Fri. 06/20 – A Shenzhen-like Production City In The US?

Jun 20, 2025 17m

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Meta has some new smartglasses. How long can the TikTok groundhog day go on? Masa Son wants to create a Shenzhen-like production city here in the US. Are your smart cameras a national security threat to the home front in a war? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Scientists once hoarded pre-nuclear steel; now we’re hoarding pre-AI content (ArsTechnica)
Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex (QuantaMagazine)

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Meta's New Smart Glasses

Meta has introduced new smart glasses, the Oakley Meta Haustin, priced at $399. These glasses boast features such as 3K video recording, IPX4 water resistance, and double the battery life compared to the previous Meta Rayband glasses. Targeted towards athletes, they enable users to pair with a phone for music, calls, and AI interactions, providing features like translation and assistance based on the wearer's surroundings. A limited edition version with gold accents launches soon, reflecting Meta's ambition to sell millions of smart glasses annually.

Legal and Political Uncertainties Around TikTok

President Trump's administration has extended the TikTok ban deadline for a third time amidst ongoing controversy over its legality. With no substantial legal challenges emerging against the extensions, TikTok continues to thrive, gaining millions of followers under Trump's account. Analysts suggest this prolongs the platform's existence while raising concerns about its presence and the political implications surrounding it. The situation mirrors a 'Groundhog Day' of recurring threats without resolution, leaving the platform unbothered by new developments.

AI's Impact on the Open Web

The disparity between bots and human visitors on web pages is increasingly skewed, with AI tools driving a spike in the ratio of bots to users. Cloudflare’s CEO highlighted that readers are bypassing original content in favor of AI-generated summaries, limiting revenue for publishers. There's a growing need for tools that prevent this scraping, with Cloudflare working on solutions to protect original content creators, stressing the existential threat posed by AI on the open web.

Masa Son's Ambitious U.S. Project

Masayoshi Son is proposing a $1 trillion AI and robotics manufacturing hub in Arizona, inspired by Shenzhen's tech landscape in China. The proposal aims to revitalize high-tech manufacturing in the U.S., relying on the collaboration with TSMC and potential tax incentives from state and federal governments. The ambitious nature of Project Crystal Land reflects Son's desire to significantly accelerate AI development, although its feasibility is still under discussion.

Security Risks of Smart Cameras

Israeli authorities issued warnings regarding the vulnerability of home security cameras, stating that Iranian forces have attempted to hack these devices to gather intelligence amid ongoing conflicts. With cyber attacks escalating in the region, experts emphasize the risks posed by smart technology in national security contexts, reflecting broader concerns about privacy and surveillance in times of conflict.

Weekend Longreads Suggestions

The podcast wraps up with curated articles discussing significant themes. One article highlights the importance of preserving pre-AI content as a valuable resource, while another investigates the universal tendency toward increasing complexity over time, suggesting a profound principle underlying both biological and non-biological evolution.