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AI Event Optics Tell a Story

Last week, the 2024 spring cycle of tech events kicked off in earnest. OpenAI livestreamed a “Spring Update” event, and Google held its annual developer conference. As expected, some of my AI fears, which we discussed in last week’s essay, came to fruition. Another thing that jumped out at me was the juxtaposition found with the two AI-infused events. A closer look at event optics provides a story underlying AI mania.

In…

AI Fears



Last week, Apple held a virtual event to unveil refreshed iPad Airs, iPad Pros, a new M4 chip, and a few updated iPad accessories and apps. To show off the iPad Pro’s new redesign, Apple created an ad in-house showing a hydraulic press crushing an assortment of (older) creative tools including a piano, guitar, and paint cannisters into the new iPad Pro. The “Crush” iPad ad elicited strong reactions on social media…

Peloton’s Fix-It CEO Quits



After two years at the helm, Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy resigned last week. With no success at reigniting growth, McCarthy left the initiative to his Peloton co-workers to figure out - at least those who will survive yet another round of layoffs. The Peloton story has been a fascinating one to watch, both on the way up and down. Most of McCarthy’s product ideas were at odds with where the connected fitness…

The Battle for Our Meals

A local grocer whose family had been in the business for 80 years closed its doors last week. It’s been the talk of the town since the news first broke. Similar stories aren’t that difficult to find elsewhere. In an attempt to console the community, the owner had an interesting story to tell as to why his family was calling it quits. They were in a battle for meals and losing to…

Holes Begin to Appear in AI Hype


Last week was a strange one in the consumer gadgets space. A debate involving the most popular tech gadget reviewer and product review ethics generated days of buzz and attention. Given how quickly the news cycle moves these days, such longevity jumped out at me. However, the most valuable takeaways and insights from the ordeal seem to have been glossed over. As the first wave of AI-infused consumer gadgets from start-ups come…

Spotify Is Being Pulled in Different Directions



Deep down, Spotify wants to be the YouTube of audio. Daniel Ek has long been intrigued with the idea of controlling a marketplace where a seemingly infinite amount of user-generated content is matched with a billion customers. Such a goal requires a full-fledged journey into advertising. However, in recent quarters, Spotify has been pulled in a different direction.

Last week, Spotify was in the news for reportedly getting ready to push through…

Sonos Moving Into Headphones Is Intriguing

As consumer hardware startups pivot to AI to find market traction, Sonos is quietly flying under the radar with its own upcoming consumer HW device. All signs point to the speaker company soon branching out into wearables with a premium pair of wireless over-ear headphones. While the headphones market has seen significant growth and adoption since Apple pushed the space into the spotlight in the mid-2010s, headphones are still being underestimated in…

The U.S. Government’s Weak Hand Against Big Tech Antitrust



Earlier this week, the U.S. government unveiled its long-awaited antitrust complaint against Apple. This followed previously unveiled antitrust cases against Meta (2020), Amazon (2023), and Google (2020), which are in different stages of playing out in court. There is one commonality found among the complaints: the U.S. government is struggling to get around the fact that Big Tech plays in competitive markets.

For the better part of the last decade, U.S. regulation…

The TikTok Bill’s Uncomfortable Truth


Just when they thought they were out of the political woods, TikTok got a rude awakening this week as the U.S. House passed a bill that would essentially ban TikTok in the U.S. While President Biden has indicated his interest in signing the bill into law, the Senate may end up being TikTok’s saving grace. The bill raises several questions for me as to what Washington is doing. More importantly, the TikTok…

The Big Tech Rotation of 2024



Things are getting strange. On social media, a feeling of angst has taken over the tech space. Apple and Tesla are said to be on the ropes while calls for Google replacing its CEO are on the rise. Other companies, including Meta and Microsoft, are riding PR highs. AI mania continues to add chaos to the mix. Oh, and Bitcoin is back at all-time highs. The signs support the theory that we…

AI Mania Is in Full Swing




It’s been intriguing to watch Wall Street and Silicon Valley become enamored by AI. Seemingly every week, we are met with the latest and greatest advancements made possible by AI models. ChatGPT may need to pass the baton over to Sora in terms of capturing hearts and minds. While all may seem well, AI mania is hiding a growing problem involving technology once again outpacing design.

Fourteen months ago, I was one…

The Joe Rogan Experiment


Two weeks ago, Spotify re-signed podcaster Joe Rogan to a new $250 million multiyear deal. Compared to the hoopla that surrounded the company’s initial deal with Rogan, the renewal seemed to fly under the radar of some. The new deal is a significantly different one from the first. Instead of an exclusivity arrangement in which Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” would only be available on Spotify, the new deal will…

Disney’s Problem


These past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Disney. Last week’s Apple Vision Pro launch saw Disney as one of the largest third-party video streamers to embrace Apple’s new computing platform. On Tuesday, news broke of Disney forming a surprising partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and FOX for an all-new sports app. On Wednesday, Disney announced it would buy a stake in Epic Games as part of a larger agreement that…

Meta’s VR Predicament


With Apple Vision Pro now officially on sale, Meta finds itself in quite the predicament. After initially pooh-poohing Apple’s headset, there are signs of Mark Zuckerberg and company already pivoting to reinvigorate their own headset strategy. Such a change in mindset suggests Meta will be a different kind of competitor than Apple has seen in the past, and yet I don’t have confidence that Meta can compete against what Apple is selling.

Why the Media Is in So Much Trouble



Earlier this week, the LA Times announced plans to cut 20% of staff. The cuts go deep with the DC bureau being hit hard along with sports and the video division. Simply put, the news has led to yet another round of journalist freak-out. Mass layoffs are only part of the problem for the sixth-largest paper in the U.S. in term of circulation (fifth when counting subscribers). The LA Times’ executive editor…

It’s Time for Google to Make the Hardware Call



Last week, news broke that Google was reorganizing its devices division. Along with laying off hundreds of employees, Google appears to have admitted defeat with Fitbit as its co-founders are leaving the company after three years. The remaining team is being combined with other HW assets. While the preceding items may surprise some, they all are predictable. In late 2022, we talked about how Google’s HW bet was struggling. We are…

The Rabbit r1 Unveiling


Rabbit has the appearance of being the hardware startup that AI-centric folks have been waiting for. Unlike Humane’s $200 million multi-year tease that culminated in one of the oddest consumer gadget unveilings in recent memory for its Ai Pin, Rabbit unveiled its $199 r1 to little fanfare with a taped keynote posted to X. With its $30 million of funding, Rabbit won’t be able to escape the same fundamental AI hardware issues…

Tech Questions for 2024



Predictions don’t excite me. They are often lackluster attempts at providing answers to the unknown. To then get the timing behind such predictions correct makes the whole thing a charade with little to no added value. Instead, for the first Inside Orchard essay of 2024, we will embrace the unknown and look at tech questions that are on my mind for 2024.

Generative AI. Since companies have already spent a significant amount…

2023 Was a Year of Characters


As we wrap up another year, we look back at what comes across as an eventful 2023. Macro issues and lingering COVID talk led to a shaky start. We then saw a fair share of winners (“Barbie” / NVIDIA / OpenAI) and losers (Disney / consumer gadget sales / EVs). While most people would position “AI” as the tech story of the year, there’s something about that decision that doesn’t sit right…

The Good and Bad of X


More than a year into Elon Musk’s Twitter ownership, it’s safe to say it’s been an eventful journey. Last month, Musk generated another wave of controversy at an NYT conference by publicly going after former Twitter / X advertisers for pulling away from the platform. The saga brought a renewed look at what X is becoming. Enough time has passed with Musk at the helm that we are able to point out…
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