Where this was said
GLM-5.2 vs. Sonnet 5 & The Live T-Shirt Demo
At 1:11:25 · chapter starts 1:10:10
The Sonnet 5 vs. GLM-5.2 debate is more nuanced than the episode's recurring cardboard-taste jokes suggest. Ben's actual defense of Sonnet 5 is narrow and specific: during the window when Fable was banned, it was the only model that could handle very long-running agentic loops requiring recursive self-calling, review subagents, and staged PR workflows. GLM-5.2 is fast, cheap, and produces clean code that a smarter orchestrator can command easily — and both hosts now prefer it in most subagent slots. [1] — Ben "GLM-5.2 is fast, cheap, and produces clean code easily controlled by a smarter orchestrator. Sonnet 5 edges it out only in one scenario: ve…" 1:10:10 The broader complaint about people equating GLM-5.2 with Sonnet 5 for capability is what Ben was actually arguing against. To punctuate the Sonnet 5 discourse, Theo issues a live challenge: have Sonnet 5 order a custom t-shirt reading 'Sonnet 5 made this shirt' via Codex computer use. The model navigates a custom apparel website, auto-populates the right zip code (alarming both hosts), and nearly completes the order — though the shirt design comes out misaligned over the right breast rather than centered. The episode closes on this chaotic note, with Ben threatening to 'slightly inconvenience' the Trump administration if 5.6 isn't out by next week.
GLM-5.2 is fast, cheap, and produces clean code easily controlled by a smarter orchestrator. Sonnet 5 edges it out only in one scenario: very long-running jobs requiring recursive self-calling and review loops. Outside that, GLM-5.2 wins on price-performance — and even Theo would pick it over Sonnet if he still had Fable.
Theo, mid-episode, gave Sonnet 5 a live task: use Codex computer use to browse the web and order a custom shirt that says 'Sonnet 5 made this shirt.' The model navigated a custom apparel site using browser automation, auto-filled Theo's zip code, and nearly completed the order — getting about as far as anyone expected.
