All-In E157: Epic legal win, OpenAI's news deal, FCC targets Elon, the limits of free speech & more
Episode 157 • 12/16/2023
Epic vs Google App Store Case
- Epic Games won their antitrust case against Google over Play Store practices
- Google Play Store generates $50B in annual revenue (17% of Google's total)
- Jury found Google violated antitrust laws through:
- Project Hug payments to keep developers from leaving
- Sweetheart deals like 0% fee for Spotify
- $360M payment to Activision
- Epic seeks changes to allow alternative billing systems, not damages
- Case revealed Google deleted employee chat logs
OpenAI News Deals & Content Licensing
- OpenAI announced licensing deal with Axel Springer for news content
- Will include links back to original sources when ChatGPT uses content
- Follows earlier AP deal and Adobe's licensing of stock images
- Discussion of fair use vs licensing for AI training data
- Debate over content rights and compensation
Government Targeting of Elon Musk
- FCC rejected Starlink's $885M rural broadband subsidy
- Commissioner Brendan Carr called it "regulatory harassment"
- Pattern of agencies targeting Musk after Twitter acquisition:
- DOJ lawsuit over SpaceX hiring
- Tesla investigations
- FCC subsidy rejection
- Discussion of political motivation behind actions
Free Speech & Platform Moderation
- Extended debate over Alex Jones reinstatement on X/Twitter
- Discussion of lifetime bans vs temporary suspensions
- Balance between free speech and preventing real-world harm
- Debate over platform owner responsibilities
Other Topics
- Nassim Taleb publicly admitted being wrong about Ukraine war assessment
- Harvard president controversy and DEI policies
- Discussion of hiring practices and evaluating job candidates without relying on elite universities
The episode featured spirited debate particularly around content moderation and free speech issues, while also covering significant developments in tech antitrust and regulatory matters.