TBPN – Diet TBPN: October 17th, 2025
Hosts: John Coogan & Jordi Hays
Date: October 18, 2025
Episode Overview
Diet TBPN delivers a fast-paced rundown of tech, media, and culture news with John Coogan and Jordi Hays’ signature banter. This episode digs into the recent Palantir and Anduril controversy, media dynamics between old and new platforms, viral rumors in tech, absurd stories about crypto and AI, and playful debates about future tech and pop culture crossovers.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Palantir, Anduril, and Defense Tech Controversy
[00:14-01:32]
- The hosts address Bloomberg and Reuters reporting on the NGC2 system, implicating Palantir and Anduril.
- Criticism of the Reuters story for omitting on-the-record statements from Palantir and Andrew, fundamentally skewing the narrative.
“Journalist who wrote that Reuters story would have been failed out of the class by any of my professors.” – Guest 1 [00:30]
- Discussion on how defense procurement moves too slowly compared to other tech sectors.
- Silicon Valley’s iterative approach vs. traditional government processes: new products often lack initial security features as speed is prioritized over polish.
“Everyone in America knows that it shouldn’t take 50 years to build a new plane… and other countries aren’t smarter or more [hard-working],” – Host [00:43]
2. Viral Slop, Fake News, and Media Literacy
[01:32-02:13]
- The hosts bust a viral clip claiming Palmer Luckey appeared on Joe Rogan, labeling it “slop.”
“This is slop. But this is the purest slop possible.” – Host [01:57]
- Emphasize the need for fact-checking but with tongue-in-cheek humor about the prevalence of such content.
3. Robot Fights, VR Experiments, and the Future of Sparring Partners
[02:13-03:16]
- Discussion of Robot Fight League in San Francisco and hypothetical scenarios (e.g., humans vs. 100 robots in combat).
“You get 100 unitrees, you put them in guerrilla costumes, you turn Logan Paul loose. It's a $2 million production, but it's gonna get a billion views.” – Host [03:03]
- Speculate on robots as perfect sparring partners, able to precisely simulate legendary fighters.
4. Tech Culture Commentary: Business, Media, and Influencers
[03:16-05:45]
- Remarks on Marc Benioff and Palmer Luckey’s media appearances.
- Crossover guest wishes (Jensen Huang on Huberman Lab).
- Jokes about Joe Rogan’s theory that modern car design is worse because designers stopped doing drugs.
“Joe Rogan says car design is bad now because car designers stopped doing drugs.” – Co-host [04:10]
- Analysis of Joshua Kushner’s profile, Colossus media approach, and how modern media is not zero-sum.
“Media is not zero sum. Like the New York Times can thrive and Colossus can thrive… they can have totally different ways covering people and that's healthy.” – Co-host [05:00]
5. Bitcoin, Open Source, & Downside of Early Adoption
[05:45-07:09]
- Bitcoin and electronics purchases: regrets about spending bitcoin on depreciating goods when it was cheap.
“I bought a TV with bitcoin. It was the worst financial decision in my life. Paid one bitcoin.” – Host [06:20]
- Discussion of recent donations in the open source Bitcoin space.
“Jack says, why only 250k?... He goes over 21 million. You.” – Co-host [06:46]
6. Viral AI Ads, Gold, and Quirky Tech Nostalgia
[07:09-08:23]
- Notable AI product placements (Heineken as "the official beer of AI Doomers").
- Boomer investments in gold finally paying off.
“Congrats to all the boomers who have been holding gold for years and years and years and are now seeing it.” – Host [07:55]
- Chris Sawyer and Rollercoaster Tycoon as the epitome of ambitious solo programming.
“This dude wrote Rollercoaster Tycoon by himself in assembly, earning 30 million in royalties.” – Co-host [08:00]
7. Automation and AI Industry Updates
[08:23-09:55]
- DoorDash using Waymo Robo Taxis for delivery in Phoenix: commentary on customer experience and what it means about American consumer culture.
“Private Robo taxi for my burrito and that is all you need to know about America.” – Co-host [08:32]
- Greg Brockman’s shoutout to Jensen Huang for delivering a DGX Spark.
- Joking about the narrative shift in AI hype, summarized in memes about the “AI bubble.”
“AI bubble ended in the funniest way. 2022 AGI soon 2023 AGI soon 2024 AGI soon 25 Never mind. We give up. It's just erotica.” – Co-host [09:17]
- Observations on startups shifting cloud spend away from AWS and toward inference and AI dev tools.
8. Human-AI Merging & Willingness to Adopt New Tech
[10:02-11:00]
- Playful conversation around head-of-the-curve tech adoption, using theoretical Mars colonization and Neuralink implementation as examples.
“I wouldn’t be the first person to go on the rocket to the moon… but I’d be like number five or ten.” – Host [10:02] “I'm probably in the first 50,000.” – Guest 2 [10:24]
- Brief philosophical mention of “the merge” (human-AI hybridization) as a possible solution to AI dominance.
9. F1 Rights, Apple Strategy, and Barnacle Economy
[11:09-12:07]
- Apple’s acquisition of Formula 1 broadcasting rights in the US.
- Debate over whether Apple is a barnacle hitching onto F1’s success or the whale setting the cultural narrative.
“Apple started as a barnacle and they're becoming the whale.” – Co-host [11:42]
- Lighthearted roasting of Tim Cook’s lackluster checkered flag wave at the F1 race.
“He's at the finish line of a Formula one race, and he looks like he's going. Going out for trying to catch some trout or something.” – Co-host [12:07]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the Palantir reporting:
“Journalist who wrote that Reuters story would have been failed out of the class by any of my professors.” – Guest 1 [00:30]
- On product iteration in Silicon Valley:
“…when you build a new product, you focus on finding a problem, building the solution, and then you figure out how to optimize the database.” – Host [00:43]
- On viral fake news:
“This is slop. But this is the purest slop possible.” – Host [01:57]
- On AI and consumer culture:
“Private Robo taxi for my burrito and that is all you need to know about America.” – Co-host [08:32]
- On the AI hype collapse:
“AI bubble ended in the funniest way... Never mind. We give up. It's just erotica.” – Co-host [09:17]
- On being a tech early adopter:
“I wouldn’t be the first person to go on the rocket to the moon… but I’d be like number five or ten.” – Host [10:02]
Important Timestamps
- 00:14: Palantir/Anduril controversy and media critique
- 01:57: Exposing viral fake news clips
- 02:24: Robot Fight League and future of human-robot sports
- 04:10: Joe Rogan on car design and the psychedelic era
- 06:20: Bitcoin purchase regret story
- 08:32: DoorDash x Waymo Robo Taxi and cultural commentary
- 09:17: AI bubble meme and market shift
- 10:02: Mars/Neuralink “early adopter” debate
- 11:09: Apple’s F1 deal and barnacle economy metaphor
- 12:03: Tim Cook’s F1 checkered flag moment
Tone & Style
The episode is defined by fast, witty banter spiked with humor, irony, and the hosts’ strong opinions on tech, finance, and media. Their conversational style makes even esoteric news relatable and entertaining, with playful jabs and speculation throughout.
Useful for anyone wanting a snapshot of the week’s tech absurdities, industry shifts, and cultural commentary—delivered with TBPN’s irreverent spin.