Why Big Tech Is Buying AI Startups for Billions
Trillion-dollar balance sheets and $10B exits are reshaping venture underwriting and early-stage valuations.
Meta Settles Addiction Suits, Tim Cook Signs Off After 15 Years, OpenAI’s Jalapeño Chip | Diet TBPN
With John Coogan, Jordi Hays · Sunday, September 6, 2026
John Coogan and Jordi Hays analyze Meta's landmark $12.7B state social media addiction settlement and compare its financial mechanics to the 1998 Big Tobacco master settlement. They also discuss Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO after 15 years, OpenAI's custom Jalapeño inference silicon and Mac Mini computing clusters, Instinct's massive $2.5B seed valuation for an always-on AI assistant, and the wave of multi-billion dollar AI acquisitions including Nvidia's purchase of Hugging Face.
Why the Next Big AI Play is a Brick-and-Mortar Storefront
TBPN explores Charleston AI, Geek Squad style retail consulting, and how physical storefronts make AI adoption work for local businesses.
Meta's $12.7B Settlement Is Not Big Tobacco
Meta agreed to a $12.7B state settlement over youth addiction. Here is why the Big Tobacco comparison fails on the math.
OpenAI Jalapeño Chip and Mac Mini Server Farms
OpenAI built its Jalapeño inference chip with Broadcom and deployed tens of thousands of Mac Minis to train computer-use agents.
Tim Cook Steps Down: Apple's M6 Pivot Over AI Labs
Tim Cook exits Apple after 15 years as CEO. John Coogan and Jordi Hays explain why Apple is betting on the M6 chip instead of buying AI model labs.