Humane’s HP Exit & the Foundation Model Slugfest

02/21/25 • 24 min

In this episode of the Newcomer Podcast, Eric and Madeline give a sendoff to the Humane and its AI Pin. The company was acquired by HP for its AI talent, in a darkly poetic ending for former Apple engineers who left to build a smart hardware startup. They debate the merits of voice AI technology as an interface and if it’s really time to move away from screens.

They break down all of OpenAI’s alumni startups, starting with Mira Murati’s newly announced Thinking Machine Labs. Other former founders of OpenAI like Ilya Suskever and Elon Musk are in talks to raise billions for their respective AI startups. They close with a breakdown of Saronic and Together AI’s latest funding rounds.

00:19 - Humane’s Semi-Soft Landing to HP

13:43 - Mira Murati Unveils Thinking Machines Lab and we have questions

17:02 - The new SV flex - Small teams

19:02 - Grok’s big cluster and Elon jumps the shark

24:14 - Saronic and Together AI Raise Big Series C Rounds

00:19 - Humane’s Semi-Soft Landing to HP

13:43 - Mira Murati Unveils Thinking Machines Lab and we have questions

17:02 - The new SV flex - Small teams

19:02 - Grok’s big cluster and Elon jumps the shark

24:14 - Saronic and Together AI Raise Big Series C Rounds

Previous Episode

Elon Musk’s Boisterous OpenAI Bid

Eric and Madeline unpack the biggest “deal that wasn’t” story of Elon Musk’s unsolicited offer to purchase OpenAI for $97.4 billion. WIth Sam Altman flat-out rejecting the offer on X, this feels less like an offer and more of a statement about Musk’s frustration with OpenAI’s continued conversion to a for-profit company that competes with him. Pressures have been mounting on engineers to look for greener pastures, though, if Thrive Capital’s Joshua Kushner’s urging speech for talent to stay put is any indication.

Then, they turn to Eric’s reporting on Lightspeed Venture Partners’ new fundraising documents, where the megafirm showed stronger returns on earlier funds ahead of its next big capital raise. They also unpack the AI Action Summit’s 180-degree swing from an AI safety forum to a conference dominated by CEOs and accelerationist world leaders. They close with a breakdown with a who’s who on the cap table of legal-tech Harvey’s latest Series D, and Mercury’s rumored new Sequoia-backed fundraise.

Produced by Christopher Gates

Music by Suno

Next Episode

$200 Billion for Data Centers... In This Economy?

Eric and Madeline break down the week that was in AI news in this episode of The Newcomer Podcast, from the unnecessary panic caused by reports of Microsoft cancelling leases for data centers to Nvidia’s quarterly earnings report. Despite tech companies moving full steam ahead on AI, including OpenAI’s launch of GPT 4.5 and Softbank’s $200 billion commitment to data centers, tech stocks dropped, which our hosts blame on the natural slower tech adoption curve and overall market uncertainty from President Trump’s chaotic policy changes.

Later in the episode, Eric unpacks Jeff Bezos’ increasing control over the Washington Post’s opinion section and tech CEOs pre-empting so-called “hit pieces” on X. The two then shout out UK-based developer tool Lovable’s $15 funding million extension and rapid growth. They close the episode with a call for readers to submit their burning questions and commentary for next week’s Newcomer reader mailbag. You can submit your own question by filling out this Google form.