Tech Brew Ride Home — “Is Avocado… Toast?”

Podcast: Tech Brew Ride Home
Host: Brian McCullough
Date: March 13, 2026
Episode Overview:
In this Friday roundup, Brian McCullough covers a delayed launch for Meta’s latest AI model (“Avocado”), new developments in the high-profile social media addiction trial, convergence in video streaming apps’ design and features, and intriguing weekend reading on the impact of technological paradigms—especially how the iPhone, not the ATM, ultimately displaced bank tellers. Key quotes, memorable moments, and expert insights thread through the concise 15-minute tech news update.

1. Meta’s “Avocado” AI Model Delayed (00:20–03:30)

• Theme: Meta’s most ambitious AI model to date, codenamed “Avocado,” suffers a significant delay due to underwhelming performance in key areas, spotlighting competitive pressure in the AI arms race.

• Key Points:

  • Meta’s new foundational AI model (“Avocado”) won’t arrive until at least May due to performance concerns—originally planned for this month.
  • “Avocado” surpasses Meta’s previous models and Google Gemini 2.5 (from March), but lags behind Google’s Gemini 3.0 (from November), as well as OpenAI and Anthropic.
  • Meta is considering temporarily licensing Google’s Gemini to power its products as a stopgap.
  • There have been internal tensions—Alexander Wang (Meta’s Chief AI Officer, formerly Scale AI CEO), Chris Cox (Chief Product Officer), and Andrew Bosworth (CTO) have disagreed on paths forward for AI’s impact on advertising.
  • Rumors about a rift between Mark Zuckerberg and Alexander Wang were quickly denied by Meta after reports of their partnership cooling.
  • Fun highlight: Zuckerberg posted a selfie with Wang captioned, “Meanwhile at Meta H… Meta’s leaders are already thinking big about future AI models. Its next one will be named after an even larger fruit, watermelon.” (02:55)

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Meta has delayed the launch of its big Avocado AI model to at least May over performance concerns and also discussed temporarily licensing Gemini to power its products in the meantime.” (00:20)
  • “‘I expect our first models will be good, but more importantly will show the rapid trajectory we’re on,’ [Mark Zuckerberg] said on a call with investors in January.” (01:55)
  • “Meta’s leaders are already thinking big about future AI models. Its next one will be named after an even larger fruit, watermelon.” (02:55)

2. Social Media Addiction Trial Update (03:31–07:15)

• Theme: The closely watched bellwether trial involving allegations that Meta (Instagram) and YouTube fostered technology addiction—which caused or worsened mental health issues—enters its final phase.

• Key Points:

  • Jurors begin deliberations as closing statements conclude in Los Angeles.
  • The plaintiff, “Kaylee,” alleges early social media use led to addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. TikTok and Snap settled before trial; only Meta and YouTube remain as defendants.
  • Defendants argue Kaylee’s struggles predated her use of social media and highlight the absence of direct links from therapists, as well as YouTube’s safety and parental features.
  • Jury must decide if Meta and YouTube’s alleged negligence substantially contributed to harm, with civil case standards (9 out of 12 jurors need consensus per count).
  • Prompt for damages: “What is a lost childhood worth?” (07:10)

• Notable Quotes:

  • “The jury’s only task, a Meta spokesperson said… is to decide if those struggles would have existed without Instagram. Not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause.” (05:48)
  • “Louis Lee, an attorney representing YouTube… spoke about how the company had created goals… related to respecting users’ time, attention, and overall well being.” (06:02)
  • “Lanier advised them to think of one question as they potentially decide on that amount—what is a lost childhood worth?” (07:10)

3. Streaming Video Apps Converge, Driven by AI and Vertical Video (07:16–11:28)

• Theme: Major streaming platforms increasingly resemble TikTok, integrating AI-powered vertical video feeds to boost mobile engagement and content discovery.

• Key Points:

  • Peacock: Introduces AI-curated, personalized vertical video playlists for Bravo fans, narrated by a generative AI avatar of Andy Cohen.
    • Users select their favorite Bravo moments; AI stitches together a stream from over 5,000 hours of footage, guided by Bravo fan behavior and computer vision.
    • Claims of “more than 600 billion possible viewing variations.” (09:27)
  • Disney: Launches “Verts,” a TikTok-style feed in the Disney+ app for US users, featuring movie and show clips with plans to include creator content.
    • Algorithm-powered recommendations; early trials show increased engagement.
    • Disney and Netflix both betting on vertical video content to appeal to mobile-first, younger viewers.
    • Goal: convert short-clip viewers into full-show/movie watchers.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Peacock’s mobile app is about to look a lot more like a mix of TikTok, a casual gaming hub, and a streaming service… more than 600 billion possible viewing variations.” (09:27)
  • “Verts is designed to boost daily engagement and reach mobile first viewers, all while increasing discovery across Disney’s catalog…” (10:15)
  • “If they can capture a user’s interest, there’s a chance that they will go on to watch the full TV show or movie that initially hook them.” (11:20)

4. Long Read — The Real Bank Teller Disruption: It Wasn’t the ATM (11:29–14:06)

• Theme: A nuanced analysis challenges the oft-repeated notion that ATMs didn’t kill bank teller jobs; argues instead that the iPhone (and mobile banking) truly rendered physical bank staff obsolete, foreshadowing a paradigm shift to come with AI.

• Key Points:

  • ATM adoption didn’t cause teller layoffs; instead, mobile banking—enabled by the iPhone—led to steady decline in teller jobs (from 332,000 in 2010 to 164,000 in 2022).
  • The iPhone transformed banking into a digital-first experience, diminishing the need for physical branches and tellers.
  • The core lesson: productivity and job displacement come from paradigm replacement (the iPhone rendering tellers unnecessary), not just task automation.
  • For AI, real disruption will arise when new, AI-centric workflows emerge (“fully automated firms”), not merely by dropping AI into existing human roles.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “The ATM tried to do the teller’s job better, faster, cheaper… But the iPhone made the teller’s job irrelevant.” (13:03)
  • “The real productivity gains from AI and the real threat of labor displacement will come not from the drop-in remote worker, but from something like… the fully automated firm.” (13:45)
  • “Even when it comes to bank tellers, it’s only the first half of the story.” (14:04)

5. Quick Mention — Weekend Digital Detective Story (14:07–14:30)

• Theme: Recommended digital-era detective story—Why is there a painting of James Mason holding a cat inside the caves of Lascaux in a London pub? (A fun substack rabbit hole for tech and internet culture fans.)

Top Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Meta’s AI delay and internal drama:

  • “Meta has delayed the launch of its big Avocado AI model to at least May over performance concerns and also discussed temporarily licensing Gemini…” (00:20)
  • “Meta’s leaders are already thinking big about future AI models. Its next one will be named after an even larger fruit, watermelon.” (02:55)

• On the bellwether trial’s implications:

  • “The jury’s only task… is to decide if those struggles would have existed without Instagram. Not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause.” (05:48)
  • “What is a lost childhood worth?” (07:10)

• AI and the paradigm shift parallel:

  • “The ATM tried to do the teller’s job better, faster, cheaper. It tried to fit capital into a labor shaped hole. But the iPhone made the teller’s job irrelevant.” (13:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:20–03:30: Avocado AI delivery delay, Meta’s internal politics, future ambitions
• 03:31–07:15: Social media addiction trial update and closing arguments
• 07:16–11:28: Vertical video and AI convergence in Peacock/Disney apps
• 11:29–14:06: Long read—iPhone vs. ATM: true disruptors and AI parallels
• 14:07–14:30: Digital detective story recommendation

Summary

This episode delivers a brisk, insightful tour through headline tech stories (Meta’s AI woes, legal reckoning for social media, and the rising tide of vertical video) before ending on a thought-provoking essay about how new paradigm technologies truly disrupt work—and how this may presage the real impact of AI. Spiced with timely quotes and industry wit, Brian McCullough continues to make Tech Brew Ride Home the Silicon Valley water cooler in podcast form.