This podcast episode of Equity covers various topics related to the tech industry, including:
- AI talent and investors returning to San Francisco: The Wall Street Journal reported that AI is bringing talent and investors back to San Francisco, citing reasons such as proximity to AI work, customers, and talent.
- Deal volume in the second half of 2024: The episode suggests that the deal volume may increase in the second half of 2024 due to interest rates coming down, making it easier for investors to pick off cheap assets.
- SPACs have been bad, but poor MariaDB is a cautionary tale: The podcast discusses the struggles of MariaDB, a company that went public via a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company), and how its situation may indicate a trend in the market.
- AI chip startup Blaize going public: The episode mentions that Blaize, an AI chip startup, is expected to be the first AI chip startup to go public in 2025.
- TikTok facing US shutdown: The podcast touches on the topic of TikTok’s potential US shutdown and how Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media app, has risen to No. 1 on the App Store.
The episode also mentions various other topics, including the "Free Our Feeds" campaign aiming to billionaire-proof Bluesky’s tech, a 24-year-old who exited his first company to Coinbase raising $3M for his next venture, and Sonos CEO Patrick Spence leaving following a bungled app update.
