We've Made Some Big Mistakes - WAN Show November 18, 2022

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This WAN Show episode centered on several self-critical and industry-critical topics: LTT’s RTX 4080 coverage and how pricing critiques can get lost in long-form reviews; Intel Arc’s rough real-world launch in a 30-day challenge; LTT Store shipping/support delays amid a surge in orders; and broader tech controversies including Twitter’s chaotic restructuring, crypto exchange FTX’s collapse, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet performance issues, Doom Eternal soundtrack allegations, CSGO skin gambling, and Apple’s privacy claims versus its own data collection.

Main Topics: RTX 4080 coverage and pricing criticism (Priority: 5/5): Linus and Luke dissect audience backlash over their RTX 4080 review, acknowledging the card was priced poorly and that their criticism appeared too late in the video. They argue reviews should evaluate products in context, but also admit they should have emphasized pricing more strongly and earlier. Intel Arc 30-day challenge (Priority: 5/5): They describe moving daily systems and even a VR rig over to Intel Arc, running into driver, streaming, encoding, power, and installation problems. Despite frustration, they frame the challenge as a fair test that may improve as Intel fixes issues over the month. LTT Store shipping and support delays (Priority: 4/5): The show explains increased customer support wait times due to a holiday surge, screwdriver shipments, pre-printed labels sitting too long, and warehouse/pallet-consolidation delays. They say they’re expanding support staff and pausing deals to let operations catch up. Twitter layoffs, chaos, and platform instability (Priority: 4/5): Riley and Luke discuss Elon Musk’s rapid restructuring of Twitter, including firings, ultimatums, Slack channel issues, badge-system lockouts, and mass resignations. They present a mix of skepticism, humor, and caution about hearsay versus verified facts. FTX collapse and crypto exchange risk (Priority: 4/5): The panel summarizes FTX’s failure, SBF’s misuse of exchange/user funds through Alameda, and the broader lesson that centralized exchanges can wipe out user assets. They stress that many crypto users care more about speculation than decentralization. Games industry crunch, Pokémon performance, and Doom/Eternal soundtrack dispute (Priority: 4/5): They cover game-industry crunch through the Doom Eternal OST allegations, where contractor obligations and missing contracts allegedly led to bad mixes and unpaid work. They also criticize Pokémon Scarlet/Violet’s severe performance problems as a sign of rushed development and release cadence issues. Valve skin gambling and Apple privacy (Priority: 4/5): Riley highlights underage CSGO skin gambling still thriving and questions who should protect kids: Valve, parents, or regulators. The episode closes on Apple’s app tracking transparency claims, arguing Apple’s own apps still collect extensive data despite privacy toggles.

Key Arguments: Long-form reviews can bury the most important criticism; if pricing is the biggest flaw, it must be stated early because many viewers leave before the end. Calling out inflated GPU pricing alone does not change consumer behavior when products still sell out; market demand and competitive pricing matter more than social-media complaints. Intel Arc’s value depends on whether it can function for ordinary gaming and encoding; a lot of enthusiast frustration comes from immature software and setup issues, not only raw hardware. Operational problems at LTT Store are partly a normal consequence of shipment volume, but label timing and support expectations were mishandled and needed correction. Twitter’s layoffs are chaotic and messy, but much of the public reporting is partial or hearsay; some details are verified, others are not. The FTX disaster reinforces that leaving assets on centralized exchanges is dangerous because users do not truly control their funds. In games, the combination of contractor work, crunch, scope changes, and schedule pressure creates recurring labor abuses that are often hidden until a public scandal erupts. Pokémon’s technical issues are framed as a management and release-cadence problem: either extend timelines, expand teams, or stop releasing products so quickly. Valve’s hands-off approach to moderation creates incentives for underage gambling and skin betting to continue, especially because the ecosystem benefits Valve financially. Apple’s privacy branding is undercut if its own apps still collect extensive user data after privacy toggles are disabled; misleading UI choices are a serious trust problem.

Data Points: RTX 4080 price increase: 71.42% - Compared with the RTX 3080 10GB: $700 to $1,200 RTX 4080 performance uplift: 1.5x - Linus cites performance versus RTX 3080 10GB RTX 4090 performance uplift: 1.6x to 1.7x - Compared with RTX 3090, sometimes more RTX 4090 price increase: 6.7% - From $1,500 to $1,600 Viewer retention by conclusion: 60% to 70% - Linus says only this share may still be watching by the end of a video Twitter original employee count: 7,200 - Referenced as the starting staff size before cuts Twitter remaining employees: 2,900 - Mentioned during the discussion of layoffs and ultimatum Twitter severance: 3 months - Luke notes departing employees may receive roughly three months LTT support team growth: 2x now, another 50% hiring planned - Used to explain expansion in customer support capacity LTT support team final size: 3x - Projected after planned hiring completes Polled opt-out rate for ATT: 96% - US users opting out of tracking in early days of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency CSGO AK skin sale: over $400,000 USD - A rare AK-47 Case Hardened pattern 661 skin reportedly sold for this amount Skydiving licensing package: $2,800 - Discussed as the cost to pursue a skydiving license package Skydiving training requirement: 12 dives - Mentioned as part of the licensing package Arc test launch timeframe: 30 days - Linus and Luke’s Intel Arc challenge duration Doom Eternal OST unpaid period: 11 months - Mick Gordon alleges he was not paid for this period Spotify-style data context: All actions, profile IDs, hardware IDs, keyboard language, timestamps, durations, subscription status, installed apps - Examples of data Apple apps were reported to collect

Pivotal Quotes: "The bottom line is that it doesn't make a difference." — Linus: A discussion of whether public complaints change GPU pricing behavior "Once you go arc, you never go back to ARC again." — Linus: A joke introducing the Intel Arc challenge "These buttons do nothing." — Luke: Summary of Apple privacy toggles allegedly failing to stop Apple-app data collection

Implications: The episode reinforces skepticism toward hype, branding, and platform promises. For listeners, it suggests buying decisions, privacy choices, and trust in tech companies all require more scrutiny than marketing or social consensus provides.