Jacob Kastrenakes
Nilay took the 2024 Polestar 2 for a spin.
“It’s wicked fast,” he says. But naturally, he’s mostly here to talk infotainment systems and CarPlay.
Jacob Kastrenakes
Executive Editor
Executive Editor
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Jacob Kastrenakes
“We are basically becoming the Android of agriculture.”
Penmetsa says Monarch Tractor is licensing its technology to other tractor companies and is very open about sharing data with “everybody who works in the food ecosystem.”
“Today we know more about the DoorDash person who delivered our food than the person who grew our food,” he says.
Jacob Kastrenakes
Monarch Tractor CEO Praveen Penmetsa is up.
He’s speaking with Verge EIC Nilay Patel.
Monarch makes an electric, autonomous tractor that runs on top of Nvidia AI tech. It’s a big day for AI convos, and Penmetsa’s company is trying to expand the tech to a very different corner of the market than everyone else.
Jacob Kastrenakes
The AI question is here:
Is it a threat to creators, Boorstin asks?
Here’s Allen:
It’s a phenomenal tool it’s new to us, and we have to really work hard to make sure it doesn’t get out of control. If we handle it right we’re only going to be better.
Jacob Kastrenakes
“[Iger] texted me back and said, ‘I’m not ready.’”
But Allen is staying on top of Disney anyway so that when Iger is ready to sell ABC, he’ll be first in line.
“Their biggest challenge is how do you decouple it. How do you pull it out of their ecosystem? It’s integrated into everything Disney.”
Once Iger does figure it out, Allen says, “I’m gonna chase it down like a lion chasing down a gazelle.”
Jacob Kastrenakes
“The money, that’s easy.”
Allen says he isn’t worried about raising $10 billion to buy ABC. The thing that makes his offer so special: “Approval of the deal, that’s the commodity.”
He says tech companies can’t buy it because they “can’t even buy a lemonade stand today” without regulators getting upset. And the big media companies are “maxed out” in terms of broadcast assets under FCC rules.
“I’m the prettiest girl at the dance,” he says. “The best looking thing you’re ever gonna see this year.”
Jacob Kastrenakes
Allen says he made the Weather Channel start talking about global warming.
When he bought the network, Allen says employees wouldn’t discuss it because they “don’t want to offend certain people” — aka former President Trump.
“I said hold up, hold up,” Allen said. “You’re joking, right? ... I don’t care who we offend, we’re going to tell the American people the truth.”
Jacob Kastrenakes
Allen Media Group CEO Byron Allen is up next.
He’s speaking with CNBC senior media and tech correspondent Julia Boorstin.
Allen just offered $10 billion to buy ABC and other TV assets from Disney, so expect some questions about what he wants to do with those networks.
