Cloudflare Outage, iMessages in Gemini 3, 𝕏 Reactions to Gemini 3 | Diet TBPN
Cloudflare Outage, iMessages in Gemini 3, 𝕏 Reactions to Gemini 3 | Diet TBPN
170 days agoβ€’TBPNβ€’John Coogan & Jordi Hays
Podcast28 min 3 sec
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Google (GOOGL) is a high-conviction investment due to its superior Gemini AI model and proprietary TPU chips, a competitive advantage not fully priced into the stock. The recent partnership where Apple (AAPL) will pay to use Gemini validates Google's AI leadership and provides a significant new revenue stream. While Nvidia (NVDA) continues to show strong short-term momentum, investors should monitor the long-term competitive threat from Google's in-house chip technology. The overarching AI Infrastructure build-out, evidenced by massive new data center projects, remains a powerful long-term investment theme. For long-term believers, any stock price dips in critical infrastructure plays like Cloudflare (NET) following service outages could present strategic buying opportunities.

Detailed Analysis

Google (GOOGL)

  • The podcast discusses Gemini 3 Pro, Google's latest AI model, suggesting it is a top-tier model that benchmarks better than competitors and could potentially be the "best model right now."
  • A major point of discussion is that Google trained Gemini 3 on its own proprietary TPUs (Tensor Processing Units), with no mention of using Nvidia chips. This demonstrates Google's ability to create high-performing AI without relying on outside chip suppliers.
  • While Google has this advanced chip technology, they are not selling TPUs on the open market. This means Nvidia still maintains a functional monopoly for all other companies looking to buy AI chips.
  • Google is reportedly being paid by Apple to "white label" the Gemini model for use in the next version of Apple Intelligence. This is a significant business deal that leverages Google's AI leadership.
  • The hosts note that Google also provides TPU access to other startups and even rival AI labs, which is an interesting business strategy that balances internal use with ecosystem development.

Takeaways

  • Vertical Integration is a Key Advantage: Google's ability to design its own chips (TPUs) and train its own models (Gemini) on them is a powerful long-term competitive advantage. This can lead to better performance and lower costs compared to rivals who must rely on third-party hardware.
  • Monetizing AI Leadership: The partnership with Apple shows that Google can successfully monetize its AI research and development not just through its own products, but by licensing its technology to other tech giants.
  • A "Quiet" Competitor to Nvidia: While Google isn't selling its chips directly, its success with TPUs proves that viable alternatives to Nvidia's hardware exist. Investors should monitor if Google ever decides to commercialize its TPUs, as that would directly challenge Nvidia's market dominance.

Nvidia (NVDA)

  • The podcast was recorded just as Nvidia was reporting earnings. The hosts noted the stock was up 3.91% after the announcement, indicating an earnings beat.
  • The upcoming earnings were described as potentially the "most important earnings call of the year" due to Nvidia's massive influence on the market, making up around 8% of the S&P 500.
  • A key risk factor discussed is the fact that Google's top-performing Gemini 3 Pro model was trained without using Nvidia chips. The hosts feel this long-term competitive threat "doesn't feel fully priced in" to either GOOGL or NVDA stock.
  • Despite the threat from Google's TPUs, the hosts acknowledge that since Google doesn't sell its chips, Nvidia still holds a monopoly for every other buyer in the market.
  • The hosts question how much Nvidia's earnings reflect real-time AI demand, suggesting that long-term purchase agreements from companies like OpenAI may mask any short-term slowdowns in user growth for AI products like ChatGPT.
  • A new partnership was announced between Elon Musk's xAI and Nvidia to develop a massive data center in Saudi Arabia.

Takeaways

  • Strong Short-Term Momentum: The earnings beat and subsequent stock price increase confirm that demand for Nvidia's chips remains incredibly strong. The company continues to be the primary beneficiary of the AI infrastructure build-out.
  • Monitor Long-Term Competition: The success of Google's custom TPUs is a significant development. While not an immediate threat to sales, it is a long-term risk investors must watch. The future of AI hardware is not guaranteed to be an Nvidia-only monopoly.
  • Demand Pipeline is Robust: Major infrastructure announcements, like the $100 billion Brookfield AI fund and the xAI data center partnership, indicate that massive, long-term capital is still flowing into building AI capacity, which directly translates to a strong order book for Nvidia.

Apple (AAPL)

  • The hosts highlight the incredible power of iMessage as a "personal ERP system" and a "system of record" for users' personal lives. This creates a powerful "walled garden" that makes it very difficult for users to switch away from the Apple ecosystem.
  • This "stickiness" is a major hurdle for competing products like the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which the hosts noted would be hard to adopt without iMessage integration.
  • Apple is reportedly paying Google to integrate the Gemini model into its upcoming "Apple Intelligence" features. This suggests Apple is behind in developing its own foundational AI models and is choosing to partner rather than build from scratch.

Takeaways

  • The Moat is Strong: The integration of services like iMessage into the core user experience remains Apple's greatest strength. This ecosystem lock-in provides a durable competitive advantage that is difficult for rivals to overcome.
  • Pragmatic Approach to AI: Apple's decision to license Google's Gemini is a practical move to quickly bring powerful AI features to its users. For investors, this shows Apple is prioritizing user experience over a potentially costly and slow "not-invented-here" approach to foundational AI.
  • Dependency Risk: While pragmatic, the partnership also creates a dependency on a key rival. Investors should watch how this relationship evolves and whether Apple can maintain its brand promise of privacy while integrating a Google-powered AI.

Investment Theme: AI Infrastructure & Data Centers

  • The transcript is overwhelmingly bullish on the theme of building the physical infrastructure required for AI.
  • Multiple massive projects and partnerships were mentioned:
    • Brookfield announced a $100 billion global AI infrastructure program in partnership with Nvidia and the Kuwait Investment Authority.
    • Elon Musk's xAI is partnering with Nvidia to build a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia.
  • The hosts discuss how Elon Musk's expertise in "large scale, physical infrastructure, build outs" (seen with Tesla and SpaceX) makes him well-suited for the data center business.

Takeaways

  • Massive Capital Inflow: The AI boom is driving unprecedented investment into physical assets like data centers. This is a long-term trend backed by billions of dollars from corporations, private equity, and sovereign wealth funds.
  • Broad-Based Opportunity: This theme is not just about chipmakers like Nvidia. It creates opportunities for companies involved in real estate (data centers), energy (powering the centers), construction, and cooling technologies.
  • Geopolitical Element: The mention of a major data center being built in Saudi Arabia highlights the global and geopolitical nature of the AI race. Access to energy and capital are key drivers for where this infrastructure will be located.

Cloudflare (NET)

  • Cloudflare experienced a significant outage that took down major websites and services across the internet, including X, ChatGPT, and DoorDash.
  • The hosts discussed the dual impact of such an event. While the outage itself is negative and stressful for the company, it also serves as a powerful, real-world demonstration of how critical Cloudflare is to the functioning of the internet.
  • The outage acts as a form of marketing, with one host stating, "it's a great way to tell the world that the entire world runs on Cloudflare."

Takeaways

  • Systemically Important Infrastructure: The outage reinforces Cloudflare's position as a foundational piece of internet plumbing. Its services are essential for a vast number of businesses.
  • Brand Awareness Through Failure: While counterintuitive, high-profile outages can increase brand awareness and highlight the company's importance. For investors, this can reinforce the long-term investment thesis, as it shows how deeply embedded the company's services are. Dips in the stock price following such events could be viewed as potential buying opportunities by long-term believers.

Investment Theme: Land & Real Estate

  • The hosts describe land as potentially "the most undervalued asset by the current generation of investors."
  • The key argument is that unlike digital assets, land is fundamentally scarce and cannot be easily replicated or "copy and pasted" like a digital file or a blockchain.
  • A personal anecdote was shared about the hosts considering leasing a commercial property, only to discover a machine in a hidden, sealed-off room that was "cleaning the soil" from contamination left by a machine shop almost 100 years ago. The real estate broker downplayed the issue, telling them not to worry about it since they were only leasing.

Takeaways

  • Bull Case for a Scarce Asset: The podcast makes a bullish case for land as a tangible, finite asset in a world increasingly focused on the digital. Its fundamental scarcity provides a potential hedge against the inflation of digital goods.
  • Crucial Importance of Due Diligence: The story about the contaminated soil is a powerful cautionary tale for any real estate investor. It highlights the critical need for thorough due diligence, especially concerning environmental history and potential hidden liabilities that can render a property worthless or saddle an owner with massive cleanup costs. Never take a broker's word at face value.
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Episode Description
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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.