Podcast Summary: TechLinked – "Steam's massive rise in player count, New OpenAI restrictions + more!"

Date: October 18, 2025
Hosts: Linus Media Group
Episode Theme:
A lively rundown of recent developments in tech and gaming culture. The episode highlights Steam’s record-breaking player counts, OpenAI’s new content restrictions, updates on mobile tech, and playful takes on how AI and big tech impact everyday users.

Steam's Record-Breaking Player Count

Timestamps: 00:40 – 01:45

• Valve’s Steam platform hit a new high: 41.6 million concurrent users, nearly double the count from five years ago.
  • Host 1 jokes, “That's more than the population of Canada, bud,” (00:43).
• Discussion of growth boost during global events: “Seems like PC gamer growth accelerated after the WHO declared a pandemic” (00:54).
• Popular franchises (Battlefield 6, Hades 2, Hollow Knight Silksong) breaking their own records contributed to the surge.
• Hosts humorously lament gamers not playing their backlog:
  • Host 1: “People are spending more time staring at their bloated Steam backlog than actually playing…” (01:25).
  • Host 2: “It's time to finally play Disco Elysium or Red Dead Redemption 2.” (01:45)

OpenAI's New Restrictions on Generated Content

Timestamps: 01:49 – 03:06

• OpenAI halts generation of fake Martin Luther King Jr. videos after a request from his estate due to misuse.
  • Notable moment: Host 1 sarcastically describes the absurdity of fake MLK deepfakes on low-quality platforms (01:56):
    “Filled to the brim with disrespectful depictions of MLK delivering a stirring speech on the beauty of the female form.”
  • “It's yet another feature rollback from OpenAI, who always seems to focus more on the latter part of the ‘move fast and break things’” (02:16).
• Big Tech’s controversial uses of AI:
  • Facebook cited for unwanted photo editing: “Like a cat bringing you a dead mouse” (02:27).
  • Opt-out features discussed, but buried unless users actively notice them.
    • Host 2: “Didn't absentmindedly press OK when the prompt asked you to…” (02:44).
• Calls for stronger AI rules:
  • “We should probably still want to set some ground rules for how AI is used. See MLK Jr.” (03:01).

Global AI Regulation and The Pope

Timestamps: 03:06 – 03:19

• Pope Leo XIV hosted a seminar at the Vatican about global AI regulation, stressing AI as a tool.
  • Host 1: “So we must be careful that in using it, we do not ourselves act like tools. Amen.” (03:16)
  • Light-hearted joke about the Pope’s American accent.

Echo Chamber Media & Ground News

Timestamps: 03:19 – 04:24

• Highlight on how algorithms create news bubbles and the need for media transparency.
• Ground News promoted for presenting news with political leaning breakdowns.
  • Example: Apple & Formula 1 streaming deal leans left in media coverage, humorously tied to racing stereotypes.
    • Host 1: “Even though this is about cars going fast, which I thought was always a conservative thing.” (03:53)
    • Host 2: “NASCAR races are just one big left turn.” (04:06)

Phone Industry Updates: Apple and Samsung

Timestamps: 04:43 – 05:32

• Apple: iPhone Air sees low sales, with production cut by up to 1 million units.
  • “Apple is chopping production of the Air down by up to 1 million units this year. Down by up to what? The language.” (04:46)
• Samsung: Galaxy S26 Edge reportedly discontinued after poor sales of previous models.
  • “Slim phones might be on thin ice…are about to be skinny dipping in the discount bin. Got ‘em, splash.” (05:28)

Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365

Timestamps: 05:32 – 06:07

• Google pivots to gain business customers from Microsoft by emphasizing Microsoft 365’s reliability issues.
  • Host 1: “Microsoft 365 crashes are a question of when and for how long, not if…” (05:53)
  • Humorous take on corporate branding: “Wouldn't you rather subscribe to a workplace plan called Business Continuity or Work Transformation Set?” (06:07)

Uber's AI Microtasks for Drivers

Timestamps: 06:07 – 07:12

• Uber launches program for drivers to earn extra money by completing microtasks for AI training (not comedy, as joked by hosts).
• Tasks include uploading photos/voice, translating documents, and more, for variable pay.
  • Host 2: “If you upload a picture from a Spanish restaurant menu, you could earn a whole shiny $1…” (06:45)
    • Host 1: “I've always dreamed of being a mental blood bag for AI.” (06:53)
  • Commentary on exploitative side of freelance labor for AI training.

Blockchain Blunder: Paxos Mints $300 Trillion PyUSD

Timestamps: 07:14 – 07:58

• Paxos, PayPal’s blockchain partner, accidentally mints an impossible $300 trillion worth of its stablecoin—over double the world’s GDP.
  • Host 1: “It just seems like there’s something terribly wrong when you can just accidentally mint more money than the global GDP.” (07:34)
  • Issue claimed to be a technical error, promptly “burned” the excess.
    • Host 1: "I've been known to burn through a lot of excess money myself, but I really hope that's not what they mean." (07:51)
• Brief reassurance: “Don’t worry, guys. The coin’s still pegged.” (07:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People are spending more time staring at their bloated Steam backlog than actually playing…” — Host 1, 01:25
• “It's yet another feature rollback from OpenAI, who always seems to focus more on the latter part of the 'move fast and break things'” — Host 1, 02:16
• “Like a cat bringing you a dead mouse.” — Host 1, on unwanted AI photo editing, 02:27
• “I've always dreamed of being a mental blood bag for AI.” — Host 1, 06:53
• “Slim phones might be on thin ice…are about to be skinny dipping in the discount bin. Got 'em, splash.” — Host 2, 05:28

Tone and Style

The hosts combine fast-paced, witty banter with tech analysis. The humor is dry and self-aware, especially when discussing tech culture, AI overreach, and the state of the gaming backlog (“You go beat something off the backlog.” – 01:30).

For listeners who missed the episode:
This summary captures all the key stories—Steam’s explosive growth, evolving AI regulation, market tremors in mobile tech, and tongue-in-cheek commentary on how tech giants try to wedge themselves into every aspect of user life. If you keep up with tech and gaming, or just enjoy irreverent news, this episode delivers sharp insights and a lot of laughs.