing the waters of 545 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: what will and won't fly in the market. I'm guessing 546 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: ultimately this is going to be one that will fall 547 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: into the won't fly category, but you never know. It 548 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: might be that people get distracted by something else and 549 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 1: then they're like it stinks but my seats cold, so 550 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm going to cough up the dough. Tesla has adjusted 551 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: its free data connectivity feature, which is called Standard Connectivity. 552 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 1: That's a feature that provides basic connectivity features like Bluetooth 553 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:09,040 Speaker 1: streaming for your music and some basic navigation services. Well, 554 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:14,880 Speaker 1: now if you own a Tesla vehicle after eight years, 555 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: that free service expires and you will have to subscribe 556 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 1: to premium service Premium Connectivity, or you're gonna lose those 557 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 1: functions completely. Now, some Tesla owners might not be too 558 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,719 Speaker 1: concerned about that because maybe they plan to trade their 559 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: vehicle before they get to owning it for eight years. 560 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 1: But it's definitely gonna have an impact on some Tesla 561 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: drivers as well as second hand buyers. Like if you 562 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: buy a four year old Tesla, then you're gonna only 563 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 1: have four more years of this basic connectivity, the standard 564 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:53,319 Speaker 1: connectivity available to you, and then after eight years, you'll 565 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,759 Speaker 1: be prompted to subscribe to a premium connectivity service which 566 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: costs ten dollars a month or if paid, and really, 567 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,960 Speaker 1: according to the Verge, even accessing FM radio could be 568 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: behind a paywall. Now, I don't see this as quite 569 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: as egregious a move as the BMW story, but it 570 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: is another example of how car companies are shifting toward 571 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: more subscription services just like everybody else, you know, just 572 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 1: like Tim Cook is doing with Apple. We're seeing car 573 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:27,360 Speaker 1: companies say, you know what model works, the services model. 574 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 1: Let's push even harder toward that. So, yeah, it just 575 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,319 Speaker 1: seems like that's where everyone's going, just like with video 576 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,360 Speaker 1: games a few years ago, where lootboxes were the way 577 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:41,919 Speaker 1: to go. Uh and after some some lashing out by 578 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:46,000 Speaker 1: various regulatory agencies around the world, we've seen that ease 579 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:49,120 Speaker 1: off a little bit. But you know, now we're seeing 580 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: this services model throughout a lot of tech companies. Here's 581 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,400 Speaker 1: some intriguing news out of Columbia University's AI program. So, 582 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 1: in a project, researchers set up an AI so that 583 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 1: it would be able to observe physical phenomena through a 584 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,680 Speaker 1: video feed. And then the AI was meant to suss 585 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:13,040 Speaker 1: out what was the minimal set of fundamental variables that 586 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: would describe and enable the physical phenomena. So, in other words, 587 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,680 Speaker 1: based upon what you saw, what are the variables that 588 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:24,759 Speaker 1: determine how this plays out? And this reminds me a 589 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 1: little bit of an experiment back in two thousand nine 590 00:36:27,239 --> 00:36:30,040 Speaker 1: at Cornell, which in fact included some of the same 591 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: people working on this project, And that was when we 592 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:35,360 Speaker 1: heard about the computer program that was able to deduce 593 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:40,040 Speaker 1: the natural laws of physics by observing physical phenomena, namely 594 00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:44,120 Speaker 1: the swinging of a pendulum, but only because it also 595 00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: had certain variables that were identified in advance, so it 596 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:49,759 Speaker 1: didn't have to figure that stuff out on its own. 597 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,440 Speaker 1: This new approach is about figuring out those variables themselves. 598 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 1: So one experiment used a double pendulum, which you know, 599 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,280 Speaker 1: based upon our understanding of physics tells us has four 600 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:08,600 Speaker 1: state variables. So this pendulum is a double armed structure, 601 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 1: and the four variables that we know are important to 602 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 1: determine the activity of the pendulum are the angle of 603 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:20,399 Speaker 1: each arm as well as the angular velocity of each arm. 604 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,879 Speaker 1: So that's the four you know, angle of arm one, 605 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,320 Speaker 1: angle of arm two, angular velocity of arm one, angular 606 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 1: velocity of arm two. Now, the AI observed the swinging 607 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: arms with any quote unquote knowledge of those variables and 608 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,720 Speaker 1: attempted to suss out what, you know, how many variables 609 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,200 Speaker 1: determine the movements, and they came up with four point 610 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,200 Speaker 1: seven and the team said, well, that's close. It's not 611 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,399 Speaker 1: exactly what we have, but it's close. It's also weird 612 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: to have points seven of a variable. But then the 613 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 1: team had to try and figure out what variables did 614 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:53,760 Speaker 1: the AI program identified, Like what what were those variables? 615 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:57,920 Speaker 1: Because that's not easily understood. The AI has no way 616 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,640 Speaker 1: of communicating that to the team, so they had to 617 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:04,879 Speaker 1: review the data that the AI had generated and had 618 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:07,879 Speaker 1: analyzed and determined that two of the variables the AI 619 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:10,520 Speaker 1: identified were in fact the angles of the arms of 620 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 1: the double pendulum, so that correlates with what we understand, 621 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 1: but no matter what, they could not figure out what 622 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: the other two variables were. So what what did the 623 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,200 Speaker 1: AI figure out? Was also determining the movement of this 624 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:30,600 Speaker 1: double pendulum, So the AI was able to identify some 625 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 1: variables that determine how this thing operates. We're able to 626 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,920 Speaker 1: identify variables that determine how this thing operates, and we 627 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,799 Speaker 1: both end up with similar answers for how it operates, 628 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: but we're using different variables in order to describe it. 629 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: And that is intriguing because it raises questions about if 630 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: there are different ways to describe how things work. That 631 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,840 Speaker 1: are equally valid, but on a fundamental level, they are different. 632 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: They include different variables. It's kind of mind blowing when 633 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,360 Speaker 1: you think of it that way. The team also discovered 634 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:04,719 Speaker 1: that if they repeated the experiment by turning off the 635 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 1: system and restarting its essentially making the AI learn all 636 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: over again, it would still come up with the same 637 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:15,479 Speaker 1: number of variables, but the specific variables were different each time. 638 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:17,799 Speaker 1: So yes, it would still say, oh, there's like four 639 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 1: point seven variables that determine how this moves, but the 640 00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:25,680 Speaker 1: specific variables were different from the time that it ran previously. 641 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:28,719 Speaker 1: So it's saying it's it behaves this way because of 642 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,320 Speaker 1: these four things. But those four things changed every single 643 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:35,799 Speaker 1: time it was run, which is crazy. Uh, Now, why 644 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:38,360 Speaker 1: would you want something to be able to identify variables 645 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,000 Speaker 1: in the first place. When you start looking at very 646 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:44,719 Speaker 1: complex systems where you have, you know, dozens of variables 647 00:39:44,719 --> 00:39:48,239 Speaker 1: at play, it becomes increasingly difficult to predict how those 648 00:39:48,239 --> 00:39:51,359 Speaker 1: systems are going to behave over any given amount of time. 649 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: Easiest example I can give you is weather forecasts. You know, 650 00:39:55,760 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 1: weather forecasts take a lot of variables into account, but 651 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:03,799 Speaker 1: not all of them. Right, there are probably variables that 652 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:07,880 Speaker 1: we have yet to identify that are important in the 653 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 1: formation of weather systems. And that's why when you look 654 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 1: at a weather forecast, you cannot be certain that what 655 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:18,239 Speaker 1: has been forecast is actually going to happen. So creating 656 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:22,879 Speaker 1: ways of identifying variables is is a step toward being 657 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: able to have a deeper understanding of these kinds of 658 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:30,319 Speaker 1: complex systems. That is, if we don't also discover that 659 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:34,200 Speaker 1: every system can be described by you know, X number 660 00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:38,840 Speaker 1: of variables uh in x different configurations, Because then you 661 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 1: start getting to a point where you're saying, well, does 662 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:45,120 Speaker 1: anything mean anything anymore? But I'll leave that to people 663 00:40:45,120 --> 00:40:47,319 Speaker 1: who are way, way, way smarter than I am to 664 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:51,120 Speaker 1: figure out. The journal the Royal Society Open Science, which 665 00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:53,560 Speaker 1: is a peer reviewed scientific journal. It's published by the 666 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:58,360 Speaker 1: Royal Society, has some news that probably has gamers happy. Namely, 667 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 1: the journal published research saying there has been no causal 668 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: link found between playing video games and poor mental health. 669 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,040 Speaker 1: Now there is a caveat here. The caveat is as 670 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:14,279 Speaker 1: long as the gamer in question is playing because they 671 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:17,240 Speaker 1: want to play, and they're not playing because they feel 672 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:21,160 Speaker 1: they have to play, there's no negative impact on mental health. 673 00:41:21,719 --> 00:41:25,560 Speaker 1: So by that you might say that professional streamers and 674 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 1: pro gamers could experience mental health issues that are related 675 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: to gaming because they're obligated to play. It's part of 676 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:36,560 Speaker 1: their job. If they aren't producing content, or if they're 677 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:40,200 Speaker 1: not training for the next professional tournament, then their income 678 00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:42,680 Speaker 1: can be affected. But if you're a gamer who just 679 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:44,920 Speaker 1: likes to settle in for a nice, friendly evening of 680 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,239 Speaker 1: being called horrible things as you play war Zone, good news. 681 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,800 Speaker 1: It's not bad for your mental health the gaming bed anyway. 682 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:55,359 Speaker 1: The abuse is a different story. This research, by the way, 683 00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:58,400 Speaker 1: is based off a survey. That's important to note because, 684 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,360 Speaker 1: i mean, let's face it, it's challenging to develop a 685 00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:06,879 Speaker 1: survey that produces scientifically reliable results because you can't really 686 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:09,920 Speaker 1: control for all the variables, and it's hard to ask 687 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:13,280 Speaker 1: questions in a way that doesn't lead people to specific answers. 688 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,799 Speaker 1: So that's another caveat we should throw in here, is 689 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,279 Speaker 1: that this is based off a survey. But still it 690 00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:22,160 Speaker 1: seems like it's pretty good news for gamers. And finally, 691 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:25,800 Speaker 1: Bloomberg reports that rock stars next title in the Grand 692 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:30,120 Speaker 1: Theft Auto series will feature a pair of protagonists, and 693 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,400 Speaker 1: one of them for the first time in the game's 694 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:35,479 Speaker 1: history since it switched away from being an overhead view 695 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:39,319 Speaker 1: video game is going to be female, so gamers will 696 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:42,319 Speaker 1: be able to play as a female protagonist in the 697 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: main campaign of g t A six for the first 698 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:50,560 Speaker 1: time since it went to a three D perspective. Now 699 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,600 Speaker 1: I should add that you can create female characters for 700 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:58,120 Speaker 1: the online multiplayer version of Grand Theft Auto, but that's 701 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:01,960 Speaker 1: different from the campaign, which you know, features characters that 702 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,600 Speaker 1: have prescripted responses to things. Right, you're playing out a 703 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:09,880 Speaker 1: story in the single player experience as opposed to having 704 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:14,520 Speaker 1: an online multiplayer experience. So in addition to that news, 705 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: Bloomberg also revealed that rock Star plans to introduce cities 706 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: to the campaign over time, meaning they will release content 707 00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:26,799 Speaker 1: over time and the initially when the game launches, it 708 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 1: will focus on a single main city. It's rumored to 709 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:33,719 Speaker 1: be rock Stars version of Miami, which is known as 710 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:36,879 Speaker 1: Vice City. And this kind of reminds me of how 711 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:40,400 Speaker 1: some other games have been releasing content to players like 712 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:43,399 Speaker 1: I. I I think of things like the Telltale games, which 713 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,719 Speaker 1: would release in chapters. You get a new chapter every 714 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 1: so often, and then you could play through and then 715 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:50,719 Speaker 1: you had to wait for the next one or the 716 00:43:50,760 --> 00:43:54,240 Speaker 1: recent Hitman series where you would have levels released over time, 717 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:59,480 Speaker 1: and that approach has several benefits. For one, it keeps 718 00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:03,640 Speaker 1: gamers engaged with the title, and since more and more 719 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:07,040 Speaker 1: games are launching with ways to generate ongoing revenue, either 720 00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:11,760 Speaker 1: with in game purchases or online components are both, keeping 721 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:14,879 Speaker 1: your player base around is important for the bottom line. 722 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:19,360 Speaker 1: It's a long tail revenue generation model. For another, it 723 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:23,080 Speaker 1: gives development teams the opportunity to dedicate more time and 724 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:27,280 Speaker 1: hopefully avoid too much crunch time before they release a product. 725 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:29,880 Speaker 1: They don't have to release the game with every single 726 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:33,359 Speaker 1: city built out. They can focus on one part, get 727 00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 1: that part of the game out, and then transition to 728 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 1: working on the next bit, so the game scale can 729 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:45,440 Speaker 1: still be huge, it just is accessible gradually. As for 730 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:47,759 Speaker 1: when we can expect a release of g t A six, 731 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:50,040 Speaker 1: that's still up in the air. Analysts are saying it's 732 00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 1: probably going to be at least two years from now, 733 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,320 Speaker 1: and that's mostly due to disruption that's happened within Rockstar 734 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:00,440 Speaker 1: and internal issues that have caused delays in production. Now. 735 00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: I don't want to suggest that that disruption was necessarily 736 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:07,160 Speaker 1: bad because from what I understand, it sounds like a 737 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:09,520 Speaker 1: lot of the reason for the delays are connected to 738 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:14,080 Speaker 1: a genuine effort to overhaul the corporate culture at rock 739 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:19,960 Speaker 1: Star and to eliminate negative working conditions, So everything from 740 00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:23,440 Speaker 1: making sure that the company is treating employees in a 741 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:27,560 Speaker 1: more equitable way to making sure that they're not working 742 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:32,120 Speaker 1: people to death by trying to hit some some release 743 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:37,120 Speaker 1: date that is more or less arbitrary and doesn't take 744 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,200 Speaker 1: into account the amount of work that still needs to 745 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:41,040 Speaker 1: be done in order for a game to go out 746 00:45:41,080 --> 00:45:43,440 Speaker 1: and not be broken. That's another thing that I think 747 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,680 Speaker 1: a lot of gamers are are frustrated with, is this 748 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:51,880 Speaker 1: tendency for games to be released only to be broken 749 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:56,160 Speaker 1: in some way and require you know, some some sort 750 00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:59,919 Speaker 1: of uh uh work in order to make them play 751 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:02,799 Speaker 1: a bowl. Um. But the flip side of that is 752 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:06,160 Speaker 1: delaying the release. Gamers don't tend to like that either. 753 00:46:06,239 --> 00:46:10,239 Speaker 1: Gamers are hard to satisfy. My suggestion for any game 754 00:46:10,239 --> 00:46:14,120 Speaker 1: developers out there, don't announce the release date of your game. 755 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:16,600 Speaker 1: In fact, don't even talk about your game until it's 756 00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:19,799 Speaker 1: ready to go gold, and that will do you the 757 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:23,880 Speaker 1: best at avoiding this issue. Also, it really excites gamers 758 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:25,799 Speaker 1: when they find out about a game for the first 759 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:27,359 Speaker 1: time and then they're told, hey, by the way, this 760 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:31,400 Speaker 1: is available today. They lose their their minds over that 761 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:33,719 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. So that's my advice to game developers, 762 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:38,560 Speaker 1: who probably know all too well about this stuff. Anyway, 763 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:42,440 Speaker 1: that's it for the news for Thursday July two thousand 764 00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:45,000 Speaker 1: twenty two. If you have suggestions for topics I should 765 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:47,160 Speaker 1: cover in future episodes of tech Stuff, please reach out 766 00:46:47,239 --> 00:46:49,400 Speaker 1: to me. One way to do that is to download 767 00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:52,719 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app. It's free to download. You 768 00:46:52,719 --> 00:46:55,279 Speaker 1: can navigate over to the tech Stuff part of the 769 00:46:55,320 --> 00:46:57,640 Speaker 1: app and you can leave a little voice message. You 770 00:46:57,680 --> 00:47:00,560 Speaker 1: click on the microphone icon leaves up to a thirty 771 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,040 Speaker 1: second message there for me, Or you can reach out 772 00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:05,600 Speaker 1: on Twitter. The handle for the show is text Stuff 773 00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:11,560 Speaker 1: H s W and I'll talk to you again really soon. Yeah. 774 00:47:15,640 --> 00:47:18,680 Speaker 1: Text Stuff is an I heart Radio production. For more 775 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:22,160 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, 776 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:25,440 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.