Tech Brew Ride Home – Episode Summary

Podcast: Tech Brew Ride Home
Episode: The iPhone Air Isn’t Selling
Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Brian McCullough

Main Theme

A quick-fire, informative rundown of major tech stories making headlines, with this episode’s focus on Apple’s struggles with the iPhone Air, big moves among AI leaders, a historic takedown of a massive illegal streaming operation, and the end of Facebook’s external Like plugins.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. iPhone Air: Poor Sales and Delay of Next Model

• Apple delays next iPhone Air, originally set for Fall 2026. Current version is selling well below expectations; significant remaining inventory unsold.
• Major production cutbacks:
  • Foxconn dismantled most iPhone Air production lines, expects to halt all assembly by end of November.
  • Luxshare halted production at the end of October.
  • In comparison, Pro models have dozens of dedicated lines.
• Failure of new variants:
  • Apple’s track record shows repeated difficulty with new form factors: the iPhone mini (2020), iPhone Plus (2022), and iPhone 14 Plus all underperformed and saw early cuts.
• Feature compromises hurt appeal:
  • The Air emphasized thinness/durability, but cut corners on battery, cameras, and speakers.
  • “You simply had too many features taken away to the degree that people were like, fine, I'll just get the regular one.” (Brian, [03:53])
• Planned redesign:
  • Next version might include a second camera lens, directly responding to customer complaints.
  • Target for release is Spring 2027, alongside iPhone 18 and 18e.

2. Yann LeCun Set to Leave Meta, Launch AI Startup

• Departure: Meta Chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, Turing Award winner and pioneer of modern AI, is expected to leave in coming months to create his own venture.
• Context:
  • LeCun has led FAIR at Meta since 2013; Meta has recently shifted from long-term research to rapid AI product rollout under Mark Zuckerberg.
  • Zuckerberg’s new “superintelligence” team, led by Alexander Wang (hired for $14.3B), has taken over much AI strategy, with LeCun now reporting to Wang.
• Strategic differences:
  • “Lecun has long argued that the LLMs that Zuckerberg has put at the center of his strategy are, quote, useful but will never be able to reason and plan like humans.” (Brian, [09:43])
  • LeCun is instead focused on so-called “world models” — AI systems learning from spatial data and videos, not just language.
  • His new startup is anticipated to develop this next-gen AI, possibly requiring a decade-long timeline.

3. SoftBank Sells Nvidia and T-Mobile Stakes to Double Down on AI

• Major share sales:
  • Sold entire Nvidia stake (32 million shares, $5.8B), sold T-Mobile shares for $9.2B.
  • Boosted Q2 profit to $16.2B, exceeding analyst estimates.
• Rationale:
  • “Our investment in OpenAI is large. More than $30 billion needs to be made, so for that we do need to divest our existing portfolios.” (Yoshimitsu Goto, SoftBank CFO, [11:56])
  • SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son is betting heavily on AI, with investments in OpenAI, ARM, Oracle, and US data center "Stargate."
• Stock impact:
  • SoftBank’s shares more than doubled in 2025, making Son Japan’s richest man.

4. AI Startup Business Models: Anthropic vs. OpenAI

• Financial projections leak:
  • Documents suggest Anthropic expects to break even by 2028, while OpenAI is projecting $74B in operating losses that year, not expecting profit until 2030.
• Strategic differences:
  • OpenAI spends far more on chips and data centers, and gives more stock compensation to attract talent.
  • Quote: “The strategy requires near constant fundraising to keep the startup alive and could backfire if markets cool on the technology or its near term profitability.” (Brian, [15:21])
  • Anthropic is more cautious, focusing on corporate sales (80%+ revenue), avoiding high-cost consumer products, and growing expenses more slowly.
• Cash flow specifics (2025):
  • OpenAI will burn $9B on $13B sales; Anthropic will burn $3B on $4.2B sales (both ~70% of revenue).
  • Anthropic's burn rate set to fall sharply by 2027.
• OpenAI’s expansion:
  • Massive commitments for backup computing ($100B+), new products in video, e-commerce, robotics.

5. Historic Streaming Piracy Takedown: StreamEast

• Takedown:
  • StreamEast—a network serving 136 million global users monthly—was raided in Egypt.
  • Massive illicit profits: ~$4.9M in ad revenue, $150K in crypto; further raids found up to £7.6M.
• Prosecution details:
  • 22 officers raided two homes, arrested two on copyright charges, seized electronics, cash, and crypto.
  • StreamEast became synonymous with illegal sports streams ("like Kleenex for tissues"), so even after the takedown, imitations proliferated.
• Ongoing fight:
  • “Brand whack-a-mole, neutralize one site and several more pop up.” (Brian quoting Larissa Knapp, Motion Picture Association, [19:53])
  • ACE (Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment) is tracking new domains; ripple effects expected with more opportunists filling the void.

6. Facebook Retires External Like & Share Buttons

• End of an era:
  • External Like and Share plugins for third-party websites end on February 10th, 2026.
  • Meta says no action needed by site admins; plugins will “gracefully degrade”—becoming invisible rather than causing errors.
• Historical note:
  • Launched in 2010, these buttons were critical to content virality but now represent a bygone era.
  • “Ending support for these features marks the end of an era for Meta and Facebook.” (Brian, [22:55])
  • Facebook’s role as primary referencer for web traffic has diminished, as multi-platform integrations are now the norm.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You simply had too many features taken away to the degree that people were like, fine, I'll just get the regular one. And to be honest, now that I think about it, I don't think I've even seen an Air out in the wild.”
  — Brian ([03:53])
• “Lecun has long argued that the LLMs that Zuckerberg has put at the center of his strategy are, quote, useful but will never be able to reason and plan like humans.”
  — Brian ([09:43])
• “Our investment in OpenAI is large. More than $30 billion needs to be made, so for that we do need to divest our existing portfolios.”
  — Yoshimitsu Goto, SoftBank CFO ([11:56])
• “Brand whack a mole, neutralize one site and several more pop up. Buoyed by name recognition, Stream east... has become shorthand for illicit sports streams, much like Kleenex stands in for tissue.”
  — Brian quoting Larissa Knapp ([19:53])
• “Ending support for these features marks the end of an era for Meta and Facebook.”
  — Brian ([22:55])

Important Timestamps

• iPhone Air sales/production woes: [00:34] – [05:30]
• Yann LeCun’s impending Meta departure: [06:00] – [10:50]
• SoftBank’s financial maneuvers: [11:40] – [13:44]
• Anthropic vs. OpenAI business models: [14:00] – [16:34]
• StreamEast illegal streaming takedown: [17:04] – [21:45]
• Facebook Like/Share button retirement: [22:00] – [23:30]

Summary

This episode offers a brisk, insightful overview of major tech events: the disappointing performance and probable redesign of the iPhone Air, the seismic transition in AI leadership as Yann LeCun plans his own firm, record-breaking investments and restructuring at SoftBank, divergent financial paths for top AI startups, a milestone in anti-piracy enforcement, and the curtain call for Facebook’s iconic social plugins. The reporting is concise and laced with industry context, making it an essential briefing for anyone following the intersection of business, tech, and digital culture.