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Peptide Debate Recap, John Ternus Rumors Swirl, OpenAI Nonprofit to Spend $1B | Diet TBPN - TBPN | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Peptide Debate Recap, John Ternus Rumors Swirl, OpenAI Nonprofit to Spend $1B | Diet TBPN - TBPN cover

Peptide Debate Recap, John Ternus Rumors Swirl, OpenAI Nonprofit to Spend $1B | Diet TBPN

Tue Mar 24 2026

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Transcript

John Coogan (0:02)

Do you know how I got here today? I drove through the Hollywood Hills, drove through the San Fernando Valley, because we're covering Hill and Valley today, but we're doing it from the TVPN ultradome. We have a whole bunch of meetings. Who doesn't like it anyway? What do you think about this, Jordy? We have to recap some things. There's been a whole bunch of news. We had the great peptide debate of 2026. Brandon Gorell on our team wrote about this in the newsletter today. Tbpn.com, you can go subscribe. Who do you think won? I was talking to a lot of people. Very interesting you had scheduled this. I wasn't even really aware that there was a peptide debate going on. We talked to some other folks on the show about peptides and how there was a debate rating. And I was aware of the meme, like the Chinese peptides in Silicon Valley, all of that stuff. But I wasn't aware of, like, that the debate was boiling to a particular point and that there were a lot of people that were discussing it. So it was great timing. So thank you for organizing that and thank you to our guests Max and Martin, who took the time to come and talk to us and I thought did a really good job of being simultaneously entertaining and also very cordial. Like they weren't actually going at each other's throats, they were scoring points. But I don't think that either of them crossed any lines. Yeah, there was some. There was some discussion over, like, should we have done more fact checking? I genuinely, I generally think that the chat is good for fact checking or the experts. Yeah, it's kind of like your view. But I don't know.

Jordyn Hayes (1:24)

There was a bunch of. There's a bunch of people that made very fair points pointing out, you know, a study here or a patent here.

John Coogan (1:31)

Yeah.

Jordyn Hayes (1:32)

And it would have been great if we got to a conclusion yesterday. And like, yeah, this is all bad and I'll be banned or no, they're all good or figured it out. But that's where we started.

John Coogan (1:41)

We started. That's where we started, like with like, yeah, everyone there agrees that GLP1s that are owned by pharmaceutical companies are probably net beneficial, blah, blah, blah. And then the really far out stuff that hasn't been studied, that's made in, you know, a basement is probably risky. And we actually had a good friend of the show sum it up. Creatine Cycle Atlas, of course, said the peptide debate is as follows against. I would be worried about unknown unknowns Pro. While there isn't much human data, the anecdotal evidence is pretty strong. Against. Anecdotes are not enough for me. Pro. Fair. It is for me. Against. Okay, fair. And I think that's a good, I think that's a good point. And truthfully, people can make their own decisions here. I do think interjecting with a ton of fact checking during the debate would, would be disruptive. I'm not a fan of that. I sort of dislike having one person like the guest, the debater, fact check the other person because if they know the fact and the other person who they're debating against drops something that's not factual, that's their opportunity to come in and say, no, that's not accurate.

John Coogan (4:31)

Okay, okay, that makes sense. He argued that there's real reason to be taking reta. Not FDA approved, only available in the gray market. When they could be taking. When people who are, you know, in the market or, you know, their doctor recommends something they could be taking, Tirzepatide, which is essentially has the same benefits, can be bought legally and it's FDA approved. So yesterday Shkreli argued, Martin Shkreli argued that the current peptide craze is more psychology driven than science driven and is essentially a passing fad among Silicon Valley elites who aren't really expert trusters. In his view, there is no rational reason to experiment with compounds like Reta when proven regulated drugs like Ozempic already exist. He thinks gray markets should be shut down entirely. And there was a big debate over how feasible is it to actually try and shut down the gray markets. Gray markets have existed in a whole bunch of other, other categories. I'm very familiar with the, the gray market for illegal flavored vaporizers because they have been the bane of the legitimate industry, the nicotine industries. It's been the bane of their existence. Martin argued that the FDA's rigorous approval process exists for a reason. Now we had Max arguing the peptide bull case. He argued that he doesn't believe all peptides are safe and effective, but that a subset of them likely have real therapeutic value. He said that since people are already using peptides, a regulated white market would reduce harm compared the current gray market. Lots to debate there. We'll let you make your own decisions. You can go listen to the full debate and you can see where you weigh in. Not having Tyler Cosgrove in the TVPN ultradome is, it's a death knell for our clapping during the ad read strategy. We need to get some soundboard going. We need to show these supporters, these sponsors, some love because we're, we're fighting, we're fighting two men down right now, maybe three men down. We're, we're, we're on our last leg over here in the TVP and Ultra. Apple is in a completely different situation. They have their heir apparent, John Ternus, the nice guy, potentially taking the reins. Maybe this year, maybe next year, it could happen any day now. Tim Cook doesn't want to talk about retirement, but John Ternus is emerging as his most likely successor. This is from friend of the show Mark Gurman in Bloomberg. Go subscribe. This is an interesting profile of John Ternus from March 22, 2026. Just two days ago, this was published and it tell an interesting story of John Ternus. And I think Gurman does a great job of going deeper than some of the other reporting that had like one quote from an employee that left Apple a decade ago and was sort of vague and that person doesn't have like any sort of profile and it was very hard to read into who is John Ternus as a person. I think we're getting a clearer picture now. Let's read through some of this and then I want you to cosplay as John Ternus and let me know, would you do things differently? Do you agree with his management style? Because this might be the management style of all of Apple soon. The company's chief operating officer recently retired, the CFO and general counsel took smaller roles as a way to prepare for their own retirements. And in a single week in December, its heads of artificial intelligence, user interfaces and environmental initiatives all announced their departures. While part of the exodus was related to Apple, Apple's well documented struggles in AI, it was also reflected a logical transition. At a company that turns 50 on April 1st. Apple stock made everyone at the top of its org chart fabulously wealthy. And many are entering the stage of life that often inspires people to prioritize family spending some time, finally spending some time with their families instead of the next generation of iPhones. In his response to the employee's question, Tim Cook, the company's 65 year old CEO, struck an atypically reflective tone. When people get to a certain age, some, he said, are going to retire. Letting the word some hang out there in a way that suggested he wasn't talking about himself, drawing laughter from the audience. It's like some people, they can't hang. But look at Warren Buffett, 65 to 95, most productive era of his career.

Summary

TBPN Diet – Episode Summary

Podcast: TBPN
Hosts: John Coogan & Jordi Hays
Date: March 24, 2026
Episode: Peptide Debate Recap, John Ternus Rumors Swirl, OpenAI Nonprofit to Spend $1B | Diet TBPN

Overview

This episode serves as a lively, rapid-fire roundup of the week’s hottest tech and business developments. The hosts unpack the fallout from their “peptide debate,” analyze rumors swirling around Apple’s possible next CEO, celebrate TBPN’s Fast Company ranking, discuss OpenAI’s landmark nonprofit plans, and highlight major moves in AI and EV industries. Their signature tone blends in-depth analysis with friendly banter, encouraging listeners to form their own opinions on evolving stories.

Peptide Debate Recap

Timestamps: 00:02–04:47

The “great peptide debate of 2026” became a meme and a real trending topic in Silicon Valley.
John praises both debate guests, Max and Martin, for scoring points without veering into hostility, noting,

“They weren't actually going at each other's throats...I don't think either of them crossed any lines.” (John, 00:26)
There was internal and external chatter about whether more fact-checking should have been done live. John prefers letting the debaters police each other:

“I genuinely...think that the chat is good for fact checking...interjecting with a ton of fact checking during the debate would, would be disruptive.” (John, 01:18/01:49)
The essential summary of the peptide debate (attributed to “Creatine Cycle Atlas”):
- Against: “I would be worried about unknown unknowns.”
- Pro: “While there isn’t much human data, the anecdotal evidence is pretty strong.”
- Against: “Anecdotes are not enough for me.”
- Pro: “Fair. It is for me.” (John, 01:54)
Both hosts acknowledge no final conclusion was reached—peptides remain a murky, controversial topic.

Peptide Context:

GLP1s owned by pharma are broadly seen as beneficial; basement-synthesized peptides are riskier.
Martin Shkreli labeled the peptide craze “more psychology driven than science driven” and called the movement “a passing fad among Silicon Valley elites.”

“There is no rational reason to experiment with compounds like Reta when proven regulated drugs like Ozempic already exist.” (John, 05:08)
Max (Maximus CEO) supports regulated white markets for peptides to reduce harm and recognizes not all peptides are safe or effective.
Hosts debate the possibility of live debates on accelerationism vs. decelerationism.

“Should we do more of these? Let us know. It seemed like a lot of people had fun.” (John, 02:53)

Apple Leadership & John Ternus Rumors

Timestamps: 07:37–19:37

The discussion pivots sharply to Apple’s succession debate, centering on whether John Ternus is the likely heir to CEO Tim Cook.
Gurman’s Bloomberg profile (March 22, 2026) is cited for providing a more in-depth look at Ternus’ trajectory.
- Apple is mid-management shuffle; several senior leaders have retired or reduced roles.
- John Ternus is younger (age 50) and holds broad responsibilities, overseeing devices that account for 80% of Apple’s revenue.
Tim Cook’s future remains ambiguous; he’s reflective about succession but gives no concrete retirement signals.
- Coogan cracks,
  
  “I like the idea of Cook for the next 30 years. I’m still bullish Tim Cook.” (John, 08:39)
- Joke riff: Maybe Cook is staying because he's on “Chinese peps.” (Jordi/John, 08:53–09:03)
Ternus’ Career Highlights:
- Worked on products from monitors to iPads to Macs.
- Led major expansions in Apple’s lineup, focusing on tangible improvements (battery, performance, connectivity).
- Has begun to front marquee product launches (e.g., MacBook Neo), a role traditionally reserved for Cook.
Ternus is described as an aficionado of motorsports (cycling and rally car racing), and as both meticulous and risk-averse in management.
- Noted for not wanting to “upset the Apple cart” (pun noted, 12:48).
- Some see similarity to Cook’s approach, summed up as:
  
  “If you think Tim Cook is doing a good job, then you’ll think John Ternus is doing a good job too.” (13:21)
Notable leadership moment:
- Vision Pro/AirPods Pro debacle—Ternus focused on “who to blame,” which surprised staff used to his ‘nice guy’ style.
  
  “Ternus alienated some people on staff by focusing initially on finding out whom to blame who did it.” (John, 16:17)
- After shipping a $3,500 headset, users needed new $250 AirPods for a key feature due to a hardware oversight.
- Banter follows: Jordi jokes they should “shut down both product lines” and sell “wooden headsets with beef tallow for ear canal lubrication.” (17:11–17:43)
- Ternus ultimately seen as balancing nice management with occasional Jobs-like edge.

TBPN Recognition & Media Rankings

Timestamps: 19:40–22:35

TBPN ranked as the #2 “most innovative media company” by Fast Company, just behind CDN giant Cloudflare.
- Hosts humorously lament being “smoked” by Cloudflare’s massive scale.
- “We deliver three hours a day. They deliver probably billions of hours a second.” (John, 20:18)
Discussion around rankings in other categories (Unwell in advertising/marketing).
Hosts show gratitude to listeners—“We’re the second highest ranked technology show on Spotify. Thank you to everyone who’s been subscribing and leaving us five star reviews.” (John, 22:16)

OpenAI Nonprofit News

Timestamps: 22:35–23:49

OpenAI launches a new nonprofit foundation, aiming to spend $1 billion in its first year—likely the largest nonprofit in history.

“No company can sufficiently mitigate these [AI risks] on their own. We will need a society wide response to things like novel bio threats, a massive and fast change to the economy, extremely capable models causing complex emergent effects across society, and more.” (Jordi, 23:04)
The nonprofit will focus on AI for life-improving scientific discovery and mitigating complex new threats.
John floats the idea of dedicating a “carve out for developing consumer apps or consumer technology,” given OpenAI’s commercial success to date.

AI Business Moves: Meta, Dreamer, and Agents

Timestamps: 23:49–26:44

Andrew Bosworth now heads Meta’s AI for work division, signaling a move away from the Metaverse toward practical AI products for internal use.
Dreamer, a startup for building personalized AI agents in plain English, has been acquired by Meta’s Superintelligence Lab.
- Dreamer enables users to build agents for tasks as diverse as managing email or planning trips with natural language (“the world’s newest and most popular programming language, English”).
Discussion: Might Meta allow consumer agent creation?
John highlights the importance of frictionless AI adoption (“no MacBook, no API keys, just apps or Instagram/ChatGPT integration”).

U.S. EV Market & CATL’s Battery Empire

Timestamps: 26:44–27:41

News segment: China’s CATL (world’s largest battery company) can't build a factory in the U.S., but Tesla, Ford, and GM depend on its tech.
Notable quote:

“Inside a headquarters that’s shaped like a giant battery cell. You gotta give it to them. That’s design. That’s what we need to be seeing from our tech leaders.” (John, 27:09)
Laugh out loud moment—the hosts joke about U.S. carmakers going “back” to V8s and V12s as the EV market faces hurdles.

Closing Notes: Favorite Quotes & Final Thoughts

Timestamps: 27:41–28:29

Inspirational post from Gary Tan:

“You have no idea how much I eat your hate for breakfast. I am uniquely a person who is driven by all the energy you give me. In particular.” (Jordi quoting Gary Tan, 27:41)
Naval’s reflection:

“A lot of software is about to get a lot better. Right before it becomes unnecessary.” (Jordi quoting Naval, 28:06)
- “Who knows what he means, but it’s provocative.” (John, 28:18)

Memorable Quotes

“They weren’t actually going at each other’s throats...I don’t think either of them crossed any lines." (John, 00:26)
"There is no rational reason to experiment with compounds like Reta when proven regulated drugs like Ozempic already exist." (John on Martin Shkreli’s view, 05:08)
“I like the idea of Cook for the next 30 years. I’m still bullish Tim Cook.” (John, 08:39)
“If you think Tim Cook is doing a good job, then you’ll think John Ternus is doing a good job too.” (13:21)
"We've been on a bit of a silver tear lately...Silver shines just as bright." (Jordi, 22:10)
“You have no idea how much I eat your hate for breakfast.” (Jordi quoting Gary Tan, 27:41)
“A lot of software is about to get a lot better. Right before it becomes unnecessary.” (Jordi quoting Naval, 28:06)

Key Takeaways

Peptide supplements have become a marker of Silicon Valley’s current biotech craze—debate continues over their promise versus risk.
Apple’s leadership transition will likely be evolutionary, not revolutionary, as Ternus is groomed to continue Cook’s steady, risk-averse style.
Tech media landscape is consolidating, with massive players like Cloudflare outscaling traditional content creators.
OpenAI’s new nonprofit is a historic move in AI governance, promising vast funding for both innovation and mitigation of risks.
Meta’s evolving AI strategy leans into agentic software for work, reflecting a wider industry turn away from speculative Metaverse bets.
Electric vehicle supply chains are deeply internationalized, as shown by continued U.S. reliance on CATL batteries.
The episode closes on high-energy, motivational notes, underscoring TBPN’s unique blend: insightful analysis delivered with humor and competitive spirit.

For more deep dives, subscribe at tbpn.com and tune in every weekday at 11am PT.