Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Tech industry veteran Ed Zitron and a dynamic coterie of guests will help listeners understand the who, how and why of how tech’s most powerful players are changing the world - for better or for worse.
What this show covers
AnthropicTech criticismData centersOpenAIAI safetyGamersNexusNVIDIATech financeAI economicstech bubbleCal Newportconcentration riskAI bubbleLLMsAI industry
What listeners will find here
Why bonds matter to tech, with Robin Wigglesworth
Bonds are the focus here, from the basics of corporate and sovereign debt to why the tech industry’s growing reliance on borrowing matters. Ed Zitron talks with Financial Times writer Robin Wigglesworth about how bonds work, why they shape the modern world, and why listeners should pay attention.
A shaky AI IPO, 30 red flags, and a rare media win in tech coverage
Australia’s AI data center hopeful Firmus is the focus here, as Ed Zitron digs into the brittle state of its IPO and the numbers underneath it. He also spotlights how Australian outlets handled the story, framing it as a model for tougher AI reporting.
GamersNexus joins Ed Zitron for a sharp look at NVIDIA, VR, and gaming’s bubble
Ed Zitron talks with Steve Burke of GamersNexus about NVIDIA’s “cycular” financing, Trump’s “superintelligence” accord, the growing bubble in the gaming industry, and the Steam Frame VR headset. It looks like a broad tech-and-gaming conversation with a skeptical edge.
Anthropic’s $413 billion compute tab meets a bond market under pressure
Anthropic’s massive non-cancellable compute commitments are the focus here, along with the claim that its future hinges on borrowing $50 billion to $100 billion a year. Ed Zitron frames that need against an already strained bond market carrying heavy AI data center debt.
Anthropic’s 2025 numbers get a hard look in this pointed solo episode
Anthropic’s 2025 financials are the focus here, with Ed Zitron examining an $8 billion loss and a business that reportedly spent $2.75 to make $1. He argues that, at least last year, Anthropic looked like a worse business than OpenAI.
Episodes
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