Pmarca

E168: Can Google save itself? Abolish HR, AI takes over Customer Support, Reddit IPO teardown

Jato Caelin, Sundar, Jason, Friedberg, TheZachEffect, Pmarca, Shellenberger, Balaji, Chamath Palihapitiya

Google faces a 5% stock decline and internal unrest as investors criticize its "Responsible AI" team for stifling dissent, while the company simultaneously shifts to paying "TAC 2.0" fees for proprietary data rights from partners like Reddit and Stack Overflow. In parallel, Klarna's deployment of AI support agents has generated $40 million in projected profits and severely disrupted call center valuations, signaling a broader industry transformation toward leaner, AI-driven operations. Meanwhile, Reddit prepares for its IPO by securing critical data licensing deals and incentivizing moderators through a direct share program, even as Apple abandons its multi-billion dollar "Titan" automotive project to redirect resources into generative AI.