$AAPL + $PLTR, Value of a Search, Grok Bot Breaks the Bank | Harley Finkelstein, Bridgit Mendler, Dylan Patel & Max Kan & Andrew Megalaa
$AAPL + $PLTR, Value of a Search, Grok Bot Breaks the Bank | Harley Finkelstein, Bridgit Mendler, Dylan Patel & Max Kan & Andrew Megalaa
Podcast1 hr 30 min
Listen to Episode
Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights
  • Shopify (SHOP) is the clearest growth opportunity in the discussion: Q3 revenue rose 32% and GMV 29.5%, while the company is building early momentum in AI-powered shopping; consider it for a growth-focused portfolio, recognizing agentic commerce is still unproven.
  • Palantir (PLTR) showed strong commercial traction, with U.S. commercial revenue reaching $984 million and exceeding government revenue for the first time; track whether that growth continues, particularly given the stock’s roughly $400 billion market capitalization.
  • Apple (AAPL) beat earnings but faces potential margin pressure from higher memory-chip and AI costs, as well as slower search-royalty revenue; monitor upcoming results rather than treating the earnings beat alone as a buy signal.
Detailed Analysis

Apple (AAPL)

  • Apple reported record September-quarter revenue and beat earnings, but its shares were down about 2% that morning.
  • The discussion highlighted potential pressure on profit margins from rising memory-chip prices and the cost of running Apple’s AI tools. Apple’s history of holding product prices steady could make it harder to pass along higher costs.
  • A separate concern was that revenue from Apple’s Google search-royalty deal may decelerate significantly.

Takeaways

  • Apple’s strong reported results were set against specific concerns about future margins and search-royalty revenue. Investors may want to watch for evidence of those pressures in subsequent results; the transcript gave no price target or investment recommendation.

Palantir (PLTR)

  • Palantir beat earnings, while its shares were down about 2% that morning.
  • Q3 revenue was $2.3 billion, nearly double the year-earlier level; the company was described as having an approximately $400 billion market capitalization.
  • U.S. commercial revenue reached $984 million, exceeding U.S. government revenue of $953 million for the first time.
  • The hosts attributed commercial growth to Palantir’s pitch of helping organizations use their own data and implement AI, comparing its positioning in some respects with Microsoft’s.

Takeaways

  • The shift toward commercial revenue is a notable indicator of Palantir’s customer mix and growth strategy. The discussion was positive about its commercial traction, but also noted that the stock fell despite the earnings beat.

Alphabet / Google (GOOG, GOOGL)

  • The discussion presented Google’s AI-driven search changes as both an opportunity and a risk. AI Mode may keep users engaged longer and create more opportunities to show ads, but it could also reduce referrals to other websites.
  • Reddit’s CEO reportedly said Google was no longer sending Reddit users the way it used to. The hosts described this broader shift as a headwind for media and other businesses that rely on search traffic.
  • Google was described as facing competition for enterprise AI: OpenAI and Anthropic together accounted for 86% of enterprise LLM API spending, up from 67%, while Google’s share among builders and enterprise users had fallen substantially.
  • The more constructive view was that Google still has valuable assets, including its search cash flow, cloud business, and AI chips (TPUs), which can support investment in other areas.
  • Google’s requirement that schools accepting its AI terms use AI-enabled products was discussed as controversial. The hosts noted that AI features are increasingly embedded across Google’s products.

Takeaways

  • Google’s investment case in the conversation was mixed: its AI and cloud assets may provide growth avenues, while changes to search could disrupt both Google’s own business and the wider web.
  • Watch whether AI search can sustain engagement and advertising revenue while Google remains competitive in cloud and enterprise AI. No price target or buy/sell recommendation was given.

Reddit (RDDT)

  • Reddit’s CEO said Google was sending less traffic to Reddit than before, despite continued user interest in the platform.
  • The discussion framed AI-generated search answers as a potential threat to websites that depend on users clicking through from search results.

Takeaways

  • Reddit may face pressure if AI search reduces referral traffic, even if users continue to value Reddit as a destination. The transcript did not discuss Reddit’s financial outlook or offer a stock recommendation.

HubSpot (HUBS) and monday.com (MNDY)

  • A commentator cited HubSpot and monday.com as companies that had been “crushed” by a collapsing search-to-website funnel, as AI answers can reduce the need to visit external sites.
  • This was presented as part of a broader concern for companies that rely on content and online discovery to generate customers.

Takeaways

  • The discussion raised a risk for businesses whose customer acquisition depends on search traffic. The transcript did not provide company-specific financial details or explain the extent of the impact on either company.

Shopify (SHOP)

  • Shopify’s Q3 results included $119 billion in GMV, up 29.5%; $3.7 billion in revenue, up 32%; and a 22% free-cash-flow margin.
  • The company said major brands including Lululemon, MAC, and Clinique had moved to Shopify.
  • Shopify reported rapid growth in AI-agent commerce from a small base: agent-driven traffic was up 2.6x year over year, and orders were up 3.3x. Shopify also said conversion using its product catalog was 2x higher than general AI search.
  • The discussion described AI agents as potentially useful for product discovery and purchases that require comparing many options. Shopify’s product catalog and Shop Pay were presented as ways to help agents find products and complete transactions.
  • The company said agent transactions currently carry the same fees as ordinary online-store transactions. The possibility of future agentic advertising was discussed, but not as an existing business model.

Takeaways

  • Shopify showed strong reported growth and is positioning its commerce infrastructure for AI-driven shopping. Agentic commerce remains early, however, and the transcript did not establish how large or profitable that channel will become.

CrowdStrike (CRWD)

  • CrowdStrike announced acquisitions of AI-security startups Fiddler AI and Dreadnode for a combined $495 million.
  • The hosts connected the deals to rising attention on AI security, including the potential need for companies to secure AI systems and provide a way to disable them in an emergency.

Takeaways

  • The acquisitions signal CrowdStrike’s effort to expand its AI-security capabilities. The discussion offered no estimate of the deals’ financial contribution or a specific view on CrowdStrike shares.

Nvidia (NVDA), Intel (INTC), and TSMC (TSM)

  • These companies came up in a discussion of how AI could improve chip design and manufacturing. The examples included accelerating the time from chip design to production, improving factory yields, and making better use of manufacturing data.
  • One example cited was Nvidia’s roughly two-and-a-half-year process from design concept to volume production; the speakers argued that AI could potentially shorten such cycles.
  • The discussion also suggested that better analysis of manufacturing data could help companies such as Intel improve yields and compete more effectively with TSMC. These were examples of potential benefits, not reported results.

Takeaways

  • AI-enabled improvements in chip design and manufacturing could create economic value for chipmakers, but the claims were prospective. The transcript did not provide company-specific forecasts or investment recommendations.

OpenAI and Anthropic (private companies)

  • SemiAnalysis guests argued that near-term AI spending is likely to concentrate in areas where businesses can get substantial returns from advanced intelligence, including software engineering, cybersecurity, finance, chip design, and life sciences.
  • They said OpenAI and Anthropic were leading enterprise LLM API spending and argued that frontier models could capture a large share of AI spending dollars, even if smaller or open models account for many tokens.
  • The guests forecast that leading AI labs could reach $1 trillion in revenue within a couple of years, while acknowledging that such a forecast depends on further capability gains and adoption.
  • They also cautioned that broad replacement of white-collar work could take time because companies have organizational inertia and need to change how work is assigned and paid for.

Takeaways

  • The discussion’s bullish AI thesis depends on advanced models producing high returns in specialized, high-value tasks—not simply being used widely. The revenue forecast is the guests’ view, not a confirmed outcome; adoption speed and the ability to convert model capabilities into economic value remain important uncertainties.

AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and industrial applications

  • The guests described potential AI applications in semiconductors, material science, batteries, cybersecurity, finance, and life sciences. They emphasized engineering and process improvements, such as better yields or more efficient production, alongside scientific discovery.
  • They argued that industrial companies may be able to benefit from AI by analyzing data they currently do not use effectively. Examples included semiconductor manufacturing data and faster engineering cycles.
  • They also said AI can be expensive to serve today, particularly for agents that use computers, but argued that costs could fall substantially as models and infrastructure improve.
  • On model quality, the guests said performance can vary by task; they noted that some models outside the OpenAI/Anthropic frontier may perform better on particular cyber or biology tasks.

Takeaways

  • The opportunity described is broader than consumer chatbots: it includes AI infrastructure and productivity gains in complex industries. However, the transcript also stressed that some applications need significant capability improvements and that turning AI-generated ideas into commercial products can take time.
  • Treat claims about future cost reductions and industrial gains as possibilities rather than established outcomes.

Northwood Space (private company)

  • Northwood Space announced a $375 million Series C. Its CEO said the company had validated its products across low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit and had produced 29 hardware units across two production runs.
  • The company said it had moved into a 185,000-square-foot facility designed to support production at greater scale. It was operating in nine countries and said it expected to expand its network.
  • The CEO described demand from both commercial and government customers, including demand tied to communications and national-security needs.
  • The discussion also identified supply-chain constraints as a challenge for hard-tech companies. Northwood said it was deepening supplier relationships and selectively bringing some work in-house.

Takeaways

  • The funding round and production milestones suggest progress toward scaling, but the business still faces execution and supply-chain challenges. Northwood is private; no public-market ticker or investment terms were discussed.

SpaceX and Varda (private companies)

  • SpaceX announced Starfall, a service for microgravity research and manufacturing, including biomedical research, pharmaceutical discovery, and advanced materials.
  • The hosts viewed SpaceX’s entry as validation that the space-manufacturing market could be significant, while also noting that it creates potential competition for Varda.
  • They raised the possibility that SpaceX’s launch and return capabilities could be complementary to Varda’s existing work, but this was presented as an open question rather than a confirmed partnership.

Takeaways

  • SpaceX’s announcement points to growing interest in in-space research and manufacturing, but it may increase competitive pressure on existing companies such as Varda. The discussion did not provide market-size estimates or investment recommendations.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS)

  • Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile were mentioned as examples of companies that may benefit when customers want alternatives to a single provider, in this case SpaceX or Starlink.
  • The hosts argued that some customers may prefer multiple suppliers to reduce reliance on one company and preserve negotiating leverage.

Takeaways

  • The discussion identified supplier diversification as a potential tailwind for space companies competing alongside SpaceX. It did not provide company-specific operating updates or a direct view on either stock.

Rowdy (private consumer brand)

  • Peter Rahal’s new snack brand, Rowdy, was described as entering the savory snack market with a product intended to resemble Doritos Cool Ranch.
  • The hosts viewed its familiar flavor profile as a way to compete with established snack products without asking consumers to adopt a very different product.

Takeaways

  • The conversation was optimistic about Rowdy’s product positioning, but provided no sales data, funding details, or public-market investment opportunity.
Ask about this postAnswers are grounded in this post's content.
Episode Description
(02:14) - $AAPL + $PLTR Earnings (05:28) - Value of a Search (13:08) - Grok Bot Breaks the Bank (16:55) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions (25:37) - Harley Finkelstein, Shopify’s president, discusses the company’s strong Q3 results, major brand migrations, and the growing role of AI-powered commerce. He explains how shopping agents can improve product discovery and purchasing while urging merchants to provide detailed product information ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (40:41) - Bridgit Mendler is the co-founder and CEO of Northwood Space, an aerospace startup building next-generation ground stations and antennas to improve communication between Earth and satellites. Previously a Disney Channel actress and singer best known for Good Luck Charlie, she earned a master's degree from MIT and a law degree from Harvard. Her company recently raised $375 million at a $2 billion valuation, with backing from Andreessen Horowitz and DFJ Growth. (51:14) - Dylan Patel, Max Kan & Andrew Megalaa. Dylan Patel is the founder, CEO, and chief analyst of SemiAnalysis, a leading research firm covering semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and data center economics. He is known for his detailed analysis of NVIDIA, advanced chip manufacturing, AI compute clusters, and the economics of training and running frontier AI models. Max Kan is an analyst at SemiAnalysis and co-lead of its Tokenomics research team, where he models the economics of AI inference, token pricing, and future demand for AI hardware. He previously worked in strategy and product at Jane Street and co-founded Habitat, a reinforcement-learning environments startup. Andrew Megalaa is a researcher at SemiAnalysis focused on AI tokenomics, inference economics, and frontier model performance. Alongside Max Kan and Dylan Patel, he has published research comparing AI subscription economics and developing GDPx, a benchmark measuring AI capabilities across economically valuable fields such as software engineering, finance, cybersecurity, and chip design. (01:17:24) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions TBPN is made possible by: Ramp - https://ramp.com Public - https://public.com Cisco - https://www.cisco.com Console - https://www.console.com CrowdStrike - https://www.crowdstrike.com Figma - https://www.figma.com MongoDB - https://www.mongodb.com NYSE - https://www.nyse.com Railway - https://railway.com Shopify - https://www.shopify.com Codex - http://openAI.com/codex Follow TBPN:  https://TBPN.com https://x.com/tbpn https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tbpn/id1772360235 https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive
About TBPN
TBPN

TBPN

By John Coogan & Jordi Hays

Technology's daily show (formerly the Technology Brothers Podcast). Streaming live on X and YouTube from 11 - 2 PM PST Monday - Friday. Available on X, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.