Newcomer
Newcomer Podcast
Listen: OpenAI's 'Great Man,' AI Regulation & Drugs
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Listen: OpenAI's 'Great Man,' AI Regulation & Drugs

Plus, why a new open-source AI code editor is sparking debate
(Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

We’re back this week with another episode of the Newcomer podcast.

It’s hard not to talk about OpenAI’s latest funding round.

The details aren’t set, but Sam Altman’s role as the company’s strongman has been further reinforced by the gobs of capital he can raise from the likes of SoftBank, even while his former lieutenants continue to leave.

Madeline and I dig into how this deal will shape up, and if it could play out similarly to Uber where it all works out in the end for investors, regardless of internal company strife.

Outside of the biggest story of the week, there’s still lots of drama to cover. We dive into business implications of Gavin Newsom’s veto of SB 1047, a buzzy YC startup’s audacious social media strategy, and what Marc Andreessen’s thoughts on psychedelics reflect about the attitudes to drug use in the tech community.

We’re also on the hunt for more internal fund documents that we can share with our readers, so send us your tips and scoops. We’re at eric@newcomer.co and madeline@newcomer.co.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it.

Description:

In this episode of the Newcomer Podcast, hosts Eric Newcomer and Madeline Renbarger delve into the world of venture capital deals, starting with Ujet’s $76M Series D for its AI-powered call center software. Next up is the drama surrounding PearAI, whose growth-hacker tweet set the tech world buzzing. From there, they navigate through OpenAI’s own “Game of Thrones,” exploring internal power plays and high-stakes exits, before turning to California’s latest AI regulatory battles. To wrap things up, they call for some balance in Silicon Valley’s escalating discourse around drugs and psychedelics.

Chapters:

00:22 Ujet

01:40 PearAI

05:49 Open AI

11:45 AI Regulation

16:34 Drugs + SV

Discussion about this podcast

Newcomer
Newcomer Podcast
A podcast about Silicon Valley, hosted by newsletter writer and independent journalist Eric Newcomer. Listen in for interviews with the dealmakers and builders who matter. Subscribe to newcomer.co for summaries of the episodes plus tech industry news, scoops, and analysis.