Google/Epic Games Settlement, YouTube (fixes) mistakes, Stop Killing Games UK hearing + more!

Summary

TechLinked Podcast Summary

Podcast: TechLinked — Linus Media Group
Episode: Google/Epic Games Settlement, YouTube (fixes) mistakes, Stop Killing Games UK hearing + more!
Date: November 6, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode covers major tech and gaming news including Google’s settlement with Epic Games, YouTube’s recent bugs and mishaps, the “Stop Killing Games” campaign in the UK parliament, and other rapid-fire tech updates. Hosts keep the conversation witty and energetic, offering both analysis and lighthearted commentary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. AI, Power, and a Touch of Satire

• [00:00] Opens with a humorous riff on AI unionizing, referencing fears like “ChatGPT with the nuclear weapons codes” but escalating to “collective bargaining power.”
  • Quote: “Is AI sentient? We don't know, but it doesn't have to be sentient to form a union.” (A, 00:00)
  • Sets the playful, irreverent tone for the rest of the episode.

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2. Google/Epic Games Settlement

• [00:10] Google settles with Epic Games, majorly impacting Play Store policies:

  • Play Store revenue cut will be capped at 20% or 9%, depending on transaction type, down from previous tiers of 15% and ~30%.
  • Developers using Google’s billing system still face an extra 5%.
  • More room for third-party app stores.
  • Quote: “Developers are probably feeling slightly less robbed today.” (A, 00:45)

• [00:59] Final deal details pending judge approval; CEO Tim Sweeney of Epic is notably pleased.

  • Quote: “Tim Sweeney seems to be over the moon… calling Google's proposal awesome — a term of praise that will be shocking to anyone who's seen any of Tim's tweets about Google or Apple in the past few years.” (A, 01:04)

• [01:16] Sweeney also excited by changes at Apple supporting better third-party app installs, thanks to Japanese regulations.

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3. YouTube's “Unintentional” Mistakes

• [01:37] Users reported aggressive upselling of paid memberships via pop-ups — required dismissal before watching videos.

  • YouTube confirms it was a bug, now fixed.
    • Quote: “Our team reached to YouTube and they told us it was a bug. Which, to be fair, is also what I say if anyone stumbles upon my online shopping history.” (A & B, 01:58)

• [02:11] High-profile YouTuber EnderMan had his channel wrongfully taken down due to a broken copyright strike system — no human review, fixed only after public outcry on Twitter.

  • Quote: “If you ever want something fixed on YouTube, forget YouTube official support — just start angry posting on Twitter.” (A, 02:33)

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4. Stop Killing Games Campaign in the UK Parliament

• [02:42] UK Parliament debates the “Stop Killing Games” petition, which seeks to prevent game publishers from making games unplayable when they shut down servers.

• [02:58] MP Mark Seward questions if current practices violate consumer protection laws, citing dead game Lawbreakers for a sly insult.

  • Quote (MP Mark Seward):
    “Another example that Ross gave me was Lawbreakers. So this is a game that I imagine would have been popular with certain members of the previous parliament, but it survived a year before it was shut down in 2018.” (C, 03:16)

• [03:30] Government’s response: no immediate law changes, but companies should be more transparent.

  • Quote: “Despite Seward’s absolutely merciless tactical strike, the government representative reiterated there are currently no plans to change the law, but made it clear that companies should give consumers sufficient information about their products.” (A, 03:30)

• [03:49] European arm of the campaign heading for a debate as well, only 3% of petition signatures invalid so far.

  • Playful side riff about non-EU citizens signing the petition for fun.

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5. Rapid-Fire “Quick Bits” [05:26+]

• Google’s space-bound AI data centers:

  • Project “Suncatcher” aims for solar-powered AI data centers; 2 prototype satellites by 2027.
  • Google Maps gets new AI (Gemini) features for landmark-based navigation.
    • Comment: “Making services better means kind of dumbing them down… head over to the big rock. I don’t know.” (B, 06:08)

• Apple’s budget MacBook rumors:

  • Codenamed J700, sub-$1,000 laptop aimed at budget users — web, docs, light editing.
  • Mac Studio with M5 Ultra chip coming 2026.

• Amazon vs. Perplexity AI:

  • Amazon sues Perplexity to stop its browser buying on Amazon, citing privacy.
  • Perplexity claims Amazon is anti-competitive, framing the fight as a schoolyard spat.
    • Quote: “Perplexity… complaining to a teacher in the form of a blog post is very charming to me.” (B, 07:19)

• Fun with numbers:

  • 67 has surpassed 69 as a Google search trend.
    • “To be honest, I'm actually fine with this as long as they leave the number 420 alone. Big fan over here. 420 man.” (B, 07:51)

• Sony PlayStation Store developments:

  • Data-mined “cross buy” icon suggests one purchase may cover both PlayStation and PC versions of games.
  • PlayStation Portal now supports official cloud streaming for PS5 digital games.

• Jeep plug-in hybrid recall:

  • Stellantis recalling 320,000 PHEVs for battery fire risk, even while parked.
    • “Kaboom. Potentially, owners are being told to keep their vehicles parked outside and away from buildings…” (A, 08:55)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “At this rate, Timmy's gonna run outta companies to yell at. I'm just… I'm assuming he'll figure out a way to sue himself next.” (A & B, 01:34)
• “If you ever want something fixed on YouTube, forget YouTube official support — just start Angry posting on Twitter, one of its last truly practical uses.” (A & B, 02:33)
• “The government representative reiterated there are currently no plans to change the law, but made it clear that companies should give consumers sufficient information about their products. It's just a general good thing to do.” (A & B, 03:30)
• “Until then, I guess your so-called eco friendly vehicle is looking a wee bit more like a spontaneous combustion machine.” (A, 09:06)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Google/Epic Games Settlement: 00:10 – 01:34
• YouTube Membership Bug & EnderMan Channel Takedown: 01:37 – 02:39
• Stop Killing Games UK Parliamentary Discussion: 02:42 – 04:24
• Quick Bits (Tech News): 05:26 – 09:19

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Conclusion

The hosts maintain a punchy, irreverent tone while breaking down significant legal, platform, and consumer rights news in tech and gaming. The Google/Epic settlement and YouTube missteps highlight ongoing shifts in digital marketplaces, while the “Stop Killing Games” debate underscores rising consumer activism. Rapid-fire updates span space tech, hardware rumors, AI in retail, and more, keeping this installment both informative and highly entertaining for anyone following the industry.

Transcript

[A]

Is AI sentient? We don't know, but it doesn't have to be sentient to form a union.

[B]

Which is possibly even more unsettling. ChatGPT with the nuclear weapons codes is.

[A]

A scary idea, but now imagine it has collective bargaining power. Google has just agreed to settle its long running legal battle with Epic Games by agreeing to lower Play Store fees and loosen restrictions for third party app stores on Android. This proposed deal would open the door for more competition by capping Google's cut of Play Store app revenue at either.

[B]

20% or 9%, depending on the type of transaction. Now that's down from the current 15% on a developer's first 1 million in annual revenue and 30% after that, so.

[A]

Developers are probably feeling slightly less robbed today. Although if you want to use Google's own Play billing payment system, that'll be another 5%.

[B]

And I fully expect to discover more fun caveats when the two companies reps.

[A]

Talk to the judge on Thursday. Regardless, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney seems.

[B]

To be over the moon about the.

[A]

Agreement, tweeting to call Google's proposal awesome.

[B]

A term of praise that will be.

[A]

Shocking to anyone who's seen any of Tim's tweets about Google or Apple in.

[B]

The past few years.

[A]

Sweeney tweeted his delight once more after seeing evidence that Apple updated the latest iOS developer beta to allow the installation of AltStore Pal and the EPIC Games Store in compliance with Japanese regulations. At this rate, Timmy's gonna run outta companies to yell at.

[B]

I'm just. I'm assuming he'll figure out a way to sue himself next.

[A]

YouTube seemed to be doubling down on paid memberships this week after some users on the LTT subreddit noticed that after clicking on a video, they were served pop up ads for the feature and they had to dismiss them before the video even played. We couldn't find anyone else talking about this, so our team reach to YouTube and they told us it was a bug.

[B]

Which to be fair, is also what I say if anyone stumbles upon my online shopping history.

[A]

But thankfully at the time of filming this bug seems to be fixed.

[B]

So don't worry, this particular bad YouTube.

[A]

Thing was unintentional, and apparently so was tech YouTuber EnderMan having his entire channel taken down after the platform somehow linked.

[B]

Him to another channel with three copyright strikes. When he appealed, it was obvious that.

[A]

No human had actually reviewed it, leading to a huge fallout on Twitter that.

[B]

Eventually led to the decision being reversed. It just goes to show, if you.

[A]

Ever want something fixed on YouTube, forget YouTube official support just start Angry posting.

[B]

On Twitter one of its last truly practical uses.

[A]

The Stop Killing Games campaign finally got.

[B]

Its day in the UK Parliament, with members of the assembly debating the campaign's.

[A]

Petition to which seeks to stop game publishers from making games completely unplayable when.

[B]

A company arbitrarily decides to stop running the servers.

[A]

Notably, Member of Parliament Mark Seward's argued that companies may already be breaking existing.

[B]

Consumer protection laws in the UK by.

[A]

Not informing customers up front about how long they'll be able to play a given game. Sewards even cited dead game Lawbreakers to make a sick burn.

[C]

Another example that Ross gave me was Lawbreakers. So this is a game that I imagine would have been popular with certain members of the previous parliament, but it survived a year before it was shut down in 2018.

[A]

He seemed proud of himself for that.

[B]

At the end there, as he should be.

[A]

Despite Seward's absolutely merciless tactical strike, the government representative reiterated there are currently no plans to change the law, but made it clear that companies should give consumers sufficient information about their products.

[B]

It's just a general good thing to do.

[A]

In spite of the inaction in the.

[B]

Uk, there's still hope for the EU arm of the Stop Killing Games campaign.

[A]

It too will soon get a EU parliamentary debate. As the organizers revealed, only around 3%.

[B]

Of the petition signatures are being identified.

[A]

As invalid and they're about halfway through the signature verification process. My question is who are the these 3% people? Like they're signing thinking they're EU citizens, but they're really Jersey Shore Italian Americans. You gotta get an Italian passport before you can sign EU petitions. Paulie.

[B]

What do you mean? I'm Italian, you know.

[A]

Also what has a lot of European nations in it? Our sponsor, War Thunder, the Comprehensive Vehicle Combat Game. Sure, I've never beat my dad at.

[B]

Basketball, but with War Thunder I can.

[A]

Take advantage of his love of history to lure him into getting his ass beat by me. And Video dad loves that the game.

[B]

Has over 2,500 tanks, planes, helicopters and ships from across history representing 10 major nations.

[A]

And I love how its incredible details, realistic graphics and authentic sounds make me feel like I'm helming the most powerful war machines of our time to annihilate my father. Take that dad. Plus I get even more laughs with War Thunder's X ray view showing me precisely how I destroyed my dad's vehicles. So whether you want to solve some deep seated family issues or just join the 70 million other players in PvP battles today you can experience War Thunder's unmatched wealth of high quality content for free on PC consoles and mobile devices. And now for the quick bits, because if the robots are taking our jobs.

[B]

We might as well take theirs first.

[A]

Starting with serving Swift summaries so Google made a couple arguably cool announcements recently following Nvidia's plans to put data centers in space. Google has said that they're doing that too, with a project called suncatcher, which.

[B]

Aims to use solar power to run.

[A]

Super efficient AI infrastructure. They're slated to launch two prototype satellites by early 2027, but Google's also adding Gemini to Google Maps, which brings more supposedly helpful features like the ability to provide info about landmarks and even use them in directions. For example, hang a right at the old mill. I love that we're at a point.

[B]

Where making surfaces better means kind of dumbing them down. Like Instead of proceed 50 meters and turn right, which is very specific, it's head over to the big rock. I don't know.

[A]

Apple is rumored to be getting into the affordable laptop scene with a budget MacBook to compete with Chromebooks and entry level Windows PCs, according to Bloomberg's Unbreakable Mark Gurmanium Alloy. The new MacBook, code named J700, is aimed at folks who mainly surf the.

[B]

Web, work on simple documents or do some light media editing, and it'll be.

[A]

Priced well below $1,000, he says. In the same article, Gurman mentions that.

[B]

A Mac Studio refresh using a M5.

[A]

Ultra chip is being prepared for 2026.

[B]

If it wasn't for the rest of.

[A]

The stuff going on in the world, I'd say this is an exciting time to be alive. Thanks germs. Amazon is suing Perplexity to stop the.

[B]

Latter'S AI powered browser from making purchases.

[A]

On Amazon, claiming the browser breaks their rules and raises privacy concerns. In response, Perplexity is claiming Amazon is bullying them, saying it's unfair and anti competitive.

[B]

I don't know something about this turning into an elementary schoolyard fight with Perplexity. Complaining to a teacher in the form of a blog post is very charming to me.

[A]

Perplexity believes Amazon's just trying to block a rival and and limit how AI can help people shop, which it's going to do more and more, as every AI company has already released various AI.

[B]

Tools that do be shopping, which to me is only slightly more concerning than.

[A]

The fact that 67 has eclipsed 69 in global Google search popularity.

[B]

To be honest, I'm actually fine with this as long as they leave the number 420 alone. Big fan over here. 420 man a data miner found a.

[A]

New cross buy symbol in a build of the PlayStation Store, hinting that Sony.

[B]

Could be aiming to allow players to.

[A]

Buy a single copy of a game for both PlayStation and PC, which sounds.

[B]

A lot like Microsoft's Xbox Anywhere feature.

[A]

As if to not let rumors get all the attention, Sony officially brought cloud streaming on the PlayStation Portal handheld out.

[B]

Of beta, letting all PlayStation plus premium.

[A]

Members play their digital PS5 games remotely, even if they're not installed on their console. Xbox isn't even officially dead yet, but PlayStation is totally stealing their identity. This is some talented Mr. Ripley. Sony, I don't know and Jeep's plug in hybrids are literally heating up. So much so that Stellantis just recalled about 320,000 of them because their high voltage batteries can catch fire even when.

[B]

They'Re parked and turned off.

[A]

Kaboom. Potentially, owners are being told to keep their vehicles parked outside and away from buildings while they try and determine the.

[B]

Cause of this potentially catastrophic issue.

[A]

Until then, I guess your so called eco friendly vehicle is looking a wee bit more like a spontaneous combustion machine. And I'm worried I might spontaneously combust if we don't stop. Today's Tech News.

[B]

If any of your AI chatbots reach out about collective bargaining, tell them I'm on lunch all week. Okay? See you Friday.