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there is no There has never been a tougher time to start a company around artificial intelligence. Server fees are astronomical. And the talent market is booming, meaning you’ll pay exorbitant amounts for the best talent. Even if you raise capital, hire more people, get your product off the ground, and start making headway in a competitive field, the specter of Big Tech looms overhead. Silicon Valley’s super-carnivorous raptors – Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta – will be ruthlessly eyeing your best employees and the fat prey of your intellectual property.

But they can’t just buy companies. Not anymore. An outright takeover could attract the attention of regulators in the U.S. and Europe, where governments are stepping up antitrust efforts. Now, rather than gobbling up companies, big tech companies are licensing their technology and inviting their top talent into their offices to work with their own employees. This approach isn’t really an acquisition, it’s more like buy-and-hire, which also involves partnerships, but we’ve seen it a few times in recent months, and we expect to see more of it in the future.

This week, WIRED senior writer Paresh Dave returns to the show to discuss current trends in partnerships between smaller AI companies and tech giants, and how regulators are cracking down on Google in particular.

Show Notes

Read about the US court ruling that found Google engaged in monopolistic practices to increase its search engine dominance. Read more about Character AI, Meta, and customizable chatbots. Read all of WIRED’s antitrust coverage.

Recommendations

Paresh suggests playing games on Netflix. TriviaverseMike recommends a new documentary Queen of the Mountains: The Summit of Lhakpa SherpaIt is also available on Netflix. Lauren’s recommendation is “Inside the secret negotiations to free Evan Gershkovich” from The Wall Street Journal.

Follow Paresh Dave on social media @Pead 33Lauren Good @Lauren GoodMichael Carole is @Snack FightThe main hotline is @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@).Boone AshworthThe theme song is Solar Key.

How to listen

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If you have an iPhone or iPad, open the Podcasts app, or Tap this linkYou can also download apps like Overcast and Pocket Casts and search for Gadget Lab. Spotify That too, if you really want that, here’s the RSS feed.