TBPN: "We're all Jerome Powell, Apple and Google Make it Official, Anthropic Health Care"

Diet TBPN | January 13, 2026
Hosts: John Coogan & Jordi Hays
Guests/Featured Contributors: Packy McCormick, Joe Weisenthal, Tyler
Topic Focus: Federal Reserve drama, Apple Vision Pro’s sports moves, Google retail partnership, AI in healthcare, and more from the world of tech, finance, and culture.

Episode Overview

This Diet TBPN episode delivers a rapid-fire survey of the week’s most intriguing stories at the intersection of tech, finance, and culture. The hosts dissect the shockwaves from a criminal investigation into Fed chair Jerome Powell, debate the future of VR sports with Apple Vision Pro’s NBA rollout, analyze Google’s drone delivery ambitions in partnership with Walmart, and explore AI’s growing reach in healthcare. The tone is irreverent, fast-paced, and open to tangents—equal parts analytical and meme culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jerome Powell Subpoena & Meme-ification of the Fed

[00:02 – 06:40]

• Federal prosecutors have served Fed Chair Jerome Powell with grand jury subpoenas over HQ renovations—sparking memes and galvanizing support around Powell.
  • "If it's illegal to run over budget on a remodel, my wife's getting the electric chair." – Joe Weisenthal [02:15]
  • Social media and meme culture are rallying to Powell’s side, with AI memes multiplying and jokes about “would you let Jerome crash on your couch?”
  • The episode highlights the paradox of the Fed Chair’s unpopularity—until events like this create rare unity.
  • The saga is contextualized: this isn’t about personal corruption, but the legal and political boundaries of Fed independence.
  • "American equities traded a premium because of our respect for law, accountability and central bank independence." – Packy McCormick [03:52]
  • Discussion of market reactions: gold and silver spike, asset holders debate the consequences.
  • "Bubble boy says, I’m willing to die for the Federal Reserve. So he is Jerome’s strongest soldier." – Joe Weisenthal [04:59]

2. Apple Vision Pro—Can VR Really Deliver on the NBA Courtside Dream?

[06:41 – 18:50]

• First ever full NBA game streamable in Apple Vision Pro, but access is region-locked, and users (including Ben Thompson) are frustrated with technical and contractual limitations.
  • The hosts explain the hardware is there, but legal rights and business models haven’t kept up.
  • "You have this $3,000 device that is just gathering dust... and then if I’m not in the area, I can’t experience it. What’s the point of VR?" – Joe Weisenthal [09:41]
  • Historical perspective: Sports leagues were burned by jumping too early into broadcast TV (e.g., the 1949 LA Rams, demise of minor league baseball).
  • "The job of a league commissioner is to get the transition right. If you do it too late, other leagues might figure out their contracts." – Packy McCormick [15:15]
  • Ben Thompson insists VR should just let you “sit courtside” with no edits or overlays; Packy argues contractual and financial caution is the real reason for slow progress.
  • Debate on region-locking: actually, distant fans, not local, are the obvious audience for immersive VR access.

3. Bold Watches, Loud Opulence

[20:19 – 22:55]

• Quick culture detour: Maduro and The Rock wear high-end, flamboyant watches, and Golden Globes red carpet trend is “loud opulence.”
  • "I see these and I’m like, I couldn’t pull these off with my life depended on it." – Packy McCormick [21:36]
  • Omega, Chopard, and Vacheron Constantin are highlighted.
  • George Clooney’s sponsorship deal with Omega called out.

4. Google x Walmart: Retail Gets Gemini (and Drones)

[23:08 – 25:45]

• Walmart is now integrating Google’s Gemini AI; customers can shop via AI and drone delivery is scaling via Google’s Wing, aiming to serve 40 million by 2027.
  • "Google just leave one future of X thing for someone else." – Joe Weisenthal, joking about Google's omnipresence [23:32]
  • Wing’s background: spun out from Google X moonshot, initially aimed at medical response, now a last-mile delivery competitor to Zipline.
  • Elon Musk comments that Apple-Google integration is an “unreasonable concentration of power.”

5. AI’s Healthcare (and Work) Revolution: Claude and ChatGPT Health

[25:59 – 32:07]

• OpenAI and Anthropic race into healthcare: Claude launches healthcare-specific features and a new Cowork app for workflow and research boost.

  • Anecdote: Claude Code troubleshoots Packy’s WiFi, ultimately giving classic advice to reboot (the “Lindy” recommendation).
  • "The entire time, super intelligence was just turning off and then back on." – Joe Weisenthal [26:48]
  • Discussion—Is legal or healthcare the bigger AI opportunity? Why are all the labs targeting medicine first?
  • Discussion of data center rumors (shot down live via fact-checks from Jack Clark).

• Meta and Nvidia expand into the AI-drug intersection:

  • Zuck’s Meta plans “tens of gigawatts” of AI compute, Nvidia invests $1B over 5 years with Eli Lilly for AI drug development.
  • "Drug lab sounds... It's AI Ozempic. It’s the two biggest super trends of last five years, weight loss and AI. Could it get any better?" – Packy McCormick [28:02]

6. Tom Brady, GLP-1s, and the FTX Legacy

[28:12 – 29:26]

• Tom Brady becomes Chief Wellness Officer for eMed, a GLP-1 (weight loss drugs) company. The show lampoons his past with FTX and wonders about celebrity-face hopping.
  • "Tom Brady is now the face of the former CEO of X’s new company, eMed. So he’s kind of just the face of GLP-1s now." – Joe Weisenthal [28:38]
  • How former crypto moguls’ investments (e.g., Anthropic) could mint fortunes despite scandal fallout.

7. Media Insider Moves: Paramount, Skydance, Netflix Bidding Wars

[29:26 – 30:18]

• Paramount/Skydance tries to outmaneuver Netflix for Warner Bros. Discovery, running out of “plan” letters—Plan D, Plan W.
  • "Plan W. Never take the L. Skip Plan L. Go straight to Plan W. Get the W." – Packy McCormick [29:48]

8. Anthropic “Cowork” & Workflow Automation Live Reaction

[30:18 – 32:09]

• Anthropic launches Cowork—app-based Claude integration for all work, with local file interaction and Chrome extension.
  • Live “breaking news” discussion about functionality: markdown integration, workflows, Slack bots, and teams using Claude for deep research.
  • The “skill issue” meme: Success now depends only on user skills, given AI assistance.
  • The myth of “Anthropic space data centers” is debunked live on-air.

Notable Quotes & Moments

On Powell & Meme-ification

• "Buco Capital shared like, if it's illegal to run over budget on a remodel, my wife's getting the electric chair."
  – Joe Weisenthal, [02:15]

• "American equities traded a premium because of our respect for law, accountability and central bank independence."
  – Packy McCormick, [03:52]

On Apple Vision Pro NBA

• "You have this $3,000 device that is just gathering dust... and then if I'm not in the area, I can't experience it. What's the point of VR?"
  – Joe Weisenthal, [09:41]

• "The job of a league commissioner is to get the transition right. If you do it too late, other leagues might figure out their contracts."
  – Packy McCormick, [15:15]

On Watches & Culture

• "I see these and I'm like, I couldn't pull these off with my life depended on it."
  – Packy McCormick, [21:36]

On Google x Walmart x Wing Drone Delivery

• "Google just leave one future of X thing for someone else."
  – Joe Weisenthal, [23:32]

On AI in Healthcare

• "The entire time, super intelligence was just turning off and then back on."
  – Joe Weisenthal, [26:48]

• "It's AI Ozempic. It's the two biggest super trends of last five years, weight loss and AI. Could it get any better?"
  – Packy McCormick, [28:02]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & Jerome Powell Segment: 00:02 – 06:40
• Apple Vision Pro NBA, VR Sport Rights: 06:41 – 18:50
• Watches, Red Carpet, Loud Opulence: 20:19 – 22:55
• Google x Walmart, Drone Delivery, AI Retail: 23:08 – 25:45
• AI in Healthcare (Claude & ChatGPT Health): 25:59 – 32:07
• Tom Brady & GLP-1 Drugs: 28:12 – 29:26
• Media Bidding Wars (Paramount, Netflix): 29:26 – 30:18
• Anthropic Cowork & Workflow, Live Fact-check: 30:18 – 32:09

Conclusion & Takeaway

This TBPN episode is a whirlwind through major headlines—capturing how meme culture meets macroeconomics, how legacy sports and tech are dancing tentatively around new media platforms, how AI is rapidly encroaching on healthcare and knowledge work, and how even niche fashion commentary gets play under the “tech plus culture” banner. Throughout, hosts maintain a tone that’s razor-sharp, meme-literate, and ready to pounce on every paradigm shift.

Best for listeners who want context, wit, and original takes on the biggest stories in tech, economics, and digital culture—delivered at Silicon Valley’s signature breakneck pace.

For further details and full context, listen to the complete TBPN episode on Spotify, X, or YouTube.