A Shortage of Shame - Why Black Friday Numbers Aren't What You Think

Is Black Friday really booming, or are inflated prices and AI shopping assistants just muddying the waters? This episode rips into the data, exposes retailer tactics, and debates if smarter tech is actually making us better shoppers.   • Black Friday data shows online sales strong, store results mixed • Silicon Valley's man in the White House is benefiting himself and his friends • View: Trump's AI agenda sails toward an iceberg of bipartisan populist fury • 'We do fail … a lot': Defense startup Anduril hits setbacks with weapons tech • Solar's growth in US almost enough to offset rising energy use • Datacenters in space are a terrible, horrible, no good idea • China leapfrogs US in global market for 'open' AI models • Danish authorities in rush to close security loophole in Chinese electric buses • The Ford F-150 Lightning was supposed to transform the industry. Now, Ford may pull the plug • Roblox is a problem — but it's a symptom of something worse • Warner Music and Suno strike deal for AI music, giving artists control over their likeness • Leak confirms OpenAI is preparing ads on ChatGPT for public roll out • Jony Ive, Sam Altman: OpenAI plans elegantly simple device • One tech tip: Modern cars are spying on you. Here's what you can do about it • How a GM EV1 was sold for the first time • GPU prices are coming to earth just as RAM costs shoot into the stratosphere Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Daniel Rubino, Sam Abuelsamid, and Mike Elgan This Week in Tech episode 1060 More Info: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1060 Sponsors: • http://ventionteams.com/twit • http://deel.com/twit • http://zapier.com/twit • http://Melissa.com/twit • http://zscaler.com/security Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Products we recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/twitnetcastnetwork TWiT may earn commissions on certain products. Follow us: Website: https://twit.tv/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twit.tv Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@TWiT Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TWiTNetwork Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twit.tv/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TWiT TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twittok LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/twit-llc #blackfriday #ai #roblox About us: TWiT.tv is a technology podcasting network located in the San Francisco Bay Area with the #1 ranked technology podcast This Week in Tech hosted by Leo Laporte. Every week we produce dozens of hours of content on a variety of programs including Tech News Weekly, MacBreak Weekly, Windows Weekly, Security Now, Intelligent Machines, and more.