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
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.
World poverty: 60% in 1950 vs 10% today
In 1950, about 60% of the world lived in extreme poverty; today it's about 1 in 10, attributable to capitalist economic growth.
6M US children fell into poverty 2021–24
From 2021 to 2024, 6 million children fell below the poverty line in the US after the expanded child tax credit expired.
Private adoption costs $40,000–$70,000
Private domestic infant and international adoptions typically cost $40,000 to $70,000, while foster care adoption is the most affordable route at $0 to $2,000.
Only 40% of men have ever reproduced
Historically, only 40% of men have ever reproduced — Galloway uses this to argue that romantic success requires effort, not a hall pass.
7th of 10 children
Robby Hoffman is the 7th of 10 children raised in a Hasidic household in Montreal, where the family was poor and comedy was a survival mechanism.
No concept of 'too soon'
Robby's Hasidic community had no concept of 'too soon' in comedy — if it was funny, you threw it, and if you bombed, your sibling told you immediately.
Discovered gay at 17
Robby didn't realize she was gay until age 17, when a persistent Italian classmate followed her into a bathroom stall at an end-of-semester bar event.
