Grumpy Old Geeks – Episode 721: Pixel Predators

Date: November 7, 2025
Hosts: Jason DeFillippo & Brian Schulmeister, with Dave Bittner

Episode Overview

In this characteristically irreverent episode, the Grumpy Old Geeks crew dismantles a week’s worth of tech train wrecks. The hosts tackle the state of the tech job market, AI-driven market bubbles, government malfeasance favoring ISPs, and the unsavory underbelly of seemingly “kid-friendly” digital worlds like Roblox—hence, “Pixel Predators.” Elon Musk’s latest antics, Mark Zuckerberg’s compound controversy, Meta’s AI-porn lawsuit, and an actual good-news drone story also get their moment in the crosshairs. The episode is thick with acidic humor, pop culture tangents, and the type of no-sugarcoating analysis fans crave.

Key Topics & Segment Breakdown

1. Opening Banter & Quick Sports Roast

• [00:19] Brian’s LA Dodgers hat causes household strife in Toronto.
• [01:00] Classic GOG humor: “Blue Jays fans would beat me up politely. And then I’d get free healthcare.” (Brian, 01:05)

2. Tech & Economic Apocalypse Watch

Tech Layoffs, AI Bubble & Michael Burry’s Doom Bets

• [01:12-07:08]
  • Brutal October job cuts: 153,000 announced, with tech leading.
  • AI’s role in layoffs debated—hosts argue underlying issues are “mundane and greedy billionaires,” not just AI.
  • Quote: “It’s going to be a very challenging gray Christmas.” (Jason, 02:08)
  • Michael Burry (“The Big Short”) bets billions against Nvidia and Palantir, expecting the AI “gold rush” to go bust.
  • AI stocks described as riding a dangerous bubble: “Your Johnson & Johnson is going to be fine if you hold onto that... but Palantir, Tesla... batshit crazy.” (Brian, 06:30)

3. Regulatory Rollbacks: ISPs Get a Free Pass Again

• [07:08-09:18]
  • FCC under Republican leadership makes it harder for consumers to get itemized, transparent internet bills.
  • Quote: “It’s like the difference between being raped with your eyes open and being raped with a blindfold. Republicans just opt for the blindfold.” (Jason, 08:05)
  • ISPs can now obfuscate fees, labels become less accessible, in a classic “political two‑step.”

4. SpaceX Secures Big Bucks; Elon’s Bizarre Week

• [09:19-15:13]
  • SpaceX wins a $2B contract for defense satellites.
  • Elon Musk’s PR misdirection: smokes bricks on Joe Rogan, teases flying Teslas, dodges product delays.
  • Musk prompts ridicule with claims about robot armies, flying cars, and promises that never materialize.
  • Tesla’s US and European sales collapse outside of tax credit windows, as Chinese EVs eat their lunch and Musk’s antics damage the brand.
  • Musk’s $1 trillion “pay package” passes, but the criteria are derided as “bullshit” and impossible to meet: “He’s basically saying he’ll make Tesla $3.5T more than the highest valued company right now.”
  • Notable Quote: “In 10 years, he can make his company $3.5 trillion more than... the highest valued company in existence right now.” (Jason, 14:41)

5. Roblox in Legal Crosshairs: “Pixel Predators”

• [17:49-19:19]

  • Texas AG sues Roblox over claims of “pixel pedophiles” and failing child safety.
  • Similar legal moves in other states.
  • Roblox rolling out age checks, AI safety tools; but scale (151M daily users) and pressue persist.

  Notable Quote: “The platform’s been under fire nationwide for not keeping up with grooming, explicit content and sketchy adult interactions.” (Jason, 18:45)

6. Zuckerberg’s Neighborhood Drama: Chickens, Lemmings, and HOA Wars

• [19:22-21:30]
  • Mark Zuckerberg’s Palo Alto palace expansion infuriates neighbors.
  • Illegal private school named after pet chicken forced to shut by local authorities.

7. Meta’s AI-Porn Lawsuit: Data "Kinks" Exposed

• [21:30-24:28]
  • Meta sued by adult content firms for allegedly using thousands of porn videos to train AI.
  • Meta contends limited downloads, likely “personal use” by contractors.
  • Comedic note: “Optimize for your demise” advice about digital hygiene, so loved ones don’t find unsavory stashes.
  • Quote: "That's the worst way for somebody to find your stash." (Jason, 23:44)

8. Good Tech News: Michigan’s Healthcare Drones

• [24:28-25:45]
  • Drones speed rural Michigan medical deliveries, thanks to state funding.
  • Cited as a rare unambiguously positive technological innovation.
  • Africa/‘Toto’ musical tangent: “I've seen the rains down in Africa…Toto’s never toured in Africa.” (Brian & Jason, 25:43)

9. Media Candy & Pop Culture Tangents

• [26:12-34:41]

  Family TV, Baking Shows, Tech-Movie Reviews

  • Diplomat’s cliffhanger, Halloween Baking Championship, and Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking all get thumbs up.
  • Black Rabbit (Netflix) is dubbed too grim even for Ozark fans; Tron Ares gets pre-hate due to “Kara Swisher and Gary Vaynerchuk in the credits... a match made in hell.” (Jason, 32:12)
  • Witcher S4 suffers from “Liam Hemsworth, the Lesser Hemsworth, taking over; a massive downgrade.”
  • Anticipation for the new The Mummy sequel (Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz): “They're just rollicking good fun. That is what an action movie should be. Pre‑Marvel.” (Brian, 35:28)

10. Ups, Doodads & Tech Gripes

• [36:04-43:21]
  • Apple CarPlay on the chopping block; car makers move to monetize in-cabin software with subscriptions.
  • Star Trek LEGO: First official set, the Enterprise D, with full Next Generation crew ($400). “People who were fans of the original Star Trek are too old to buy Legos…” (Jason, 38:16)
  • Automattic (WordPress) sues “Automattic CSS” over a one-letter domain difference.
  • MacOS "Tahoe" file dialogs are slow/hanging for Jason; workaround is starting anew with a fresh user profile.

11. The Dark Side with Dave (Bittner): Cameras, Muppets & Tech Nostalgia

• [43:32-52:35]
  • Time-lapse camera options for Halloween candy distribution: best use for old iPhones.
  • Jennifer Lawrence & Emma Stone producing a Miss Piggy movie—“Is Miss Piggy a drag queen?” (Dave: “Absolutely.” 48:17)
  • Retro C64 Black edition prompts nostalgic reflection, but Dave is actually a Radio Shack TRS-80 (not Commodore 64) devotee.
  • Toys-within-toys tangent: Tiny Tron arcade inside Tron pinball machine and Star Tours models with mini LCDs.

12. Meta Makes Billions From Scams (Reuters exposé)

• [63:48-66:28]
  • Reuters finds 10% of Meta’s ad revenue is scam-driven; they raise ad pricing on detected scam ads, rather than removing them.
  • Meta allegedly avoids actions that would cut ad revenue more than 0.15%.
  • Quote: “Imagine a bank saying, ‘We’re not going to allow you to open an account for money laundering, unless you’re willing to pay a little more.’” (Dave, 65:08)

13. Sprout Farming & Homegrown Hobbies

• [54:18-60:29]
  • Jason becomes a "sprout farmer" as economic anxiety escalates; hosts riff on homemade radish sprouts as the new “street value.”
  • Food safety caveat: “Never eat the sprouts on a salad bar… sprouts are the most common carrier for foodborne illness on a salad bar.” (Dave, 59:22)
  • Homespun optimism: “That's my new low tech obsession: sprout farming.” (Jason, 60:32)

14. Closing Bits and Listener Shout-Outs

• [66:41-end]
  • Fan support via Patreon, Tip Jar, and PayPal heartily acknowledged.
  • Listener reviews praised and read aloud.
  • Hosts celebrate the passing of Dick Cheney: “It's the only guy in the world that's ever shot someone in the face and then made them apologize to him.” (Brian, 69:24)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Elon Musk & Roadster Hype:
  "He was giving Rogan vague answers... Just we're going to have flying cars now. You know what, Elon, we were also promised jet packs. Why don’t you test one?" (Brian, 11:34)
• On Tesla’s Prospects:
  "All experts, perhaps. In Europe... overall EV sales were up 119%, just not Teslas." (Brian, 13:15)
• On FCC Deregulation:
  “We cheered for it when it came… it was nice. It’s good to know how they’re screwing you.” (Brian, 07:35)
• Pixel Predators:
  "Pixel pedals. There’s a t-shirt. There we go." (Jason, 17:54)
• Meta’s Business Model:
  "Meta is aware of this. They give lip service to doing something about it... but they had to be careful not to affect their revenue by more than 0.15%." (Dave, 64:54)
• Media Therapy:
  “Baking shows... happy dreams... it’s like my mood enema.” (Brian, 29:19)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:12 — Economy, tech layoffs & Michael Burry’s AI bets
• 07:08 — FCC kills broadband transparency
• 10:31 — Musk on Rogan & Tesla PR stunts
• 13:15 — Tesla’s collapse in Europe
• 17:49 — Roblox sued for child safety failures (“Pixel Predators”)
• 19:22 — Zuckerberg’s neighborhood feud
• 21:30 — Meta’s alleged AI-porn scrape lawsuit
• 24:28 — Michigan drone medical delivery
• 26:12 — Media candy: TV & popular culture tangents
• 36:04 — Ups & doodads: CarPlay’s demise, Star Trek LEGO
• 43:32 — The Dark Side with Dave: nostalgia, camera hacks, Muppet news
• 54:18 — Jason’s homegrown sprout farming
• 63:48 — Meta’s mega profits from scams (Reuters investigation)
• 66:41 — Outro, Patreon thank‑yous, listener mail

Episode Tone

As always: biting, snarky, and laced with dark humor. The GOG hosts riff irreverently while still delivering sharp insights about tech, policy, and pop culture. The mood is both resigned and defiant—a “grumpy” middle finger to a world where billionaires stink up the room and tech “innovation” is more often about scamming users than making life better.

Final Takeaway

“Pixel Predators” is a blisteringly funny, cynically wise tour of tech’s latest fiascos, anchored by the unique chemistry of three hosts at peak curmudgeon. If you want hard truths about tech’s toxic side, leavened with gallows wit and media recommendations to keep your sanity, this is a must‑listen.