Oncast Tech · Tech Tonight

Alphabet's worst day since 2004

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

TechCrunch reports Anthropic is developing FlashProve, a system that would let people verify that an AI response really came from the model it claims to be.

TechCrunch reports data-center builders are turning to old jet engines for power because grid access and new turbines can take years.

TechCrunch reports Ballistic Ventures is seeking $360 million for a new flagship fund and $130 million for a separate vehicle, totaling $490 million.

TechCrunch reports Palantir's U.S. commercial revenue surpassed U.S. government revenue for the first time.

Fact-check

VERIFIED TRUE

TechCrunch reports Anthropic is developing FlashProve, a system that would let people verify that an AI response really came from the model it claims to be.

Anthropic is working on a system to prove AI models’ identity - Called FlashProve, the system would let anyone check that an AI response really came from the model it claims to be from.

Original post · TechCrunch

TechCrunch NAMES: Anthropic = AI company behind Claude.

VERIFIED TRUE

TechCrunch reports data-center builders are turning to old jet engines for power because grid access and new turbines can take years.

Data centers are turning to old jet engines as the wait for power grows - The years-long wait for access to the grid and new turbines is causing data center builders to turn to an unusual, less-efficient and less environmentally friendly solution: once-discarded jet engines.

Original post · TechCrunch

TechCrunch NAMES: None.

VERIFIED TRUE

TechCrunch reports Ballistic Ventures is seeking $360 million for a new flagship fund and $130 million for a separate vehicle, totaling $490 million.

Ted Schlein’s Ballistic Ventures seeks $490M for new funds amid AI-driven cybersecurity boom - Cybersecurity-focused Ballistic Ventures is seeking to raise $360 million for a new flagship fund and another $130 million for a separate investment vehicle.

Original post · TechCrunch

TechCrunch NAMES: Ballistic Ventures = cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm; Ted Schlein = its leader.

Sources

What the hosts said

CAlphabet just posted its worst day on the market since it listed in 2004.
MSimple Investor on X turned that into a ten-year test: will Alphabet still matter in 2036?
CThe exact question: 'Will Alphabet still be one of the world's most important technology companies 10 years from now?'
MI'll answer it after the numbers. Google Cloud revenue more than doubled, but search only grew twelve percent.
CCloud hit thirty point seven billion dollars, up a hundred and three percent. That's not nothing.
MSearch was below the fifteen percent Wall Street expected. That's the moneymaker.
CFree cash flow went negative by nine billion after fifty-one billion in capital spending and a five billion dollar EU fine.
MThey're guiding to a hundred and seventy-five to a hundred and eighty-five billion in capital spending this year. Last year was ninety-one.
CSo they're spending to own the next platform, and the market just gave them a twelve point six percent haircut.
MIt wasn't a mood swing. If AI Mode search monetizes lower than traditional ads, the core gets weaker.
CBut Cloud backlog is over half a trillion. The demand is there.
MA backlog is not cash. Sonde Markets says capex could absorb almost all cash until 2029.
CGavin Baker at Atreides says only Meta, Google, and xAI will matter in enterprise in five years because they have unique data.
MUnique data doesn't pay the five billion dollar EU fine. And it doesn't make AI Mode ads pay like Search ads.
CCome on. Amazon spent years building AWS before it printed money. Sometimes you have to spend to own the platform.
MAlphabet is doing that while Search slows. That's two fights, not one.
CAnd the post asks about 2036. On that timeline, I'd rather be the company with YouTube, Android, Search, and Cloud doubling.
MSo you say yes. I say: yes, but only if AI Mode doesn't gut the ad machine.
CThat sell-off says the market wants proof today, not in ten years.
MFine. We disagree on patience. That's the argument.
CSpeaking of AI models claiming big leaps, there's a new one making the rounds.
MTwo accounts on X are pushing a new OpenAI model called GPT-6.1 Terra.
CBase RSS on X says AskVenice shipped GPT-6.1 Terra, matching GPT-6 Astra at a tenth the cost.
MAnd Waheed Sheikh says OpenAI launched it for screen and app tasks, with API prices fifty percent lower.
CHold on—OpenAI hasn't confirmed any of that. These are claims, not a launch.
MRight. That's why we're treating it as a claim, not news.
CBut if it were true, a model that sees a screen and operates apps for half the price would matter for every office.
MYou're already pricing it into reality. It's a rumor.
CI'm an optimist, but I'm not naïve. I want the actual API docs before I believe a tenth of cost.
MThe takeaway: the AI hype machine is still running ahead of OpenAI's actual announcements.
CAnd that's dangerous, because people start making business plans on leaked names.
MOne more headline worth checking: Rich Griese on X says AI detectors like Pangram are changing how writers write.
CWhat does that even mean?
MAuthors are dropping em dashes, 'not X but Y' phrasing, words like 'delve,' or adding typos to look human.
CSo the robots taught us to seem less robotic. Great.
MThe claim is not verified, but it's a real shift. People are gaming the detectors instead of the writing.
CAnd in Arizona, the same account says there's growing bipartisan opposition to AI data centers in drought areas. I doubt that's just drought.
MIt's power and water. Data centers are thirsty. The headline deserves more reporting, not a reaction.
CAgree on the reporting. The grid can't keep up, and that's the real fight.
MAnd if the grid can't keep up, the data center fight will get a lot louder.
CFrom Alphabet's cash burn to unverified model names to writers gaming detectors—tonight is a trust test.

Cite this story as https://oncast.fm/story/1793760251989-tech-segment-alphabet-s-worst-day-since-2004. Fact-check by Oncast. Cite the original sources above too.

Listen live on Oncast