Today, Paypal is a 70+ billion dollar company, but how did it start out? And why are the founders sometimes referred to as the Paypal Mafia? 

Today, Paypal is a 70+ billion dollar company, but how did it start out? And why are the founders sometimes referred to as the Paypal Mafia?

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Get in touch here: techstuffpodcast@gmail.com

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.
Get in touch here:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-stringify-link="mailto:techstuffpodcast@gmail.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu">techstuffpodcast@gmail.com</a>

TechStuff

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley’s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.

Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.

Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone’s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

Behind every innovation is a new kind of power. TechStuff unpacks how technology reshapes influence, creativity, and control, from Silicon Valley&rsquo;s rising moguls to the cultural forces they create. Because tech is the new religion, economy, and entertainment, all at once.
Each week, Oz Woloshyn and the brightest minds covering tech dig into the weird, funny, and sometimes unsettling ways technology, AI, and the internet shape our daily lives. From AI and social media to privacy, digital burnout, and the creator economy, they ask how all this innovation is changing who we are, how we work, love, and make meaning.
Smart talk, strange stories, and the questions everyone&rsquo;s Googling: whether AI will replace us, how social media is affecting our kids, and what it all says about us.

The Birth of Paypal

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/01a751d6-c80c-49fa-a81d-b1e6012021af/transcript

The Week in Tech is now a roundtable! Every Friday, Oz and three of the best writers covering Silicon Valley will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week, guests Reed Albergotti (Semafor), Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) and returning panelist Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) each share a story. Reed fills us in on what he saw at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, and why we shouldn’t ignore OpenClaw. Taylor gives a primer on Section 230, the 30-year-old foundational internet law, and why there’s a campaign to repeal it. And finally, Kyle tells us what ‘taste’ means to Silicon Valley’s tech bros and why it may annoy you. 

Additional Reading: 
We’re all living inside Jensen Huang’s ‘triangle’ | Semafor 
How Powerful People Became Obsessed w/ Section 230 | User Mag 
Why Tech Bros Are Now Obsessed with Taste | The New Yorker

The Week in Tech is now a roundtable! Every Friday, Oz and three of the best writers covering Silicon Valley will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.
This week, guests Reed Albergotti (Semafor), Kyle Chayka (The New Yorker) and returning panelist Taylor Lorenz (User Mag) each share a story. Reed fills us in on what he saw at the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose, and why we shouldn&rsquo;t ignore OpenClaw. Taylor gives a primer on Section 230, the 30-year-old foundational internet law, and why there&rsquo;s a campaign to repeal it. And finally, Kyle tells us what &lsquo;taste&rsquo; means to Silicon Valley&rsquo;s tech bros and why it may annoy you.&nbsp;
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/03/18/2026/jensen-huangs-triangle-mantra">We&rsquo;re all living inside Jensen Huang&rsquo;s &lsquo;triangle&rsquo; | Semafor</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.usermag.co/p/burned-out-doesnt-begin-to-describe">How Powerful People Became Obsessed w/ Section 230 | User Mag</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-tech-bros-are-now-obsessed-with-taste">Why Tech Bros Are Now Obsessed with Taste | The New Yorker</a></li>
</ul>

Did Nvidia Give OpenClaw Its ChatGPT Moment? - Week in Tech

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/018568e2-16f6-4b49-b986-b412018a8a91/transcript

Iran's Shahed drone costs $30,000 to build. The US missile sent to destroy it? Up to $4 million. Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict journalist Ben C. Solomon wants you to do the math. Oz sits down with Ben to break down the economics driving the conflict with Iran, why the Pentagon may already be making impossible choices about what to defend, and why Ukraine — largely abandoned by the West — has quietly become the world's leading authority on drone warfare.

Additional Reading: 
Ben C. Solomon Instagram: Just follow the money. 
Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones | Military Times 
US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian

Iran's Shahed drone costs $30,000 to build. The US missile sent to destroy it? Up to $4 million. Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict journalist Ben C. Solomon wants you to do the math. Oz sits down with Ben to break down the economics driving the conflict with Iran, why the Pentagon may already be making impossible choices about what to defend, and why Ukraine &mdash; largely abandoned by the West &mdash; has quietly become the world's leading authority on drone warfare.
Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVhXBtVkaou/">Ben C. Solomon Instagram: Just follow the money.&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/03/06/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones/">Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones | Military Times</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/04/us-interceptors-iranian-drones">US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian</a></li>
</ul>

$30K Drones vs $4M Missiles: Can the US Win This War? - The Story

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3101cc09-88f4-4a4b-ab9f-b41100288b38/transcript

The Week in Tech is back and it’s growing. Starting this Friday, Oz will be joined by a panel of the brightest minds covering Silicon Valley. Each week, they will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week, TechStuff asked Taylor Lorenz, Stephen Witt and Nitasha Tiku to share a story. Nitasha catches us up on the drama unfolding between Anthropic and the Pentagon. Stephen covers another tragic case of AI psychosis with fatal consequences. And Taylor makes the case for why 'social media addiction' is a harmful framework — and how age-verification laws could lead to mass surveillance and censorship of adults and children alike.

Additional Reading: 
Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over National Security Risk Label - The Washington Post
Gemini Said They Could Only Be Together if He Killed Himself. Soon, He Was Dead. - WSJ 
Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept 
The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all | Taylor Lorenz | The Guardian 

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

The Week in Tech is back and it&rsquo;s growing. Starting this Friday, Oz will be joined by a panel of the brightest minds covering Silicon Valley. Each week, they will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.
This week, TechStuff asked Taylor Lorenz, Stephen Witt and Nitasha Tiku to share a story. Nitasha catches us up on the drama unfolding between Anthropic and the Pentagon. Stephen covers another tragic case of AI psychosis with fatal consequences. And Taylor makes the case for why 'social media addiction' is a harmful framework &mdash; and how age-verification laws could lead to mass surveillance and censorship of adults and children alike. Additional Reading:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/09/anthropic-lawsuit-pentagon/">Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over National Security Risk Label - The Washington Post</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemini-ai-wrongful-death-lawsuit-cc46c5f7?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfNQqzA43J2WcJZgt6-yLIuD7dP7s3przenZi5zWoYYoF42tgiH6Vl2cL7bJL0%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69b35b5d&amp;gaa_sig=cU-F05ld3yjT0hpa4S1FKepFhK7sz1I-VVQKTU2OL50VcaBrKjLVrGX7URdPmNiMMBIlgzd5oomA3R52TeFdZA%3D%3D">Gemini Said They Could Only Be Together if He Killed Himself. Soon, He Was Dead. - WSJ</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://theintercept.com/2026/03/05/kosa-online-age-verification-free-speech-privacy/">Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/02/ban-children-social-media-biometic-data-surveilled">The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all | Taylor Lorenz | The Guardian</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 988 Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

Did Anthropic Have the Best Week in Tech?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/44cc64c1-bb23-4901-b0e3-b40c004337e5/transcript

The Birth of Paypal

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