SF average rent up 18% in 2 years
San Francisco's average rent rose 18% over the past two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City as the most expensive rental market in the country.
Snapshot · Pivot
Zuck's Meta Manifesto, Data Center Wars, and AI Slop Pushback
Explore episode
Aug 11, 2026
Where this was said
Wins and Fails: DuckDuckGo Glasses, Spotify's Ad-Skip Button, OpenAI Safety Win, SF Rent, and AOC's Eggs
At 1:02:22 · chapter starts 55:50
The wins-and-fails round delivers a range of topics in quick succession. Kevin's win is DuckDuckGo releasing anti-surveillance branded sunglasses — no cameras, no microphones — as a pointed troll of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses [1] — Kevin Roose "DuckDuckGo launched anti-surveillance branded sunglasses with no cameras or microphones as a pointed stunt mocking Meta's Ray-Ban smart gla…" 59:19 . His fail is Spotify reportedly testing an automatic ad-skip button that would jump users past podcast ad breaks, which Kevin frames as a direct threat to the ad-supported podcast model. Casey's win is more serious: OpenAI acknowledged its newest models may have reached 'critical capability' and is slowing development — a genuine display of corporate responsibility that Casey says he no longer takes for granted [2] — Casey Newton "OpenAI acknowledged its newest models may have hit 'critical capability' — its most serious internal risk level — and pledged to slow devel…" 1:01:39 . Casey's fail is San Francisco's average rent climbing 18% over two years to $3,728/month, surpassing New York City, driven by the AI tech boom with no corresponding housing supply response. Kara closes the round with a pointed rant defending Anne Hathaway's pregnancy photos and AOC's decision to freeze her eggs at 37 against conservative critics, arguing that people who claim to care about fertility rates should invest in childcare and housing affordability rather than policing individual women's bodies.
DuckDuckGo's Anti-Surveillance Sunglasses: Just Normal Sunglasses
DuckDuckGo launched anti-surveillance branded sunglasses with no cameras or microphones as a pointed stunt mocking Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Kevin Roose calls it his win of the week: a clever bit of brand marketing that taps directly into growing public anxiety about surveillance tech.
Spotify Testing Ad-Skip Button: A Podcaster's Nightmare
Spotify is reportedly testing a skip-ahead button that automatically jumps users past ad segments in podcasts. Kevin Roose calls it a fail and a threat to the ad-supported podcast business model — though Kara Swisher suspects Spotify will walk it back.
OpenAI hit 'critical capability' threshold
OpenAI acknowledged it could not rule out that its newest models had hit 'critical capability' — its most serious internal risk level — and said it would slow down development.
OpenAI Hits 'Critical Capability' Threshold and Slows Down
OpenAI acknowledged its newest models may have hit 'critical capability' — its most serious internal risk level — and pledged to slow development and build real safeguards. Casey Newton counts this as a genuine win precisely because it's no longer safe to assume AI companies will voluntarily act responsibly.
SF average rent: $3,728/month
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
71% of Americans oppose new data centers
According to Casey Newton, roughly 71% of Americans are opposed to new data center construction, representing a major political headwind for the AI industry.
Similar snapshots
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Emotionally avoidant men often secretly sensitive
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Kierkegaard coined 'anxiety' 60+ years before Freud
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Americans gained 24 extra hours/month alone (2003–2020)
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Median marriage age rose 6–8 years per gender since 1970s
Median age at first marriage climbed from 21 (women) and 23 (men) in the 1970s to nearly 29 (women) and 30 (men) today — a rise of 6–8 years per gender, extending the 'emerging adulthood' liminal phase.
SF average rent: $3,728/month
San Francisco's average monthly rent now stands at $3,728, surpassing New York City to become the most expensive rental city in the United States.
Bobby walked 7 miles with dicks drawn on face
At a childhood sleepover, Bobby Lee's friends drew penises on his face and he walked 7 miles home on a dirt road before being picked up by Eric Purvis's mom.
