Mentioned in today’s edition: Jeff Bezos, Apple, Claude Code, Mac mini, Meta, Toto, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Pixel 9s. Plus, deals on Dreame robot vacuums, TP-Link security systems and DJI drones.

The News

Is AI draining its users’ brains by making them feel like Jeff Bezos?

A new Harvard study (HBR) says AI isn't making work easier but it is making people work at all hours. Steve Yegge — whose recent claim to fame was inventing a deranged multi-Claude agentic interface called 'Gas Town' — said working with the "AI vampire" is exhausting him so much that he sleeps all the time (Medium). A VC guy working at an Amazon-owned fund posted on social media that Silicon Valley parties are being ruined because people are staying sober and leaving early because they want to check in on their constantly working AI agents (Bluesky). 

The Sizzle: Allow me to peer through the ridiculous bluster from the AI guys: for all the talk about jobs being taken with AI, the actual impact of AI so far is how work is changing for those early adopters. Whether you're vibecoding for a company or producing AI slop to put on Facebook — what's the difference, am I right folks? I'll be here all week, try the veal — it does seem like using AI changes your job to be more like a manager: reviewing output, coming up with plans, problem solving etc. 

What does this mean for the way we all work if this really is the future (still a big if)? One of the big handbrakes on work has been friction of organisations and others' schedules, e.g. no point working after 5pm because there's no one else around to discuss or approve etc. But using AI might make you feel like Jeff Bezos. You've got this computer worker that will tirelessly churn on tasks around the clock, but it needs your approval for its next task (as long as you keep paying for more tokens). Except, you're not Jeff Bezos. You're not compensated like Jeff Bezos. You're just some guy. Instead of AI making our lives easier, its use could lure us into working all the time. 

Related reading: Are We Becoming Architects or Butlers to LLMs? (Metadata) 

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Forget AI devices, is your next laptop a foldable phone?

Apple is reportedly pushing ahead with the very un-Steve Jobs-like idea of releasing three AI-first products: glasses, AirPods with cameras and a pendant (Bloomberg, $). It's also set to release a foldable iPhone. I think there's a good case that, done right, the iFold could be a laptop killer for some. The Verge has a good piece living the #foldlife with a Galaxy Z Fold 7. Equipped with a folding keyboard, the reviewer Allison Johnson found that using the Purse Computer as her main device was doable.

Could you see yourself giving up the laptop for a good foldable phone? Would you want to? Let me know!

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

New Facebook Marketplace grift/scam just dropped...

I was looking around Facebook Marketplace for a second-hand Mac mini. I saw a nice little deal (in a listing that used lots of emojis etc, should have been a red flag). So, I sent the standard message "Is this still available?" I immediately got the red notification saying the advertiser had responded: 

It looks like this store is doing some kind of affiliate marketing or just advertising scheme to get people to post its products on Marketplace (and at intentionally low prices). And this guy has clearly just automated it all. Yet another kind of slop making these platforms less and less useful. 

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Leftovers

Australia:

Rest of World:

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Oh, Also

AI has made RAM too expensive. Could toilets be next?

The new hottest company for investors looking for exposure to the AI hype? Japan's biggest toilet maker, according to the Financial Times. It reports that an activist investor group has written to the company Toto — best known for its heated toilet seats and bidets — to demand that it pours more resources into its advanced semiconductor manufacturing arm. Toto's porcelain tech is apparently important to etching computer chips (really). I swear to god, if this makes TOILETS more expensive... 

The article also notes that another Japanese company had also become part of the AI boom: soup stock producer Ajinomoto "uses resin derived from its expertise in umami flavourings to make insulation material between chips and motherboards". Ha!

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Bargains

Electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius.

🤖 We love robots at the Sizzle but this newsletter has always been and will always be written by humans for humans. Also by Aussies for Aussies — so all prices are in dollarydoos, of course.

🗣️ Have any feedback, a tip or just want to chat? Send me an email or Signal message. I promise to reply!

💬 Want to hang out with other Sizzlers? There’s a subscriber-only Slack server and forum if you want to procrastinate and chat about tech-related news.

🌐 The Sizzle is on Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn if you’re feeling social.

💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the Beehiiv customer portal.

🎁 Make someone's day and gift them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.

💔 Don’t want this any more? I won’t take it personally. There’s a unsubscribe button at the bottom of this email or here’s a guide.

🦺 The Sizzle has been tested to meet and exceed ISO 3533 standards.

Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land

The Sizzle is created on Gadigal land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.