Épisodes

  • Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain

    Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
    Dec 12 2025
    The ACCESS Podcast covers the week's biggest moves in AI, tech, and media. This week, we dive into the industry shake-up: OpenAI is reportedly at a "Code Red" over Google's Gemini gains, while Apple and Meta are battling fiercely for top AI talent. We also touch on Netflix bidding for Warner Brothers as Paramount watches. Then, we sit down with special guest Maxime Germain, Founder and CEO of Beside. Beside is the AI receptionist answering millions of calls for over 20,000 businesses. Maxime shares the story of Beside, which spent 18 months in stealth under the name M1 and has already reached $4 million in Annual Recurring Revenue. We discuss: How Beside handles 2.5 million phone calls per month. Building an AI startup in Europe versus the US. Why they chose to build an "AI Receptionist" instead of another "meeting" app, focusing on the "real economy". Their long-term plan to become a full mobile carrier with SIM-level integration. Thoughts on AI memory and why everyone says their moats are disappearing daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 7 min
  • Is Roblox making the internet better or worse? We asked the CEO

    Is Roblox making the internet better or worse? We asked the CEO
    Dec 4 2025
    Ellis, Alex, and Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki dive straight into the child-safety discussion, why Roblox is rolling out facial age checks, and whether the entire internet is headed toward age-gating. They unpack the Hard Fork controversy, how Roblox thinks about user safety, and how AI will shape moderation, online communities, and the future of communication. What we cover Facial age checks to access chat and age-based communication controls. Hard trade-offs in moderation at scale, from Snap lessons to Roblox today. How Dave is thinking about AI and its impact on Roblox. Follow ACCESS Instagram: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 18 min
  • How to win as an AI wrapper with Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg

    How to win as an AI wrapper with Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg
    Nov 20 2025
    Ellis and Alex chat about Apple CEO rumors, group chat for ChatGPT, and ill-advised pre-show oysters. Then, they sit down with Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg to discuss how AI is changing the future of law, eliminating burnout for associates, and why async interviewing may be the wisest strategy for chatty candidates. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's ⁠Sources newsletter⁠ and on ⁠X @alexeheath⁠. Follow Ellis at ⁠Meaning⁠ and on ⁠X @hamburger⁠. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    59 min
  • Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev on predicting the future

    Robinhood’s Vlad Tenev on predicting the future
    Nov 13 2025
    Ellis and Alex chat about their first live pod recording in San Francisco, grandma-centric design, and how Alex finds new sources. Then, they're joined by Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev to discuss the rise of prediction markets, juggling priorities as a public CEO, and much more. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's ⁠Sources newsletter⁠ and on ⁠X @alexeheath⁠. Follow Ellis at ⁠Meaning⁠ and on ⁠X @hamburger⁠. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 4 min
  • Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela is simulating the world

    Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela is simulating the world
    Nov 6 2025
    Ellis and Alex chat about the Sources launch party, and living in late-stage extractionism. Then, they are then joined by Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela to discuss the hardest part about AI, why golf courses are a bigger problem than data centers, and how world models are changing our world forever. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's ⁠Sources newsletter⁠ and on ⁠X @alexeheath⁠. Follow Ellis at ⁠Meaning⁠ and on ⁠X @hamburger⁠. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 6 min
  • Eugenia Kuyda on software’s “YouTube moment”

    Eugenia Kuyda on software’s “YouTube moment”
    Oct 30 2025
    Ellis and Alex chat about turning life into an RPG video game, and are then joined by Replika and Wabi CEO Eugenia Kuyda to discuss her new app — for building your own hyper-personal apps in 5 minutes flat. They also talk about the MS-DOS era for AI, what’s wrong with AI companions today, and her advice for new founders getting started today. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's ⁠Sources newsletter⁠ and on ⁠X @alexeheath⁠. Follow Ellis at ⁠Meaning⁠ and on ⁠X @hamburger⁠. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 5 min
  • Android chief Sameer Samat on Google Pixel and the path to AI glasses

    Android chief Sameer Samat on Google Pixel and the path to AI glasses
    Oct 23 2025
    Ellis and Alex chat about their weekend escapades and OpenAI's new Atlas browser. They're then joined by Google’s head of Android, Sameer Samat, to unpack why headsets matter on the road to AR glasses and turning Gemini into a Jarvis-like assistant. They dig into the strategy for Google's Pixel’s phones, what Google learned from the Glasshole era, and Samir’s story of cold-emailing Sergey Brin at 3 AM. For full video episodes, subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@accesspod Follow ACCESS on Instagram and TikTok: http://instagram.com/accesspodcast http://tiktok.com/@accesspod Follow Alex's ⁠Sources newsletter⁠ and on ⁠X @alexeheath⁠. Follow Ellis at ⁠Meaning⁠ and on ⁠X @hamburger⁠. ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 2 min
  • Taking on Apple with Nothing CEO Carl Pei

    Taking on Apple with Nothing CEO Carl Pei
    Oct 16 2025
    Alex and Ellis recap the first month of the show and chat about the future of AI apps and ChatGPT allowing erotica later this year. They’re then joined by Nothing CEO Carl Pei to discuss building a new kind of smartphone company, competing with Apple, Gen Z, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 h et 8 min