Inside the A.I. Talent Wars
The Daily
08/25/25
•26m
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The race to dominate artificial intelligence has become a scramble for talent, with tech companies offering pay packages of $250 million and poaching their competitors’ best employees.
Mike Isaac, who covers the tech sector for The Times, explains why all the hype is raising fears that A.I. could become the next big bubble.
Guest: Mike Isaac, a New York Times reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering tech companies and Silicon Valley.
Background reading:
- To navigate the recruitment frenzy, many A.I. researchers have turned to unofficial agents to strategize.
- Life for workers at Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies has changed as the behemoth firms have aged into large bureaucracies.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Photo Illustration by Ihor Lukianenko, via Getty Images
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Previous Episode
‘Modern Love’: Bridget Everett Says A Best Friend Can Be Your Greatest Love
August 24, 2025
•38m
Stories of romantic love are everywhere, but the actor, singer and comedian Bridget Everett says that friendships deserve our attention, too. Onscreen and in everyday life.
Last Fall, Everett appeared on Modern Love to talk about her HBO Original series “Somebody Somewhere,” which centers on a close friendship. Now she’s nominated for an Emmy Award for writing the show, along with Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen.
In “Somebody Somewhere,” Everett stars as Sam, a woman struggling with grief and self-doubt after losing her sister. As Sam grows closer to her friend Joel — played by Jeff Hiller, an Outstanding Supporting Actor nominee — the future starts to look more bearable.
In this episode of Modern Love, Everett tells Anna Martin why she’s looking for a friendship like the one Sam and Joel have on the show. She also reads a Modern Love essay called “When Your Greatest Romance Is a Friendship,” by Victor Lodato. Lodato was in his 40s when he fell into a platonic life partnership with an artist in her 80s, who lived across the street.
In April 2024, Lodato published “Honey,” a novel inspired by Austin Brayfield, the friend he wrote about in his essay.
Find new episodes of Modern Love every Wednesday. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Next Episode
How America Got Obsessed With Protein
August 26, 2025
•31m
Seemingly overnight, Americans have become obsessed with pumping as much protein as possible into every drink, snack and meal.
Elizabeth Dunn, a writer and contributor to The Times, explains the origins of this latest nutrition craze.
Guest: Elizabeth Dunn, a writer and contributor to The New York Times.
Background reading:
- The David bar, basically a protein Scud missile wrapped in gold foil, has had breakout success. But can the trend last?
- Read a fact-check about some of the big claims made about protein.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: David Chow for The New York Times
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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