Tim O'Reilly: "The landlords of the Internet" | The Times Tech Podcast (original) (raw)
Tim O'Reilly: "The landlords of the Internet"
Season 1
•
Friday, December 4, 2020
The Sunday Times’ tech correspondent Danny Fortson brings on Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media and prominent tech commentator, to talk about algorithmic rent (0:00), the Facebook case (5:15), how tech companies quietly changed the terms of engagement (7:40), getting investment from Pierre Omidyar (12:40), how his work got started on algorithmic rent (13:20), monitoring Big Tech’s behaviour change (16:15), Facebook’s rents (23:35), the importance of framing a problem (26:00), how to protect our 'tenants’ rights' (29:40), building a case (36:00), getting inspiration from Microsoft (37:40), and the toxicity of the Big Tech debate (41:20).
More episodes
Social media ban for children and Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment
41:32| Thursday, April 2, 2026
Should under-16s be banned from social media? After landmark US rulings against Meta and YouTube over addictive design features, pressure is building on Big Tech. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott speak to online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron about whether this is tech’s 'Big Tobacco' moment, how the UK is tackling online safety, and what it means for children, including the growing risks of AI chatbots.Would you support a social media ban for teenagers? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty Images
Forget your employees – how hard is your AI agent working?
42:11| Friday, March 27, 2026
A new trend is emerging in Silicon Valley – engineers are using more and more of AI agents to do their jobs. At some companies like Meta, AI usage is reportedly being linked to performance. But it’s also fuelling a growing anxiety, if AI can do your job better and faster, where does that leave you? Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott discuss the paranoia currently consuming Silicon Valley, what this really means for the future of work and whether we’re heading toward a genuine AI jobs crisis. Plus, they speak to CEO of Forterro, Dean Forbes, on his remarkable story from homelessness to leading a top private software firm in Europe. Are you using AI agents to do your job? Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.ukProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage: Getty
Will this AI actress be the next Oscar winner?
41:45| Friday, March 20, 2026
Conan O’Brien joked at the Oscars that he might be the last human to host the Academy Awards. It got Danny and Katie thinking about AI's influence on the creative industry – from Hollywood, podcasting and beyond. They speak to Eline Van der Velden, the creator of AI actor Tilly Norwood, who argues that AI performers could be a more “ethical alternative” to traditional acting. So is AI empowering creators or replacing them?Image: AI-generated/Tilly Norwood/Particle6Clips: The Epstein Files, Tilly Norwood
The $14 billion Nscale story and how founders succeed in Silicon Valley
39:02| Friday, March 13, 2026
British AI data-center company NScale has hit a 14.6billionvaluationafterraisinganother14.6 billion valuation after raising another 14.6billionvaluationafterraisinganother2 billion but its rapid rise is raising eyebrows. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott examine the meteoric story of founder Josh Payne and the questions surrounding his business. They’re joined by Alice Bentinck, CEO of Entrepreneurs First, to discuss what it really takes to build the next generation of tech founders. Plus, Danny's been in court following a landmark trial in California that's seen Mark Zuckerberg grilled by lawyers and could prove to be a turning point for the multitrillion-dollar social media industry.Producer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaImage Credit: The Sunday Times/James Cowen/Nscale Get in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk
Bonus episode: Will quantum computing change everything?
30:32| Monday, March 9, 2026
Quantum computing has been called the next big technological revolution, potentially as transformative as AI. Governments are investing billions, banks are already experimenting with the technology, and startups are racing to turn decades of research into real-world systems. In this episode, originally from The Business, another podcast from The Times, James Palles-Dimmock from UK startup Quantum Motion talks about the race to scale quantum computing, how close we are to a real breakthrough, and whether the technology could change industries from finance to drug discovery.Presenters:Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor, The TimesDominic O’Connell, columnist and business presenter, Times RadioGuest:James Palles-Dimmock, chief executive, Quantum MotionProducer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Julia JohnsonExecutive Producer: Kate FordPhoto credit: GettyGet in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Anthropic vs Pentagon: How AI is changing war
39:36| Friday, March 6, 2026
An explosive fallout between AI giant Anthropic, OpenAI and the US Department of War has ignited a fierce debate in Silicon Valley about who gets to decide how artificial intelligence is used in defence. Former Pentagon adviser and founder of Primer.ai, Sean Gourley, joins Danny and Katie to explain how this technology is already embedded in military operations, and explore whether Silicon Valley bosses should get a say when it comes to national security. Is AI making war smarter or more dangerous?Clip: Bloomberg TVProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka DeladiaGet in touch: techpod@thetimes.co.uk
Inside Nvidia: The company powering the AI gold rush
35:31| Friday, February 27, 2026
Do Nvidia’s latest results confirm a tech boom or signal the makings of a bubble? Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott ask how a once-niche graphics chipmaker ended up at the centre of global tech, geopolitics and the stock market. Author Stephen Witt joins them to explain Jensen Huang’s rise and the company’s extraordinary dominance.Guest: Stephen Witt, Author of The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted MicrochipImage: GettyProducer: Marnie DukeExecutive Producer: Priyanka Deladia
Bonus episode: Agentic AI explained – The next phase of artificial intelligence
26:03| Monday, February 23, 2026
This episode of The Times Tech podcast is sponsored by PwC.Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase. It’s no longer just about chatbots generating text or analysing data. The next frontier is agentic AI systems that can coordinate tasks, make decisions and act with a degree of autonomy. In this sponsored bonus episode, brought to you by PwC, Katie Prescott speaks to Lilia Christofi, Partner for AI and Data at PwC, about what agentic AI really means in practice.
AI safety meets OpenClaw – what India’s AI summit tells us
39:23| Friday, February 20, 2026
As world leaders and tech bosses gather for India’s AI Impact Summit, Danny Fortson and Mark Sellman ask if these global summits are shaping AI or struggling to keep up with it? They also hear from Carina Prunkl, lead author of the new International AI Safety Report, about risks, jobs, autonomy and whether safeguards are keeping pace with technology. Plus, OpenAI snaps up viral agent OpenClaw. Image: GettyEmail us: techpod@thetimes.co.uk