This Week in Tech (Audio)

TWiT 1060: A Shortage of Shame - Why Black Friday Numbers Aren't What You Think

December 1, 2025

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  • Black Friday online sales growth is largely attributed to inflation, as the volume of items purchased actually decreased year-over-year. 
  • The rise of AI shopping assistants like Amazon's Rufus is noted, but the panelists express skepticism about their current accuracy and favor objective, human-vetted sources or non-commercial AI tools for product advice. 
  • There is significant concern regarding the Trump administration's AI agenda, driven by figures like David Sachs, which favors industry deregulation and national policy over state regulation, potentially creating conflicts of interest and a 'Red, white, and blue AI' race against China. 
  • The discussion suggests that economic interdependence (Mutually Assured Destruction) as a path to peace with China is being undermined by China's policy, started around 2015, to reduce its economy's dependence on the West. 
  • The failure of the Ford F-150 Lightning is attributed to a combination of factors, including commodity price spikes following the Ukraine invasion and Ford's aggressive overestimation and expansion of production capacity. 
  • The current era is characterized by a 'shortage of shame' among tech CEOs and public figures, who are rewarded for prioritizing growth and ignoring negative consequences, a trend potentially traceable to figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Rob Ford. 
  • The proliferation of AI-generated content threatens to flood the internet, leading to a predicted strong public backlash and a market opportunity for platforms that explicitly ban or filter AI-generated material. 
  • Modern vehicles are increasingly connected, often using operating systems like Android Automotive, which offers robust built-in services but necessitates constant network connectivity and data harvesting by manufacturers. 
  • Driver monitoring systems are evolving beyond simple distraction alerts to incorporate AI and GPS location to interpret what the driver is looking at, raising significant privacy concerns about vehicular surveillance. 
  • The rising cost of components like RAM, driven partly by AI demand, is expected to increase the price of consumer electronics like laptops, even impacting manufacturers who stockpiled inventory, and this cost saving from safety tech is not being passed on to consumers via lower insurance rates. 

Segments

Panelist Introductions and Banter
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The panel for This Week in Tech episode 1060 includes Daniel Rubino, Sam Abuelsamid, and Mike Elgan, covering topics from Black Friday data to cars and AI.
  • Summary: Host Leo Laporte introduces the panel, noting Sam Abuelsamid will cover cars, Mike Elgan AI, and Daniel Rubino Black Friday data. The episode is titled ‘TWiT 1060: A Shortage of Shame - Why Black Friday Numbers Aren’t What You Think’. The recording date is noted as Sunday, November 30th, 2025.
Mercedes G-Wagon History
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(00:03:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The Mercedes G-Wagon was originally designed in the late 1970s for the Shah of Iran’s army as a durable, off-road utility vehicle.
  • Summary: Sam Abuelsamid is driving a Mercedes-AMG G63, which he notes is ironically equipped with low-profile tires unsuitable for off-roading. The vehicle’s origins trace back to a request from the Shah of Iran for a utility vehicle to replace Jeeps. Mercedes began selling the G-Wagon commercially after the Shah lost power before the vehicle entered full production.
Black Friday Sales Data Analysis
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(00:08:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Online Black Friday sales reached $11.8 billion (up 9% year-over-year according to Adobe), but the actual volume of items purchased fell by 1-2% due to inflation.
  • Summary: Adobe Analytics reported $11.8 billion in online sales, but Salesforce data indicated order volumes were down 1% and units per transaction fell 2%, suggesting sales increases are driven by inflation. AI-driven traffic saw an 805% increase, though the starting base number was low. Panelists agree that consumers are buying fewer items but paying more for them.
Critique of E-commerce AI Tools
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(00:10:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Rufus, is criticized for favoring Amazon’s own products and providing potentially misleading information, contrasting with objective AI tools like Kagi.
  • Summary: Panelists question the accuracy and objectivity of retailer-specific AI tools like Amazon’s Rufus and Walmart’s Sparky. Daniel Rubino prefers using objective AI orchestrators like Kagi Assistant or Perplexity, which pull from multiple sources and lack the commercial bias of e-commerce platforms. Amazon’s current ad campaign featuring Benedict Cumberbatch reading reviews is noted, though its authenticity is questioned.
Shifting Consumer Shopping Habits
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(00:20:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Consumers are shopping with ‘surgical precision,’ stretching purchases over longer promotional windows and entering physical stores with narrower missions, indicating a permanent shift away from traditional Black Friday events.
  • Summary: Retail analysts observe that shoppers are waiting for the right price and avoiding browsing in physical stores, often researching online and picking up orders in-store. General-purpose stores like Costco and Walmart capture more impulse buys due to their diverse inventory and generous return policies compared to specialized electronics retailers like Best Buy. Gen Z is reportedly visiting malls, possibly viewing them as a novelty or for one-stop shopping.
Trump Administration AI Policy and Conflicts
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(00:30:47)
  • Key Takeaway: White House AI czar David Sachs, who holds hundreds of tech investments, is pushing for a federal ban on state AI regulation, potentially through the National Defense Authorization Act.
  • Summary: David Sachs, instrumental in the White House AI action plan, reportedly has over 700 tech investments that could benefit from his policies, raising conflict of interest concerns. Sachs is actively working to prevent state-level AI regulation, favoring a single federal approach. Steve Bannon is quoted criticizing Sachs and the ’technocratic oligarchy’ leading the administration.
AI Energy Use and Space Data Centers
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(00:40:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The primary threat from AI is human misuse, not sentient takeover, but the massive energy and water consumption of data centers presents a significant environmental challenge.
  • Summary: An expert former NASA engineer argues that placing AI data centers in space is a ’terrible, horrible, no-good idea’ due to extreme thermal management difficulties and cosmic radiation risks, citing recent solar storm impacts on aircraft electronics as a parallel risk. Despite concerns, US solar growth is nearly offsetting rising energy use, though coal usage has increased.
China’s Lead in Open AI Models
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(00:53:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Chinese-made open AI models now account for a larger share of downloads on platforms like Hugging Face than US-made models, often at a lower cost.
  • Summary: Chinese AI models, such as GLM, are becoming highly competitive and are favored on platforms like Kagi due to their open-source nature and lower cost of development. A study found Chinese groups surpassed US developers in new open model downloads for the first time. There is concern that these models may contain intentional backdoors or be subject to mandatory cooperation with the Chinese government.
China Economic Dependency Debate
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(01:01:28)
  • Key Takeaway: China’s policy since 2015 aims to reduce its economy’s dependence on the West, shifting consumer preference to domestic brands, exemplified by the Chinese auto market flip.
  • Summary: The argument is made that economic interdependence acts as a form of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) preventing conflict. However, under President Xi, China has defensively encouraged local consumption to become less reliant on Western economies. This shift is evident in the Chinese auto industry, where Western brands went from two-thirds of sales to a minority share.
F-150 Lightning Production Issues
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(01:04:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Ford suspended F-150 Lightning production due to inflated sales expectations, high initial pricing, and increased commodity costs impacting battery prices.
  • Summary: The F-150 Lightning is likely facing discontinuation because it failed to meet overly inflated sales expectations, selling only about 33,000 units last year against a capacity of 150,000. Initial pricing was $40,000, but commodity price spikes after the Ukraine invasion forced Ford to raise prices significantly, leading to low capacity utilization.
US-China EV Trade Protectionism
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(01:06:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Protectionism blocks cheaper Chinese EVs, despite potential environmental benefits, because China controls key material supply chains like lithium and graphite processing.
  • Summary: Blocking Chinese EV sales is largely driven by protectionism aimed at safeguarding American manufacturing jobs, which support an estimated 20 to 25 million related jobs. China has cornered the market on processing critical battery materials, giving its auto industry a significant cost advantage. Allowing cheap Chinese EVs to flood the market would benefit air quality but devastate domestic auto employment.
Inconsistent Economic Policy Critique
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(01:10:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The fundamental problem in US policy is a lack of consistency, with approaches flipping every four to eight years, undermining long-term planning.
  • Summary: The speaker criticizes the inconsistency of US economic policy, contrasting theoretical free-market ideals with real-world interventions that change based on the ruling administration. This inconsistency makes it impossible for businesses to plan effectively. Furthermore, the free market ideal is complicated by global consolidation, leading to oligarchy rather than true competition.
Tech CEO Lack of Shame
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(01:19:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Journalists struggle to hold tech CEOs accountable because executives now openly dismiss concerns about user harm, exemplified by the Roblox CEO’s interview.
  • Summary: Casey Newton argues that a lack of shame among tech leaders, starting with Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘move fast and break things’ ethos, means executives laugh off concerns about user suffering. This trend is seen in the Roblox CEO’s dismissive attitude toward child safety issues on the platform. The lesson learned by these executives is that there are no negative consequences for prioritizing profit over guardrails.
AI Content Flooding and Backlash
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(01:30:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Extreme proliferation of AI-generated content, predicted to reach 99% online within six years, will inevitably trigger a strong, negative public reaction.
  • Summary: The speaker predicts that as AI content generation becomes dominant, the resulting ‘slop’ will cause a massive backlash once the initial dazzle wears off. This reaction will lead to companies building tools to reject AI content, similar to how vinyl made a comeback as people sought authenticity. This dynamic creates market opportunities for platforms that explicitly ban AI-generated material.
OpenAI/Jony Ive Device Speculation
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(01:49:09)
  • Key Takeaway: OpenAI’s partnership with Jony Ive, backed by $3.5 billion, aims to create a simple, touchable AI hardware device, likely leveraging voice and gesture interfaces.
  • Summary: Jony Ive described the secret product as simple yet sophisticated, while Sam Altman stated he wants it to be so good you could eat it. The concern is that OpenAI lacks consumer electronics experience, potentially leading to hardware flaws seen in post-Steve Jobs Apple products. The most successful form factor for this AI interaction will likely be fashionable, wearable glasses, not pendants or bulky VR headsets.
Modern Cars Spying on Drivers
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(01:58:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Nearly all new cars contain data modems that collect extensive driver behavior, location, and profile data, which manufacturers share with third parties, including insurance agencies.
  • Summary: Manufacturers like GM have been collecting data since 1996, and modern vehicles share data with entities like Verisk and Okta, potentially affecting insurance rates. Tesla Insurance exemplifies this by adjusting premiums monthly based on real-time driving behavior. True privacy protection requires disabling the vehicle’s data modem, which risks losing access to integrated services like Google Automotive.
Vehicle Privacy and Connectivity Trade-offs
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: True privacy in modern connected cars requires disabling the data modem, which sacrifices access to integrated services like Google Maps and Assistant.
  • Summary: Turning off a vehicle’s data modem is the only way to truly protect privacy, but this results in losing access to built-in infotainment services like Android Automotive’s Google Maps and Play Store. Smartphone projection systems like CarPlay and Android Auto are often less reliable than integrated systems. GM offers eight years of complementary connectivity on some EVs, during which they can harvest data for product development.
Driver Monitoring System Intrusiveness
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(00:05:40)
  • Key Takeaway: New driver monitoring cameras, initially for safety, are being leveraged with AI and GPS to identify and provide information about objects the driver is looking at.
  • Summary: Driver monitor systems are now being used to ensure drivers are watching the road, sometimes even alerting if the driver picks their nose. One company is utilizing this camera data, along with location and AI, to identify what a driver is looking at upon verbal command. This capability moves beyond monitoring driver state to actively tracking visual attention, leading to concerns about Orwellian intrusion.
European Speed Limit Nags
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(00:08:03)
  • Key Takeaway: New European regulations mandate Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems that beep if a driver exceeds the speed limit by even one mile per hour.
  • Summary: A new European regulation requires cars to beep if the driver exceeds the speed limit by as little as one kilometer per hour, which is described as a nightmare by the speaker. This constant nagging supersedes human judgment, even when driving conditions (like a quiet country road) might suggest otherwise. Similar nagging features include alerts for not wearing a seatbelt in the back seat in Australia.
Safety Tech Benefits Not Reaching Consumers
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(00:10:01)
  • Key Takeaway: While advanced automotive safety technology has the potential to reduce accidents and insurance costs, these savings are currently being directed toward shareholders rather than consumers.
  • Summary: Safety features combat dangerous driving and could lower insurance costs, but consumers are not seeing these financial benefits, as savings accrue to shareholders instead. Car insurance rates are widely reported to be increasing despite the implementation of advanced safety technology. This mirrors the situation in health monitoring, where personal data collection does not translate into lower insurance premiums for healthier individuals.
Erosion of Driving Autonomy
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(00:11:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Incremental safety features that supersede human judgment, like speed limit alerts, chip away at individual driving autonomy, pushing toward a future where AI controls the vehicle.
  • Summary: When a car beeps because the driver is one kilometer over the speed limit on a quiet road, the machine’s thinking supersedes human judgment. This process gradually erodes individual autonomy as drivers function more like AI following an algorithm. The ultimate endpoint of this trend is a complete surrender of autonomy where the car drives the human.
RAM Price Hikes and PC Market Impact
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(00:02:05)
  • Key Takeaway: RAM prices have surged dramatically, with some kits tripling in cost over 90 days, threatening to increase prices across the laptop market, including for Apple’s unified memory systems.
  • Summary: RAM kits are reported to be over three times as expensive as they were 90 days prior, a trend expected to impact the laptop market next year. Lenovo stockpiled chips to mitigate this, but Microsoft’s Xbox consoles seem to be suffering from supply issues due to high demand for RAM chips in cloud gaming infrastructure. Even Apple’s unified memory laptops will be affected by the rising cost of DDR5 RAM.
PC Component Pricing and Competition
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(00:02:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Competition among Snapdragon, x86 (AMD/Intel), and Apple Silicon is beneficial, but Intel maintains strong OEM connections, often bundling necessary mobile technologies like 5G into their laptop packages.
  • Summary: Some PC component stores are now listing RAM at ‘market price’ rather than fixed prices due to volatility, indicating severe cost pressure. While AMD is considered strong in desktop CPUs, Intel maintains an advantage in the laptop space by offering comprehensive packages including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G connectivity. The high efficiency of NPUs (Neural Processing Units) is driving Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PC designation, favoring low-power mobile chips over powerful desktop GPUs for these specific AI tasks.
History of the GM EV1
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(00:02:15)
  • Key Takeaway: General Motors only leased the EV1, built around 1,100 units, and ultimately crushed most of them after withdrawing support due to the high cost of maintaining bespoke, hand-built components.
  • Summary: GM debuted the EV1 concept (originally the Impact) in 1989 and leased the production models starting in 1997, never selling them to consumers. The first generation used lead-acid batteries, offering a rated range of 78 miles, later switching to nickel metal hydride. GM recalled and crushed most of the approximately 1,100 cars because the bespoke components made them too difficult and expensive to support.
The Sole Privately Owned EV1
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(00:02:24)
  • Key Takeaway: One decommissioned EV1, abandoned at Clark Atlanta University, was legally auctioned off for $104,000 to a private owner who is now attempting a complex restoration.
  • Summary: After being decommissioned (batteries removed, cables cut), one EV1 sat abandoned at Clark Atlanta University until a towing company acquired it through an abandonment auction, selling it for $104,000. The current owner, via The Questionable Garage YouTube channel, is attempting to fabricate bespoke parts, like the windshield, using 3D scanning because no stock exists. The original intent of GM was likely to create an EV market, but the technology, especially battery tech, was not ready.