Down Round

This is a free preview of a premium episode. To subscribe to Down Round Premium and get access, head here. Nvidia, the graphics card company turned into AI chip powerhouse, posted its earnings at the end of last week. Surprising no one, they were huge – propelling the company even higher up the charts of the most valuable companies on Earth. In this ep, we unpack the earnings and what they mean, as well as talking about Nvidia's future, and even incompetently attempting to put forward a bear case. Links Nvidia posts revenue up 265% on booming AI business – CNBC See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reddit is going public. After a false start a couple of years ago, the online message board is undergoing the IPO process, setting markets up for the biggest social media IPO since Pinterest in 2019.  The company has filed its S1, which for the first time lets the world peek into Reddit's books, also revealing what it thinks are its biggest risks and opportunities. Join us as we pick through the document for revealing nuggets. Links Reddit S-1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a premium episode. To subscribe to Down Round Premium and get access, head here. The gaming world was ablaze over the past few weeks over reports that Xbox was throwing in the towel and letting some of its biggest exclusive titles go to its eternal rival, the PlayStation. It riled up the Xbox ultras and raised questions about how committed Microsoft is to console gaming – despite its monster $75B acqusition of Activision-Blizzard. It ended up being a little less dramatic than anticipated. But it still raises questions about Microsoft's strategy in gaming, and how the world's biggest company is approaching the rapidly growing -- and increasingly unstable --  gaming market. Links Microsoft is slowly building to a future where ‘every screen is an Xbox - The Verge Microsoft: four Xbox-exclusive games are coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch – The Verge Sony’s value reportedly dropped by $10 billion following ‘disappointing’ PlayStation financials See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, OpenAI announced Sora, its text-to-video model. Only a few people have their hands on it, so all we have to go off are example videos provided by OpenAI. But it looks good – and like a leap forward for AI video creation. This has raised lots of questions. How does it work? How much crap is about to flood our internet feeds? And is Hollywood doomed? All these questions and more are answered to a base level of satisfaction in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a premium episode. To subscribe to Down Round Premiun and get access, head here. The word on the street is that Sam Altman, the once embattled and now seemingly fine CEO of OpenAI, is currently out in the market trying to raise money for a new microchip-related venture. The amount of money he's raising? Seven trillion dollars, which is about 10% of global GDP. In this episode, we discuss the insane computing requirements of a company like OpenAI, and why Sam might be looking to find a new friend other than Nvidia. Links Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI – The Wall Street Journal OpenAI Shifts AI Battleground to Software That Operates Devices, Automates Tasks – The Information See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the big crazes of the last few years was consumer genetic testing. Through services like 23andme and AncestryDNA, regular punters could find out their ethnic background, link up with distant cousins, and find out what mysterious blood illnesses they were genetically predisposed to get. But there is trouble in paradise. 23andme has lost a staggering 98% of its value from its peak, and it has people asking: can you build a real, sustainable business from someone spitting into a tube and mailing to to a lab? We dive in. Links 23andMe’s Fall From $6 Billion to Nearly $0 – The Wall Street Journal See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a preview of a premium episode. We're currently running a sale on Down Round Premium – head here to score an annual membership for $49 instead of $70. Only until Sunday Feb 11. Let's face it: Google Search sucks now. We've talked about it on many episodes, along with the broader conversation about how AI might disrupt it. In this episode, we dig a little deeper. What are the factors that made Google Search so successful, and what are the factors making it no longer fit for purpose? We look at new challengers, like Perplexity, and what Google is doing to prepare for the deprecation of its core business – whenever that may be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey! Down Round is still running a sale on premium membership until Friday February 9. Sign up using this link, and you can get an annual membership for $49 instead of the usual $70. Today we're diving into the world of Australian startups and venture capital. After the end of the post-COVID tech boom, you might find yourself wondering who is investing in what, and where all the money is going now. Well, you're in luck. To help us unpack what Australian tech investment looks like now – as well as give his hot takes on the tech fads and trends of the past few years – we're joined by Damian Fox, partner at Carthona Capital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a preview of a premium episode. We're currently running a sale on Down Round Premium – head here to score an annual membership for $49 instead of $70. Amazing stuff. Last week, we talked about Apple shaky Vision Pro launch, thanks to a number of key developers saying they wouldn't be making apps for the mixed reality headset. This week, the story continues, with Apple officially unveiling its response to recent EU regulation which would force it to open up access to third-party app stores and payment processors in Europe. Of course, in true Apple fashion, the response is a poison chalice. And it's pissed off everyone from Spotify to Epic Games and all in-between. We discuss. Links Apple's response Thread by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey! Down Round is running a sale on premium membership. Sign up in the next week using this link, and you can get an annual membership for $49 instead of the usual $70. This week we're talking about the much-hyped weight loss drug Ozempic and its producer, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk. Thanks to the crazy success of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk is now literally the biggest company in Europe by market cap. Now the vultures are circling, and a whole bunch of drugmakers are rushing competitors to market. We talk about the drug, the company, it's weirdly 'techy' marketing and where it fits into the incoming universe of biotech and pharma tech. Links Our episode from last year with Tim Doyle, founder of Australian online pharmacy Eucalyptus. Weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk becomes Europe’s most valuable company – FT Ozempic is on the rise. That could be a problem for food companies – CNN See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.