TBPN – Diet TBPN: October 16th, 2025

Hosts: Tyler, David, Nikita
Date: October 16th, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a fast-paced rundown of major developments in technology, AI, and finance, marked by Google’s major cancer research announcement, ongoing OpenAI controversies, fresh trade tensions, corporate AI product launches, and the latest financial and creator economy news. The hosts bring their signature irreverence and sharp commentary, weaving in tech metaphors and industry references throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Google’s AI Breakthrough in Cancer Research

00:00–05:37

• Announcement Recap: Google claims a significant advance in AI-driven cancer research, partnering with Yale to build “RC2s, scale 27B” — a model that generated a novel cancer hypothesis, validated in living cells (but not yet in humans or animals).
  • “We cured cancer. We've done it. We cured cancer.” – Tyler (00:28)
  • Clarifies: They have not truly cured cancer, but achieved a breakthrough in detecting “cold tumors” (tumors invisible to the immune system).
• Call of Duty Metaphor: Tyler likens immune cells and cancer to opposing teams in a video game, explaining that the goal is to make cancer cells more visible to immune “killer T cells” (01:20).
  • “You want all the cancer cells to be really obvious to your immune system so it can go around and get a bunch of headshots, double kills, 360 endoscopes...” – Tyler (01:45)
• Industry Impact:
  • The hosts debate whether this is the "ChatGPT moment" for biotech or more like the early DARPA Grand Challenge; major, but not an overnight transformation (03:55).
  • Regulatory bottlenecks and infrastructure are seen as likely to slow real-world impact, just as with nuclear energy (04:52).
  • “It's a win win for the world. My question is… can Google produce thousands of these?” – David (04:06)
  • “There is the chance that this stuff gets regulated to the point where there’s no fast takeoff.” – Tyler (04:58)

2. OpenAI's Timing & Industry Position

02:54–05:37

• OpenAI finds itself embroiled in controversy as Google scores positive PR with its scientific achievement.
• Speculation on whether OpenAI even wants to (or can) compete in bio/health applications, versus Google’s resource advantage.

3. Financial Sanctions, Energy & Armored Cars

05:37–07:38

• Sudden claims: Trump’s administration allegedly lands a deal for India to stop buying Russian oil and launches a new trade war with China.
  • “We are in a trade war with China.” – Tyler (06:04)
• Unusual policy lever: Setting floor prices in response to alleged manipulation by China instead of increasing tariffs.
  • “It's very odd that they're pulling that out as a tool instead of just focusing on tariffs.” – Tyler (06:41)
• Cultural aside: Volvo rolling out armored family cars directly to consumers (05:37), noted as “probably nothing” — a wry nod to global instability.

4. Creator Economy, Food Safety, and Brand Competition

07:38–14:14

• Lead in Protein Supplements:
  Paris’s investigation into high lead levels in protein powders launches a debate: is lead or microplastics more concerning?
  • “Ideally, it’s zero.” – David (08:30)
  • Hosts joke about “upping your lead for a strong Q4, then detoxing in Q1” (08:54).
• AI Branding and Marketing:
  • Review of AI-generated ads—debating whether generative AI can help brands stand out or is just a SaaS efficiency tool (09:00–12:18).
  • Noted: Effective, scrappy marketing may outshine expensive, over-produced campaigns for startups.
  • “There is an underrated side of using AI in a creative way that does show resourcefulness.” – Tyler (12:18)
• AI-Native Law Firms:
  Analogy drawn between law startups leveraging AI (e.g., Harvey) from day one, and early D2C brands using tech to disrupt incumbents (12:18–13:30).

5. Payments & Banking: Platform Wars

13:30–14:14

• Notable jab exchanges between PayPal and Wise on social media.
  • "PayPal said normalize sending money instead of memes... Wise says normalize sending money with transparent fees." – Nikita (13:48)
• Mr. Beast’s bank: Filing trademarks for “Mr. Beast Financial,” pivoting from content to fintech (07:14).

6. Crypto Mishaps

14:13–14:44

• Paxos mistakenly mints 300 trillion stablecoins due to a critical error—hosts joke about the absurd scale.
  • "It does feel like a cat on the keyboard." – Tyler (14:42)

7. Unlikely Career Paths and State Innovation Coins

14:51–16:08

• Electrifying tech origin stories: Musicians turned engineers, engineers turned vice presidents at Sony.
• U.S. Mint to launch state coins featuring technologists and inventors (e.g., Steve Jobs for California, Cray supercomputer for Wisconsin).
  • "That's a huge breakthrough." – Tyler (15:45)

8. OpenAI’s User Numbers, Monetization & Revenue Projections

16:08–17:51

• Financial Times reports 800 million OpenAI weekly users; only 5% are paid, but that’s still $13B in annual run-rate (ARR).
  • “The gap between 13 billion and 32 billion (Google’s projection for the same user base) is not as much as...it should be.” – Tyler (16:38)
• OpenAI’s ambitions: aiming for $100B revenue by 2028 would “gobble up about half of all software revenue” (17:14).
  • “The projections are crazy…OpenAI's projection implies it gobbling up about half of all software revenue.” – Tyler (17:14)
  • “OpenAI is an amazing company…Also, a company losing 20 billion a year with 13 billion of revenue…is mental.” – David (20:46)

9. Tech bubbles & SaaS Displacement

17:51–18:40

• Rapid AI growth threatens a slew of SaaS businesses, whose core value can be absorbed into a simple ChatGPT prompt.
  • "ChatGPT is phenomenal at creating packing lists for travel...That could have been its own SaaS product." – Nikita (18:29)

10. Government Shutdown & Startup Humor

18:40–19:08

• The hosts riff on the US government shutdown, joking about agencies having runway and possibly needing a Softbank bridge loan.

11. Starlink on United Airlines

19:08–20:04

• Starlink’s inflight internet launches on the first United Aircraft, signaling advances in in-flight connectivity.

12. Creator Monetization: X vs. YouTube

20:04–21:11

• Debate on creator payouts: X “underpays” compared to YouTube, and YouTube creators work much harder per viral hit.
  • “YouTube creators certainly deserve to be paid well.” – David (20:48)

13. Capital Wars, Uber, and OpenAI’s Culture

21:11–22:09

• Uber as a lesson: entering a capital war and eventually winning (with a $192B market cap).
• OpenAI’s internal culture: “everything…runs on Slack,” eschewing email (21:37).
• Anthropic to purchase TPUs from Broadcom (not Apple), signaling major AI chip deals in the works.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tyler on Google's Cancer Annoucement:
  “They didn’t actually cure cancer, but they made some progress and it’s definitely updating some people on what AI can do in bio.” (00:41)

• David on AI Milestones:
  “Is this the ChatGPT moment for AI in bio or is this the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge that took 20 years until Waymos were on the street?” (03:55)

• Tyler on Regulation and Progress:
  “Some of these things just take time and regulation…we just didn’t see nuclear energy production. It’s exponential and then it’s sigmoidal because…we just said, yeah, we’re actually good.” (04:58)

• David on Creator Payouts:
  “The average YouTube creator probably is inversely correlated in that some of my best videos have taken the most amount of effort. Like the top five videos took the most amount of effort, some creative spark and then a ton of investment…” (20:32)

• Tyler on SaaS Displacement:
  “ChatGPT is phenomenal at creating packing lists for travel…That could have been its own SaaS product.” (18:27)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–05:37 — Google AI’s cancer research breakthrough, OpenAI contrast
• 05:37–06:49 — Trade wars, energy policy, armored cars
• 07:38–08:59 — Lead in supplements, food safety, microplastics
• 09:00–12:18 — AI-driven marketing, product launch videos, SaaS as an edge
• 13:30–14:14 — Payments platform wars (PayPal vs. Wise, Mr. Beast Financial)
• 14:13–14:44 — Paxos crypto error
• 14:51–16:08 — State innovation coins, influential engineers
• 16:08–17:51 — OpenAI revenue, monetization, projections
• 17:51–18:40 — AI threat to SaaS, explosion of utility features
• 18:40–19:08 — Gov’t shutdown jokes
• 19:08–20:04 — Starlink hits United Airlines
• 20:04–21:11 — Creator monetization X vs. YouTube
• 21:11–22:09 — Uber’s rise, OpenAI on Slack, Broadcom/Anthropic chip deal

This episode offers sharp analysis, running jokes, and inside-baseball on the most pressing tech, business, and cultural headlines—making it an engaging catch-up for listeners who want more than the surface-level tech news.