Tech Brew Ride Home – Episode Summary
Episode: Now OpenAI Wants To Find You A Job (September 5, 2025)
Host: Brian McCullough (Morning Brew)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into several headline-grabbing developments in the tech world, with special attention on OpenAI’s surprising move into the jobs marketplace, Broadcom’s rise as a potential Nvidia rival, the explosive copyright lawsuit facing AI image generator Midjourney, and a data-driven look at the current tech job market. The host, Brian McCullough, breaks down the potential implications and competitive landscape shifts, all while highlighting notable industry quotes and insights.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. OpenAI Launches AI-Focused Jobs Platform & Certification

(00:04 – 05:56)

• OpenAI’s New Jobs Initiative

  • OpenAI plans to launch an AI-driven jobs platform in 2026.
  • The initiative will match employers with candidates who have certified AI skills.
  • Certification program is in collaboration with organizations like Walmart and aims to certify 10 million Americans by 2030.
  • Walmart's 1.6 million US employees will get access for free; others may see a fee in the future.

• Official Announcement & Context

  • Unveiled at a White House task force event on AI and education, hosted by First Lady Melania Trump. Tech CEOs like Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Sundar Pichai (Alphabet) were present.
  • The jobs platform will compete with services like LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft—an OpenAI backer.

• Notable Quotes

  • “We believe fundamentally that AI will unlock more opportunities for more people than any technology in history, but it will also be disruptive.” – Fiji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI (05:03)
  • "I envision it more as a candidate being able to talk about what they can offer and demonstrate that with a certification, and then us being able to match them with companies that have similar needs using AI.” – Fiji Simo (05:16)
  • “We don't want to pretend that we know how it's going to play out. Instead, what we want to do is have solutions for every kind of worker to be able to adapt to this new world.” – Fiji Simo (06:01)
  • Simo draws parallels to past disruptive technologies (e.g., Excel for accountants) and emphasizes adaptation and upskilling.

• Market Impact

  • Spike of interest in AI job platforms; the startup Mercour valued at $10B (from $2B just six months prior) for its expert-labelling marketplace.

2. Broadcom vs. Nvidia: The Chip Wars Heat Up

(05:57 – 09:35)

• Broadcom’s AI Chip Surge

  • Broadcom approaches a $1.5 trillion market cap, bolstered by AI chip demand.
  • Recent earnings report shows 10% stock jump, with 50-60% annual growth in AI revenue expected to accelerate further in 2026.

• OpenAI as a Major New Customer

  • Broadcom has secured a $10B custom AI chip order from a “mystery customer,” confirmed to be OpenAI.
  • These internally used chips—co-designed with OpenAI—mirror strategies by Google, Amazon, and Meta.

• Industry Shifts

  • Broadcom’s success in custom chip business is now projected to outpace Nvidia's growth rate in 2026, according to HSBC analysts.
  • “The rest of the industry is finally coming for Nvidia’s fat margins. Your margin is my opportunity. As they say, capitalism is a hell of a thing.” – Brian McCullough (09:33)

3. Midjourney Faces Massive Copyright Lawsuit

(09:36 – 11:29)

• Warner Bros. Discovery Sues AI Art Generator

  • Warner Bros. Discovery alleges that Midjourney uses copyrighted content for AI training and generation, enabling users to create images of superheroes and cartoon icons.
  • Lawsuit filed in California, piggybacking on similar suits from Disney and Universal.

• Lawsuit Details

  • Midjourney’s outputs compared to original images from movies and TV, e.g., Batman (Christian Bale’s version from “The Dark Knight”), Bugs Bunny from “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and other IPs.
  • Warner Bros. contends this diverts buyers from official merchandise.

• Notable Quotes

  • “The heart of what we do is develop stories and characters to entertain our audiences, bringing to life the vision and passion of our creative partners. Midjourney is blatantly and purposefully infringing copyrighted works, and we filed this suit to protect our content, our partners and our investments.” – Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson (10:42)

• Host’s Analysis

  • Brian draws a parallel to Napster’s disruption of the music industry:
    “This is the closest thing I’ve seen to the Napster example since Napster happened... Maybe the genie is out of the bottle here folks.” (11:19)

4. Nvidia’s “Self-Dealing” and the Rise of NEO Clouds

(12:27 – 16:58)

• Controversy Around Nvidia’s Deal Structures

  • Reports of Nvidia renting 10,000 of its own AI chips from Lambda for $1.3B over four years, putting Nvidia as both supplier and major customer (and investor) to Lambda.
  • This “circular” structure helps smaller GPU cloud firms compete with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft (who are building rival chips).
  • Nvidia has also supported GPU cloud provider CoreWeave in a similar fashion.

• Strategic Motives

  • These deals help Nvidia expand market reach, push its hardware to motivated buyers, and support cloud providers more open to diverse chip offerings.
  • The practice showcases Nvidia’s efforts to maintain dominance despite hyperscalers’ shift toward in-house chip development.

5. Tech Job Market 2025: The Numbers

(17:00 – 18:59)

• Highlights from Gergely Orosz’s Deep Dive (Pragmatic Engineer)

  • AI engineer demand has exploded, with the Bay Area as the top hub.
  • After layoffs in 2022–2023, engineering headcount is growing again at Big Tech.
  • Tech hiring is increasingly concentrated in major metropolitan areas, and engineers are more likely to switch jobs within those hubs.
  • The average tenure at Big Tech has risen sharply since 2023, suggesting retention or slower hiring cycles.
  • Remote job offerings are down overall, except for AI engineering roles.

• Trends in Leadership

  • Amazon is heavily cutting engineering manager roles; most Big Techs (except Apple) are reducing director-level positions and above.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Fiji Simo (OpenAI):
  "While we can't eliminate the disruption, we can certainly help more people become fluent in AI and connect them with companies that need their skills." (05:11)

• Host Brian McCullough:
  "If I want to make an image of Bugs Bunny, I'm gonna do it somewhere, somehow, on some tool, and it's gonna look pretty darn perfect. Are you gonna sue me? Sue the tools? Sue all of us? Napster example once again." (11:23)

• On Nvidia’s Margins:
  "Your margin is my opportunity. As they say, capitalism is a hell of a thing." (09:33)

Important Timestamps

• OpenAI Jobs Platform & Certification: 00:04 – 05:56
• Broadcom’s AI Chip Business / OpenAI Partnership: 05:57 – 09:35
• Midjourney Copyright Lawsuit / The “Napster” Parallel: 09:36 – 11:29
• Nvidia & Lambda’s Circular Financial Arrangements: 12:27 – 16:58
• Tech Job Market Deep Dive / Tenure & Remote Work: 17:00 – 18:59

Tone and Takeaways

The episode delivers a brisk, insightful rundown of the latest seismic shifts in tech—ranging from OpenAI’s surprising foray into jobs and certification, to industry-defining chip wars and looming copyright battles in AI-generated content. The tone is conversational, sometimes wry, and aims to equip listeners with sharp, up-to-date knowledge of fast-moving tech trends.