EA acquired, Snapdragon Elite X2 benchmarks, ChatGPT parental controls + more! - TechLinked

TechLinked Podcast Summary

Episode Title: EA Acquired, Snapdragon Elite X2 Benchmarks, ChatGPT Parental Controls + More!
Date: September 30, 2025
Hosted by: Linus Media Group

Overview

This episode of TechLinked covers major breaking news and quick updates in the tech and gaming world. The hosts open with the bombshell acquisition of Electronic Arts (EA), take a critical look at Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon benchmarks, explore significant updates to ChatGPT, and serve up a platter of fast “quick bits” – from Nvidia graphics card rumors to Apple’s AI ambitions. The episode is laced with the hosts’ signature sarcasm, skepticism, and playful jabs at industry trends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. EA Acquired in Record-Breaking Deal

[00:15] The hosts report EA’s acquisition for $55 billion, “the biggest leveraged buyout ever,” by a consortium including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners (Jared Kushner’s firm).
- “Not the kind of Kush typically associated with gamers.” – (Host, [00:21])
- Shareholders will get $210 per share.
Speculation abounds regarding Saudi Arabia's motives and potential impacts on EA’s creative direction.
- Sharp, satirical speculation on future EA content:
  “Perhaps a next gen Sims title featuring forced labor and executions, or a Battlefield 6 DLC game mode featuring journalist assassinations.” – (Host, [00:38])
A reference to previous odd content, “EA already just blew up our beloved Zac Efron, so really, nothing's off the table.”
No details yet on how this will impact current or future EA games.

2. Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite & Elite Extreme Benchmarks

[01:10] Early benchmarks are out, with media headlines calling the chips “shows promise” and “hey, not bad.”
- Caveat: Results are based on preinstalled synthetic benchmarks run on demo laptops supplied by Qualcomm.
- “Although they did let the journalists press the start button, for which they received a sticker that said I helped.” – (Host, [01:24])
Comparisons to the disappointing first-gen Snapdragon X launch: great hype, but only okay real-world performance and major compatibility issues, especially for gaming.
Host’s skeptical, seasoned take: “So forgive me if I feel the need to use a bit more than a pinch of salt in this particular entrée, even if I do love to see it on the menu.” – (Host, [02:00])

3. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Parental Controls & Instant Checkout

[02:09] New parental controls allow parents to link to their teenagers’ ChatGPT accounts—if the teens opt in and don’t disconnect (though parents are notified if they do).
- “Parental controls for the good kids that need it the least. But it's something.” – (Host, [02:37])
Controls include time limits, disabling voice mode/image generation, and potentially blocking the new “instant checkout” feature.
Instant Checkout: ChatGPT will soon be able to suggest and let you buy products (currently on Etsy, with Shopify support coming).
- “Which is exciting news for the die hards who couldn't ignore that something real was missing in their relationship with their AI boyfriend or girlfriend, the ability to engage in commerce...” – (Host, [03:02])
The feature is built with Stripe and designed as an open agent commerce protocol.

4. Quick Bits (Rapid-Fire Tech & Gaming News, [04:20])

Nvidia RTX 50 Super Series Rumors:
- New cards expected between March–May 2026 (not at Jan CES); 5070, 5070 Ti, and 5080 will have “super” variants with increased memory.
- Host quip: “So we have more time to process the damage they'll do to our collective bank accounts. Stop buying Nvidia. They're gonna sell out. It's just a fact.” – (Host, [04:55])
Asus ROG Gaming Laptop Issues:
- Stuttering/performance issues dating back to 2021 finally addressed, after being highlighted by Zefkek on GitHub and on a September WAN Show.
- Beta BIOS updates released; finalized fixes expected early October.
- “That's the kind of quick customer service we love to see.” – (Host, [05:20])
Apple’s Secret ChatGPT-like App:
- Internal-only “Veritas” app used for testing new AI models for revamped Siri.
- No plans for public release yet; upgraded Siri could roll out March 2026 or later.
- “Honestly though, Apple take all the time you need to make this good. Nobody needs a slightly better Siri. It's too late for that.” – (Host, [05:35])
Microsoft's “Vibe Working” in Copilot Chat:
- Fun at Microsoft’s new AI features in Office – prompts to generate entire presentations/spreadsheets for you.
- “Ultimately, what is better for your work vibes than just letting AI do a worse job of your tasks for you? Your work doesn't make sense. Who cares? You're vibing…” – (Host, [06:00])
Beloved 'Skyrim Grandma' Retires:
- Shirley Curry, nearly 90, retiring from uploading Elder Scrolls content after 15 years.
- She’ll still post vlogs occasionally, with info for fans to stay in touch.
- “Nice to see her retire like this instead of because of an arrow to the knee.” – (Host, [06:22])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

[00:21] “Not the kind of Kush typically associated with gamers.”
[00:38] “Perhaps a next gen Sims title featuring forced labor and executions, or a Battlefield 6 DLC game mode featuring journalist assassinations.”
[01:24] “Although they did let the journalists press the start button, for which they received a sticker that said I helped.”
[02:00] “So forgive me if I feel the need to use a bit more than a pinch of salt in this particular entrée, even if I do love to see it on the menu.”
[02:37] “Parental controls for the good kids that need it the least. But it's something.”
[03:02] “Which is exciting news for the die hards who couldn't ignore that something real was missing in their relationship with their AI boyfriend or girlfriend, the ability to engage in commerce…”
[04:55] “So we have more time to process the damage they'll do to our collective bank accounts. Stop buying Nvidia. They're gonna sell out. It's just a fact.”
[05:35] “Honestly though, Apple take all the time you need to make this good. Nobody needs a slightly better Siri. It's too late for that.”
[06:22] “Nice to see her retire like this instead of because of an arrow to the knee.”

Tone & Style

Playful, sardonic, and irreverent throughout
Realistic and skeptical about industry hype, especially regarding tech launches and “corporate solutions”
Genuine sentiment shown for community figures (like “Skyrim Grandma”)
Willingness to speculate humorously and poke fun at tech companies’ follies

Useful Timestamps

[00:15] – EA Acquisition News
[01:10] – Snapdragon Benchmarks & Skepticism
[02:09] – ChatGPT Parental Controls & Instant Checkout
[04:20] – Quick Bits Segment (Nvidia, Asus, Apple, Microsoft, Shirley Curry)

This episode is rich with industry news served with TechLinked’s trademark blend of jest and critique – a must for listeners who want both updates and unfiltered commentary.

Transcript

A (0:00)

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B (0:15)

I wanna cover some old tech news like it's like it's 1998. Internet Explorer just overtook Net Vista and there were only 151 Pokemon. Good, good stuff. But Counterpoint Quaxly Hmm. Okay, the magic's still there. Electronic Arts, the makers of your favorite full priced annual sports game roster update, announced today that it has been acquired for $55 billion. The consortium buying EA includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund along with Affinity Partners, which which was founded by Donald Trump's son in law Jared Kushner. Not the kind of Kush typically associated with gamers. The enormous deal makes EA the biggest leveraged buyout ever and will see the company's shareholders get $210 per share. Right now, we don't know how this buyout will impact EA's games. We'll have to wait to find out if this is part of Saudi Arabia's attempt to resuscitate their public image, or if EA's video games will start to show signs of Saudi government influence. Perhaps a next gen Sims title featuring forced labor and executions, or a Battlefield 6 DLC game mode featuring journalist assassinations. EA already just blew up our beloved Zac Efron, so really, nothing's off the table. Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips have been benchmarked by a number of tech outlets since their unveiling last week, with most of those outlets running headlines like this Shows Promise and hey, Not Bad. Now normally that kind of measured, cautious enthusiasm really gets me going, but it's important to note that the only results being shared are from specific synthetic benchmarks that Qualcomm preinstalled on the demo laptops. Although they did let the journalists press the start button, for which they received a sticker that said I helped. Now some of you may remember Qualcomm had a similar setup while promoting the first gen Snapdragon X. The prelaunch hype for those chips reached a fever pitch. Reviewers and certain tech news related individuals were foaming at the mouth for what we all thought and hoped would be Windows answer to Apple Silicon power, efficiency and compatibility on the arm architecture. And then the actual chips launched and their performance turned out to be just okay. They were interesting and innovative and definitely pretty cool, but compatibility issues remained and the gaming experience didn't live up to the hype. So forgive me if I feel the need to use a bit more than a pinch of salt in this particular entree, even if I do love to see it on the menu OpenAI is adding a couple long awaited features to ChatGPT parental controls and the ability to buy stuff directly from the chatbot. Two things that actually go together quite well. After a lawsuit from the parents of a teen who took his own life, the parental controls OpenAI promised are finally here, allowing parents to link to their teenagers accounts if the teen opts in and if the teen doesn't ever disconnect their account, which they can do at any time, although the parents will be notified. And right there is a perfect illustration of how in the Internet age we, you know, we're just trying to figure we don't know what the fuck doing this is. Parental controls for the good kids that need it the least. But it's something if the accounts stay linked though, parents can customize their teen's experience by setting time limits, turning off voice mode and image generation, and hopefully disabling that other new feature, instant checkout. It'll let ChatGPT suggest products that users can buy without ever leaving the app. It's built on an open agent commerce protocol developed with Stripe and will only work with Etsy listings for now, although the plan is to add support for over a million Shopify merchants soon. Which is exciting news for the die hards who couldn't ignore that something real was missing in their relationship with their AI boyfriend or girlfriend, the ability to engage in commerce, or at least have a conversation about our sponsor Proton, the email provider that's not linked to big tech. So they don't want your personal data. Oh, you live in X place with y other people and or animals. They could literally not care less, although they are happy for you. See, Proton uses end to end zero access encryption, but so only you can read your emails. I thought that's how it's supposed to work. Plus they use advanced phishing protection, tracker blocking and they even monitor the dark web to see if your email shows up because that's not allowed. And if you're super serious about privacy, Proton lets you use unlimited email aliases, plus you can connect to it through the Tor network for another layer of anonymity. Wow. I wish Proton could also replace apps like Google Docs and my VPN and password manager too. That would be guess what? They can. So yeah, I guess you Gotta go create an account for free, Try it for a few months and see how it feels to stick it to big tech. Now using our links in the description Proton Regieleki is the fastest Pokemon with a base speed stat of 200. But that Legends it's got nothing on these quick bits. Nvidia's RTX 50 Super Series of cards are rumored to be arriving in the first half of 2026. Bench Life reports that although the cards were expected to be announced at January CES 2026, the cards should actually be revealed between March and May this coming year. Bench Life suggests that the RTX 5070, 5070 Ti and 5080 will all get super variants which will see all three cards memory capacity expanded. Wow, it's very thoughtful of Nvidia to delay these cards so we have more time to process the damage they'll do to our collective bank accounts. Stop buying Nvidia. They're gonna. They're gonna sell out. It's just a fact Asus is working to address stuttering and performance issues with several ROG gaming laptops. Apparently the issue impacts ROG laptops all the way back to the 2021 models, but this bug was only recently brought to light by Zefkek on GitHub, whose work was highlighted on our September 19th WAN Show. Our I mean, maybe eh. Asus has released beta bios updates for a number of the affected laptops, and in a community update the company says to expect more finalized work in early October. It's good of Asus for finally getting on this long standing issue after being called out on a popular tech podcast. Now that's the kind of quick customer service we love to see. All right, Apple has made its own chatgpt like Chatbot app, but it exists only to test their new Siri AI revamp. Ultimate knower of Apple Secrets, the imperious Gurminatorius Mark Gurman reports that the new app, codenamed Veritas, is being used internally by Apple staff to to test out the company's current AI models. However, the app is not planned to be released alongside the long awaited upgraded Siri, which could start rolling out as early as this coming March. Early is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Honestly though, Apple take all the time you need to make this good. Nobody needs a slightly better Siri. It's too late for that. Microsoft doesn't seem to like your energy when you're working with its Office products. So inspired by AI driven Vibe coding and they're introducing Vibe Working AKA not working. Using Microsoft's new Office Agent in Copilot Chat, you can type in prompts to create AI generated PowerPoint presentations and word documents with Excel support coming soon. Probably not gonna win any Excel championships with this, but hey, you can also use the incredibly similarly named Agent mode in Word or Excel to create AI generated spreadsheets and documents right in the app. Ultimately, what is better for your work vibes than just letting AI do a worse job of your tasks for you? Your work doesn't make sense. Who cares? You're vibing and what do you do for work? We Vibe and Beloved Streamer Skyrim Grandma, also known as Shirley Curry, has announced her retirement from uploading Elder Scrolls videos. In her Goodbye video, the soon to be 90 year old told her viewers that after about 15 years of streaming, she she is tired and not having fun anymore. But don't worry, Curry says she'll still be posting vlog every so often and she even left information to stay in contact with her. Nice to see her retire like this instead of because of an arrow to the knee. Plus, there are always rumors that the Elder Scrolls VI could be right around the corner. So one day we might see Skyrim Grandma ride again. But I know TechLinked will definitely ride again on Wednesday, so come back on that day. For now, go like and subscribe and I will go catch up on literal decades worth of new Pokemon. What the hell is a Blacephalon? Blasephal Blacephalon.