Tech Brew Ride Home: "C’mon Apple, Buy HBO!"

Host: Brian McCullough
Date: October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into major headlines shaking up tech and media, from the possible sale of HBO Max and an impassioned plea for Apple to swoop in, to rapid advances in crypto fundraising and AI development. Other stories cover the potential for massive job automation at Amazon, OpenAI’s financial ambitions, and new brain implant breakthroughs restoring sight to the blind. The tone is brisk, insightful, and laced with the host’s trademark candid commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. HBO Max Up for Grabs: A Call for Apple to Save It

[00:34–04:00]

• HBO Max Price Increases:

  • All plans raised: Basic (with ads) up by $1, Standard by $1.50, Premium by $2 monthly.
  • Reflects the pressure in the streaming wars.

• Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) May Sell HBO/Max:

  • CNBC reports "unsolicited interest" from buyers—Netflix, Comcast, and newly merged Paramount/Skydance.
  • WBD's planned split: separating streaming/studios from global networks for strategic agility.
  • Official statement by CEO David Zaslav underscores positioning for the evolving media environment.

• Commentary on Media M&A:

  • The host believes the public announcement is to "start a bidding war."
  • Notable critique of HBO’s decline:
    • "HBO, which was once the Tiffany TV channel, has been so run into the ground it's a crime."
      —Brian McCullough [03:10]
  • "So Apple, just do it. Buy HBO, save HBO. Come on Tim, Apple, make this be your big swan song."
    —Brian [03:23]

• Industry Dynamics:

  • Netflix wary of WBD falling into a rival’s hands; possible strategic, not just operational, moves in play.
  • Buying after the split aids tax strategy for acquirers.

2. Coinbase’s Acquisition Spree

[04:00–06:09]

• Coinbase Acquires Echo for ~$375 Million (Cash and Stock):

  • Echo’s platform helps crypto startups raise private/public capital—over $200M to date.
  • Founded by noted trader Cobie (Jordan Fish); introduces “Sonar” for public token sales.

• Strategic Vision:

  • With the eighth deal this year (over 40 since 2012), Coinbase aims to become a crypto “one-stop shop” for fundraising, listing, and capital distribution.
  • "Our goal is to make capital markets more open and accessible."
    —Sean Agrawal, Coinbase CBO, via WSJ [05:30]
  • Previous major deal: Deribit (options trading) for $2.9 billion in May.

3. Anthropic Expands Claude Code AI for Developers

[06:09–07:28]

• Claude Code Launches Web & iOS Beta:

  • Now for Pro and Max paid tiers ($20–$200/month).
  • Move from command-line to web makes AI coding agents more accessible.

• Market Impact:

  • Claude Code’s usage has surged 10x; now over $500M/year in revenue.
  • "90% of the Claude Code product itself is written by the company's AI models."
    —Kat Wu, Anthropic Product Manager [07:10]
  • Developers’ roles shift from writing code to “managing” AI assistants—moving beyond mere autocomplete to autonomous agent workflows.

4. Amazon Eyes Massive Job Automation

[07:28–10:56]

• Internal Plans Revealed:

  • NYT report: Amazon may automate 75% of operations, potentially replacing over 500,000 jobs; plans to avoid hiring 160,000 new workers by 2027.
  • Each partly automated item saves ~$0.30.

• Societal Implications:

  • Amazon preparing “mitigation” plans for impacted communities (e.g., more community involvement, softer language—“cobots” vs. “robots”).
  • "If the plans pan out, one of the biggest employers in the United States will become a net job destroyer, not a net job creator."
    —Darren Acemoglu, MIT economist and Nobel laureate [10:45]

• Amazon’s Stance:

  • Officially, the company says plans are incomplete; still hiring 250,000 for holidays, unspecified permanence.

• Industry Ripple Effects:

  • Sets precedent for Walmart, UPS, and other large employers—could transform blue-collar work into higher-paid, scarce technical roles.

5. OpenAI’s Secret Project Mercury: Targeting Wall Street

[12:38–15:55]

• Leaked Project Details:

  • Bloomberg: Over 100 ex-investment bankers (from JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs) paid $150/hr to build AI-driven financial models for OpenAI’s “Project Mercury.”
  • Contractors develop and test AI for typical banking analyst work: M&A models, IPOs, restructuring analyses.

• Automation of High-Paying Jobs:

  • Project could automate “entry-level tasks at investment banks”—representing a new front for AI (previous focus: blue-collar, now white-collar professional work).
  • Notable quote:
    "The group, which includes former employees...is part of a secretive project inside the startup that's codenamed Mercury."
    —Brian [13:20]
  • Application is almost entirely AI-mediated (AI interview, tests, and modeling exercises).

• Participants:

  • Some current MBA candidates at Harvard, MIT; draws from top Wall Street talent.

6. Breakthrough in Brain Implants: Science Corp’s Prima Device Restores Sight

[15:55–End]

• New England Journal of Medicine Case Study:

  • Competitor to Neuralink (Science Corp, led by ex-Neuralink president Max Hodak) acquires advanced retinal implant (“Prima”)—demonstrates restored basic vision, reading, even crosswords, in blinded patients.

• Technology:

  • Microchip implanted under retina, paired with camera-equipped glasses.
  • Bypasses damaged photoreceptors—effectively creating “artificial vision” for macular degeneration sufferers.
  • "There's a patient in the UK and she is reading the pages of a regular book, which is unprecedented."
    —Dr. Jose Alain Sahel [16:20]

• Business Context:

  • Acquired from bankrupt Pixium Vision for $4M.
  • Science Corp aims to be a standalone medtech giant—targeting Apple/Samsung/Alphabet scale.
  • Has filed for European approval; US discussions ongoing.
  • Distinction from Neuralink: this device inputs, rather than records, information.
  • Tidbit:
    "Today I learned the retina is an outgrowth of the brain."
    —Brian [End]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Host Pleading for HBO’s Rescue by Apple:
  "So Apple, just do it. Buy HBO, save HBO. Come on Tim, Apple, make this be your big swan song." —Brian [03:23]

• On the Decline of HBO:
  "HBO, which was once the Tiffany TV channel, has been so run into the ground it's a crime." —Brian [03:10]

• Coinbase’s Ambitious Expansion:
  "Our goal is to make capital markets more open and accessible." —Sean Agrawal, CBO, Coinbase [05:30]

• Impact of Amazon’s Automation:
  "If the plans pan out, one of the biggest employers in the United States will become a net job destroyer, not a net job creator." —Darren Acemoglu, MIT [10:45]

• Science Corp’s Vision Breakthrough:
  "There's a patient in the UK and she is reading the pages of a regular book, which is unprecedented." —Dr. Jose Alain Sahel [16:20]

• Fun Fact:
  "Today I learned the retina is an outgrowth of the brain." —Brian [End]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• HBO/Max sale, Apple pitch: [00:34–04:00]
• Coinbase’s Echo acquisition: [04:00–06:09]
• Anthropic’s Claude Code expansion: [06:09–07:28]
• Amazon automation plans: [07:28–10:56]
• OpenAI Project Mercury: [12:38–15:55]
• Science Corp’s retina implant: [15:55–End]

Closing Thoughts

Brian McCullough’s Tech Brew Ride Home offers a concise, sharp, and opinionated roundup of tech’s most urgent stories, blending industry insight with accessible commentary. This episode especially underscores the accelerating collision of innovation, automation, and big media strategy—while keeping a pulse on the people and companies leading those shifts.