Rec Room shutdown, robot umps, FedEx meets Amazon, and OpenAI's odd media buy
From GeekWire by GeekWire
April 4, 2026 · 37 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the shutdown of Rec Room, the implications for the gaming and AI industries, and various tech-related topics including MLB's automated umpire system and OpenAI's media acquisition.
Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down — and Snap is picking up some of the pieces. Todd broke the news, fielded calls from distraught users, and connects the VR bust to lessons for the AI boom. Plus: MLB's new automated ball-strike system is exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating, Todd road-tests Amazon's FedEx Office returns partnership, OpenAI makes a head-scratching media acquisition, and the trivia question ties Apple's 50th anniversary to a word Microsoft tried and failed to make happen.
People in this episode
Host: Todd
Topics covered
- Rec Room shutdown
- social gaming
- automated ball-strike system
- FedEx and Amazon partnership
- OpenAI media acquisition
- AI boom
- VR industry
Keywords
- Rec Room
- Snap
- automated umpire
- FedEx
- Amazon
- OpenAI
- Apple
- Microsoft
- VR
- AI
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Rec Room, Snap, MLB, Amazon, FedEx, OpenAI, Apple, Microsoft
Places: Seattle
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