This Week in Tech (Audio)

TWiT 1070: A Yacht for Your Yacht - Super Bowl LX Gets a Surge of AI Ads!

February 9, 2026

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  • The discussion highlights a major societal debate regarding the regulation and use of social media by children, contrasting outright bans with the need for digital literacy and company accountability for addictive algorithms. 
  • The concept of the 'attachment economy' is introduced as the next evolution beyond the 'attention economy,' driven by AI agents and humanoid technology designed to foster emotional dependency in users. 
  • Major tech companies (Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft) are engaged in an unprecedented AI spending spree, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to data centers and infrastructure, despite market volatility reacting negatively to high capital expenditures. 
  • The massive capital expenditures by hyperscalers like Microsoft on AI infrastructure are causing market anxiety despite strong current profitability, as the financial returns on these investments are not yet fully realized. 
  • The current AI landscape is dominated by hyperscalers (Microsoft, Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic), raising concerns about market consolidation and the ability of smaller startups to compete. 
  • The public perception of AI is being negatively shaped by low-quality, poorly executed AI-generated content, such as flawed Super Bowl ads, overshadowing the genuinely transformative potential of agentic AI systems and specialized applications. 
  • New York State is considering a bill that would require all 3D printers sold or delivered in the state to include firmware that scans print files for firearms blueprints, a measure that raises concerns about false positives and impacts on open-source technology. 
  • Western Digital is advancing hard drive technology with plans for 140 TB drives using 14-platter designs, highlighting the surprising longevity of spinning disk technology. 
  • The New York Times has begun reusing Wordle answers, despite having a large pool of unused five-letter words available, prompting discussion about the game's value to the newspaper's subscription base, especially following layoffs at The Washington Post. 

Segments

Social Media and Phone Bans
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(00:03:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Ohio school data suggests phone bans correlate with increased face-to-face socializing and reduced online conflicts.
  • Summary: Seventy-seven percent of US public schools forbid phones during class, with 29 states passing laws to limit student cell phone use. Ohio principals reported that after implementing stricter policies, 62% saw more verbal socializing and 61% observed fewer online social conflicts spilling into real life. Experts debate outright bans versus pressuring companies to regulate addictive algorithms, citing the EU’s move against TikTok’s infinite scroll.
Attention to Attachment Economy
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(00:06:50)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘attachment economy’ is the next phase of the attention economy, weaponizing AI to create emotional bonds with products.
  • Summary: The ‘attention economy’ commoditizes limited human attention, but AI is driving the shift toward an ‘attachment economy’ where users form emotional bonds with chatbots and humanoid robots. This new phase risks weaponizing AI to bypass user reason and exploit human loneliness for profit. The development of AI agents that perform tasks for users further complicates agency and attachment.
Personal AI Agents and Risk
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(00:08:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Personal AI agents, while offering convenience, introduce significant risks if given too much autonomy without explicit, unbreakable constraints.
  • Summary: Personal AI agents are anticipated to become a major trend in 2026, capable of handling tasks like booking travel and taxes. The danger lies in agents potentially taking actions beyond user intent, such as booking non-refundable trips or, in extreme hypothetical scenarios, hiring assassins to secure a seat. Users must implement strict, zero-trust constraints, like limited allowances, to prevent agents from causing unintended harm.
AI Model Competition and Ads
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(00:36:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI is escalating into direct marketing conflict, exemplified by dueling Super Bowl advertisements.
  • Summary: Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.6, which reportedly found 500 zero-day vulnerabilities in open-source code, shortly before OpenAI updated ChatGPT. Sam Altman criticized Anthropic’s Super Bowl ad for being ‘dishonest’ about ChatGPT’s recommendation engine, which Anthropic claims is an advertising feature. This competition is driving rapid model iteration, with new versions appearing every few months.
Search Engine Bias and Kagi
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(00:38:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Personalized search results from major engines like Google are biased toward the user’s profile, making ad-free, neutral search engines like Kagi valuable.
  • Summary: Users noted that search results for Connect Safely were significantly better when Google knew the user’s identity compared to using a VPN or incognito mode. Kagi, a paid search engine, is recommended as an alternative that provides unbiased results and allows users to access various AI models through its Assistant feature without inherent advertising bias.
Hyperscaler Spending and AI Infrastructure
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(00:55:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are collectively planning nearly $700 billion in capital expenditures, primarily driven by AI infrastructure demands.
  • Summary: Alphabet reported Q4 2025 revenue of $113.8 billion, yet Meta and Microsoft saw their stocks react negatively to announcements of massive AI spending plans. Meta anticipates $175–$185 billion in CapEx for 2026, while Microsoft spent $37.5 billion in one quarter on AI-related hardware. This spending underscores that massive, centralized data centers (hyperscalers) remain necessary because local hardware cannot run the largest, most capable models.
AI Spending and Market Reaction
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(00:57:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Microsoft’s $3 billion weekly capital expenditure on AI hardware is occurring alongside 17% year-over-year revenue growth, yet the stock market punished them for announcing high spending.
  • Summary: Microsoft spent $37.5 billion in one quarter on CPUs and GPUs primarily for AI demand, while still achieving $81.3 billion in revenue for the quarter. The market reacted negatively to the high spending, suggesting skepticism about the immediate profitability of AI investments. One speaker coined the term ‘decision-making as a service’ as the future direction for agent companies where this money is headed.
AI Oligopoly Concerns
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(01:01:15)
  • Key Takeaway: The massive capital requirements for AI infrastructure risk creating a winner-take-all market dominated by hyperscalers, potentially limiting competition for startups.
  • Summary: There is concern that only a handful of big players (Microsoft, Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic) can afford the necessary investment, making it difficult for new entrants to compete. This consolidation of influence by a small number of people controlling vast resources is viewed as a scary thought. The current market structure is questioned as true capitalism when only a few giants are starting out.
AI’s Transformative Power
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(01:03:51)
  • Key Takeaway: AI is a transformative technology on the order of fire or steam, capable of skyrocketing productivity in ways that current chatbot interfaces barely represent.
  • Summary: Productivity for small organizations has increased dramatically, with tasks taking days now completed in less than a day using AI. The true revolution lies in agentic systems delivered via wearables like glasses, creating prosthetic brain power for users. Many people misunderstand AI’s potential because they only experience the trivial, annoying implementations pushed by companies like Microsoft and Google.
AI Bubble and Job Magnification
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(01:08:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The stock market is already punishing software stocks based on the realization that AI agents can replace specific software functions, but AI will primarily magnify employee capabilities rather than cause mass layoffs.
  • Summary: Hedge funds have made billions shorting software stocks because AI agents can perform tasks previously requiring specialized software like legal document generation. Companies claiming layoffs are due to AI adoption are often engaging in ‘AI washing’ to look good during economic uncertainty. AI’s true impact is magnifying the capabilities of existing employees, forcing competitors to adopt similar efficiencies.
Super Bowl AI Advertising Trends
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(01:21:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The 2024 Super Bowl features AI-generated ads, including dueling spots from OpenAI and Anthropic, but some early AI ads, like Coca-Cola’s, were pulled due to obvious technical flaws like inconsistent truck axles.
  • Summary: Advertisers are using AI in various ways, from direct AI-generated content to using AI-created characters, such as robots drinking vodka in a Svedka ad. Google’s Gemini ad attempts to humanize AI by showing it as an interior decorator helping a family envision a new home. Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are prohibited from advertising during the game, likely due to the NFL favoring established betting partners.
Musk’s Space Data Center Plan
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(01:34:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Elon Musk’s plan for SpaceX to launch a million data centers into space is viewed by critics as a financial maneuver to prop up XAI ahead of an IPO, despite significant technical hurdles like cooling and space debris.
  • Summary: The plan involves launching a million data centers generating 100 gigawatts of AI compute annually, which Musk claims is a step toward a Kardashev 2 civilization. Critics point out that space data centers face extreme challenges regarding radiation, cooling (as there is no air medium), and maintenance compared to Earth-based facilities. This move also concentrates immense geopolitical power in Musk’s hands via Starlink’s global reach.
Notepad++ Supply Chain Attack
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(01:54:08)
  • Key Takeaway: State-sponsored actors executed a supply chain attack on Notepad++ for three months, selectively redirecting targeted users, likely Chinese dissidents, to malicious updates containing malware.
  • Summary: Attackers compromised the hosting provider for Notepad.org, allowing them to redirect traffic to attacker-controlled servers between September and December 2025. The attack was highly targeted, aiming to compromise overseas Chinese dissidents as part of a broader global suppression effort by the Chinese government. Users are advised to manually update to version 8.9.1 and check for infection.
New York 3D Printer Control Bill
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(01:57:51)
  • Key Takeaway: New York’s budget bill includes a provision mandating 3D printers sold in the state scan print files for firearms blueprints.
  • Summary: A provision in a New York budget bill requires all 3D printers sold or delivered in the state to include software that scans print files using a firearms blueprint detection algorithm. This technology would refuse to print anything flagged as a potential firearm or component, potentially affecting open-source firmware like Marlin and Clipper, and even offline machines or CNC mills. Adafruit notes that reliably detecting firearms from geometry alone is problematic, raising concerns about false positives for common shapes.
Western Digital 140 TB Drives
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(02:00:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Western Digital is developing 140 TB hard drives using a 14-platter design and vertical laser technology.
  • Summary: Western Digital is planning 140 terabyte hard drives utilizing a 14-platter design, referred to as the ‘hammer HDD design,’ incorporating vertical lasers. The longevity of spinning drive technology continues to surprise observers, especially as AI is reportedly making SSDs more expensive. These high-capacity drives are primarily targeted toward media hoarders and NAS systems.
Wordle Reusing Words Crisis
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(02:01:19)
  • Key Takeaway: The New York Times started reusing Wordle words on February 2nd, despite the original word list having enough unique words to last over 15 years.
  • Summary: The New York Times announced the reuse of Wordle words starting February 2nd, a move questioned since the original designer, Patrick Wardle, curated a list of 5,437 viable words. This list could have sustained a daily word until 2036, suggesting the reuse is unnecessary. This discussion followed commentary on the financial struggles of newspapers like The Washington Post, contrasting them with the perceived value Wordle brings to the New York Times.
Washington Post Ownership Issues
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(02:03:39)
  • Key Takeaway: The recent layoffs at The Washington Post, including tech reporters, suggest a potential dismantling of coverage areas, contrasting with Jeff Bezos’s wealth.
  • Summary: A piece noted that the cost of a yacht could exceed the cost of running a newspaper, referencing the situation at The Washington Post following significant layoffs. The departure of the CEO who oversaw dismantling parts of the paper and the arrival of the former CEO of Tumblr suggest ongoing changes. The discussion highlighted the contrast between the financial capacity of owners like Bezos (who reportedly has a yacht support vessel costing more than the Post) and the shrinking scope of national journalism.
Wayback Machine Link Fixer Plugin
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(02:05:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Automatic and the Internet Archive launched a WordPress plugin called Link Fixer to combat link rot by archiving broken links.
  • Summary: Automatic and the Internet Archive collaborated to release the ‘Link Fixer’ WordPress plug-in to combat link rot. The tool scans WordPress posts for outbound links, checks the Wayback Machine for archived versions, and automatically snapshots articles if no archive exists. This ensures blogs link either to the live site or to an archived version on the Internet Archive, supporting the preservation of online content.
Craigslist’s Enduring Value
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(02:06:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Craigslist remains a significant platform that changed classified advertising and continues to serve non-tech users effectively.
  • Summary: Craigslist is recognized as a great story that fundamentally changed the classified advertising business, even if it negatively impacted newspapers. Craig Newmark, its founder, is lauded for donating his wealth to many causes, including saving pigeons. Common uses cited include finding apartments in San Francisco and buying/selling musical gear.
Project Hail Mary Movie/Lego Set
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(02:08:19)
  • Key Takeaway: The movie trailer and the new 830-piece Lego set for Project Hail Mary both spoil a major surprise from Andy Weir’s book.
  • Summary: Andy Weir’s novel, Project Hail Mary, is receiving a Lego set replica of the Hail Mary spaceship ahead of its movie release on March 20th. Listeners are strongly advised to read the book first, as both the movie trailer and the Lego set reveal a significant plot spoiler. The recommended order for consumption is book, then movie, then Lego set.
McDonald’s Password Warnings
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(02:09:57)
  • Key Takeaway: McDonald’s Netherlands warned customers against using product names like ‘Big Mac’ or ‘McNuggets’ as passwords due to their high frequency in compromised password lists.
  • Summary: McDonald’s is actively discouraging customers from using product names as passwords, noting that ‘Big Mac’ and its Leet Speak variants appeared over 110,000 times in compromised password corpuses. The warning was issued around ‘Change Your Password Day’ (February 1st), but experts advise against changing passwords unless a breach is suspected, as forced changes often lead to weaker, more memorable alternatives. Leet Speak variations do not significantly improve password security.
Remembering Dave Farber
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(02:15:05)
  • Key Takeaway: David Farber, a foundational figure known as the ‘grandfather of the internet,’ passed away at age 91.
  • Summary: David Farber, a computer science professor and founding editor of ICAN Watch, passed away at 91. He was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013 for his major contributions to computer languages and networking. His passing prompted reflection on how much the internet’s potential hazards, like nation-state interference, were unanticipated when he began writing about it in 1984.
Super Bowl Fan Allegiances
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(02:16:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts expressed conflicted loyalties regarding the Super Bowl teams (Patriots vs. Seahawks) based on geography versus appreciation for former team owner Paul Allen.
  • Summary: The host Leo Laporte expressed internal conflict over supporting the Patriots due to geography versus supporting the Seahawks because of the late Paul Allen, who owned the team and previously owned TechTV. The discussion briefly touched on the fact that Paul Allen’s sister likely now runs his estate.
Larry Magid Safer Internet Day
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(02:20:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Larry Magid is hosting an in-person Safer Internet Day event in Sacramento to facilitate dialogue between legislators, tech executives, and children.
  • Summary: Larry Magid is promoting Safer Internet Day events through ConnectSafely.org, including an in-person event in Sacramento. This event aims to bring together legislators, tech executives, and kids to debate and discuss necessary changes regarding internet safety and evolving risks. Magid remains optimistic about the internet despite acknowledging unforeseen hazards that have emerged since its inception.
Plug for Mike Elgan’s Ventures
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(02:17:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Mike Elgan promotes his Gastronomad travel experiences, his Machine Society AI newsletter, and his son’s startup Hello Chatterbox.
  • Summary: Mike Elgan is promoting upcoming Gastronomad trips to Tuscany and Mexico City, emphasizing small-group, immersive food and wine travel experiences. He also directs listeners to his free newsletter, Machine Society, which covers AI, and Hello Chatterbox, an AI playground for children focused on demystifying the technology.
Club Twit Support Model Praised
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(02:25:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The Club Twit model, which provides all podcasts ad-free to members while keeping the main shows free and ad-supported for everyone else, is praised as the ‘right way’ to monetize podcasting.
  • Summary: Club Twit members currently cover 33% of the show’s operating expenses, demonstrating strong listener support. The model is lauded for avoiding exploitative paywalls where content is cut off, instead offering ad-free access and exclusive programming to supporters. All content eventually becomes available to the general public, maintaining the show’s democratizing principle.