Subvolts take OpenAI's Pentagon deal, Block layoffs, and Perplexity's AI agents show AI's rapid, sometimes messy, industry impact. Mar 4, 2026
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Learn about new AI agent systems and how companies are restructuring due to AI.
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Hype note
3/5Notable

This episode covers significant news and analysis of major AI companies' strategic moves and industry impacts.

OpenAI's Opportunistic and Sloppy Deal

1 h 11 News roundup Hosts: Jason Howell, Jeff Jarvis
0:001:11:11

Audio streams from Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis. Your place is remembered on this device.

From Subvolts

Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.

Summary

On the AI Inside podcast, hosts Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis discuss the Pentagon's fallout with Anthropic over military AI and OpenAI's subsequent deal. They also cover Block's layoffs, Perplexity's new AI agent system, Meta smart glasses privacy concerns, and a Supreme Court ruling on AI copyright. The episode examines recent developments and their implications for the AI landscape.

Explained simply

This episode covers big AI news. It explains why the military broke up with one AI company and quickly made a deal with another. It also looks at how AI is changing jobs and creating new smart computer systems.

Why listen

This episode offers a comprehensive roundup of significant AI news, connecting major lab activities to broader industry trends. It's for anyone tracking AI's impact on business, policy, and consumer privacy. Listeners will see how OpenAI's strategic moves, like the Pentagon deal, fit into the competitive landscape with Anthropic and how AI adoption is influencing corporate restructuring and product development across the tech sector.

On the mic
  • HostJason Howell
  • HostJeff Jarvis
About
Key facts
  • Episode Title: OpenAI's Opportunistic and Sloppy Deal
  • Show: AI Inside (an official OpenAI show)
  • Length: 71 minutes
  • Pentagon Breakup Reason: A ‘Fight About Vibes’
  • OpenAI Deal Admission: Sam Altman admits it looks ‘sloppy’
  • Block Layoffs: 40% of Workforce
Show notes from Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis

This episode is sponsored by Airia. Get started today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠airia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis unpack the Pentagon's fallout with Anthropic over military AI, OpenAI's rushed deal to replace them, Block cutting 40% of staff, blaming AI, Perplexity launching a multi-agent computer system, a whistleblower exposing Meta smart glasses privacy issues, and the Supreme Court rejecting AI copyright claims.


Note: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor.

CHAPTERS:

Jargon decoded
AI agent
Perplexity
A smart computer program that can do tasks, sometimes by telling other programs what to do.
Published
Show
AI Inside · Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis
Length
1 h 11
Companies
OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, Meta, xAI
Products
Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Grok, Computer
Summary by
Subvolts, using an AI model (how we work). Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Questions people ask

Why did the Pentagon end its relationship with Anthropic?
The notes suggest the breakup was driven by a 'fight about vibes' regarding military AI.
What is Perplexity's new 'Computer'?
Perplexity's 'Computer' is an AI agent system that assigns tasks to other AI agents.

Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis.