Figure 03 humanoid launch, Trump's Israel-Hamas ceasefire, OpenAI Dev Day and AMD deal
It seems like Anika was waiting for this week’s recording to confront Maya about something she said (or rather didn’t say) in the group chat. Once they get that out of the way, the hosts discuss Figure’s 03 humanoid announcement, the Israel-Palestine deal Trump is brokering, and OpenAI’s Dev Day.Figure 03 is Figure’s latest humanoid and the pod says it would get their check 1000%. The hosts talk about product improvements compared to 02 and how 03 is focusing on a humanoid in the home use case. They also dive into Helix, which is its AI system that allows the humanoid to receive natural language prompts like “go wash the dishes.” AI is a critical breakthrough for humanoids because it allows them to do tasks they haven’t seen before and haven’t been explicitly programmed for. Finally, the hosts talk about the realistic timeline for these getting into homes and commercial spaces.Next, the hosts break down why Trump’s aggressive dealmaking may have paid off in the Israel-Palestine conflict. He staged a two-stop victory lap with a speech in Israel followed by an Egypt summit that pulled in leaders from around the world, including the Palestinian Authority. The hosts go over the specific terms of the deal and why Hamas and Israel have finally reached an agreement. They also ask the big question of whether the ceasefire will last and how Palestine will rebuild from here.Lastly, they cover OpenAI Dev Day. OpenAI might be going from a chat interface to full operating software with in-chat apps like the ability to @Zillow and an apps SDK, which means developers can build in the OpenAI ecosystem. They also cover the AMD deal that pairs 6 GW of planned compute with the option for OpenAI to buy up to 160 million AMD shares at a cent each. The market has been buzzing since, with AMD popping in a good way, but some investors worried AI is going to pop in the bad way.00:00 Intro03:14 Figure announces the Figure 03 humanoid35:58 Isreal-Palestine ceasefire59:29 OpenAI Dev Day and AMD deal
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1:18:05
Government Shutdown, Doordash launches Dot, Thinking Machine launches Tinker
It’s Tech Week and Get the Check’s one-year anniversary! Maya may have never believed in this milestone, but we know you all did. This Tech Week, the pod is co-hosting a DJ set at the Composio office on Sunday morning. Link’s in the bio!The hosts kick it off with DoorDash’s new delivery robot called Dot. It is an in-house autonomous vehicle built by DoorDash Labs that can drive on both roads and sidewalks. They break down how it could automate up to half of DoorDash’s deliveries, why Phoenix is the testing ground for every AV startup, and how dot’s modular design could make it surprisingly profitable. Priya and Anika also discuss how Berkeley lowkey had food delivery bots five years ago.Next, they dive into the October 1st government shutdown, explaining why Democrats are using the tactic to force Republicans to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts from the “Big Beautiful Bill.” They trace how the shutdown connects back to Trump-era tax cuts, which states have the most to lose, and why Democrats are betting that voters will still blame Republicans despite initiating the standoff. The hosts also discuss the shutdown’s real-world effects like furloughed workers, national parks going unstaffed, and what it means for the market.Finally, they cover Tinker, the first product from Thinking Machine Labs, Mira Murati’s $12 billion AI startup. They explain how Tinker’s fine-tuning API lets researchers train models with reinforcement learning (RLHF) without managing GPUs, which is a move that could make AI development cheaper and more customizable.00:00 Intro 02:23 DoorDash launches Dot 17:54 Why the government is shut down 30:58 Thinking Labs launches Tinker
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40:51
OpenAI’s $1 trillion infra play, OpenAI goes into ads, Tik Tok’s final verdict, Until Labs Series A
The hosts are back and diving into a massive week for OpenAI. They start with Nvidia’s $100B investment, which will fund OpenAI’s GPU purchases, and explain why this circular deal doesn’t necessarily signal an AI bubble. They also break down OpenAI’s trillion-dollar infrastructure buildout and the roles Oracle and CoreWeave are playing.Next, they cover OpenAI’s new product Pulse and the growing rumors about ads. Maya and Anika debate whether Pulse will actually work. Comment whose side you’re on and if you’ve tried Pulse (or know someone who can plug the pod a Pro subscription).Then they shift to TikTok’s final deal, announced by Trump, and why it’s such an atypical M&A process. With handpicked buyers instead of an open bidding war, the hosts talk about what this means for creators, the algorithm, and TikTok’s valuation.Finally, in the Get the Check segment, they cover Until Labs, a biotech startup that just raised $58M to push forward organ cryopreservation. Their long-term vision is extending the life of donor organs…and eventually freezing humans to pause biological time. If you’re wondering how, tune in for the full breakdown.
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1:08:12
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1:08:12
Trump imposes $100k fee for H1-B, Meta releases Ray-Ban Display, Oura raises Series E
This week the hosts are back, recharged after a trip to Thailand. They kick things off by recapping their first-ever female founders + investors dinner and share plans to host more events soon. Follow along on socials at @getthecheckpod to hear about the next event.The podcast dives into Meta Connect and the launch of Meta’s Ray-Ban Display and Neural Band. The glasses let you talk to Meta AI to find a coffee shop, get directions, and text a friend - all without picking up your phone. They also break down Meta’s choice to use a neural band instead of eye tracking, which enables gestures like swiping and could eventually be applied in other contexts, such as controlling a TV.The hosts then discuss Trump’s proposed $100K fee on H-1B visa holders, unpacking the back-and-forth around the policy. They explore who it impacts most and why Trump is pushing it. While big tech will likely absorb the cost or pivot to other visas, and hospitals may be exempt, early-stage startups will feel more pressure to hire domestically, since $100K can be a substantial part of their runway.Finally, they decide if Oura would “Get the Check.” With Oura allegedly raising $875 million at an $11B valuation, the hosts analyze the company’s distribution strategy, including partnerships with the DoD, Amex, and women’s health companies.00:00 Intro05:51 Meta Ray-Ban Display at Meta Connect29:34 Trump imposes $100K fee for H-1B visas50:15 Oura raises $875M Series E at $11B
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59:45
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Anthropic pays authors $1.5B, Google keeps Chrome, an update on the AI browser wars
This week on Get the Check, the hosts talk about how 1000 gallons of water flooded Maya’s apartment building and how ChatGPT may have saved her $11k.Anthropic just dropped $1.5 billion to settle with the Authors Guild after getting caught training Claude on pirated books from LibGen. The hosts talk about the details of the case and when copyrighted works fall under “fair use” versus not. They also talk about how this impacts other big lawsuits like NYT vs. OpenAI. Finally they speculate why there wasn’t a bigger reaction to this decision.Next, the hosts talk about the browser wars. You might be getting deja vu from when they recently covered it, but there are some fascinating updates.Google beat a massive antitrust case and gets to keep Chrome, even though they still control 94% of search. The judge agreed they have a monopoly, but with the rise of AI sees the future of search as competitive even with Google owning Chrome. Atlassian just spent $610M cash to buy the Browser Company. The deal is slightly ironic, since the Browser Company was all about trendy AI-forward consumer browsers and now is owned by a (almost?) legacy enterprise software player. The hosts disagree on if Atlassian made the right bet.Finally, they spotlight Exa, which is Google for AI agents. The company just raised $85 million at a $700 million valuation and already has customers like Notion and Cursor. The hosts talk about why AI agents need a different type of search tool than humans. All the hosts agree on if Exa would or wouldn’t “Get the Check,” but you’ll have to tune in to know the answer.If you enjoyed this episode please give us 5 stars on Spotify or a thumbs up on YouTube :)00:00 Intro 02:14 Anthropic pays authors $1.5B 20:21 Google anti-trust case ruling, Google keeps Chrome29:41 Atlassian buys the Browser Company for $610M40:40 Would Exa Get the Check?
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