Latest news with #TheJoeRoganExperience
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Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Elon Musk reignites feud with Sam Altman after OpenAI controversy surfaces
Elon Musk has once again directed public criticism toward OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, calling him 'Scam Altman' in a recent post on the social media platform X. The comment came shortly after the release of The OpenAI Files, a report raising concerns about OpenAI's governance, profit model, and safety practices. Musk framed his remark as a reaction to the revelations outlined in the report. Musk and Altman, both prominent figures in the tech and artificial intelligence sectors, share a history as co-founders of OpenAI. Musk served on OpenAI's board from its founding in 2015 until stepping down in 2018. He has since criticized the company's evolution from a non-profit research lab to a 'capped-profit' model, arguing that the move contradicts OpenAI's original mission of promoting safe and open AI development. In addition to their involvement in AI, both Musk and Altman have been vocal supporters of cryptocurrency, adding another dimension to their public personas and influence in the tech world. Musk, who leads Tesla, SpaceX, and X, has long promoted digital assets such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Tesla holds over $1 billion in Bitcoin, and Musk's public endorsements of Dogecoin have often impacted its market price. Altman, similarly, has expressed support for Bitcoin, describing it as a critical technological step during a 2023 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. He also launched the cryptocurrency Worldcoin in 2019, with a focus on decentralized identity and finance. Musk's recent criticism comes amid broader industry debates over the future of artificial intelligence. Centralized models, like those used by OpenAI, have been criticized for concentrating power and limiting transparency. Decentralized alternatives, often supported by crypto infrastructure, are being explored as a counterbalance.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy admits AI will ‘reduce' corporate workforce
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy ominously warned Tuesday that he expects the rise of generative artificial intelligence to 'reduce' the company's corporate workforce in the next few years. The Amazon boss, who replaced Jeff Bezos as CEO in 2021, said generative AI is a 'once in a lifetime' technology that 'should change the way our work is done' as the company integrates it into its business operations. As a result, Amazon will 'need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,' Jassy said in lengthy memo to employees that was also posted on the company's website. 3 Amazon CEO Andy Jassy outlined his thoughts on AI in a memo to employees. REUTERS 'It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company,' Jassy added. Amazon had a corporate workforce of approximately 350,000 employees as December. Overall, the company had more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time employees at the end of last year, including at its warehouse and fulfillment centers. Jassy said Amazon already has more than 1,000 generative AI services or applications in the works, which will 'small fraction of what we will ultimately build.' Amazon's inventory management, customer service chatbot and product pages are likely to get an upgrade as a result of AI. 3 Amazon CEO Andy Jassy replaced Jeff Bezos in 2021. REUTERS Employees should 'be curious about AI' and participate in efforts to learn 'how to get more done with scrappier teams,' he added. The remarks come as more AI leaders call out the likelihood that advancements in AI will shake up the labor market. Last month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei raised alarms when he warned that executives and politicians should stop 'sugar-coating' the mass layoffs that could occur in fields like tech, finance and law and be honest with workers. Amodei said he expects significant job losses in the next one to five years, with US unemployment potentially spiking to 20%, up from its current level of 4.2%. 3 A growing number of AI executives have warned that the technology will shake up the job market. jaykoppelman – In a dire scenario, AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white collar jobs, he suggested. Amazon isn't the only company likely to experience a major workforce shakeup as a result of generative AI. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg recently said he expects AI to take on a bigger role within Meta's workforce. 'Probably in 2025, we at Meta, as well as the other companies that are basically working on this, are going to have an AI that can effectively be a sort of mid-level engineer that you have at your company that can write code,' Zuckerberg said during an appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. Elsewhere, Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned in April 2023 that he expected 'knowledge workers,' such as writers, accountants, architects and software engineers, to be at risk.
Toronto Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Joe Rogan says ‘two former presidents' called Spotify over COVID commentary
Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience. Photo by PowerfulJRE / YouTube Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Joe Rogan claims that two unnamed ex-presidents were not fans of his controversial COVID commentary on his podcasts and called Spotify to complain. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In 2022, Spotify was under fire for allowing Rogan to spread what some perceived was misinformation about the coronavirus on his popular podcast. Neil Young pulled all his content from Spotify and encouraged others to do the same, claiming the digital streaming service 'has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation' — all for the almighty dollar. 'And then all of a sudden, I hear that Neil Young wants me removed from Spotify. I was like, 'What the f*** is going on? This is crazy,'' Rogan said on Tuesday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience . 'Spotify got calls from two former presidents,' he told guest Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a Houston-based otolaryngologist who wrote a book chronicling her battle against medical institutions for early COVID-19 treatments and health-care transparency. Spotify announced it would flag podcasts that cover COVID-19, however, Rogan says he was positively impacted by the backlash. 'I grew by two million subscribers in a month,' he boasted. 'People started listening, and they started listening, like, 'Oh, he's really reasonable and pretty humble about all this stuff and just asking questions.'' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rogan also slammed how some media outlets attacked his use of Ivermectin for treating the virus by referring to it as a horse dewormer. 'I'm, like, 'Why aren't you guys concentrating on the fact that a 55-year-old man is fine three days later during the worst strain?' 'It was during the Delta where everybody's freaking out. 'This one's going to kill us all,'' he continued. 'And I was fine in three days.' He said it was the COVID controversy that served as his 'wake-up call' when it came to mainstream media. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 'It's so dirty. It's such a dirty business,' Rogan said. 'God, I used to have massive respect for journalists,' he continued. 'If I had never done this podcast, I would be your regular schmo out there with, you know, just spitting out all the company lines and all the blast all over the news.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He added with a laugh, 'I kind of liked it better when I didn't think the world is filled with demons, money-hungry demons that are willing to sacrifice human lives in the pursuit of revenue.' Read More Rogan inked a new deal with Spotify in February 2024. The following month, Young announced he was returning to the streamer — but hadn't changed his mind about Rogan's comments. His decision to return was simply because other streaming services also featuring Rogan's podcast. 'I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify,' Young said in a statement. Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Music Toronto & GTA Columnists
Atlantic
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Atlantic
The Settlers With Their Sights on Gaza
As a chronicler of American subcultures, Louis Theroux is used to being in uncomfortable situations. But when he started to research his latest documentary—about Israeli settlers in the West Bank—what surprised him most was how open everyone was about their project, which violates international law. 'It was just shocking and strange,' Theroux told me, 'because most times, activity that feels really predatory or immoral takes place in the dark.' Some of the outposts depicted in The Settlers are illegal even under Israeli law, Theroux says—although the country's government just approved 22 additional settlements in the West Bank, in some cases retrospectively legalizing ones already established. Achieving such expansions has been the life's work of Theroux's main subject, Daniella Weiss, who is widely described as the 'godmother' of the settler movement and boasts on camera about having senior politicians on speed dial. When Theroux tells the 79-year-old that moving a civilian population into a conquered territory is considered a war crime, Weiss laughs. 'It's a light felony,' she replies. Her next target is the Gaza Strip. To Weiss, the timing seems perfect. Israel's war on Hamas has displaced a majority of the population in Gaza at least once, according to the United Nations, and Donald Trump has spoken of turning the area into the ' Riviera of the Middle East.' In America, this idea of Mar-a-Gaza has become a late-night-show punch line, but to the most hard-core Israeli settlers, retaking the Strip would be the fulfillment of a longtime dream. The Settlers was broadcast in Britain, where I live, in late April. Within hours, bootlegged versions were circulating on X, where they racked up millions of views. This shouldn't be surprising, because many online outlets, from The Joe Rogan Experience to the start-up Zeteo, have taken a more skeptical line on Israel's war objectives than the major U.S. television networks, reflecting the views of their audiences. Theroux, who is British-American, described himself to me as 'not terrifically political,' but he has nonetheless created a damning portrait of a group of religious extremists who believe that their claim to the West Bank comes from a higher authority than any mere UN directive or international treaty. Like many of the settlers Theroux interviews in the film, Weiss believes that the Jewish homeland is her birthright. 'She embodied this emboldened settler movement, both in her outlook, the fact of how long she'd been doing it, her level of influence, the passion she projects, and her kind-of completely uninhibited quality,' he told me. Toward the end of the film, Weiss even shoves him to make a point. Were he to respond in kind, she says, people could present that clip out of context and accuse him of physically abusing a woman. The implication is that what Theroux calls 'settler violence' is merely self-defense—a natural response to Palestinian provocation. The documentary, which recently became officially available to watch in the United States on the streaming service BBC Select, also features a number of Americans who have moved to the region to pursue what they see as a more meaningful life. One of them, Ari Abramowitz, was born in Texas and came to live in the land he calls 'Judea and Samaria' after visiting as a teenager. He now runs a farm and vacation retreat in the West Bank. 'I'm so uncomfortable using the word Palestinian,' he tells Theroux of a local Arab village, 'because I don't think it exists.' Another, a man from New York who now lives in Hebron, tells Theroux: 'Our right to be in this land is the Torah, is the godly promise. Where we don't settle, terror grows.' Both men are armed with rifles when Theroux meets them. Theroux has tackled the settlers once already, in a 2011 documentary called The Ultra Zionists, which showed a more rounded picture—both the zeal of the West Bank arrivals and the backlash they face from displaced Palestinians. (When traveling with one settler convoy, Theroux's car was pelted with rocks; a settler house he visited was later firebombed.) This new documentary feels more polemic, focusing on the demeaning daily restrictions on Palestinian life and the intensity of the Israeli military occupation. 'The architecture and infrastructure of power and domination is really interesting,' Theroux told me. 'As much as the why of the psychology, or the political outlook, is fascinating—actually, if you strip that out, there's also this extraordinary process that takes place involving walls, gates, guard towers, specially built roads. And I very much wanted to do justice to that as well.' I'm not shocked that this documentary was made by the BBC, rather than an American network. To a degree that surprises me, many Americans treat pro-Palestinian activism as a fringe leftist pursuit, irredeemably tainted by disruptive and anti-Semitic protests on college campuses. But disillusionment and anger with Israel are widespread, among both ordinary voters and ruling politicians, in Europe and other places that are otherwise friendly to America and its allies. In a December 2023 filing in the International Court of Justice, South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. By October 2024, eight other countries, including Ireland and Turkey, had joined the case. In the latest YouGov sentiment tracker of six Western European countries, 'only 13–21% in any country have a favourable opinion of Israel, compared to 63–70% who have an unfavourable view.' Listen: Mossad's former chief calls the war in Gaza 'useless' Although only a small minority of the surveyed Europeans believed the October 7 attacks were justified, less than a quarter of respondents agreed that Israel's ongoing response is proportionate. These figures make uncomfortable reading for British Jews who abhor the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government but also recognize the existence of anti-Semitism within some parts of pro-Palestinian activism. My friend Hadley Freeman, for instance, wrote an agonized column reflecting on how the 'existence of anti-Jew hatred does not change the fact that thousands of people are dying on the Gaza strip.' In April, 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a group whose perspective is broadly pro-Israel, published an open letter condemning the war. 'Israel's soul is being ripped out,' they wrote. One inevitable criticism of The Settlers is that Theroux has unfairly focused on a fringe minority of Israelis in order to demonize the entire country, which is taking military action to respond to the October 7 attacks, rescue its remaining hostages, and protect itself from future terror plots. 'What could have possessed the BBC to make a documentary about the very worst Jews they could find?' Jake Wallis Simons, the former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, wrote after the initial broadcast on the BBC. By focusing on the 'freak show' of the viciously contested town of Hebron and demonstrating a lack of curiosity about Palestinian violence, Wallis Simons argued, the documentary showed a 'patrician, sneering perspective that in the eyes of the BBC passes for impartiality.' Theroux has indeed made a career out of interviewing extremists, weirdos, and people living marginal lifestyles. His previous subjects include swingers, porn actors, and the Westboro Baptist Church. By focusing on the hard-core settlers, is he being unfair? Theroux counters that some of Netanyahu's most powerful cabinet members, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, share Weiss's outlook. Smotrich, who oversees the civilian administration of the West Bank, has repeatedly threatened to leave the ruling coalition if Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza. Ben-Gvir is perhaps the most unpopular member, outside Israel, of Netanyahu's cabinet—a man who joked at a recent appearance in the U.S. about how little food Palestinian prisoners were given. In the film, Ben-Gvir appears at a settler rally where the annexation of Gaza is openly discussed, and he urges attendees to 'rebuild, settle, encourage Palestinian emigration and win.' Here in the U.K., the documentary aired just as elite opinion soured decisively on Israel's war in Gaza. Because Britain's most important ally, the United States, strongly supports Israel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's left-wing Labour Party has struggled to find a position that reconciles its supporters' distaste for Netanyahu and the demands of realpolitik. (The toxic legacy of the previous Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was kicked out for denying the extent of anti-Semitism that flourished among party members on his watch, has also complicated Starmer's response.) On May 19, however, Starmer released a joint statement with Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Carney of Canada condemning Israel's actions, and calling for more aid to Gaza and an end to settlement expansion in the West Bank. 'Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7,' the three leaders wrote. 'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.' The next day—less than a month after The Settlers appeared on the BBC—the British government sanctioned Weiss, declaring that she was involved in 'threatening, perpetrating, promoting and supporting acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.' (The Israeli government characterized this move, which prohibits Weiss from traveling to Britain and freezes any assets she might have in banks there, as 'unjustified and regrettable.') Theroux doesn't know if his documentary affected this decision, but 'it seems coincidental, doesn't it?' He doubts the sanctions will make much difference to Weiss. On June 10, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were also sanctioned by Britain—as well as by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway—for what Foreign Secretary David Lammy described as their 'horrendous extremist language.' In response, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that America 'stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.' Like the majority of my fellow Britons, I don't believe that Israel is currently fighting a proportionate war. Launching a new armed campaign against Iran strikes me as reckless. Netanyahu is taking advantage of the Trump presidency to prolong the Gaza conflict, keeping his extremist coalition partners in the fold and himself in power. In doing so, he is being cheered on by Ben-Gvir, Weiss, and others in the settler movement who believe that they have an uncompromisable right to disputed land, backed by God's will and military might. No single film can do justice to the complexity and tragedy of the Middle East. But even if Theroux has settled upon the 'very worst' interviewees he could find, it's troubling that they have support at the highest levels of Israel's government.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
On CDC vaccine panel, RFK Jr. makes a bad situation much worse
Four months into his tenure as the secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has approached vaccine policy in a predictably dangerous way. The longtime anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has not only narrowed vaccine eligibility standards and changed official recommendations, Kennedy and his team have also halted potentially lifesaving vaccine research. It was against this backdrop that the unqualified Cabinet secretary made matters worse this week, ousting the members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent vaccine advisory committee. As NBC News reported, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) 'consists of medical and public health experts — including pediatricians, epidemiologists and geriatricians — who make recommendations to the CDC about who should get certain vaccines, including the schedule for childhood vaccinations.' After Kennedy removed the qualified experts — reportedly for political reasons — Dr. Sean O'Leary, an infectious disease expert with the American Academy of Pediatrics, told The New York Times that the move should be seen as 'an unmitigated public health disaster.' Soon after, the health secretary tried to reassure the public that he'd replace the respected scientists with 'highly credentialed' successors. You can probably guess what happened next. The New York Times reported that Kennedy announced several new additions to the ACIP panel, 'including four who have spoken out against vaccination in some way.' From the article: By far the most contentious pick, and the one with the highest profile, is Dr. Robert Malone. He played an early role in mRNA research and has claimed to be the inventor of the technology. He became a right-wing star after a 2021 appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' that exposed both him and Mr. Rogan to criticism that they had spread misinformation. Dr. Malone was a vocal critic of the Biden administration's Covid response. The Times quoted one infectious disease expert who noted that Malone 'has a well-documented history of promoting conspiracy theories and unproven treatment like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19.' The Wall Street Journal noted that Kennedy also tapped Vicky Pebsworth, a nurse with a Ph.D. in public health, 'who is a board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, an organization that advocates against vaccines.' The same new list also included Dr. Retsef Levi, who wrote via social media in 2023, 'The evidence is mounting and indisputable that mRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, especially among young people.' Kennedy removed 17 members of the ACIP panel on Monday, and he's now announced eight replacements. As for the other nine, watch this space. This article was originally published on
