ACCESS

Alex and Ellis talk about using Claude to organize their digital lives, the rise of agent platforms like Dreamer, and a mysterious AI hardware sighting in San Francisco. Then they’re joined by Liz Reid, VP and Head of Search at Google, to talk about what it’s like running one of the most influential products on the internet during the AI boom. They discuss how AI overviews are changing search, the difference between Google Search and the Gemini app, whether agents could become the main users of the web, and how Google is responding to the rise of tools like ChatGPT. Liz also reflects on her two decades at Google, the early days of Google Maps, the challenge of fighting AI-generated slop online, and how she thinks about the future of the open web and search itself.

Follow ACCESS on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Alex:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sources.news/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/alexeheath/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Ellis:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://meaning.company/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hamburger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and Ellis break down the viral AI essay that tanked stocks and debate whether agents could end white-collar work as we know it. Then they’re joined by Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman to talk about fighting AI slop, why Reddit has resisted becoming traditional social media, and how the platform is navigating bots, moderation, and creators. They discuss prediction markets, Reddit’s anti-self-promotion culture, the challenge of onboarding new users, local communities, government censorship pressure, age verification laws in Australia, and Reddit’s AI data licensing deals with companies like Google and OpenAI.

Follow ACCESS on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Alex:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sources.news/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/alexeheath/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Ellis:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://meaning.company/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hamburger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ellis tells Alex about his storytelling speech for AI founders at Andreessen Horowitz, and they discuss how OpenAI beat Meta to hire the founder of OpenClaw. Then they’re joined by Notion CEO Ivan Zhao to talk about the rise of AI agents. They discuss building custom agents inside Notion, his own AI workflow, why he's focused on hiring young people, and why he thinks every software company needs to become agent-friendly to survive.

Follow ACCESS on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Alex:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sources.news/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/alexeheath/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Ellis:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://meaning.company/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hamburger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and Ellis recap the AI ads at the Super Bowl and talk about Jony Ive showing Alex the first-ever electric Ferrari Luce he designed. Then, they sit down with Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, for a wide-ranging conversation about where ChatGPT is headed next. They talk about ads coming to ChatGPT, people having emotional attachment with AI, working with Sam Altman, the state of Sora, and the shift from a reactive chatbot to a proactive personal assistant.

Follow ACCESS on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Alex:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sources.news/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/alexeheath/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Ellis:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://meaning.company/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hamburger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and Ellis analyze AIs talking to each other on Moltbook, the implications of Elon Musk merging SpaceX and xAI, new moves in the OpenAI versus Anthropic coding race, and a favorite AI app getting a controversial redesign.

Then they’re joined by Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, to talk about how he turned deepfakes into a business that just raised $200 million. They discuss how AI video is changing how we interact with each other, trust on the internet, and whether raising the bar for corporate videos also raises new risks.

Follow ACCESS on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Alex:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sources.news/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/alexeheath/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow Ellis:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://meaning.company/⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hamburger⁠⁠⁠⁠

ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices