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Max Cherney

Tech Correspondent, Reuters · 2 appearances on the record.

computed by AI from the episodes · how this works → · full disclaimer →

journalist@chernandburn ↗reuters.com/authors/max-a-cherney ↗

Max Cherney investigates semiconductor developments, AI infrastructure buildouts, and the competition among chipmakers and cloud providers to build next-generation compute. Having previously covered chips for Barron's, MarketWatch, and Protocol, he is known for breaking scoops on industry leaders like Nvidia, Intel, AMD, and OpenAI.

9statements → 7claims → 2claims resolved → 3.67/5average certainty → 2.89/5average debate potential →

2 supported 0 partly supported 0 contradicted 5 not checkable as stated how the 7 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

3 predictions · 4 assertions · 2 opinions · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertions are the 7 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 2 are resolved, and 5 name no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how Max argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

Their most notable supported claim

Assertion Supported
Cherney: China Cannot Effectively Produce Sub-Leading-Edge Transistors Without EUV Machines
“They run up to up to the limit of like, they can't buy UV machines. The big ones that Lauren was just talking about. So if you can't buy those things, it's just fundamentally difficult to make transistors below a certain size and they can't do it effectively.”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 18:07 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode

How they sound: not measured why? →

We measure speaking style by listening to the audio itself, and a fair number needs at least 2,000 words from one person on tape we have measured. There is too little of Max Cherney on measured tape to publish a rate. This says nothing about how they speak.

Everything Max Cherney said on Big Technology that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Cherney: US chip designers have no contingency plan for Taiwan disruption
“Chip companies, the design companies in the US do not plan for this. The contingency plan, excuse me, is something along the lines of like, well, we're all kind of screwed if China invades, which, OK, but like, there's no real plan there.”
Max Cherney Jun 26, 2026 ▶ 53:11 Big Technology AI Summit (full): Greg Brockman, Mike Krieger, Aaron Levie & Friends of The Podcast
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Cherney: US chip designers have no real contingency plan for Taiwan invasion
“Chip companies, the design companies in the US do not plan for this. The contingency plan, excuse me, is something along the lines of like, well, we're all kind of screwed if China invades, which, OK, but like, there's no real plan there.”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 11:48 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode
Assertion Supported
Cherney: China Cannot Effectively Produce Sub-Leading-Edge Transistors Without EUV Machines
“They run up to up to the limit of like, they can't buy UV machines. The big ones that Lauren was just talking about. So if you can't buy those things, it's just fundamentally difficult to make transistors below a certain size and they can't do it effectively.”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 18:07 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode
Opinion
Cherney: Nvidia has run out of growth avenues outside China
“Nvidia has run out of places to grow. They can't sell to any more countries. They can't sell to any more hyperscalers. They can't sell to any more. Even they're going after the enterprise market, which is messy and complicated and difficult to actually make a …”
Max Cherney Jun 26, 2026 ▶ 58:09 Big Technology AI Summit (full): Greg Brockman, Mike Krieger, Aaron Levie & Friends of The Podcast
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Cherney: Soft-power exchange is more likely for Taiwan than military invasion
“I think what's a lot more likely is some kind of soft power exchange like what happened in Hong Kong over time. I think realistically, that's a more Likely option, although I'm not saying Xi Jinping won't just invade like he absolutely will.”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 12:07 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode
Opinion
Cherney: NVIDIA Has Run Out of Countries and Hyperscalers to Fuel Growth
“Nvidia has run out of places to grow. They can't sell to any more countries. They can't sell to any more hyperscalers.”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 16:46 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Cherney: Semiconductor factory buildouts are very likely to cause painful overcapacity
“It's very likely, I would say that we're going to lead, we're going to see some over capacity essentially. So like people are building, especially memory companies are building tons of factories right now. And typically the chip industry is, again, I'm sure ev…”
Max Cherney Jun 26, 2026 ▶ 43:47 Big Technology AI Summit (full): Greg Brockman, Mike Krieger, Aaron Levie & Friends of The Podcast
Assertion Supported
Cherney: SMIC cannot effectively manufacture advanced sub-node chips without EUV machines
“Their manufacturing process is, is a lot worse. Like one of the research firms just published an analysis of the sort of one of the new Chinese chips, like homemade by SMIC. And it's like, it's good, but they're, they run up to the limit of, like, they can't b…”
Max Cherney Jun 26, 2026 ▶ 59:18 Big Technology AI Summit (full): Greg Brockman, Mike Krieger, Aaron Levie & Friends of The Podcast
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Cherney: Chip industry likely faces overcapacity and severe cyclical downturn
“Very likely, I would say that we're going to lead, we're going to see some over capacity essentially. So like people are building, especially memory companies are building tons of factories right now. And typically the chip industry is, again, I'm sure everybo…”
Max Cherney Jul 10, 2026 ▶ 2:23 Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode

Appearances (2)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
Can NVIDIA Keep Its Lead? — With Anissa Gardizy, Max Cherney, and Lauren Goode Jul 10, 2026 4m
Big Technology AI Summit (full): Greg Brockman, Mike Krieger, Aaron Levie & Friends of The Jun 26, 2026 4m
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