(Preview) OpenAI Wants Help from the Government, Apple Taps Google for AI, Q&A on Bubbles, Amazon Groceries, and YouTube TV

Ben and Andrew begin with reactions to the OpenAI CFO discussing a federal "backstop" for prospective financing, as well as Sam Altman's recent comments about OpenAI's spending. Then: An emailer objects to the discussion of Bubble benefits, and questions about Meta's AI spending and a looming the AI backlash as hiring contracts and electricity prices rise. From there: Unpacking the announcement that Apple will use Gemini to power Siri, and two follow-ups to last week's discussion of "Too Big to Fail" in tech. At the end: Thoughts on Amazon's grocery ambitions, Walmart's continued success, the YouTube TV-ESPN dispute, and a listener's mental model of Ticketmaster.

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The Benefits of Bubbles — Stratechery (stratechery.com/2025/the-benefits-of-bubbles)

OpenAI Isn’t Yet Working Toward an IPO, CFO Says — Wall Street Journal (wsj.com/tech/ai/openai-isnt-yet-working-toward…?)

The Deployment Age — Reaction Wheel (reactionwheel.net/2015/10/the-deployment-age.h…)

Apple to Kick Off 50th Anniversary With Nearly $140 Billion Quarter — Bloomberg (bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-02/appl…)

Amazon Earnings, AWS and OpenAI, Did Amazon Solve Groceries? — Stratechery Update (stratechery.com/2025/amazon-earnings-aws-and-o…)

An Interview with Michael Morton About AI E-Commerce — Stratechery Interview (stratechery.com/2025/an-interview-with-michael…)

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