More or Less

• #94: Will Elon Quit DC? Trump’s Chaos & AI’s China Threat (with Joanna Coles)

  This week on More or Less, Jessica hosts with Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at The Daily Beast, while Sam, Dave, and Brit are off for “spring break”!They explore:• Elon’s DC stint• Trump’s cabinet leaks: Leaks fuel Rubio-Elon tension• China’s AI edge: Cheap tech shakes Valley’s leadPlus, Joanna ponders plastic surgery risks in space—will implants hold up?Featuring: Joanna Coles: https://x.com/JoannaColesThe Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.comWe’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/brit01:13 The only one standing felt abandoned03:05 Guest intro04:36 What's it like inside the newsroom frontlines07:03 Betrayal, greed, power, ambition, love...12:17 What character is Elon Musk playing20:25 The Donald, the Valley, and the Trade War28:29 What the insider insiders are talking about31:20 Space, plastic surgeons, celebrities37:06 Another pop culture moment: Meghan Sussex40:52 Royalty and the tabloid46:05 Gloria Steinem, women's rights, reproductive health48:23 Moments that break out51:46 Outro

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• #93: Can Tesla Survive?

  This week on More or Less: Tesla reports a steep drop in deliveries, investor confidence wavers, and BYD continues to close in. The crew also dives into:Elon’s "Fake News": More Drama, Less DOGEOpenAI’s record-breaking $40B raiseTikTok’s algo standoff, andThe UFC’s deal with MetaPlus: Brit’s True Crime fascination with the Deel v. Rippling spy story!We’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/brit00:00 Trailer01:03 Sam and Dave's clones02:59 Are we getting closer or further away from Mars?05:58 Tesla Drama13:36 Elon News fatigue18:13 Dave social middle ground and drunk Sam20:20 Everyone’s vibe coding24:13 OpenAI28:03 Costs vs potential monetization46:43 Rippling v. Deel James Bond Spying49:56 UFC × Meta51:41 Outro

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• #92: The Signal Scandal & DOGE Drama! (with Ben Smith and Nicholas Carlson)

  The debate is heating up—DC and Silicon Valley are deeply split over DOGE. This week on More or Less, Jessica and Brit hold down the fort (while the husbands ski Alaska’s powder) with media heavyweights Ben Smith of Semafor and Nick Carlson of Dynamo. This week’s big swings:• The Signal Group Chat Scandal• DOGE divides: Silicon Valley cheers efficiency, DC smells ideology• China’s BYD overtakes Tesla: Is Elon losing supporters?Plus, whispers of fake AI revenue, ChatGPT’s image wizardry, and a nod to The Information’s SABEW haul. Featuring: 1) Ben Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-smith-04b1403/2) Nicholas Carlson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasmcarlson/We’re also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessSpotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspodConnect with us here:1) Ben Smith: https://x.com/semaforben2) Nicholas Carlson: https://x.com/nichcarlson3) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin4) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin5) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin6) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit00:00 Trailer01:29 Our guests and our husband clones08:23 The Signal group chat scandal12:01 The Atlantic's marketing19:25 Ethics impact23:27 DOGE divides35:06 Trump, the tech giants and pragmatism39:35 Wiz deal, arms race, 42:44 11X and straight up fraud49:50 ChatGPT's Image Generator51:41 Using AI: what would JD Vance do? 55:40 AI and journalism side by side57:02 Outro

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• #91: Google’s $32B Deal and a Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!

  Silicon Valley’s heating up—and we’ve got the inside scoop.This week on More or Less, Jessica, Dave, Sam, and Brit unpack a whirlwind of drama: Google’s $32B Wiz grab, rippling’s spy scandal with Deel, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s bold intimacy coordinator diss. Dave’s back from YC Demo Day, where AI-driven startups are still fetching 25 to 40 million despite shaky traction.Here’s what’s cooking:• Google’s Wiz deal—will Trump’s FTC let it fly?• Rippling vs. Deel: a spy caught in a Slack honeypot• Gwyneth says no to intimacy coordinators—culture’s shifting• Brit’s new AI-built app, Guarding, locks down kids’ usernamesPlus, Solana’s PR flop, NVIDIA’s chip wars, and Elon’s billion-dollar X raise.We’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/brit00:00 Trailer01:10 No introductions needed03:34 The New York Times Ethics Department07:06 Solana video disaster13:16 Gwyneth Paltrow vs intimacy coordinator17:03 Google acquires Wiz for $32 billion18:59 Trump administration's tech leverage30:08 Brit's app Guardling (higuardling.com)35:06 The Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!46:34 Are there VC spies?50:53 Elon raises a billion for X52:19 Drive-through AI and going bankrupt56:29 Sam Lessin has left the chat59:03 Outro

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• #90: Silicon Valley Unscripted: Billionaires, AI, and Interplanetary Exploration

  On this week's episode of More or Less, Jessica, Dave, Sam, and Brit tackle a chaotic week hashing out Waymo’s Peninsula push, Sam’s million-dollar Mars wager with Brit, and YC’s agentic AI craze—fresh from ski season vibes and office debates.Also on the deck this episode:• Waymo’s expansion has Jessica ditching Lyft (almost)• Sam vs. Brit: a million bucks on Mars colonization odds• TikTok’s sale—Oracle’s in, but ByteDance might still call the shots• Anthropic’s CEO says AI will write all code soon—engineers aren’t having it.Plus, recession drums beat louder, Jessica’s tennis mag Racket swings big, and Sam’s still trolling with billboards.We’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/brit00:00 Trailer + Introduction01:46 Sam has another billboard!04:23 Waymo news09:12 New space age, flying motorcycles, tech CEOs14:21 Starlink, rockets, the space war use case19:56 More or Less bet: humans on Mars by 2040?24:34 Can this entity afford TikTok?27:53 Recession? Who cares?35:32 Startups are recession-proof42:30 Anthropic and vibe coding44:55 Billionaire free caltrain45:29 What's on our Instagram explore pages?47:42 Tennis magazine

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