Topic: Baidu

During President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, several major tech deals were announced, including Microsoft making Baidu the default search engine in China. Cisco and LinkedIn also entered into joint ventures with Chinese partners to expand their market presence. The segment explores the tension between these business alliances and ongoing concerns about state-sponsored hacking.

Bitcoin prices have surpassed $300 following endorsements from institutional investors and acceptance by Chinese firms like Baidu. The launch of Silk Road 2.0 occurred just one month after federal agents shuttered the original site, prompting Senator Tom Carper of the Senate Homeland Security Committee to call for adaptive federal policies. Skepticism remains regarding the legitimacy of the new marketplace due to unrealistic drug pricing displayed in media reports.

Bitcoin's price surge to over $180 is discussed following news that the Chinese website Baidu is accepting the digital currency. The hosts speculate that Bitcoin's transparent ledger makes it an ideal tracking mechanism for intelligence agencies.