Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Why the AI industry needs to get to AGI to make the investments pay off 2) The diverging tracks between AI model improvement and investing in scaling 3) Why the LLM craze may delay the path to AGI 4) So what is all this compute for? 5) OpenAI's $1 trillion infrastructure investment 6) The increasing prevalence of debt in AI funding 7) Could an AI collapse hit the global economy? 8) OpenAI and AMD's wacky deal 9) Oracle's margins 10) OpenAI's Sora 'surprise' 11) Will John Ternus be Apple's next CEO?
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Cameroon holds presidential elections this Sunday with Paul Biya, the world's oldest ruler, seeking another seven-year term. At 92 years old, there have been concerns about his health and ability to rule. The credibility of the election commission has also been questioned. And insecurity is rife in the English speaking parts of the country. So, can the polls on Sunday be free and fair?
Also in the programme: should advertising boards be removed from football pitches to avoid accidents like the injury suffered by Togo's Samuel Asamoah during a game in China
And Somalia is to introduce Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, to its national curriculum
Presenter: Nyasha Michelle
Producers: Jospeh Keen, Mark Wilberforce and Tanya Hines
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Senior Journalist: Sunita Nahar
Editors: Andre Lombard and Karnie Sharp
Federal programs and funding play an important role in Indian Country, because of the government’s trust responsibility to provide or fund services to tribal nations in exchange for ceded land that now comprises the United States. That relationship also means that shutdowns hit tribal nations particularly hard. We'll learn what that means for services like health care and food distribution programs. Then, a lifelong Las Vegas resident reflects on the city's economic slowdown.
The end of the war in Gaza follows the unprecedented two-year psychological war against Zionism, supporters of Israel, and the very idea that Jews need and deserve to defend themselves. This has been an open question for us since 1948, when even Hannah Arendt opposed the creation of a Jewish state in the pages of COMMENTARY. We explain why she was wrong then, is wrong now, and why Israel's survival is important even for turncoat Jews who attack it. Give a listen.
Venezuela's opposition leader and pro-democracy activist María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
For years, she has campaigned against Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, whose 12-year rule is viewed by many nations as illegitimate. We'll speak to one of her close allies about what difference the award might make.
Also in the programme: Thousands of displaced Palestinians are heading back to what's left of their homes as a ceasefire comes into effect in Gaza; how AI-controlled weapons could become a reality on the battlefields of Ukraine; and a new species of pre-historic marine reptile that's just been identified by scientists.
(Photo shows Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at a protest on 9 January 2025. Credit: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
Plus: Tesla faces another investigation into its Full Self-Driving technology. And Microsoft and Anthropic hire former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as an adviser. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts.
Unpacking retail sentiment on crypto with Stocktwits Head of Markets and Retail Investor Insights, Tom Bruni.
Bitcoin recently hit a new high, but the market's momentum hasn't trickled down to Ethereum, Solana, and other altcoins, leaving retail traders frustrated and their capital flowing elsewhere. In today's Markets Outlook, CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie sits down with Tom Bruni, Head of Markets & Retail Investor Insights at Stocktwits, to dive deep into social sentiment data and what retail investors are actually watching right now, from the "debasement trade" in gold and silver to high-flying AI stocks.
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In the Tara Moses play, “Haunted,” two Native ghosts are caught in a seemingly endless cycle of haunting the prospective owners of a house, while also being haunted in return by racist stereotypes. The Millennial siblings have a penchant for the soundtrack of their youth that leans heavily on Britney Spears. Along the way they find themselves on a journey to a higher calling. We’ll hear from Moses about her work that comes to the stage in Los Angeles.
Welcome back to The Mining Pod! Today, Ethan Vera from Luxor joins us live from NABs in Dallas to talk about IREN's $875 million convertible note following their AI cloud deal announcement, Luxor's launch of an ERCOT-certified retail electric provider enabling Bitcoin-native power payments, last week's record-breaking $5.95 billion in crypto ETF inflows, and a word on Bitcoin mining in China.
**Notes:**
• Hash rate exceeds 1000 exahashes per second
• Hash price at $50.81 per petahash per day
• IREN raised $875M via 0% convertible note
• $5.95 billion in crypto inflows last week
• China represents estimated 14.05% of Bitcoin hash rate
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Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews on Tuesday and a news show on Friday!
