SEMAFOR

Reed Hastings says AI has been getting “roughly twice as good every year.” If that continues, he says, companies could gain enormous new capacity and use it to expand against competitors, unleashing “the great act of creative destruction.”

Is Netflix missing out by not streaming music? Robert Kyncl tells Maxwell Tani and Liz Hoffman he saw firsthand how music contributed to YouTube's growth and argues it would be "the single largest content ingestion that anybody could go through."

🟡 Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl joins Mixed Signals to explain what a record label actually does in a world where anyone can upload a song to Spotify. Maxwell Tani and Liz Hoffman ask Robert why Warner struck a deal with AI music company Suno while Sony and Universal are still suing it, how he thinks about the nuclear-weapons-style leverage labels hold over streaming platforms, and why he thinks Netflix is leaving a massive opportunity on the table by ignoring music. Listen to Mixed Signals from Semafor Media wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gPXW8rCq

Many factors have helped offset the dropoff in crude tankers exiting the Persian Gulf — but it’s becoming clear that another vital, if relatively modest, boost came from increased production in a handful of Western-hemisphere countries outside the top tier of global petrostates, Tim McDonnell explains.

🟡 Reed Hastings, who shook business models from Blockbuster to Hollywood studios in his 29 years at Netflix, says we’re underestimating the wave of “creative destruction” that’s coming as AI’s capacity grows, allowing companies to attack slower-moving rivals. As companies gain new capacity, he argues, they can cut costs or use those resources to expand against competitors. It’s not the paranoid who survive — “It’s the people who have judgment.” In this episode of The CEO Signal with Penny Pritzker and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, the Netflix co-founder and former CEO explains what #AI will demand of leaders, how he knew it was time to leave the company he created, and why he decided to turn around a loss-making ski resort for his second act. Listen to The CEO Signal wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gaHi_43C

"I think my shows connect because they are real." Is the internet maturing past manufactured virality in favor of more authentic content? Kareem Rahma of ‪SubwayTakes‬ talks to Maxwell Tani and Ben Smith.

Semafor has announced the Semafor Innovation Atlas, a new global editorial initiative spotlighting the most effective real-world applications of AI, robotics, and emerging technology. The editorial project will identify proven initiatives already delivering measurable results across healthcare, workforce development, education, responsible AI, and climate and energy. Selected projects will debut at Semafor’s Silicon Valley & The World this November, where leaders will examine what is working and what others can learn from initiatives with the potential to scale. Organizations, governments, universities, schools, nonprofits, and companies are invited to submit active projects for consideration by Friday, August 28, 2026. If your team is using technology to solve real problems and create scalable impact, submit your project for consideration here: https://lnkd.in/g6nQUVMJ

"The intention should not be virality." Kareem Rahma of SubwayTakes thinks too many creators are trying to go viral instead of making things with "heart."

Max Levchin may be Affirm’s founder and CEO, but he still introduces himself as an “immigrant engineer.” He explains how that identity shapes the way he leads, particularly when asking teams to build with AI.

SubwayTakes creator and host Kareem Rahma joins Mixed Signals to talk about reinventing the talk show for the vertical video era, and just how much it costs. Maxwell Tani and Ben Smith ask Kareem about how he built a show that feels spontaneous but runs like a TV production, why his Kamala Harris episode never aired, and his new show, Keep the Meter Running. They also get into his business model, what he learned from watching VICE go bankrupt, and much more. Listen to Mixed Signals from Semafor Media wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gytVQNmj