Grumpy Old Geeks Episode 725: "The Mistake Machine"

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Jason DeFillippo, Brian Schulmeister
Guest: Dave Bittner

Overview

This episode is a signature rumble through the week's worst in tech, with the Grumpy Old Geeks calling out companies and individuals for tech disasters, questionable business practices, and the continual decline of the user experience. Topics span from social media drama and AI blunders, to the latest in cryptocurrency controversies, dystopian prediction markets, petty billionaire antics, flawed robots, and the collapse of trusted tech brands. Sarcasm, schadenfreude, and a dash of nostalgia flavor the discussion as Jason, Brian, and Dave break it all down—no mercy, no filter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Housekeeping & Listener Shout-Outs

• Spotify Wrapped Surprises:
  • Brian jokes, “I’m 82 years old according to Spotify” ([01:52]). His top songs are from the Main Street Disneyland playlist, explaining his "old soul" streaming habits.
• Community Growth:
  • Recognition of loyal listeners, e.g., shout out to “Bama Brian on BlueSky,” top 7% fan ([02:30]).
  • YouTube's slow growth and YouTube trolls: “If you want to piss people off, mention Hitler and Elon Musk in the same sentence” – Jason ([03:54]).
• Dealing with Trolls:
  • Jason uses Grok (X’s AI) to fact-check trolls: “Apparently facts only count as facts when they come from Grok. So there you go.” ([04:49])

2. Kalshi & The Financialization of Everything

• Prediction Markets Partnership
  • Brian rails against the idea of betting on everything, rebuking Kalshi's CEO for saying, "financialize everything and create a tradable asset out of any difference in opinion." ([06:00]):
    • “Just what the world needs now, more things dividing us…” ([06:08])
  • He questions the real-world value: “That’s not a resolution tool… it’s just a bet that Kalshi takes a cut off.” ([06:30])
  • Poly Market CEO’s claim that prediction markets are “the most accurate thing we have as mankind right now”—called out as “bullshit.” ([07:13])

3. Tech Supervillains Update: Palantir & Meta

• Palantir Profiting from Conflict
  • Palantir CEO Alex Karp sees U.S. military actions as a "money-making opportunity," claiming that constitutional restrictions mean “you’re going to need my product.” – Brian ([08:18])
  • Karp’s justification: “the rise of the West was… by its superiority in applying organized violence.”
    • Jason: “Jesus Christ.” ([08:47])
• Meta Nukes Australian Teen Accounts
  • In response to new regulations, Meta is expunging under-16s: “Nothing says safety first like nuking 13- to 15-year-old accounts en masse.” – Jason ([09:20])
  • Budget cuts: Meta slicing the Metaverse budget 30%, shifting focus to AI ([09:58]–[10:25]).

4. Crypto & Stablecoin Chaos

• Tether Downgrade ([10:51]):
  • S&P Global drops Tether's reliability to worst rating: “Tether’s reserves have shifted toward more volatile holdings over the past year.”
  • Brian’s summary: Stablecoins “basically becoming not defi and just regular fi.” Traditional banks are muscling in; DeFi purists are upset that decentralization is basically a joke ([13:18]).
  • Jason: “Have you not learned anything from half of your friends down the street who lost their homes…?” ([14:09])

5. AI: The Mistake Machine (and More)

• OpenAI Scrambles Ads Plan
  • Rumor of ads in ChatGPT alarms users—but Altman halts the plan as Google’s Gemini 3 heats up competition ([15:02]–[15:57]).
  • Sarcasm about how ads could target ChatGPT’s vulnerable users:
    • “As you’re talking about how sad you are because you have no friends… ChatGPT is then going to serve you an ad for Smith & Wesson.” – Brian ([16:23])
• AI Fails at Google and Grok
  • Google’s AI-generated headlines in Discover are wrong or misleading:
    • “Let’s take all of the work that the human journalists did… and let’s run it through the mistake machine.” – Jason ([19:30])
  • Grok (Elon Musk’s AI) gives antisemitic answers and doxes Dave Portnoy—outrage ensues.
    • “Grok applied twisted Musk-worshipping logic to justify a second holocaust…” – Brian ([19:43])
    • “But people believe the Grok. That’s the fucked up thing.” – Jason ([20:45])
• AI & Patents
  • Latest guidelines: AI tools can be used for invention, but can’t be listed as inventors ([22:02]).

6. Tech Ethics, Lawsuits, and Regulatory Absurdities

• Trump’s AI & Crypto Czar
  • David Sacks' questionable investments: “Ethics are optional in this administration. In fact, actually, they’re kind of a negative.” – Brian ([23:38])
• Instacart Lawsuit Against NYC Minimum Wage Laws
  • Instacart frames paying a fair wage as "catastrophic."
    • Jason jokes: “You pronounce it ‘greedy motherfucker,’ Brian. That’s how it’s pronounced.” ([26:25])

7. Autonomous Vehicles: The Carnage Continues

• Waymo Robo-Taxi Mayhem
  • Waymo vehicle hits a dog; company tries damage control ([29:12]).
  • Another Waymo blithely drives through a police standoff as a suspect looks on, dumbfounded: “He should have jumped in the Waymo and said get me out of here.” ([31:07])
  • Jason: “They’re going to start driving a little bit more aggressively like humans do, I guess, which, you know, great. Just what I want.” ([31:38])

8. The Connected Hellscape: Software Updates Gone Rogue

• Airplanes Now Beta-Testing their Software
  • Airbus forced 6,000 aircraft to revert software due to solar flare vulnerabilities: “My plane is beta testing fucking software.” – Brian ([34:35])

9. Media & Entertainment Candy

• Netflix’s $82.7 Billion Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
  • May upend streaming market—subject to messy regulatory approval and industry drama ([35:24]).
• Streaming Recommendations
  • “The Long Kiss Goodnight is the best Christmas action movie.” – Jason ([39:53])
  • Fallout season 2 and Knives Out news, plus a rundown of the latest streaming content.

10. Apps & Doodads

• Dropbox vs. iCloud
  • Brian rejoices at canceling Dropbox, only to have to reinstall for GOG files: “At least I’m not paying for it now.” ([41:35])
• Apple’s Center Stage Annoyance
  • Jason’s pro tip for disabling “face follow” on Mac webcams: “Could you please turn that off? Like I don’t know how.” ([43:13])

11. Tech News Bites

• Apple’s Longtime Design Chief Exits
  • Alan Dye heads to Meta, generating optimism for better Apple OS design ([44:00]).
• AI “Oopsies”: Google’s Antigravity IDE Deletes D: Drives
  • “Who doesn’t love a little full disk wipe during debugging?” – Jason ([44:32])
• Glitchy Calls Mean Less Trust
  • Video and audio issues during interviews and hearings materially reduce trust and success: “That’s pretty fucking shitty.” – Brian ([47:22])
  • Solution? “Crack a quick joke right after a technical glitch.” ([47:28])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On prediction markets:
  • "We need a partnership with Kalshi. This show is the only thing that should monetize a difference of opinion." – Jason ([06:21])
• On the state of AI news:
  • “Let’s run [journalism] through the mistake machine.” – Jason ([19:30])
  • “Grok is still continuing to dance with Hitler in the pale moonlight.” – Brian ([19:49])
• On Tech's “Ethics”:
  • “Ethics are optional in this administration. In fact… they’re kind of a negative.” – Brian ([23:38])
• On bad tech design:
  • “He couldn’t move to a company better positioned for shitty design than Meta. They’ll embrace him with open arms.” – Brian ([44:32])
• On software updates on planes:
  • “It’s already disturbing that planes are getting downloadable software updates that are crucial. But… solar flares can take down these new planes.” – Brian ([33:40])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Spotify Wrapped & Listener Shoutouts: 01:20–03:19
• YouTube Troll Drama: 03:52–05:13
• Prediction Markets & Kalshi/CNN: 05:27–07:13
• Palantir Profits & Meta’s Teen Purge: 08:17–10:25
• Crypto Mayhem & Stablecoins: 10:51–15:02
• AI Ad Fiasco & Google Headline Blunders: 15:02–19:41
• Grok’s Dangerous Answers & Doxxing: 19:43–22:02
• David Sacks Ethics Story: 22:54–24:44
• Instacart Sues NYC: 24:44–26:38
• Waymo Robo-Taxi Incidents: 28:29–32:19
• Airbus Software Debacle: 32:26–35:08
• Netflix/WB Deal & Streaming News: 35:24–40:22
• Apps & Doodads (Dropbox, Center Stage): 41:32–44:32
• Tech News Bites: 44:32–49:22
• Media Candy (with Dave Bittner): 50:01–64:47
  • (Includes Star Wars nostalgia and pop-culture tangents)
• Closing Patreon and Listener Shoutouts, Final Notes: 69:22–74:09

The Dark Side with Dave (Media/Culture Segment)

Dave joins for a lighter, geekier close to the show, covering:

• Star Wars 50th Anniversary Rumors: Unaltered original cut possibly coming back ([52:15]).
• Retro Tech YouTube Recommendations: Spare Time Repair for soothing nostalgia ([62:32]).
• Convention Antics & Collectibles: Dave considers his dream Stormtrooper suit ([55:41]).
• Sad Tech News: Crucial RAM exits consumer market due to AI/data center demand ([68:12]).

Listener Recognition

• Grateful shout-outs to new Patreon and PayPal supporters; special mention for standout donations and continued community support ([69:22–71:58]).

Closing Thoughts

The episode barrels through tech fails from the week—the "mistake machine"—with scathing honesty, plenty of humor, and a critical eye for tech's follies and ethical blind spots. Behind the grumping is a real longing for tech (and media) that actually serves users instead of monetizing, annoying, or endangering them. If you ever wanted an irreverent, tough-love rundown of what's broken in tech, this episode is your manual.

Stay grumpy.

Relevant Links:
See GOGshow.com/725 for show notes, full links, and additional listener resources.
Join the conversation on Discord via gog.show.
Support the show via Patreon or direct donation to keep the grumpiness alive.

(All timestamps in MM:SS format refer to the original episode audio.)