What a year. We went from “AI is the headline” to “AI is the workflow,” and that shift powered everything we talked about. We open with the honest state of play: OpenAI’s relentless pace, Google’s late surge into the front of the pack, and Apple’s awkward stall that has us eyeing a possible Gemini tie-up. Along the way we show, not tell—the tools we actually used on mic, from vibe-coding assistants to knowledge systems that feel like a usable second brain. The takeaway is practical: it’s not AI that replaces people, it’s people who use AI well.

Then we press into the streets. Waymo glides into Atlanta, Zoox scales up, and legged robots blur the line between vehicles and machines. Hardware heats up as Chinese manufacturers push ultra-premium devices and break assumptions about where the best ideas come from. We keep it grounded: what would we buy, what would we actually use, and what still feels like a demo chasing a headline.

On the culture side, the streaming chessboard gets wild. Netflix circling Warner Bros. Discovery raises real questions about HBO’s future, theatrical windows, and whether “the new cable” finally admits its name and price. Trailer strategy even becomes part of the story—multiple Avengers teasers locked behind Avatar screenings—while our own crew fights over Severance vs The Penguin and debates whether Avatar’s spectacle can outrun its formula. Raymond’s Nuggets keep delivering small wins that add up: health checks, unclaimed money, password sanity, and privacy tools you’ll use tomorrow.

Sports brings the spice. Our LeBron vs MJ “Battle of the GOATs” became the most-commented segment of the year, and we revisit the best points with new context. From a bruising NBA season and rising stars to MLB’s thrills and a wave of injuries, we unpack how storytelling shapes fan perception, including the LeBron vs Stephen A media moment that turned critique into a case study. We close by celebrating 16k subscribers, thanking our live producer and newsletter writer, and laying out a simple promise for 2026: more useful tech, sharper culture talk, and the same live energy that makes this show feel like a hangout with smart friends.

If you had a favorite moment from 2025—or a bold prediction for 2026—drop it in the comments, share this episode with a friend, and hit follow so you never miss what’s next.

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