Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht sit down for a heavy one. Digg's beta has been shut down, and the team had to make painful layoffs. Kevin breaks down the two forces that hit at the same time: usage that never reached the right product-market fit, and a relentless wave of AI-powered SEO spam attacks that exploited Digg's legacy Google authority and eroded platform trust faster than a small team could fight back. Kevin announces he's leaving True Ventures to return to Digg full-time, and lays out a vision for rebuilding with a tiny AI-augmented team that can punch above its weight class. The nostalgia play is done, and the next version of Digg will break the mold entirely. The rest of the episode covers the state of AI coding tools, how Claude Code is turning non-engineers into builders, the agentic future of computing, a hands-on look at the MacBook Neo, reactions to the AirPods Max 2 and Rivian R2 announcements, and a spirited debate about a color-changing condom that detects STIs.

SPONSORS
Claude - https://claude.ai/digg
AI assistant for coding, workflows, and desktop automation via Cowork. Check out Claude Pro for access to all features.

ZBiotics - https://zbiotics.com/DIGG
Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink, the world's first genetically engineered probiotic, designed to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Code: DIGG for 15% off your first order. Backed by a 100% money-back guarantee.

Mercury - https://mercury.com
Modern fintech platform for startups and entrepreneurs. No minimum balance, no monthly fees. Apply online in minutes. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

DeleteMe - https://joindeleteme.com/digg
Hands-free subscription service that removes your personal info from hundreds of data broker sites year-round. The #1 data removal service as named by Wirecutter. Code: DIGG for 20% off all consumer plans.

Monarch - https://monarch.com
All-in-one personal finance tool for budgeting, net worth tracking, investment monitoring, and financial planning. Code: DIGG for 50% off your first year.

CHAPTER MARKERS
0:00 Cold Open
0:48 Welcome to Diggnation Ep. 28
1:32 "It's Been a Week"
1:55 Digg Beta Shut Down and Layoffs
2:39 Why Product-Market Fit Wasn't There
3:12 AI Coding Crossed the Last Mile
4:10 Helping the Team Find New Homes
4:38 Back to the Drawing Board
5:12 Parasitic SEO Attacks on Digg
7:07 AI Agents Are Destroying Platforms
8:39 When Trust Is Your Product
10:05 The Go-Forward Plan for Digg
12:23 Kevin Leaves True Ventures to Return Full-Time
12:37 Why Now Is the Best Time to Be a Builder
13:45 Using Claude Code as a Technical Co-Founder
13:58 How AI Changed the Way Alex Talks to Humans
17:04 Robocalls, Prompt Injection, and the Cupcake Test
18:30 AI-Generated Snoop Dogg Birthday Song Demo
21:16 Team Regroup: Funding Intact, New Direction
23:04 Silver Lining: Now Digg Can Break the Mold
26:55 iPhone 17E First Look
28:20 Claude Cowork and Scheduled Tasks Explained
30:50 AI Will Be Intertwined with Every OS
33:11 Chat vs. Agents vs. Code: What's the Difference?
34:50 Claude Code /mobile: Code from Your Phone
35:30 The Post-Software World
37:25 YOLO Mode and Dedicated AI Machines
42:46 AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Too Heavy
45:33 Bowers and Wilkins and Nothing Headphones
47:40 Live Translation with AirPods
49:01 Rivian R2: Range, Price, and Self-Driving
50:54 What Are the Levels of Self-Driving? (Live AI Q&A)
55:10 Rivian Fleet Vans and the Camper Van Dream
57:20 MacBook Neo Hands-On: $599 Apple Laptop
59:55 Neo as a Dedicated AI Coding Machine
1:02:18 Mac Mini vs. MacBook Neo at the Same Price
1:03:31 Teens Invent STI-Detecting Color-Changing Condom
1:10:35 See You in a Few Weeks

In this week's episode, Kevin and Alex reunite after Alex's whirlwind trip to the UK, where he survived Manchester, explored Edinburgh's frigid beauty, and spectacularly broke his Dry January streak at a house party on January 31st. The conversation quickly turns to Kevin's upcoming birthday and his ambitious "year of health" plan to get absolutely shredded by his next tortoise-year milestone (yes, they calculated his age in giant tortoise years - he's only 34). The duo dives deep into the AI revolution, discussing the massive news that OpenClaw's creator Peter Steinberg has joined OpenAI, and what this means for the future of AI agents that can literally call restaurants, navigate phone trees, and order more booze for your party via robot dog. They also unpack a new study claiming AI fails at 96% of jobs - but Kevin points out the terrifying flip side: it's only been three years and AI has already captured 4% of human work.

The episode takes a wild turn when Alex pulls up footage of Chinese humanoid robots performing kung fu at the Spring Festival Gala, prompting legitimate concerns about why anyone would train robots in martial arts. Apple's upcoming March 4th event gets the skeptical treatment it deserves - when was the last time an Apple announcement actually blew anyone's mind? The hosts wrap up by discussing Logan Paul's $16.4 million Pokemon card sale and Kevin's newfound obsession with Disney's Lorcana trading card game, complete with a heartbreaking reminder that Kevin lost his entire comic book collection (including first-edition X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man) in the LA fires. Justin stops by to tease Digg's upcoming video posts feature and the new Grid View for visual communities.

Sponsors

Mercury: Banking redesigned for entrepreneurs — apply online in minutes
https://mercury.com/

DeleteMe: Get 20% off and remove your personal data from hundreds of sites
https://joindeleteme.com/digg (code: DIGG)

Monarch: Get 50% off your first year with code DIGG
https://monarch.com/

ZBiotics: Get 15% off your first order with code DIGG
https://zbiotics.com/digg

LMNT: Free 8-count sample pack with any purchase
https://drinklmnt.com/digg

Chapters
0:00:00 - Kirkland Champagne: The Official Drink of Chaos
0:00:18 - Welcome to Diggnation, Ex-Girlfriends Please Email In
0:01:51 - Kevin Doesn't Know What Spin the Bottle Is (Sure, Jan)
0:
02:07 - Alex's Scotland Adventure Was Beautiful and Freezing
0:03:42 - Alex's Dry January: A Heroic 30.5 Day Journey
0:05:05 - Ten Hours in the Frankfurt Airport, Send Help
0:06:36 - Kevin Is Only 34 in Giant Tortoise Years
0:09:01 - The Year of Getting Absolutely Shredded
0:10:45 - Ben's Philosophy: Does Booze Increase Enjoyment?
0:14:06 - OpenClaw Creator Joins OpenAI, VCs Are Crying
0:18:36 - AI Agents That Call BMW So You Don't Have To
0:21:03 - Robot Dog Orders More Alcohol for Your Party
0:25:16 - China Is Teaching Robots Kung Fu, We're All Doomed
0:28:45 - Would You Get a Massage From a Kung Fu Robot?
0:35:33 - The Costco Wine Hack That Changed Heather's Life
0:37:14 - Kevin's Childhood String Cheese Column Obsession
0:39:34 - AI Fails at 96% of Jobs (But Give It Five Years)
0:43:44 - Your Fitness App Is About to Become Obsolete
0:46:48 - Alexa, Say "Breakfast" in Every Room Challenge
0:47:07 - Apple's March Event: When Did We Stop Caring?
0:50:50 - Remember When the iPhone Was Actually Exciting?
1:00:00 - Logan Paul's $16.4 Million Pokemon Card Flex
1:02:00 - Kevin Discovers Lorcana and Catches the Bug
1:05:50 - Kevin Lost First-Edition X-Men in the Fire
1:09:01 - Digg Updates: Grid View and Video Posts Coming Soon
1:11:07 - Until Next Time, Stay Sober (Or Don't)

https://digg.com is live! Public beta is open for community creation!

January’s almost over, which means it’s either too late or just early enough to still say “Happy New Year.” In this episode, Kevin and Alex wade through that awkward seasonal purgatory, debate etiquette, and naturally land on Alex’s go-to insult: “Eat the bag.”

Kevin checks in on Dry January and confirms that sleep is, in fact, real. The conversation takes a turn into the serious realities of alcohol withdrawal before pivoting to some big Digg news: the public beta is officially live, and you can now create your own Communities. Yes, that includes one called /onlyfans, which has absolutely nothing to do with what you think unless you are deeply into industrial air movers.

From there, it’s a full tech firehose. The Metaverse is officially declared dead, Claude Code is writing entire web apps in minutes, and a startup called Humans just raised $480 million to make AI more collaborative, or possibly sentient. Also on the docket: foldable iPhones, mindfulness, Matt Damon’s attention span, and why chicken wings keep showing up in self-driving cars.

This one’s got layers.

Sponsors

Anthropic: Get 50% off your first 3 months of Claude Pro
https://claude.ai/digg

Monarch: Get 50% off your first year with code DIGG
https://monarch.com

Wispr Flow: Try it free
https://wisprflow.ai/digg

ZBiotics: Get 15% off your first order with code DIGG
https://zbiotics.com/DIGG

Chapter Markers

00:00 Intro
00:44 When Is It Too Late to Say “Happy New Year”?
01:28 Alex’s All-Purpose Insult: “Eat the Bag”
03:32 Dry January Update: Alex Hits 20 Days
04:52 Alcohol Withdrawal Gets Real
07:16 Digg Public Beta and Build-Your-Own Communities
08:36 The Confusing Purity of the “/OnlyFans” Community
09:33 AI Moderation Logs That Actually Make Sense
11:11 The Metaverse Is Dead. Long Live Reality
14:37 Matt Damon and the Shrinking Human Attention Span
15:40 Why VR and AR Still Feel Like Homework
19:16 Mindfulness, Explained by Thich Nhat Hanh
22:51 The Meaning of Life
24:53 John Cleese on Why Failure Is the Whole Point
27:01 Kevin’s New Coding Obsession: Compound Engineering
30:04 AI Context Windows and How the Magic Works
40:02 Foldable iPhones in 2026? Let’s Argue
42:34 iPad vs Mac and the UX Identity Crisis
44:18 Humans Raises $480M to Make AI Less Robotic
53:50 Tesla Goes Subscription-Only for Full Self-Driving
55:46 Tensor Auto and the Semi-Sentient Rideshare Wars
1:00:25 People Are Leaving Trash in Waymos. Including Wings
1:02:07 Outro