179 - $6.5B for a Designer? OpenAI’s Wildest Move Yet, with Liz Knopf

🚨MY NEWSLETTER https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe 🚨In this week’s convo with Liz, we unpacked the AI news that should’ve broken the internet:🔹 $6.5B for Johnny Ive?! OpenAI “acquires” the legendary Apple designer’s agency in a full stock deal. No one knows what they’re building, but it’s probably wearable, creepy, and context-aware—and it’s a flex timed perfectly to steal headlines from Google I/O.🔹 Google’s comeback attempt They’re finally rolling out AI-native search with ads—and it’s a big deal. $60B+ of ad revenue is on the line. We dig into what’s launching, how to use tools like Gemini, Flow, and VO, and why Google still feels like 27 startups duct-taped together.🔹 VO3 is insane AI-generated video so good, you can’t tell it’s fake. We demo what it can do (photo-realistic balloon animals discussing AI??) and debate if it’s ready for real ad production.🔹 Energy is the real bottleneck You want AGI? You better build power plants. Liz drops a chart that shows how far ahead China is in electricity generation—and why AI’s future might be limited by kilowatts, not compute.🔹 Trades are about to boom If you can build a data center, wire a panel, or install cooling systems, the AI wave might make you rich. We riff on counterculture investments, labor shortages, and why electricians may beat coders in the next economy.🔹 The privacy backlash is coming We debate whether AI wearables will be a privacy nightmare—or the best documentation tool ever (think body cams for healthcare). Liz shares surprising data that body cams reduced lawsuits. Mind blown.🔹 Bonus: Anthropic teaser We didn’t even get to it—but next week we’re diving into Claude, Model Context Protocol, and tools normal people can use without needing a CS degree.__________________________Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback.Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts.__________________________MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribeSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98yApple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT__________________________This week we covered:00:00 The Acquisition of Johnny Ive by OpenAI05:10 The Future of AI and Wearable Technology09:45 Privacy Concerns in AI and Wearable Devices14:58 Google's Response to AI Competition20:05 The Evolution of AI and Its Impact on Society24:48 The Future of Energy and AI Infrastructure29:55 The Role of Trades in the Future of AI