Archive

The complete OZ Talking archive of analysis across technology, economics, and the humanities.

2026

Issue #58Business

Economists Got 5x Faster. But What About Quality?

The real contest is between how fast we catch errors and how fast we create them.

Issue #57Society

PhD Students in the AI Era: Blessing or Curse?

If AI now does the work a PhD is meant to teach, what does the degree actually prove?

Issue #56Society

arXiv Leaves Cornell After 35 Years to Go Independent

The nonprofit platform hosting cutting-edge AI and physics research is severing its 35-year tie to Cornell University.

Issue #55Society

What Happens When You Measure Journalism by Data

Bezos didn't bring restructuring to The Washington Post—he brought Amazon's entire operating philosophy

Issue #54AI & Tech

Inside America's $165 Billion Bet to Rebuild Chipmaking

America invented the semiconductor — now it's relearning how to make one, with $165 billion riding on the Arizona desert.

Issue #53Business

TikTok's $10 Billion 'Fee' Isn't Really About a Fee

The US government is testing how to turn regulatory power into a revenue-generating asset

Issue #52AI & Tech

Adobe Paid $75M Over Dark Pattern Subscription Traps

If signing up takes one click but canceling takes six, that's not UX — that's a trap.

Issue #51AI & Tech

How a Memory-Saving Algorithm Tanked Memory Stocks

Google's TurboQuant compression algorithm rattled memory stocks Wednesday — but what actually got shaken?

Issue #50Society

If AI Must Pay Taxes, How Much Should It Owe?

The era of taxing labor is ending—the real question is what comes next.

Issue #49AI & Tech

OpenAI's Five-Punch Day Reveals Its Real Strategy Shift

Sora didn't fail — OpenAI abandoned it on purpose.

Issue #48Business

China's 15th Five-Year Plan: Structure Over Speed

The era of speed is over — what Beijing is really trying to change is the fundamental makeup of its economy.

Issue #47Business

Perplexity Profits on Every Sale — But Not Enough Yet

Perplexity says every revenue dollar has a positive gross margin, yet the company still loses money. Here is what its AI costs reveal.

Issue #46Business

Your Sadness Is Someone Else's Ad Timing

When feelings become merchandise, protecting minors alone isn't enough to solve the problem.

Issue #45Society

Give AI Agents a Prepaid Card, Not Your Credit Card

The age of handing AI agents a 'wallet' has begun. The real challenge isn't technology — it's designing trust.

Issue #44Business

Why "Just 1,000 Fans" Is a Dangerous Myth

Growth isn't decided by fan count—it's decided by the structure of reach.

Issue #43AI & Tech

NVIDIA GTC 2026: The Blueprint, Not the Chips

One trillion dollars in order visibility, a $20 billion acquisition paying off, and the 'token factory' business model

Issue #42AI & Tech

AI Is Getting Smarter. Is It Also Getting More Alike?

A NeurIPS award-winning study finds that leading AI models converge on nearly identical answers to open-ended questions.

Issue #41AI & Tech

Could a One-Won Stamp on Every Email Kill Spam?

In a world where sending a message costs nothing, your attention became a free resource up for grabs.

Issue #40Business

Training Can't Fix Your Brain's Multitasking Bottleneck

New research overturns the long-held belief that practice lets us truly handle two tasks at once.

Issue #39Business

Why "Software Eats the World" Has Expired

As AI makes software abundant, economic power is swinging back toward the physical world of hardware.

Issue #38Society

How a Crayfish Bot Is Reshaping China's Tech Stack

China's 'crayfish-raising' craze is no fad—it's shaking up cloud, messaging, and AI model markets all at once.

Issue #37Society

Yakult Ladies: Japan's Safety Net, Korea's Delivery App

The same probiotic drink delivery workers prevent lonely deaths in Japan and deliver credit cards in Korea.

Issue #36Business

A 17-Year-Old's 3-Day Farm Game Beat Fortnite

The gaming industry's value chain is flipping upside down, with teenagers driving the shift.

Issue #34AI & Tech

Does Mouth Taping Actually Help You Sleep?

200 million views vs. 213 test subjects — tracking the science behind the mouth-taping trend