Blue Origin Rocket Explodes in Apocalyptic Mushroom Cloud - Week in Tech

About this episode

The episode discusses Blue Origin's rocket explosion, the shadow market for pre-IPO equity in tech companies, and the potential economic implications of AI.

Blue Origin's latest rocket test ended in what the company called "an anomaly" — and what everyone else would call an explosion. Reed Albergotti ( Semafor ) explains why blowing things up is just part of the process and why the US Space Program is probably going to be fine. Then, Kyle Chayka ( The New Yorker ) pulls back the curtain on the shadow market for pre-IPO equity in OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX. It’s a mania where people are willing to take pre-IPO stock as payment for $2.9M houses. It's frothy out there. Finally, Taylor Lorenz ( User Mag ) digs into the concept of a ‘permanent underclass’ — the fear that letting AI run rampant could freeze everyone in their current economic position forever. Do we laugh it off or get serious about regulation? Additional Reading:  Blue Origin and Amazon Had Momentum. Then Came the Fireball. | The New York Times   A Booming Shadow Market of Sketchy A.I. Investments | The New Yorker   You Are About to Become Economically Worthless | User Mag   Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass | The New York Times   Download  SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff…

People in this episode

Guests: Reed Albergotti, Kyle Chayka, Taylor Lorenz

Topics covered

• rocket testing
• space program
• pre-IPO equity
• AI regulation
• economic impact
• shadow market

Keywords

• Blue Origin
• rocket explosion
• pre-IPO
• OpenAI
• AI regulation
• economic underclass
• shadow market
• space program
• tech news

Sponsors

SAILY

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Semafor, The New Yorker, User Mag, Blue Origin, Amazon, OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX, New York Times

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