LITS bits:
This week, Matt and Griff discuss a variety of topics! From discussing weekend movie plans including 'Barbarian', 'Him', and 'Nobody 2', to talking about technological advancements and AI's impact on the economy. We cover wins in the tech industry, such as Epic Games' antitrust case against Google, and the rising influence of AI in the market. We also highlight shifts in social media platforms like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and explore upcoming events at Lighthouse HQ like an AI-focused class. Don't miss out on these interesting discussions and more!
Have a listen and find details about each topic below:
The End of AOL Dial-Up Marks a Cultural Shift
After nearly 30 years of screeching modems and 56k speeds, AOL is officially shutting down its dial-up internet service. As broadband and mobile connectivity dominate, maintaining legacy phone-line networks no longer makes sense. Existing subscribers will need to migrate to other providers as AOL winds things down.
Beyond logistics, this marks the end of a nostalgic era — one that evokes “You’ve got mail,” free CD-ROMs, and the dawn of mainstream internet. It’s a powerful reminder of how far connectivity has come.
AI Spending Is Lifting the U.S. Economy
According to Morning Brew, AI-driven capital expenditures contributed about 1.3 points to last quarter’s 3% U.S. GDP growth. Tech giants collectively spent ~$69B on AI infrastructure last quarter and could top $320B in 2025 — funneling cash into chipmakers, data center real estate, and utilities.
⚠️ The catch: much of this tech is manufactured abroad, meaning GDP could be overstating domestic impact. And if productivity doesn’t eventually catch up to investment, it could all start to look bubbly.
ChatGPT-5 Prioritizes Usefulness Over Flash
GPT-5 has officially arrived — but rather than jaw-dropping intelligence gains, it focuses on speed, cost, and reliability. According to early analysis, the model:
- Hallucinates less
- Is cheaper and faster
- Likely routes between a lightweight model and a deeper reasoning engine behind the scenes
While AI elites may not be blown away, for everyday users it’s shaping up to be the best ChatGPT experience yet.
Epic Games Scores a Major Win Against Google
Google just lost a huge antitrust appeal filed by Epic Games, forcing sweeping changes to the Play Store ecosystem:
- Developers can use third-party payment systems
- Exclusive incentive deals must halt for 3 years
- Independent app stores must be allowed inside Google Play
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called it a victory for competition — and Epic is already moving forward with plans to launch its own store within the Play platform. Google says the ruling jeopardizes user safety and intends to keep fighting, possibly to the Supreme Court.
Perplexity Wants to Buy… Chrome (!?)
Here’s a wild twist: AI startup Perplexity has made a $34.5B all-cash offer to buy Google Chrome — more than twice Chrome’s estimated valuation and well above Perplexity’s own. The bid coincides with a court weighing whether Google might be forced to divest its browser. It’s bold, highly unlikely… but speaks volumes about rising pressure on Google’s dominance.
LinkedIn Hits Records — But Bots Are Booming Too
LinkedIn hit 1.2 billion members and reported record engagement (revenue +9%, video uploads +20%). But only ~400M users are actually active, and the platform admits it’s battling a surge of automation and fake engagement pods.
➡️ Takeaway: Lean into video and growth tools — just be mindful of potentially inflated metrics.
Pinterest Wins Gen Z — But Growth Stalls in the West
Pinterest reported 578M users and strong revenue — powered heavily by Gen Z and shopping features. However, usage in the U.S. and Europe is plateauing.
🛍️ Brands looking for growth should target younger international audiences, where momentum is still climbing.
Instagram Copies Snapchat, Tightens Live Access
Two notable platform updates from Meta:
- New Instagram Map lets users leave location-based, geo-tagged notes (read: Snap-inspired), but real-time tracking is disabled.
- Live streaming now requires 1,000+ followers, limiting access for small creators.
Reddit Wants to Be a Search Giant
Reddit is pushing beyond forums and into search engine territory — powered by its AI Q&A tool Reddit Answers, now piloting in 12 countries.
With 70M using Reddit search weekly and the site ranking among the top search terms on Google, the company wants to make Reddit the place people search first.
📈 Actionable tip: Optimize posts and comments for keyword discovery — as Reddit search grows, so does content visibility.
Enjoyed what you heard? We release a new episode every two weeks, so be sure to come back for the next one!