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Acquired Podcast

Acquired Podcast

Podcast | United States | Centre
www.acquired.fm/

Deep dives into the playbooks of the greatest companies and investors. Hosted by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal.

Engagement Insights

0.67 score
99
Discussions
1
Participants
1
Total Votes
109
Articles

Discussions from Acquired Podcast

Technology

Building Search for AI Agents with Exa CEO Will Bryk

Sarah Wang speaks with Exa cofounder and CEO Will Bryk about building search infrastructure for the AI era. The conversation covers Exa’s origins, why traditional search engines were not designed for AI agents, and how search changes when the user is no longer a human but an autonomous system. They discuss retrieval, agent workflows, coding agents, data access, and why search may become a foundational layer for the emerging agent economy. Along the way, Bryk shares his views on AI-native prod...

United States
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Technology

AI Agents and the Fight for Customer Data

Martin Casado speaks with George Fraser, cofounder and CEO of Fivetran, about the future of data infrastructure in the age of AI. The conversation covers Fivetran’s merger with dbt, the changing role of data platforms, and why Fraser believes many companies are overestimating the threat AI poses to enterprise software. They discuss open data access, the backlash against AI agents accessing systems of record, and why businesses still need centralized data foundations even as agent-based workfl...

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Technology

AI Eats the World? A Reality Check with Benedict Evans

Erik Torenberg speaks with tech analyst Benedict Evans about the current state of AI, what has changed over the past year, and which questions remain unanswered. The conversation covers coding agents, foundation models, AI infrastructure spending, software economics, and the tension between today's AI excitement and the long-term realities of technology adoption. Evans discusses why coding has emerged as AI's first breakout use case, how previous platform shifts can help frame the current mom...

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Geopolitics

Balaji and Steven Glinert on Network States, Supply Chains, and Allied Coalition Strategy

Theo Jaffee and Sophia Puccini speak with Balaji Srinivasan and Steven Glinert about the shifting balance of power between nations, networks, and technology. The conversation covers China’s industrial rise, America’s manufacturing challenges, the role of alliances in a multipolar world, and whether the internet is becoming a political force independent of traditional nation states. They discuss supply chains, technological sovereignty, decentralization, and competing visions for the future gl...

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Technology

Steven Sinofsky on Apple at 50, Microsoft, and the Future of Computing

Theo Jaffee speaks with Steven Sinofsky about Apple’s 50th anniversary and the evolution of personal computing over the last four decades. Drawing on his experience helping lead Microsoft through the Windows era, Sinofsky reflects on the cultural differences between Apple and Microsoft, the rise of the Mac, the history of Windows, and how product design, hardware integration, and software platforms shaped the modern technology industry. They also discuss the Apple Vision Pro, the new MacBook ...

United States
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Technology

Building AI Agents for Enterprise Operations

Anish Acharya and Olivia Moore speak with Pablo Palafox and Luis Paarup about the challenges of deploying AI agents in operationally complex industries. The conversation covers the evolution of voice AI, enterprise workflows, and why logistics became an early proving ground for agent-based systems. They discuss context, coordination, and execution inside large organizations, as well as the role of forward-deployed engineering, enterprise deployment, and what it takes to move AI from experimen...

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Technology

Why $1B Exits are Dead

David George, General Partner at a16z, and David Clark, CIO at VenCap, discuss how AI is reshaping venture capital and the technology industry itself. They examine why today’s AI companies are scaling faster than any previous generation of startups, and why the eventual outcomes may be significantly larger than most investors currently expect. The conversation covers frontier AI models, coding agents, open source competition, data center constraints, and who ultimately captures value in the A...

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Business

Stablecoins, AI Agents, and The Future of Global Banking

Angela Strange speaks with Dileep Thazhmon, founder and CEO of Jeeves, about building a global financial operating system for enterprises across Latin America using stablecoins and AI. The conversation covers the challenges of building localized financial infrastructure across 25 countries, from regulation and payments to underwriting and compliance. They also discuss why stablecoin adoption is accelerating in Latin America, and how AI is helping Jeeves scale billions in payment volume while ...

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Business

Marc Rowan on Private Markets, Software Repricing, and Capital Allocation

In 1990, Marc Rowan walked out of Drexel with his belongings in a cardboard box. Within a year, Apollo was managing $6 billion. David Haber speaks with Marc Rowan, Cofounder, CEO, and Chair of Apollo Global Management, about building Apollo into one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers and how private capital is reshaping the global economy. The conversation covers the rise of private credit, and why Rowan believes private markets are becoming increasingly central to financing th...

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Economy

Robin Hanson on Prediction Markets, Gambling, and the Future of Forecasting

Theo Jaffee and Sophia Puccini speak with economist Robin Hanson about prediction markets, gambling, and why he believes speculative markets are one of the most powerful tools humans have for aggregating information and forecasting outcomes. The conversation begins with Minnesota’s recent law criminalizing prediction markets before expanding into the broader backlash surrounding platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. Hanson explains his long-term vision for “decision markets,” where markets co...

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Technology

Why AI Isn’t Killing SaaS Yet

Originally aired on MTS segment, Monetary Matters, Jack Farley and Max Wiethe speak with Ara Kharazian, Lead Economist at Ramp, about what real business spending data says about AI adoption, why the “SaaSpocalypse” narrative is overblown, and how companies are actually buying and deploying AI tools. They also discuss Anthropic overtaking OpenAI in Ramp’s AI Index, token-based pricing, AI productivity gains, and why many legacy software firms may be more resilient than people expect

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Technology

Vitalik Buterin on Human Agency in the AI Era

Sophia Dew and Binji Pande speak with Vitalik Buterin about technology, human agency, and how the internet is changing the way people think, build, and relate to the world around them. Drawing from his writings and personal reflections, Buterin discusses how his worldview has evolved over the last decade, from creating Ethereum as a teenager to thinking more deeply about the social and philosophical implications of technology today. The conversation explores the idea of “sanctuary technology,...

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