#91: Google’s $32B Deal and a Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!

Silicon Valley’s heating up—and we’ve got the inside scoop.

This week on More or Less, Jessica, Dave, Sam, and Brit unpack a whirlwind of drama: Google’s $32B Wiz grab, rippling’s spy scandal with Deel, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s bold intimacy coordinator diss. Dave’s back from YC Demo Day, where AI-driven startups are still fetching 25 to 40 million despite shaky traction.

Here’s what’s cooking:

• Google’s Wiz deal—will Trump’s FTC let it fly?

• Rippling vs. Deel: a spy caught in a Slack honeypot

• Gwyneth says no to intimacy coordinators—culture’s shifting

• Brit’s new AI-built app, Guarding, locks down kids’ usernames

Plus, Solana’s PR flop, NVIDIA’s chip wars, and Elon’s billion-dollar X raise.

We’re also on ↓

X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspod

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moreorless

Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moreorlesspod

Connect with us here:

1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin

2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin

3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin

4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

00:00 Trailer

01:10 No introductions needed

03:34 The New York Times Ethics Department

07:06 Solana video disaster

13:16 Gwyneth Paltrow vs intimacy coordinator

17:03 Google acquires Wiz for $32 billion

18:59 Trump administration's tech leverage

30:08 Brit's app Guardling (higuardling.com)

35:06 The Silicon Valley Spy Scandal!

46:34 Are there VC spies?

50:53 Elon raises a billion for X

52:19 Drive-through AI and going bankrupt

56:29 Sam Lessin has left the chat

59:03 Outro