Meta’s Teen Rules, OpenAI’s Content Shift, and Roblox the New Social Media?
Jessica and Dave dive into the messy intersection of AI, culture, and the next wave of consumer tech. From the rise of “AI slop” to whether founders should build apps just for themselves, they debate what survives the model wars and what gets eaten alive. Along the way: 2025 Silicon Valley weirdness, $1B AI comp with no products, GLP-1 memes, kids treating Fortnite like the new social network, and California’s crackdown on youth tech. It’s part therapy session, part future forecast—the only technology podcast that you should listen to before you head into the weekend.Chapters:00:40 Intro: The first “Jave” episode01:17 The Grove lore: Ground zero of social networks03:19 What’s actually working in consumer AI?12:26 The Information’s mobile app and engagement lift14:51 Summarization as the killer consumer use case16:17 The “AI slop” problem in real work product19:35 2025 Silicon Valley culture: dead internet, Sora slop, $1B comp21:08 Refounding era (Handshake) and trendwatching23:01 Startup to watch: BitRig and iPhone apps that build apps25:06 Why personalized apps32:54 OpenAI Dev Day paranoia: Who gets eaten?44:32 Parenting choices: Roblox/YouTube vs curated apps58:36 Algorithmic novelty vs repetition comfort01:02:47 OpenAI recalibrates adult contentWe’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/Iug0dyIlpsAConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit
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Oracle's GPU Margins, OpenAI’s Consumer Playbook, and the Ads vs Commerce Endgame
This week on More or Less: Jess drops The Information’s scoop on Oracle’s shaky GPU rental margins and how it spooked markets, while Sam insists AI workloads will soar, even if profits don’t. Dave crunches the numbers: an “Apollo program every 10 months,” data centers now powering half of U.S. GDP, and capital getting sucked from factories into GPUs. On the culture beat: Google’s Zeitgeist goes no-swag chic, Taylor gets her own Google Easter egg, and Instagram ads become the prototype for AI’s ad future, Restoration Hardware jet memes, Waymo etiquette, Bari Weiss’ $150M Free Press–meets–CBS glow-up, and more. Never a dull moment with the MOL squad.Chapters:01:17 – Slow's Etiquette Finishing school on 11/5 (Apply here: https://luma.com/vmd7rz6j)04:02 – Why everyone is replicating YC demo day17:15 – AI bubble check + Sora usage uptick18:04 – Oracle GPU rental margins scoop21:21 – Quantum skepticism24:26 – AI bubble propping up the U.S. GDP33:20 – OpenAI renting GPUs; finance structures everywhere38:48 – Where AI profits come from: ads, subs, commerce (nothing proven)42:31 – Bari Weiss’ Free Press sold for $150M; CBS Editor-in-Chief57:06 – Yoni Rechtman’s “self-promotion” stunt + Sam’s viral MrBeast post on XWe’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/p1bmrugU_6EConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit
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#119 OpenAI Sora vs. TikTok: Can “AI Entertainment” Fund the Compute Bill?
Never a dull moment with the More or Less squad: Jessica questions whether Sora is just a novelty or the start of an AI-native social economy, arguing OpenAI needs its own device to escape current platform limits. Brit calls it “Vine meets MySpace,” highlighting its cameo mechanic as a creator tool that could outpace Meta’s AI video. Dave says Sora only needs to be entertaining and pitches OpenAI’s real graph play: embedding ChatGPT in group chats. Sam compares Sora to Truth Social, not Instagram, arguing power and narrative—not unit economics—drive the AI capex boom. The squad also touches on the “dead internet theory,” the importance of context over data, and the limits of LLM understanding, with side notes on Swifties and always-on AI wearables.Chapters:04:59 What is Sora? The Vine meets MySpace take06:40 Early Sora product gaps: identity, friending, moderation07:37 Creator utility vs novelty: will people care09:51 Sora is Truth Social, not Instagram; Sam is Tom11:20 Power vs ownership: modern mercantilism in AI14:03 Loose on copyright, tight on moderation—the 2x216:36 Production value is a false god17:59 What is AI slop? Dead internet theory primer20:16 Idealized ideas: vibe-coded pitches fool no one22:18 Does entertainment alone create an economy26:05 If you ran OpenAI, what would you build28:39 The obvious social graph: ChatGPT in your group chats30:53 Why OpenAI needs a device: voice multitasking plus identity UX34:31 Context is king; models know nothing about you36:19 Don’t sell your data; keep your context moat38:02 Sutton vs LLMs: prediction without understanding43:22 AI capex as narrative: Chinese housing and ’99 fiber analogiesWe’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/tDsh5VdoTpcConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit
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#118 Elon vs Altman: The $10B Capital War Reshaping Tech
No Morins this week—just Jess and Sam, trading Gossip Girl “dear listener” asides for a tour of tech’s new power map. From Meta’s in-store glasses push to Apple’s “Find My” doubling as Gen Z’s stealth social network, the real story is how distribution and lock-in shape the future. Sam frames “mercantilism 2.0,” where global trade routes of capital now run through Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh, with figures like Elon Musk and Sam Altman acting as brokers of $10B+ flows.In true Sam fashion, the conversation highlights why LLMs aren’t true moats, pointing instead to the infrastructure layer (chips, power, data centers) and the UX layer (distribution, product polish). Nvidia’s securitized GPU deals illustrate how structured finance and alliances are reshaping competition.The takeaway: early-stage VC may finally be moving past hype, becoming sober—and therefore interesting—again.Chapters:02:02 – Meta Ray-Bans: friction as onboarding strategy05:31 – Mercantilism 2.0: Tech’s new trade routes07:56 – Elon’s real genius: moving $10B+ into frontier tech09:27 – Sam Altman as mega-capital trade-route broker12:40 – Starlink V3 and the network-layer power shift16:08 – Could Elon own planetary communications?18:35 – Find My = stealth social network21:04 – Strategy assets over DCF: power, data centers, chips23:41 – LLMs aren’t the moat; moats shift lower/higher27:44 – AI’s expense revives structured finance30:56 – Nvidia as the East India Company of compute33:50 – Will a handful of players control all the assets?39:57 – Early-stage VC is sober (and exciting) again43:05 – TikTok’s heat moved to AI: the attention shiftWe’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspodConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit
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#117 TikTok’s New Owner and Hiring a US CEO?
The More or Less team go deep on the rumored TikTok deal: licensing the algorithm vs. owning influence, who actually controls the For You page, and why data localization misses the point. We debate A16Z’s evolving role, Sequoia’s must-have-access imperative, and what a “TikTok US CEO” would really do.Chapters:00:48 - Intro + Ty Haney’s crypto-invisible loyalty rails 02:38 - “Do the weather” for Silicon Valley05:04 - Alcatraz as brand strategy (and why)11:22 - TikTok deal setup: ownership shuffle vs. real control20:05 - What does a TikTok US CEO actually do? “Shell upon shell”22:40 - “I want a human to pick my feed” — the curation comeback24:21 - Slow’s Etiquette School: leveling the playing field37:31 - Meta’s new glasses: HUD, wristband typing, live captions44:33 - LLMs as the new youth battleground; customizing AI personalities48:45 - Mid-cap IPOs, rate cuts, and why “number didn’t go up”53:14 - The case for exclusive, hyper-local print (and price it high)We’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/P3Gzl2ZDXWwConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit
Dave Morin, Jessica Lessin, Brit Morin, and Sam Lessin have debated the future of Silicon Valley and tech as the closest of friends for the last 15 years. Now six companies, two venture funds and more than a decade at Google, Apple and Facebook later, they are opening up the debate. From The Information, Offline Ventures, and Slow Ventures.
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