Techmeme Ride Home

Among other things, learn how Miami Vice inspired the Golden Girls, how the Golden Girls helped finance the making of the movie Reservoir Dogs, whether or not Betty White and Bea Arthur hated each other, where the Golden Girls house was, and the real ages of the actresses when they were playing Golden Girls.

Special guest, Christina Warren, @film_girl!

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AT&T and Verizon say they’ve rooted out Salt Typhoon. Trump asks the Supreme Court to intervene in the TikTok situation. All the banks want to be like Tether. And as we slide into this new year, it’s a USB-C world now, we’re just living in it.

Links:

• AT&T, Verizon Say Networks Now Clear After Salt Typhoon Hack (Bloomberg)
• Trump Asks Supreme Court to Pause Law Threatening TikTok Ban (Bloomberg)
• Biden administration proposes new cybersecurity rules to limit impact of healthcare data leaks (Reuters)
• Banks Want In on Tether’s Billions in Stablecoin Profits (Bloomberg)
• ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ set to break records despite gaming slowdown (FT)
• The USB-C charging mandate arrives in the EU — here’s what that means (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly having problems deciding how make this whole, reclassifying as for-profit thing work. Oh, also, they secretly decided on a new definition of artificial general intelligence that is tied to tangible dollar value. At the tail end of the year, the most interesting new AI model of the year. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Microsoft and OpenAI Wrangle Over Terms of Their Blockbuster Partnership (The Information)
• Microsoft and OpenAI’s Secret AGI Definition (The Information)
• DeepSeek-V3, ultra-large open-source AI, outperforms Llama and Qwen on launch (VentureBeat)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Video Games Can’t Afford to Look This Good (NYTimes)
• Hawk Tuah Wasn’t What It Seemed (The Atlantic)
• The Paper Passport Is Dying (Wired)
• You Need to Create a Secret Password With Your Family (Wired)

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Was Calvin And Hobbes the greatest comic strip ever? Or maybe a great work of art of the 20th Century? Why did Bill Watterson disappear? Was Calvin "good" (morally)? Was Hobbes "real"? Why were there never any toys? Would we ever really want Calvin and Hobbes to come back?

With special guest @kibblesmith!

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How about a Ring Doorbell, but from Apple? How about Meta Ray Ban’s but crossed with Google Glass? How everybody is combining forces to bid for defense contracts. How Tether won the crypto profitability wars. And how Britannica has not only survived the Internet era, but is actually thriving?

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• Apple Explores a Face ID Doorbell and Lock Device in Smart Home Push (Bloomberg)
• Meta to add display to Ray-Bans as race over smart glasses intensifies (FT)
• Palantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contracts (FT)
• Tether Sees $10 Billion in Net Profits for 2024 (Bloomberg)
• Britannica Didn’t Just Survive. It’s an A.I. Company Now. (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gemini Flash Thinking a model making a serious run at “reasoning.” The FAA has had to ban drones in New Jersey cause of all those weird drone sightings. Self Driving technology continues to prove it is safer. An open source generative physics engine for robots.

Sponsors:

• WashingtonPost.com/ride

Links:

• Google reveals AI ‘reasoning’ model that ‘explicitly shows its thoughts’ (The Verge)
• FAA Bans Drone Flights in Parts of New Jersey (Bloomberg)
• Instagram teases AI editing tools that will completely reimagine your videos (The Verge)
• Waymo still doing better than humans at preventing injuries and property damage (The Verge)
• New physics sim trains robots 430,000 times faster than reality (ArsTechnica)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple says Meta is getting annoying. You can now call 1800CHATGPT to, you know, talk to ChatGPT. Apple scraps plans for a hardware subscription package. Oura’s big new raise also indicates how well its smart-ring business is going. And has Bengaluru grown to quickly for its own good?

Links:

• Apple hits out at Meta's numerous interoperability requests (Reuters)
• OpenAI makes ChatGPT available for phone calls and texts (CNBC)
• Apple Halts Effort to Build iPhone Hardware Subscription Service (Bloomberg)
• Smart ring start-up Ōura raises $200mn as valuation leaps to $5.2bn (Financial Times)
• Oura closes $200M round, bringing its valuation to $5.2B (TechCrunch)
• 3 Changes That Would Make Samsung's Galaxy Ring So Much Better (CNET)
• PS5 Pro deep dive reaction: GPU and RT improvements, PSSR and Sony's new AMD Amethyst partnership (EuroGamer)
• Inside India's 'Silicon Valley' (BusinessInsider)

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Is your home internet router about to be banned? The US has a new Chinese tech target. An AI dev kit from Nvidia. Who actually buys the most chips from Nvidia? Hollywood has flip-flopped on the whole theatrical release strategy. And why Instagram is officially king of the hill at Meta.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• U.S. Weighs Ban on Chinese-Made Router in Millions of American Homes (WSJ)
• Nvidia's new $249 AI development board promises 67 TOPS at half the price of the previous 40 TOPS model (TomsHardware)
• Nvidia’s $249 dev kit promises cheap, small AI power (The Verge)
• Microsoft acquires twice as many Nvidia AI chips as tech rivals (Financial Times)
• Grubhub to pay $25 million for misleading customers, restaurants, drivers (Reuters)
• ‘Red One’ Becomes Most-Watched Prime Video Film Debut Ever With 50 Million Viewers After Modest Theatrical Run (Variety)
• Here’s a Hollywood Twist: Streaming Success Runs Through Theaters (NYTimes)
• Instagram Expected to Generate 50% of Meta’s US Ad Sales in 2025 (Bloomberg)

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On the same day that ByteDance asks the US Supreme Court to intervene, the TikTok CEO meets with Donald Trump. DeepMind’s big new competitor to Sora called Veo 2. The FTC comes down against so called “junk fees.” And on their historic raise, a deep dive look at Databricks, one of the biggest private companies in the world.

Sponsors:

• Miro.com

Links:

• Trump meets with TikTok CEO as video app challenges potential ban (NBCNews)
• TikTok Asks Supreme Court to Block Law Banning Its U.S. Operations (NYTimes)
• Google DeepMind unveils a new video model to rival Sora (TechCrunch)
• FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket sellers to reveal ‘junk fees’ (WashingtonPost)
• Waymo to begin testing in Tokyo, its first international destination (CNBC)
• His Startup Is Now Worth $62 Billion. It Gave Away Its First Product Free. (WSJ)
• Google’s Whisk AI generator will ‘remix’ the pictures you plug in (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I break down the coming battle of the titans that is going to likely play out in 2025 between Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Mark Gurman says Apple is finally going foldable. Oh, and that Magic Mouse is finally that sin against God charger design. Every country wants a Starlink. And the big legal battle happening this week.

Links:

• Meta Urges California Attorney General to Stop OpenAI From Becoming For-Profit (WSJ)
• OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk's lawsuit in court filing (Axios)
• Sam Altman reckons with a growing threat to OpenAI: Elon Musk (Financial Times)
• Apple’s New Vision for Computing Is a Giant Foldable iPad (Bloomberg)
• Europe signs €10.6bn Iris² satellite deal in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink (Financial Times)
• Chip groups Arm and Qualcomm square off in high-stakes US trial (Financial Times)

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Brian on The Newsworthy podcast with Erica Mandy. Find out more about the show here.

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Ok, what if AI models are really the new OS for… everything. But also: smartglasses and a Vision Pro competitor. I’ll explain. Could NotebookLM become a fully fledged product? Seemingly the leader in the clubhouse in the race to create the next AI paradigm beyond the transformer model. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face (The Verge)
• Google’s NotebookLM AI podcast hosts can now talk to you, too (The Verge)
• Google says its breakthrough quantum chip can’t break modern cryptography (The Verge)
• Liquid Set to Raise $250 Million to Build AI Inspired by Tiny Worm Brains (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• The Cult of Claude (NYTimes)
• How WhatsApp ate the world (Rest Of World)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More fallout from the whole Cruise wind-down. What it’s like to use some of the new Gemini 2.0 features. Has Apple, quite belatedly, finally done a feature update that provides the Vision Pro with a “killer app?” An Instagram-like app from China I had never heard of. And one singular, eye-popping datapoint from the CHIPS Act.

Links:

• The end of Cruise is the beginning of a risky new phase for autonomous vehicles (The Verge)
• Gemini 2.0 Flash: An outstanding multi-modal LLM with a sci-fi streaming model (Simon Willison's Blog)
• FCC Opens Entire 6-GHz Band to Very-Low-Power Device Operations (TV Tech)
• The Vision Pro’s ultrawide Mac display is very close to being a killer app (The Verge)
• China’s Instagram-Style Xiaohongshu Crosses $1 Billion in Profit (Bloomberg)
• Harvard Is Releasing a Massive Free AI Training Dataset Funded by OpenAI and Microsoft (Wired)
• US chipmaking boom in doubt after Biden’s defeat (Financial Times)

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GM shocked everybody by shutting down the Cruise robotaxi business. ChatGPT is finally on your iPhone once you update it. Could all Apple watches someday have satellite texting? And then, I guess Google wanted to pre-empt Santa Sam, because they released an absolute slew of AI products today.

Links:

• GM to refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles (GM Investor Relations)
• GM Calls It Quits on Mary Barra’s $50 Billion Robotaxi Dream (Bloomberg)
• Apple’s Next Ultra Smartwatch Will Be Able to Send Texts Via Satellite (Bloomberg)
• Google Rolls Out Faster Gemini AI Model to Power Agents (Bloomberg)
• Google’s new Trillium AI chip delivers 4x speed and powers Gemini 2.0 (VentureBeat)
• Gemini 2.0, Google’s newest flagship AI, can generate text, images, and speech (TechCrunch)
• Google unveils AI coding assistant ‘Jules,’ promising autonomous bug fixes and faster development cycles (VentureBeat)
• Google unveils Project Mariner: AI agents to use the web for you (TechCrunch)

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You can now buy a car on Amazon. A new AI unicorn doing something with AI I hadn’t heard about before. New AI enhanced smartglasses. Microsoft says it has a new datacenter design that uses zero water. And if you were able to use Sora yesterday, what was that like?

Sponsors:

• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• You Can Buy a Car on Amazon Now (Wired)
• US finalizes $6.1 bln Micron chip-making subsidy (Reuters)
• Memory chip maker Micron’s $6.1 billion grant confirmed by Commerce Dept. (Washington Post)
• OpenAI-Backed Language Tutor Startup Doubles Value to $1 Billion (Bloomberg)
• Solos challenges Meta’s Ray-Bans with $299 ChatGPT smart glasses (The Verge)
• Microsoft Unveils Zero-Water Data Centers to Reduce AI Climate Impact (Bloomberg)
• Bluesky teases paid subscription, Bluesky+, in new mockup (TechCrunch)
• I just went hands-on with Sora — the good, the bad, and the wow (Tom's Guide)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI’s Sora model is here! TikTok is still in trouble. China does more turnabouts is fair play, this time with Nvidia. I Apple, belatedly, getting serious about gaming on the Vision Pro? And did Google just make a huge, historic leap forward in quantum computing?

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride
• MackWeldon.com promocode: brian

Links:

• Sora is here (OpenAI)
• OpenAI’s controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood? (LATimes)
• OpenAI releases Sora, its buzzy AI video-generation tool (CNBC)
• Appeals Court Upholds U.S. Ban of TikTok (WSJ)
• Nvidia Hit With China Probe in Global Tech War Escalation (Bloomberg)
• Apple, Sony Discuss Teaming Up on Gaming Controllers for Vision Pro (Blooomberg)
• Quantum Computing Inches Closer to Reality After Another Google Breakthrough (NYTimes)
• Google Debuts New Quantum Chip, Error Correction Breakthrough, and Roadmap Details (HPCWire)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Santa Sam has made his first delivery of the promised 12 days of launches from OpenAI. David Sacks is named the AI and Crypto Czar. Samsung’s entire UI is getting a radical overhaul. OpenAI is seemingly about to restructure everything. No more Surface Studios? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• OpenAI is charging $200 a month for an exclusive version of its o1 ‘reasoning’ model (The Verge)
• Trump Names David Sacks as White House AI and Crypto Czar (Bloomberg)
• Here’s everything new Samsung’s Android 15 update, One UI 7, and the full changelog [Gallery] (9to5Google)
• OpenAI seeks to unlock investment by ditching ‘AGI’ clause with Microsoft (Financial Times)
• The Surface Studio is dead? — Microsoft ends production on $4,500 Surface Studio 2+ as stock dwindles (Windows Central)
• Hawk Tuah memecoin dumps 90% amid backlash over controversial launch (Cointelegraph)
• What Pat Gelsinger’s exit means for Intel and the US Chips Act (Financial Times)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• He Was Going to Save Intel. He Destroyed $150 Billion of Value Instead. (WSJ)
• Friend or Faux (The Verge)
• When a Telescope Is a National-Security Risk (The Atlantic)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bitcoin crosses the big $100k mark for the first time. We now know who Trump wants to fill the roles Silicon Valley cares about the most. Is Amazon about to become a top tier AI model player? Two new models from Google DeepMind, one of them promises to revolutionize weather prediction. And Waymo says bienvenido a Miami.

Sponsors:

• WashingtonPost.com/ride

Links:

• Crypto Trading Volume Surged to $10 Trillion for the First Time in November (Bloomberg)
• Trump Picks Paul Atkins to Run the S.E.C. (NYTimes)
• Trump Taps Vance Aide Gail Slater as Top DOJ Antitrust Cop (Bloomberg)
• Amazon announces Nova, a new family of multimodal AI models (TechCrunch)
• First impressions of the new Amazon Nova LLMs (via a new llm-bedrock plugin) (Simon Willison's Blog)
• DeepMind’s Genie 2 can generate interactive worlds that look like video games (TechCrunch)
• Google Introduces A.I. Agent That Aces 15-Day Weather Forecasts (NYTimes)
• Key leaders behind Google’s viral NotebookLM are leaving to create their own startup (TechCrunch)
• Waymo to expand to Miami, aims to launch robotaxi service there in 2026 (CNBC)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amid the Salt Typhoon hack, the US government wants you and me to go encrypted. Ubisoft shuts down XDefiant. Spotify Wrapped 2024 has NotebookLM baked right into it. And Google’s text to video AI model has beaten Sora to market, but is Sam Altman about to get all Santa on us?

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• U.S. officials urge Americans to use encrypted apps amid unprecedented cyberattack (NBCNews)
• Ubisoft shutting down XDefiant in 2025, laying off half of its team (Polygon)
• Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast powered by Google’s NotebookLM (TechCrunch)
• Smart Home Market Becomes Apple’s Next Strategic Target; New HomePod with Display Set to Be Key Product in Apple’s Smart Home Strategy (Ming-Chi Kuo)
• Google’s new generative AI video model is now available (The Verge)
• AWS announces Aurora DSQL, a new distributed SQL database that promises virtually unlimited scalability (TechCrunch)
• Kindle Scribe 2 review in progress: Is slightly useful AI worth the extra cash? (Engadget)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The search for a new Intel CEO has begun in earnest, but a change in leadership probably makes a wholesale transformation of the company more likely. China goes tit for tat on banning things. Why ChatGPT can’t say certain names. And how is that shopping with AI agents thing going?

Links:

• Exclusive: Intel's CEO-shortlist candidates include former board member Lip-Bu Tan, sources say (Reuters)
• Intel CEO Forced Out by Board Frustrated With Slow Progress (Bloomberg)
• China retaliates against latest US chip restrictions (Financial Times)
• Why does the name ‘David Mayer’ crash ChatGPT? Digital privacy requests may be at fault (TechCrunch)
• The race is on to make AI agents do your online shopping for you (TechCrunch)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pat Gelsinger is out at Intel. So where do they go from here? The first announces from the AWS re:Invent conference. More signs that crypto is in the ascendency. Elon files to block OpenAI from going for profit. Is he the greatest threat to that company? And a new startup taking on Nvidia.

Links:

• Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retires (TechCrunch)
• AWS opens physical outlets that let customers upload their data (TechCrunch)
• Ripple-Linked XRP Soars to Third-Largest Token After Trump Win (Bloomberg)
• Elon Musk files for injunction to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit (TechCrunch)
• Musk’s Rivals Fear He Will Target Them With His New Power (WSJ)
• Bezos Backs AI Chipmaker Vying With Nvidia at $2.6 Billion Value (Bloomberg)
• Open-source OpenWrt One router released at $89 — 'hacker-friendly device' sports two Ethernet ports, three USB ports, with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (Tom's Hardware)

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It is maybe the one moment of tragedy where most 80s kids remember where they were when it happened. Today, RAD! 80s90s History is looking at the Challenger disaster.

Our guest is @fmanjoo

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Did you know that we could have had the answering machine decades before we actually got to buy one? Why the 1980s and 90s was an unusual time for an innovation explosion in communications technology. The history of the whole AT&T/Ma Bell breakup by the government. And how much did YOU beg your parents to get your own phone line in your bedroom?

The guest this episode is the actress Toni Trucks. @tonitrucks

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI has suspended access to Sora after an activist stunt. Anyone can train AI on your Bluesky posts, but that is by design, in a way. Elon is readying a straight ChatGPT competitor. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• OpenAI’s Sora video generator appears to have leaked (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI hits pause on video model Sora after artists leak access in protest (Washington Post)
• Someone Made a Dataset of One Million Bluesky Posts for 'Machine Learning Research' (404Media)
• Inside Elon Musk’s Quest to Beat OpenAI at Its Own Game (WSJ)
• Yes, That Viral LinkedIn Post You Read Was Probably AI-Generated (Wired)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Should You Still Learn to Code in an A.I. World? (NYTimes)
• Bad influence (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Intel does get its money. Threads continues to feel the heat from Bluesky, and responds by… giving people what they want. The new Mate 70 flagship smartphone from Huawei. Is Apple trying to make the iPhone so thin it can’t put a sim card in it? And yes, the whole Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef.

Sponsors:

• LegalZoom.com promocode: techmeme

Links:

• Intel Gets Up to $7.9 Billion Award for U.S. Chip-Plant Construction (WSJ)
• Threads is testing the option to choose your own default feed (The Verge)
• Elon Musk Admits X is Throttling Links — Effectively Limiting People From Reading News (Mediaite)
• Starbucks, Other Retailers Hit by Ransomware Attack on Tech Provider (WSJ)
• China’s Huawei Takes Aim at Apple With Latest Smartphone (NYTimes)
• Apple’s Thin iPhone Has No Physical SIMs—That Could Dampen China Sales (The Information)
• Drake Accuses UMG & Spotify of Scheme to ‘Artificially Inflate’ Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ (Billboard)

Link to AI avatar experiment

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Sony about to get back into the mobile gaming hardware business? Is Bluesky in the dog house with the EU? Nvidia’s new AI model. Is Intel not going to get as much money as it hoped for? And the rise of AI superclusters.

Sponsors:

• MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN
• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• Sony Working on Handheld Console for PS5 Games to Rival Switch (Bloomberg)
• Bluesky breaching rules around disclosure of information, says EU (Financial Times)
• Nvidia shows AI model that can modify voices, generate novel sounds (Reuters)
• NVIDIA's new AI model Fugatto can create audio from text prompts (Engadget)
• Washington Curtails Intel’s Chip Grant After Company Stumbles (NYTimes)
• Klarna’s Planned IPO Sets the Stage for More Fintech Listings (Bloomberg)
• Exclusive: CoreWeave targets valuation of over $35 billion in 2025 US IPO, sources say (Reuters)
• AI’s Future and Nvidia’s Fortunes Ride on the Race to Pack More Chips Into One Place (WSJ)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brian's appearance on Daily Detroit talking about creating new tech hubs around the country.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wait, how long is it going to take Apple to make Siri behave like ChatGPT already does today? Maybe that talk of OpenAI buying the Chrome browser isn’t completely far fetched after all. Is Threads feeling the heat from Bluesky? Do I want to wear a watch on my finger? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Apple Readies More Conversational Siri in Bid to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI Considers Taking on Google With Browser (The Information)
• Threads’ algorithm will focus more on the people you follow (The Verge)
• As Bluesky soars, Threads rolls out custom feeds globally (TechCrunch)
• Casio’s first smart ring has innovative features like a stopwatch and flashing alarm (The Verge)

The Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Here’s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky (The Verge)
• How Mark Zuckerberg has fully rebuilt Meta around Llama (Fortune)
• Are the robots finally coming? (FT)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The DOJ has filed its “remedy” for Google but what would it mean for end users if their recommendations actually come to pass? Nvidia’s earnings continue to be historic but are they worried about current AI models hitting a wall? How AI might help make quantum computing become reality. And did a major new AI player just release its first product?

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment (Associated Press)
• Google could be forced to sell Chrome – here’s what it would mean for users (iNews)
• Apple Pay, Other Tech Firms Come Under CFPB Regulatory Oversight (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia’s CEO defends his moat as AI labs change how they improve their AI models (TechCrunch)
• AI Power For Quantum Errors: Google Develops AlphaQubit to Identify, Correct Quantum Errors (Quantum Insider)
• Elon Musk’s xAI Startup Is Valued at $50 Billion in New Funding Round (WSJ)
• H, the AI startup that raised $220M, launches its first product: Runner H for ‘agentic’ applications (TechCrunch)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now authors are being approached about training AI on their books, and some are not pleased. The new Android development cadence is here. More signs crypto is ascendant. More signs that Bluesky has taken off. And a case in point for why governments and militaries are worried about smartphone tracking.

Links:

• Microsoft Signs AI-Learning Deal With News Corp.’s HarperCollins (Bloomberg)
• Penguin Random House underscores copyright protection in AI rebuff (The Bookseller)
• The first Android 16 developer preview just landed: Here’s what you need to know (Android Police)
• Sony’s new PlayStation Portal update lets you stream PS5 games from the cloud (The Verge)
• Howard Lutnick, Tether's Wall Street Banker, Is Trump's Pick for Commerce Chief, Not Treasury Secretary (CoinDesk)
• Bluesky tops 20M users, narrowing gap with Instagram Threads (TechCrunch)
• Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany (Wired)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have an idea of how the DOJ wants to breakup Google, and it seems to hinge a lot on selling the Chrome web browser. Sony wants the Elden Ring franchise. The outgoing administration is racing to give out Chips Act money. And all the headlines from today’s Microsoft Ignite event.

Sponsors:

• WashingtonPost.com/ride
• Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RIDEHOME at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/ridehome

Links:

• Google’s Chrome to Fetch Up to $20 Billion If Judge Orders Sale (Bloomberg)
• Source: Google is turning Chrome OS into Android to compete with the iPad (AndroidAuthority)
• Exclusive: Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse behind 'Elden Ring' (Reuters)
• Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted, sparking warnings of possible ‘hybrid warfare’ (CNN)
• Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud (The Verge)
• Windows comes to the Meta Quest (TechCrunch)
• Want to speak Italian? Microsoft AI can make it sound like you do. (Washington Post)
• Biden Team Races to Deliver Chip Grants Before Trump Takes Over (WSJ)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have the nomination for the next FCC chair. More hype around smartglasses. About that Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight on Netflix. Is YouTube now the king of the podcast ecosystem? And a deeper dive on how AI is giving Wall Street a brand new window into the startup ecosystem.

Sponsors:

• ArcticWolf.com/techmeme
• Ramp.com/techmeme

Links:

• Trump Designates FCC Veteran Brendan Carr as Chair of Agency (Bloomberg)
• Report: Samsung XR glasses have Ray-Ban Meta specs with more features, seemingly no display (9to5Google)
• Netflix’s Tyson-Paul Boxing Bout Gets 65 Million Viewers at Peak (Bloomberg)
• Why Everyone Is Now Watching Podcasts on YouTube (WSJ)
• Nvidia Customers Worry About Snag With New AI Chip Servers (The Information)
• Wall Street's Elites Are Piling Into a Massive AI Gamble (Bloomberg)

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We talk to @cara_jacqueline about what its like when your startup dies. How do you know when it's over? What were the lessons she learned from her journey? One of my favorite episodes we've ever done.

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Eighteen states are suing the SEC over crypto regulation. The FTC might be going after Microsoft, but is this well timed or terribly timed? ChatGPT on Windows just got more available. NASA has created an AI Copilot for… Earth. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Acorns.com/ride

Links:

• SEC, Gary Gensler Sued by 18 States Over Biden’s Crypto Crackdown (Decrypt)
• US regulators plan to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business (Financial Times)
• ChatGPT App for Windows Now Available to Everyone (PCMag)
• NASA’s AI Earth Copilot will take your questions about our planet (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Not even Spotify is safe from AI slop (The Verge)
• Klarna’s Seb Siemiatkowski — from burger flipping to billionaire club (Financial Times)
• Inside the Billion-Dollar Startup Bringing AI Into the Physical World (Wired)

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Buckle up cause it’s going to be a regulation heavy day. Meta is served up its first big EU fine. The FBI is investigating Polymarket? The CFPB might require regular inspections of Google? A new AI agent from OpenAI in about a month? And forget the streaming wars, are we entering the age of the puzzle wars?

Sponsors:

• Notion.com/ride

Links:

• Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices (FT)
• Polymarket Investigated by DOJ for Allegedly Letting US Users Bet on Platform (Bloomberg)
• CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash (WashingtonPost)
• OpenAI Nears Launch of AI Agent Tool to Automate Tasks for Users (Bloomberg)
• Live Scam Detection in calls rolling out to Pixel 6-9 Phone app (9to5Google)
• Apple Releases Updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad (MacStories)
• Meta to Launch Ads on Threads in Early 2025 (The Information)
• Words With Friends takes on Wordle with new single-player daily puzzles (The Verge)

AI Avatar YouTube Experiment

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The guessing game on who the new tech regulators will be for the new administration. What is Amazon Haul? Why has Bluesky suddenly seen a flurry of activity? More on Apple’s smarthome ambitions. And more on why AI seems to be hitting a wall lately? Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

Sponsors:

• Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RIDEHOME at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: Incogni.com/ridehome

Links:

• Donald Trump’s potential antitrust enforcers may keep Big Tech in their sights (Financial Times)
• Amazon debuts discount store with everything under $20 to take on Temu and Shein (CNBC)
• With Surge in New Users, Bluesky Emerges as X Alternative (NYTimes)
• Apple’s Next Device Is an AI Wall Tablet for Home Control, Siri and Video Calls (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI, Google and Anthropic Are Struggling to Build More Advanced AI (Bloomberg)

Bluesky Techmeme Starter Pack

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Looks like Apple wants to get serious about smarthome tech. The EU gets Meta to change, but has another requested change from Apple. Signal has some new features. Netflix’s ad-tier continues to win. And a deeper dive into how AI can leap this scaling wall it seems to have run into. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech.

Sponsors:

• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Kuo: Apple to release its own smart home camera in 2026, with AI features (9to5Mac)
• In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal (WSJ)
• Apple Gets EU Warning to Stop Geo-Blocking on App, ITunes Stores (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta (The Verge)
• Signal calls now work a lot more like Meet and Zoom (The Verge)
• Netflix Says Ad Tier Reaches 70 Million Users Globally (Variety)
• OpenAI and others seek new path to smarter AI as current methods hit limitations (Reuters)

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FTX is suing basically anybody you can think of. Why will your iPhone now reboot itself if you don’t log into it for several days? Is OpenAI’s next flagship model underperforming what they were expecting? And I’ve found the one company most disrupted by AI. At least, so far.

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• FTX Sues Binance, Ex-CEO Zhao Seeking $1.8 Billion Clawback (Bloomberg)
• FTX Sues Scaramucci to Recoup Money for Creditors (Bloomberg)
• Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (404Media)
• OpenAI Shifts Strategy as Rate of ‘GPT’ AI Improvements Slows (The Information)
• How ChatGPT Brought Down an Online Education Giant (WSJ)
• Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million (NYTimes)

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Middle Mile is the next evolution of the gig economy. Make use of your spare garage/basement space to provide fullfillment for ecommerce brands. More here: GetMiddleMile.com

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Some interesting moves over at Block. Share to TikTok could be something major for the music industry. Amazon’s offer to invest again in Anthropic comes with some interesting strings attached. More signs that the smartglasses category is coming now. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• LegalZoom.com promocode Techmeme

Links:

• Block reports revenue miss but a slight beat on earnings (CNBC)
• Jack Dorsey's Square to Invest More in Bitcoin Mining and Shut Decentralized 'Web5' Venture (CoinDesk)
• TikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple Music (TechCrunch)
• Amazon Discussing New Multibillion-Dollar Investment in Anthropic (The Information)
• Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta’s Ray-Bans (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse. (ArsTechnica)
• What I Learned From Destroying Myself at the NYC Marathon (Intelligencer)

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More in depth analysis of what the Trump victory might mean for Silicon Valley, and Elon Musk’s companies in particular. Canadian regulators going after TikTok. Australia wants to make sure no one uses social media until they’re sixteen. France is “aware” of Polymarket. And the reviews of all the new Macs.

Sponsors:

• Promevo.com/techmeme

Links:

• Elon Musk Helped Elect Trump. What Does He Expect in Return? (NYTimes)
• Canada orders shutdown of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue (Reuters)
• Labor backs 16 as the minimum age to use social media ahead of national cabinet meeting (ABCNews)
• French Regulator Examines Polymarket After Bets on Trump (Bloomberg)
• Apple Mac mini review (M4 Pro, 2024): Shockingly small, incredibly powerful (Engadget)
• Apple MacBook Pro M4 review: the Pro for everyone (The Verge)
• Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch review (2024): Brace yourself for M4 speed (Engadget)
• Apple iMac M4 review: More power, same great looks (Tom's Guide)

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The tech angle to the election news yesterday, and interestingly a lot of it is crypto related. The EU Commission looks like it will fine Apple and has opened a case against Corning? Perplexity is raising another massive new round. And a pretty definitive piece about how drone tech has changed warfare.

Sponsors:

• Head to Lumen.me/RIDE for 15% off your purchase.
• WashingtonPost.com/ride

Links:

• Polymarket, Prediction Betting Markets Vindicated by Trump's Strong Showing (Coindesk)
• Apple to Face First EU Fine Under Bloc’s Digital Markets Act (Bloomberg)
• Corning Faces EU Probe Into Smartphone ‘Gorilla Glass’ (Bloomberg)
• How Lina Khan Became an Election Hot Topic (NYTimes)
• Mozilla Foundation lays off 30% staff, drops advocacy division (TechCrunch)
• AI Startup Perplexity to Triple Valuation to $9 Billion in New Funding Round (WSJ)
• Battles of Precise Mass (Foreign Affairs)

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Big hacking arrest in Canada. More evidence Apple is thinking: “You know, maybe smartglasses are the way to go…” More signs OpenAI is focusing on hardware. More signs they’re about to go for-profit. And what it’s actually like to use GPT Search? Is it a Google killer or no?

Links:

• Canada Arrests Man Suspected of Hacks of Snowflake Customers (Bloomberg)
• Apple Explores Push Into Smart Glasses With ‘Atlas’ User Study (Bloomberg)
• Meta’s former hardware lead for Orion is joining OpenAI (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI in Regulator Talks to Become For-Profit Company (Bloomberg)
• Anthropic hikes the price of its Haiku model (TechCrunch)
• Uber’s Real Threat Isn’t From Robots (WSJ)
• ChatGPT Search is not OpenAI’s ‘Google killer’ yet (TechCrunch)

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Apple is investing more in Satellite technology, and also acquires Pixelmator. What does this all mean for them? Is the high end Vision Pro getting abandoned? What does it mean that Google Cloud is now growing faster than AWS? And how Coreweave and other “neocloud” startups are financing their crazy growth in a totally new way. Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

Sponsors:

• Miro.com
• MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN

Links:

• Apple expands iPhone satellite services deal, commits $1.1bn to expand capacity (9to5Mac)
• Apple is acquiring the popular image editing app Pixelmator (The Verge)
• Apple Finally Finds Its Gaming Console With the New Mac Mini (Bloomberg)
• Apple Vision Pro rumored to get M5 in 2025, but lower cost model is delayed (Apple Insider)
• X updates block feature, letting blocked users see your public posts (TechCrunch)
• Google’s cloud outpaces rivals in third quarter as AI battle heats up (CNBC)
• Early Apple M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks hint at a massive performance boost (Neowin)
• Wall Street frenzy creates $11bn debt market for AI groups buying Nvidia chips (Financial Times)

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OpenAI officially gets into the search game. Earnings from Apple and Amazon. Why Google is switching up how it does Android. And in the longreads, Meta to win AI even if doesn’t produce AGI, and how downsizing is helping game developers survive the jobspocalypse.

Links:

• OpenAI Brings Search Features to ChatGPT in Challenge to Google (Bloomberg)
• China Ruins Apple's Quarter (24/7WallStreet)
• Amazon Surges Past Earnings Forecasts (The Motley Fool)
• Google confirms Android 16 is coming earlier than usual, developer preview begins soon (Android Authority)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Meta’s AI Abundance (Stratechery)
• After Era of Bloat, Veteran Video-Game Developers Are Going Smaller (Bloomberg)

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We’ve got that day where all the tech earnings have come at once, but this time I’m gonna mention Uber too cause did you know they’re making bank these days? China says that two can play the sanctioning technology game. A niche little app from Nintendo. And a review of the Starlink Mini, which seems incredibly compelling for a specific type of user.

Links:

• Meta AI has more than 500 million users (Engadget)
• Meta’s Next Llama AI Models Are Training on a GPU Cluster ‘Bigger Than Anything’ Else (Wired)
• Microsoft says AI is on pace to be a $10 billion-a-year business (Axios)
• Uber shares slide on slowing bookings growth (Financial Times)
• Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine (Financial Times)
• Nintendo made a music streaming app for Switch Online subscribers (The Verge)
• Starlink Mini review: space internet goes ultraportable (The Verge)

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The Apple release week continues with new MacBook pros. GitHub goes multi-model. Alphabet earnings were good, but Reddit earnings were massive. Why Samsung is having such a hard time since the summer. And a summary of the color Kindle reviews. Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

Links:

• Apple updates the MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips (The Verge)
• Every MacBook Air now starts with 16GB of RAM at no extra cost (Engadget)
• GitHub Copilot will support models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI (The Verge)
• PlayStation Shutters Studio Behind ‘Concord’ Video-Game Flop (Bloomberg)
• More than a quarter of new code at Google is generated by AI (The Verge)
• Reddit shares soar 22% on earnings beat and better-than-expected forecast (CNBC)
• Samsung’s Sudden $122 Billion Wipeout Shows the Cost of Sleeping on AI (Bloomberg)
• Russian Hackers Are Targeting US Officials, Microsoft Says (Bloomberg)
• Kindle Colorsoft review: The missing link in Amazon’s ereader lineup (Engadget)

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A whole bunch of new Macs plus the first dribbles of Apple Intelligence. Apple is taking a big step in weening itself off of China reliance for manufacturing. Microsoft accuses Google of astroturfing. And potentially the return of startups buying startups? Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

Links:

• Apple Announces iMac With M4 Chip, Upgraded Camera, Nano-Texture Display Option, and More (MacRumors)
• New Mac mini shrinks down, gains M4 and M4 Pro chips (SixColors)
• Apple Intelligence goes live with iOS 18.1 update (TechCrunch)
• Apple Taps India to Learn How to Build New iPhone (The Information)
• Microsoft says Google is running ‘shadow campaigns’ in Europe to influence regulators (CNBC)
• Sequoia to Rake in More Than $100 Million From Crypto Acquisition (Bloomberg)

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As Robinhood rolls out smart contract derivatives around the election, a look at how smart markets have seemed to have their mainstream breakthrough this year. TikTok now has a Fediverse, open-source competitor. AI now has an opensource definition, or something? And Meta opensourced their own AI podcast making tool. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech.

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• Robinhood jumps into election trading, giving users chance to buy Harris or Trump contracts (CNBC)
• Billions in election bets raise the stakes of the presidential race (Washington Post)
• Apple Blocked From Selling iPhone 16 Models in Indonesia (Bloomberg)
• The fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor called Loops (TechCrunch)
• We finally have an ‘official’ definition for open source AI (TechCrunch)
• Even With Venture Slowdown, Megadeals Grow (CrunchBase)
• Netflix Adds ‘Moments’ Feature Allowing Users to Easily Share Favorite Scenes (EXCLUSIVE) (Variety)
• Meta Releases NotebookLlama, An Open-Source Podcast Generator (Techopedia)

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The Verge says we could get GPT-5 by December, but it might be called Orion. The biggest health care data breach in US history. Turns out Americans can actually produce high yield, quality silicon. Or, at least, Arizonans can. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

Sponsors:

• Acorns.com/ride

Links:

• OpenAI plans to release its next big AI model by December (The Verge)
• UnitedHealth says data of 100 million stolen in Change Healthcare breach (BleepingComputer)
• TSMC’s Arizona Chip Production Yields Surpass Taiwan’s in Win for US Push (Bloomberg)
• Bluesky raises $15M Series A, plans to launch subscriptions (TechCrunch)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• The mystifying, acrimonious battle between Arm and Qualcomm (Financial Times)
• Who Gets the TikTok in the Divorce? The Messy Fight Over Valuable Social Media Accounts (WSJ)

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Raspberry PI does AI now too. Apple is cutting iPhone production orders. Microsoft says China, Russia and Iran are still doing the dirt as the election nears. What if Foxconn got into the business of manufacturing cars? And what if surge pricing, but for groceries? New electronic price tags could make that possible.

Sponsors:

• Notion.com/ride

Links:

• Raspberry Pi releases more AI-focused add-ons (TechCrunch)
• Raspberry Pi release higher performance AI HAT+ — 13 and 26 TOPS variants (TomsHardware)
• iPhone 16 orders cut by around 10 million units for 4Q24–1H25; no evidence yet that Apple Intelligence could boost iPhone shipments in the near term (Ming-Chi Kuo)
• Microsoft Warns Foreign Disinformation Is Hitting the US Election From All Directions (Wired)
• Roblox to Enact Child-Safety Changes Giving Parents More Control (Bloomberg)
• What if carmaking went the way of consumer electronics? (The Economist)
• Kroger and Walmart Deny ‘Surge Pricing’ After Adopting Digital Price Tags (NYTimes)

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A huge dispute in the semiconductor space has gone nuclear with implications that are crazy. Anthropic’s new AI app can control your computer for you. Runway’s new model lets you do your own motion capture. And farewell to Foursquare, the OG version at least.

Links:

• Arm to Scrap Qualcomm Chip Design License in Feud Escalation (Bloomberg)
• Anthropic’s new AI can use computers like a human, redefining automation for enterprises (VentureBeat)
• Apple Sharply Scales Back Production of Vision Pro (The Information)
• Runway’s Act-One uses smartphone cameras to replicate facial expression motion capture (Silicon Angle)
• ‘This is a game changer’: Runway releases new AI facial expression motion capture feature Act-One (VentureBeat)
• Farewell to Foursquare’s app (TechCrunch)

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Qualcomm has unveiled its big, next gen Snapdragon SoC which will someday be in all the phones. Except iPhones, of course. Is Netflix pulling back on its gaming strategy? Why a new marketplace from Epic might actually point the way to the metaverse. And how are various people trying to get AI to have a better personality?

Links:

• Snapdragon 8 Elite deep dive: A return to custom CPUs and much more (Android Authority)
• Scoop: Netflix shuts down 'AAA' Team Blue gaming studio, amid gaming shake-up (Game File)
• Netflix has closed its AAA gaming studio (Engadget)
• Hulu and Disney+ No Longer Support Signups and Payment Using App Store (MacRumors)
• Epic’s ambitious digital asset shop is now open (The Verge)
• Biden administration proposes new rules governing data transfers to adversarial nations (The Record)
• How AI groups are infusing their chatbots with personality (Financial Times)

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Google’s strategy of keeping it in the courts is already going to plan. New AI agents from Microsoft. New Open Source models from IBM. Perplexity is looking to raise again. How far behind Apple thinks it is in AI. And what it’s like to use your AirPods as hearing aids.

Sponsors:

• Ramp.com/techmeme
• Miro.com

Links:

• Epic judge lets Google keep its Android app store closed to competitors — for now (The Verge)
• Microsoft unveils new autonomous AI agents in advance of competing Salesforce rollout (GeekWire)
• AI Startup Perplexity in Funding Talks to More Than Double Valuation to $8 Billion (WSJ)
• IBM debuts open source Granite 3.0 LLMs for enterprise AI (VentureBeat)
• Apple’s New iPad Mini Highlights the Company’s Secret AI Advantage (Bloomberg)
• Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound (The Verge)

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Did Nintendo try to kill GoldenEye 007 before it was completed? Why did Shigeru Miyamoto keep telling the development team to tone down the violence. And why did the famous multiplayer aspect of the game almost didn’t happen? It’s slappers only on Rad History, because we’re diving into the history of THE game of the late 1990s, GoldenEye 007.

With Special Guest: John Gruber

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Now Amazon is building some modular nuclear reactors. TSMC’s results cheer up the chips industry. Uber but for buying plane tickets. No, I mean, really, use Uber to buy plane tickets. And the controversial reason Meta is reportedly laying off some folks.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Amazon goes nuclear, to invest more than $500 million to develop small modular reactors (CNBC)
• TSMC Hikes Revenue Outlook in Show of Confidence in AI Boom (Bloomberg)
• The FTC is finally making it easier to cancel your gym membership (The Verge)
• Uber explored takeover bid for Expedia (FT)
• Meta is laying off employees at WhatsApp, Instagram, and more (The Verge)
• Meta fires staff for abusing $25 meal credits (FT)
• Analogue’s 4K Nintendo 64 launches next year for $249 (The Verge)

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Kindles come roaring back, with significant updates to the Paperwhite and the Scribe, but also, for the first time ever, a Kindle with a color screen. Why has ASML suddenly plunged so much if chips are so hot right now? Android 15 is beginning to roll out. And Sonos is back to releasing new speakers again.

Sponsors:

• Promevo.com/techmeme

Links:

• Amazon’s new seven-inch Kindle Paperwhite is bigger and faster than ever (The Verge)
• Amazon’s new Kindle Scribe takes another step toward pen and paper (The Verge)
• Amazon finally has a color Kindle, and it looks pretty good (The Verge)
• Global Chip Stocks Erase $420 Billion After ASML Sales Warning (Bloomberg)
• YouTube takes a baby step toward labeling authentic video (The Verge)
• Android 15 is now available for Pixels (The Verge)
• Sonos announces ‘breakthrough’ Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4 (The Verge)

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The Nuclear Energy sector is clearly getting back in business, thanks to big tech and their AI needs. The latest back and forth in the Wordpress brouhaha. The US is considering caps on the chips Nvidia can deliver to a bunch of countries worldwide. And is Tether getting deeper into the global finance game?

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride
• ArcticWolf.com/register

Links:

• Google Backs New Nuclear Plants to Power AI (WSJ)
• DHH's Original Post
• Matt Mullenweg's Original Response
• Matt's 2nd Response
• Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence (MacRumors)
• US Weighs Capping Exports of AI Chips From Nvidia and AMD to Some Countries (Bloomberg)
• Crypto Company Tether Talking to Commodity Traders About Lending Them Its Billions (Bloomberg)
• The War on Passwords Is One Step Closer to Being Over (Wired)

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Adobe unleashes its Firefly AI video model broadly. Mark Gurman lays out Apple’s headset strategy going forward. What’s been going on with the Internet Archive. What the heck IS going on with WordPress? VC deals are dropping precipitously. And a review of the Meta Quest 3S.

Sponsors:

• WashingtonPost.com/ride
• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Adobe’s AI video model is here, and it’s already inside Premiere Pro (The Verge)
• Apple Has a New Smart Home Strategy: Screens Everywhere (Bloomberg)
• The Internet Archive is back as a read-only service after cyberattacks (The Verge)
• In latest move against WP Engine, WordPress takes control of ACF plugin (TechCrunch)
• Venture capital deal activity is slowing down (Axios)
• Meta Quest 3S review: Impressive VR for $300 (Engadget)

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Why was Blockbuster so successful? Was it the DVD that killed Blockbuster? What was the deal with late fees? Is there any way Blockbuster, not Netflix, could have won out in the end?

Special guest: Venture Capitalist and Writer MG Siegler!

Subscribe to RAD! 80s90s History!

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All the headlines from Tesla’s robotaxi event. AMD unveils the chip it wants to use to go toe to toe with Nvidia. Are people actually making money building GPTs or not so much? And in the longreads, rebuilding Notre Dame as period accurately as possible.

Sponsors:

• Go to Hensonshaving.com/ride and enter RIDE at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase. (Note: you must add both the 100-blade pack and the razor for the discount to apply.)

Links:

• Tesla reveals 20 Cybercabs at We, Robot event, says you’ll be able to buy one for less than $30,000 (TechCrunch)
• Tesla's Cybercab Is Here (Wired)
• Tesla Robovan has something the Cybertruck definitely does not (T3)
• AMD launches AI chip to rival Nvidia’s Blackwell (CNBC)
• Xbox will sell games directly in the Android app next month (The Verge)
• OpenAI’s GPT Store Has Left Some Developers in the Lurch (Wired)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Google’s Nobel Haul Puts Spotlight on Changing Focus of Scientific Research (Bloomberg)
• The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre-Dame (GQ)

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Apple TV+ finally comes to Prime Video Channels. OpenAI says they’ve been disrupting AI election influence campaigns. But they won’t be profitable until when? How Google plans to beat the regulation rap. And a review of basically the highest end smartwatch you can buy.

Sponsors:

• Notion.com/ride

Links:

• Amazon Adds Apple TV+ to Its Channels Store for Streaming (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI says bad actors are using its platform to disrupt elections, but with little ‘viral engagement’ (CNBC)
• OpenAI Projections Imply Losses Tripling to $14 Billion in 2026 (The Information)
• Apple’s Dan Riccio, Key Executive in Both the Jobs and Cook Eras, to Retire (Bloomberg)
• Competition and the clock: how Google plans to deflect and delay a historic break-up threat (Financial Times)
• Garmin Fenix 8 review: only kind of smart (The Verge)

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The government says it does, in fact, want to break up Google. The Nobel Prize sure does love AI this year. Could Substack win by becoming the default way for creators to monetize? And listen to the end of the show today for a big announcement from me.

Links:

• US Weighs Google Breakup in Historic Big Tech Antitrust Case (Bloomberg)
• Unmasking Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto—Again (Wired)
• Google DeepMind Scientists Share Nobel for AI Protein Work (Bloomberg)
• X Cleared to Return in Brazil After Musk Bows to Judge’s Demands (Bloomberg)
• Substack wants to do more than just newsletters (Semafor)

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Crack… at least for the Google Play store. Two AI scientists have won the Nobel Prize for physics?! Samsung is in a similar boat to Intel, just not quite as severely. And an unfortunate reminder that government mandated back doors are bad doors.

Sponsors:

• Dell.com/deals

Links:

• Google must crack open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge (The Verge)
• Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Since iPhone 4 Was Left in a Bar (MacRumors)
• ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton Among Nobel Prize Winners (Bloomberg)
• Samsung Electronics apologises for disappointing profit as it struggles in AI chips (Reuters)
• The 30-year-old internet backdoor law that came back to bite (TechCrunch)

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We finally have a date for Apple Intelligence. Meta has a new text to video AI model. Google could soon drop under 50% in the search ads market. More hope for level three automated driving. And how AI bots could revolutionize online dating.

Sponsors:

• Miro.com

Links:

• Apple Slowly Moves Away From Its Annual Product Release Strategy (Bloomberg)
• Meta Unveils AI Video Generator, Taking On OpenAI and Google (Bloomberg)
• Google’s Grip on Search Slips as TikTok and AI Startup Mount Challenge (WSJ)
• GM is working on an eyes-off, hands-off driving system (TechCrunch)
• Uber and Lyft drivers use Teslas as makeshift robotaxis, raising safety concerns (Reuters)
• Grindr Aims to Build the Dating World’s First AI ‘Wingman’ (WSJ)

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Google has updated Lens and is taking a page out of Perplexity’s book. OpenAI’s new canvas workspace. Why an upcoming iPhone SE might have some interesting internals. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Google Lens now lets you search with video (The Verge)
• Google brings ads to AI Overviews as it expands AI’s role in search (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI launches new ‘Canvas’ ChatGPT interface tailored to writing and coding projects (TechCrunch)
• iPhone SE 4 to feature Apple’s first 5G modem, A18 chip, same cameras as iPhone 15 (9to5Mac)
• 159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO’s fight with WP Engine escalates (TechCrunch)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Saving Cyberpunk 2077: How CD Projekt Red recovered from one of video games' most disastrous launches (EuroGamer)
• The Flying Car Is Finally Here. It’s Slightly Illegal. (Intelligencer)

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OpenAI raised their round, and it basically broke all the records. The whole Wordpress mess has gotten so crazy that WPEngine is suing. Using Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses to dox people in real time. And you’ll never guess the reason why you’re about to see more ads on streaming video. Hint: you’ll endure it.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• OpenAI raises $6.6 billion in largest VC round ever (Axios)
• OpenAI asks investors not to back rival start-ups such as Elon Musk’s xAI (Financial Times)
• OpenAI feels competitors breathing down its neck (Financial Times)
• WP Engine sues WordPress co-creator Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging abuse of power (TechCrunch)
• Someone Put Facial Recognition Tech onto Meta's Smart Glasses to Instantly Dox Strangers (404Media)
• Spotify adds a new, automatically updating playlist for offline listening (TechCrunch)
• Amazon to increase number of advertisements on Prime Video (Financial Times)
• Venture Dealmaking Reflects Selective Tastes of Investors (Bloomberg)

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Catching you up on a bunch of other Microsoft announcements we missed yesterday. Is Nvidia trying to break open the black box of AI? It’s absolutely wild that there’s still no viable YouTube app for the Vision Pro. And we were worried about disruption to the semiconductor industry if a typhoon hit Taiwan, but it turns out, a hurricane hitting North Carolina can be bad too.

Links:

• Microsoft is using AI to improve Windows search (The Verge)
• Microsoft starts paying publishers for content surfaced by Copilot (TechCrunch)
• Telegram CEO Downplays Service Term Changes Amid French Probe (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia just dropped a bombshell: Its new AI model is open, massive, and ready to rival GPT-4 (VentureBeat)
• Threads users can now see who follows them from other fediverse servers (TechCrunch)
• Christian Selig’s unofficial YouTube app for the Vision Pro just got taken down (The Verge)
• Hurricane Helene Will Send Shockwaves Through the Semiconductor Industry (Wired)

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Do we have the first IPO of the AI era? Do we have the first AI model beyond the transformer architecture? Microsoft has a bunch of new AI tools inside Windows. We try to explain that whole controversy around PearAI. And what about that NotebookLM feature that lets you create a two-hander podcast out of any text.

Links:

• AI chipmaker Cerebras files for IPO to take on Nvidia (CNBC)
• MIT spinoff Liquid debuts non-transformer AI models and they’re already state-of-the-art (VentureBeat)
• Microsoft Copilot can now read your screen, think deeply, and speak aloud to you (TechCrunch)
• Oura Nears $500 Million in Annual Revenue and Readies New Ring (Bloomberg)
• Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup (TechCrunch)
• NotebookLM’s automatically generated podcasts are surprisingly effective (Simon Willison's Blog)

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That controversial AI bill in California has been vetoed by Governor Newsom. Is even Apple now thinking that its Vision Pro strategy might need a rethink? What really is OpenAI’s situation right now, and this time I’m talking money-wise? And the strange resurrection of the point and shoot camera.

Links:

• California’s Gavin Newsom Vetoes Controversial AI Safety Bill (WSJ)
• California Passes Law Protecting Consumer Brain Data (NYTimes)
• Meta’s New Headsets Show Apple Has Lost Its Way With the Vision Pro (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI’s Complex Path to Becoming a For-Profit Company (WSJ)
• Songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Many More Blocked by YouTube in Legal Dispute (Variety)
• This Camera Went Viral Two Years Ago. You Still Can’t Buy One (Bloomberg)

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Founder Mode? Not for me, says Sam Altman, but we will see. A few new gadgets from Samsung. Maybe ARM should buy Intel. Are AI startups hitting revenue traction faster than SaaS startups did? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Sam Altman tells OpenAI staff there’s no plan for him to receive a ‘giant equity stake’ in company (CNBC)
• Samsung Galaxy S24 FE goes official starting at $649 – is it still a ‘Fan Edition?’ (9to5Google)
• Arm Is Rebuffed by Intel After Inquiring About Buying Product Unit (Bloomberg)
• Exponential growth brews 1 million AI models on Hugging Face (ArsTechnica)
• AI start-ups generate money faster than past hyped tech companies (FT)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• McDonald’s touchscreen kiosks were feared as job killers. Instead, something surprising happened (CNN)
• Apple Rolls Back Its Big Plans to Release Movies in Theaters (Bloomberg)
• The 27-Year-Old Economic Adviser for Gen Z (WSJ)

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There’s only two stories really. If you can believe it, more executive departures at OpenAI, as it looks like they’re serious about going for profit. And yes, Meta announced a new Quest headset, but the real headlines are the Orion smartglasses, which you can’t actually buy. What? I’ll explain.

Sponsors:

• Thorne.fit/ridehome

Links:

• OpenAI considering restructuring to for-profit, CTO Mira Murati and two top research execs depart (CNBC)
• Exclusive: OpenAI to remove non-profit control and give Sam Altman equity (Reuters)
• Meta’s cheaper Quest 3S might just be an upgrade (The Verge)
• A Few Brief Thoughts on Meta Connect 2024 (Daring Fireball)
• Meta pitches VR to mobile developers with new support for Android apps on Quest (TechCrunch)
• Meta’s big tease (The Verge)

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Caroline Ellison benefits from being cooperative. Has your company unknowingly hired remote workers from North Korea? What is going on with this WordPress back and forth? Why OpenAI has to let people look at their training data. And why is everyone upset at Marquess Brownlee?

Sponsors:

• Hims.com/ride

Links:

• Caroline Ellison sentenced to two years in prison for her role in FTX scandal (Axios)
• Dozens of Fortune 100 companies have unwittingly hired North Korean IT workers, according to report (The Record)
• The DOJ sues Visa for locking out rival payment platforms (The Verge)
• Automattic sends WP Engine its own cease-and-desist over WordPress trademark infringement (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Authors’ Copyright Cases (The Hollywood Reporter)
• Marques Brownlee says ‘I hear you’ after fans criticize his new wallpaper app (The Verge)

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Sam Altman has a manifesto. Kinda. Telegram is beginning to walk things back a bit. Cloudflare wants to help you block the AI bots. New streaming device from Roku. And I guess TikTok can’t win at everything.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• The Intelligence Age (Sam Altman)
• Sam Altman catapults past founder mode into ‘god mode’ with latest AI post (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI CEO: We may have AI superintelligence in “a few thousand days” (ArsTechnica)
• Some Kaspersky customers receive surprise forced-update to new antivirus software (TechCrunch)
• Telegram CEO Durov Says App to Provide More Data to Governments (Bloomberg)
• New Cloudflare Tools Let Sites Detect and Block AI Bots for Free (Wired)
• The new Roku Ultra is faster, has better Wi-Fi, and comes with a backlit remote (The Verge)
• Spotify’s AI playlist builder is now available in the US (The Verge)
• TikTok to Shut Down its Music Streaming Business in November (Bloomberg)

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Qualcomm as a white knight to save Intel? A huge bitcoin heist gets busted for the usual reasons. What if the US bans imports of all cars from China? And why can’t US car makers keep up when it comes, simply, to software?

Sponsors:

• Timeline.com/ride

Links:

• Qualcomm Approached Intel About a Takeover in Recent Days (WSJ)
• Intel Gets Multibillion-Dollar Apollo Offer as Qualcomm Circles (Bloomberg)
• Chip Giants TSMC and Samsung Discuss Building Middle Eastern Megafactories (WSJ)
• Suspects behind $230 million cryptocurrency theft arrested in Miami (BleepingComputer)
• US proposes banning Chinese software and components in vehicles (FT)
• Israel’s Pager Attacks Have Changed the World (NYTimes)
• Toyota and VW fall further behind in the software race (FT)

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You might want to hold off on updating to macOS 15 Sequoia. What, exactly, is Europe trying to get Apple to do? The AI energy crunch means they’re turning Three Mile Island back on. Could AI usage mean we use up all our 5G capacity? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• 1password.com/ride
• QualiaLife.com/ride and code ride

Links:

• Apple’s new macOS Sequoia update is breaking some cybersecurity tools (TechCrunch)
• EU to tell Apple how to do interoperability, DMA style (TechCrunch)
• Microsoft AI Needs So Much Power It's Restarting Site of US Nuclear Meltdown (Bloomberg)
• AI is stressing networks out - Nvidia thinks AI can help (Fierce Network)
• Huawei 'super fans' fuming as left empty handed by $2,800 phone launch (Reuters)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• American Vulcan - Palmer Luckey (TabletMag)
• The Death of the Minivan (The Atlantic)

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Looks like they finally got around to suing that Palworld game. Google volunteered to break up some of its businesses but the EU said no. AI is coming to YouTube in a big way. A new social media platform that is ENTIRELY AI. And Amazon wants to get into the Shark Tank business.

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn.com/ride

Links:

• Nintendo and Pokémon are suing Palworld maker Pocketpair (The Verge)
• Exclusive: Google offered to sell part of ad tech business, not enough for EU publishers (Reuters)
• YouTube will use AI to generate ideas, titles, and even full videos (The Verge)
• Apple Gets EU Warning to Open Up iPhone Operating System (Bloomberg)
• Musk's satellites 'blocking' view of the universe (BBC)
• SocialAI offers a Twitter-like diary where AI bots respond to your posts (TechCrunch)
• Amazon’s New ‘Shark Tank’-Style Show Gives Winners Top Billing in Its Store (WSJ)

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Messages between Android and iOS are about to be encrypted. A new XR headset from HTC and new Spectacles from Snap. A big movie studio has signed up to use AI. Neuralink has implants for blindness. And why I’m kinda NOT gonna do a review roundup of the new iPhones.

Sponsors:

• Ramp.com/techmeme

Links:

• RCS texts on the iPhone aren’t encrypted now, but that could change (The Verge)
• Here’s how green bubbles are getting upgraded in iOS (The Verge)
• HTC Vive's Focus Vision is a $999 stab at high-end VR and mixed reality (Engadget)
• Snap’s new Spectacles inch closer to compelling AR (The Verge)
• Instagram, Facing Pressure Over Child Safety Online, Unveils Sweeping Changes (NYTimes)
• Lionsgate, Studio Behind ‘John Wick,’ Signs Deal With AI Startup Runway (WSJ)
• Musk's Neuralink gets FDA's breakthrough device tag for 'Blindsight' implant (Reuters)
• Apple iPhone 16 Pro review: small camera update, big difference (The Verge)

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Intel announces a bunch of ways its hoping to turn its business around sooner rather than later. Is OpenAI about to have its chat bots query you? The whole TikTok divestment case is coming to a head right now. And speaking of turn arounds, darn if Netflix didn’t pull ITS turnaround off perfectly. Hollywood, not so much.

Sponsors:

• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Intel stock jumps on plan to turn foundry business into subsidiary and allow for outside funding (CNBC)
• Intel to Make Custom AI Chip for Amazon, Delay German Plant (Bloomberg)
• EssilorLuxottica extends smart glasses partnership with Meta (Reuters)
• OpenAI Says It's Fixed Issue Where ChatGPT Appeared to Be Messaging Users Unprompted (Futurism)
• TikTok is about to get its day in court (The Verge)
• Judges Show Some Skepticism of TikTok’s Fight Against Potential U.S. Ban (NYTimes)
• How Netflix won the streaming wars (FT)

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A bunch of Apple stories today. FDA approval for sleep apnea detection for the watch. Signs of poor pre-order sales for the phone. And a quick review of the new Airpods. Also, how did Intel lose out on making the chips for the next gen Playstation. And are dating apps responsible for income inequality?

Sponsors:

• ArcticWolf.com/register

Links:

• Apple Watch sleep apnea detection gets FDA approval (TechCrunch)
• iPhone 16 first weekend pre-order analysis: estimated total sales of about 37 million units; Pro series demand lower than expected (Ming-Chi Kuo)
• France picks Sejourne as nominee for EU Commission after Breton clash (Reuters)
• Slack now lets users add AI agents from Asana, Cohere, Adobe, Workday and more (VentureBeat)
• Exclusive: How Intel lost the Sony PlayStation business (Reuters)
• Apple AirPods 4 review: defying expectations (The Verge)
• Online Dating Caused a Rise in US Income Inequality, Research Paper Shows (Bloomberg)

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The first of the Strawberry models is here. YC plans to have four cohorts a year, but each one is getting smaller. Waymo is already ready to expand to more pretty big markets. And in the long reads, a deep dive look into the options Intel has at this point in time.

Sponsors:

• HensonShaving.com/ride code ride

Links:

• OpenAI releases o1, its first model with ‘reasoning’ abilities (The Verge)
• Notes on OpenAI’s new o1 chain-of-thought models (Simon Willison's Weblog)
• OpenAI's new models 'instrumentally faked alignment' (TransformerNews)
• Apple AirPods Pro granted FDA approval to serve as hearing aids (TechCrunch)
• Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator to Double Number of Cohorts Per Year (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Intel Has Only Tough Options After Its Long and Stinging Fall From Grace (Bloomberg)

Link to the twitter poll about ads

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As expected, OpenAI is in talks for a new capital raise at a $150B valuation. More layoffs in Microsoft’s gaming division. More holes poked in our creaking internet infrastructure. The tiny SpaceX competitor who’s stock has been soaring lately. And a look at what Apple’s recent AirPods announcement could do to the hearing aid industry.

Links:

• OpenAI Fundraising Set to Vault Startup’s Valuation to $150 Billion (Bloomberg)
• The AI Spending Spree, in Charts (WSJ)
• Microsoft Lays Off Another 650 Staff From Its Video Game Workforce, Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Sends Memo to Staff (IGN)
• Rogue WHOIS server gives researcher superpowers no one should ever have (ArsTechnica)
• Adam Neumann’s Climate Company Is Issuing Refunds After Failing To Launch Crypto Token (Forbes)
• SpaceX’s Tiny Rival Soars 1,300%. Now Comes the Satellite Launch (Bloomberg)
• Apple turning AirPods into hearing aids underscores effort to crack massive health market (CNBC)

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Mistral goes multimodal for the first time. Meta admits to scraping the data of every adult Australian. The details on the new PS5 Pro. Wouldn’t it be wild if, through stablecoins, crypto BECOMES the banking system instead of replacing it. And a weird mystery in AI land.

Sponsors:

• Promevo.com/techmeme

Links:

• Mistral releases Pixtral 12B, its first multimodal model (TechCrunch)
• Facebook admits to scraping every Australian adult user's public photos and posts to train AI, with no opt-out option (ABC News)
• The $700 PS5 Pro doesn’t come with a disc drive (The Verge)
• Exclusive Hands-On: I Played Sony's All-New PS5 Pro (CNET)
• Americans used record 100 trillion megabytes of wireless data in 2023 (Reuters)
• Payments in Singapore With Stablecoins Rise to Almost $1 Billion (Bloomberg)
• Reflection 70B model maker breaks silence amid fraud accusations (VentureBeat)

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Apple loses its longest standing regulatory battle in the EU. Some drips and drabs from yesterday’s iPhone event. Would a phone you can fold three times be more enticing than a phone that folds two times? And are we about to see that new Strawberry AI model from OpenAI by the end of the month?

Sponsors:

• Timeline.com/ride

Links:

• Apple must pay 13 billion euros in back taxes, EU’s top court rules (CNBC)
• iPhone 16 battery life: How much better is it? (9to5Mac)
• Huawei launches $2,800 trifold phone hours after Apple debuts iPhone 16 (CNBC)
• Oracle’s Missteps in Cloud Computing Are Paying Dividends in AI (WSJ)
• New Details on OpenAI’s Strawberry; Apple’s Siri Makeover; Larry Ellison Doubles Down on Data Centers (The Information)
• Audible to Start Generating AI Voice Replicas of Select Audiobook Narrators (Bloomberg)
• JPMorgan Plans to Report Customers Who Exploited TikTok ‘Glitch’ to Authorities (WSJ)

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All the headlines from today’s iPhone event. It IS interesting the degree to which Elon’s various businesses have potential synergy. The Times digs into the content on Telegram and says, it ain’t pretty. And e-bikes seem to be back. In London, at least, anyway.

Links:

• Apple Announces iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with Larger Displays, New Camera Control, and More (MacRumors)
• Apple announces iPhone 16: camera button, new colors, AI features (9to5Mac)
• AirPods Pro 2 adds ‘clinical grade’ hearing aid feature (9to5Mac)
• Musk’s xAI Has Discussed Deal for Share of Future Tesla Revenue (WSJ)
• How Telegram Became a Playground for Criminals, Extremists and Terrorists (NYTimes)
• London e-bike boom leads to clashes with councils (Financial Times)

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Pavel Durov speaks, and Telegram blinks, both for the first time since the French arrest. Are XR glasses tethered to smartphones the next big product category? What if your smartphone could cure your vision problems? And in the longreads, if Waymo is about to scale, what, exactly, is the business model, long-term?

Links:

• Pavel Durov: Telegram founder says France arrest is ‘misguided’ (The Guardian)
• Exclusive: Qualcomm explores acquiring pieces of Intel chip-design business (Reuters)
• Qualcomm says it’s working on mixed reality smart glasses with Samsung and Google (CNBC)
• Review: Honor Magic V3 (Wired)
• Exclusive: Honor's latest devices use AI to try to reverse nearsightedness (Android Central)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Waymo’s Robot Taxis Are Almost Mainstream. Can They Now Turn a Profit? (NYTimes)
• When the Bitcoin Scammers Came for Me (The Atlantic)
• Among the Idlers (Curbed)

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The DOJ says it has taken down a big election influence campaign allegedly directed by Russia. The Internet Archive loses a big case. Android 15 is here. And two really interesting new gadgets, one I probably need to buy and one I want to buy but probably won’t.

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn.com/ride

Links:

• Biden administration announces major actions to tackle Russian efforts to influence 2024 election (CNN)
• The Internet Archive Loses Its Appeal of a Major Copyright Case (Wired)
• Android 15 will be available on supported Pixel devices in the coming weeks (TechCrunch)
• DJI Neo hands-on: A powerful and lightweight $200 drone (Engadget)
• The Remarkable Paper Pro is as outrageous as it is luxurious (The Verge)

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SpaceX has agreed to block access to X, in Brazil, on Starlink. Looks like YubiKeys are hackable. Who is the mystery platform looking to expand AI datacenters at an historic scale? And the Catch 22 that Intel is in. They need CHIPS Act money, but can their troubles mean the CHIPS Act money shouldn’t be spent on them?

Sponsors:

• Ramp.com/techmeme
• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Starlink backtracks, complies with order blocking X in Brazil, says regulator (Reuters)
• No X in Brazil? No problem, Brazilians say. (Washington Post)
• Microsoft to announce ‘next phase of Copilot’ on September 16th (The Verge)
• YubiKeys are vulnerable to cloning attacks thanks to newly discovered side channel (ArsTechnica)
• Nvidia Gets DOJ Subpoena in Escalating Antitrust Probe (Bloomberg)
• Two AI Developers Are Plotting $125 Billion Supercomputers (The Information)
• Exclusive: Intel manufacturing business suffers setback as Broadcom tests disappoint (Reuters)
• Intel’s Money Woes Throw Biden Team’s Chip Strategy Into Turmoil (Bloomberg)

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We missed a pretty big story this weekend. X getting banned in Brazil. I’ll try to catch you up on all the contours of this. Canva’s raising prices and it’s pissing people off because, I mean, they are REALLY raising prices. And the two pretty big success stories in crypto this year that we haven’t spoken about yet.

Sponsors:

• DataTribe.com/challenge
• Hims.com/ride

Links:

• Brazil’s Most Powerful Judge Is in the Spotlight—Again (Americas Quarterly)
• How Brazil’s Experiment Fighting Fake News Led to a Ban on X (NYTimes)
• Canva says its AI features are worth the 300 percent price increase (The Verge)
• HP to Pursue $4 Billion Damages After Mike Lynch Yacht Death (Bloomberg)
• Pump.fun surpasses $100 million in revenue as Polymarket outshines NFTs in August (The Block)

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At this point it would be quicker to name the big tech company that’s NOT investing in OpenAI’s latest round. Amazon’s new Alexa service is just going to be Anthropic’s Claude in drag disguise I guess. I’m starting to get really worried about Intel y’all. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• OpenAI Funding Round Tempts Nvidia as Big Tech Leans on ChatGPT (Bloomberg)
• Apple, Nvidia Are in Talks to Invest in OpenAI (WSJ)
• Ask Claude: Amazon turns to Anthropic's AI for Alexa revamp (Reuters)
• ChatGPT’s weekly users have doubled in less than a year (The Verge)
• Intel Weighs Options Including Foundry Split to Stem Losses (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Sunk cost (the Open Sea story) (The Verge)
• The secret inside One Million Checkboxes (eieio.games)
• I Watched Footage of Jerry Lewis’s Unreleased 1972 Holocaust Film (The New Republic)
• End of the Road: An AnandTech Farewell (AnandTech)

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Nvidia’s earnings were huge but because they didn’t manage to beat the biggest expectations out there, it’s kind of a miss? Pavel Durov has been formally charged by France. Does TikTok fall outside of Section 230 protection? And it seems like the effort by the car companies to wean themselves off of smartphone tech is… not going great.

Links:

• Nvidia’s CEO Says New Chip Will Have ‘Lots and Lots’ of Supply (Bloomberg)
• Telegram CEO Charged in France for Crimes Committed on His App (Bloomberg)
• TikTok must face lawsuit over 10-year-old girl's death, US court rules (Reuters)
• OpenAI in Talks for Funding Round Valuing It Above $100 Billion (WSJ)
• Top Movie Piracy Ring Taken Down, Major Studios’ Enforcement Group Claims (The Hollywood Reporter)
• GM's 'Google Built-In' Is Glitchy, Requires A Subscription To Use Google Maps (Jalopnik)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I explain why everyone has been posting strawberries in AI circles. It’s cause of a potential new breakthrough at OpenAI. Cerebras launches the first new AI chip competition to Nvidia. China has reportedly burrowed into US ISPs. And continuing interesting details pouring out of that Pavel Durov situation.

Sponsors:

• Timeline.com/ride

Links:

• OpenAI Shows ‘Strawberry’ AI to the Feds and Uses It to Develop ‘Orion’ (The Information)
• OpenAI Races to Launch ‘Strawberry’ Reasoning AI to Boost Chatbot Business (The Information)
• Cerebras Systems throws down gauntlet to Nvidia with launch of ‘world’s fastest’ AI inference service (SiliconAngle)
• Chinese government hackers penetrate U.S. internet providers to spy (Washington Post)
• Google Meet’s automatic AI note-taking is here (The Verge)
• Instagram adds what photos have always needed: words (The Verge)
• Telegram Founder Was Wooed and Targeted by Governments (WSJ)
• Can Tech Executives Be Held Responsible for What Happens on Their Platforms? (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As more details come out about the arrest of the founder of Telegram, a deeper look at Pavel Durov himself. We have the date of the iPhone event. We have a new record gaming number from Steam. And are Apple’s experiment with big budget Hollywood movies losing them bucket loads of money?

Sponsors:

• DataTribe.com/challenge
• Thorne.fit/ridehome

Links:

• Telegram Founder’s Arrest Part of Broad Investigation, French Prosecutors Say (NYTimes)
• Macron loves Telegram. French judges hate it. (Politico)
• How Telegram’s Founder Went From Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg to Wanted Man (NYTimes)
• Steam surpasses 37 million concurrent users for the first time ever thanks to Black Myth: Wukong (PC Gamer)
• Anthropic publishes the ‘system prompts’ that make Claude tick (TechCrunch)
• Apple Rethinks Its Movie Strategy After a String of Misses (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

French authorities have arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. Chinese tech companies are spending like crazy on AI too, btw. What are the smart glasses and VR gear Meta is poised to give us next month? And Nvidia might make you rich, but it still seems like a bear of a place to work at.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Telegram CEO Held Over Alleged Child Protection Failures on App (Bloomberg)
• Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France (Reuters)
• Is Telegram really an encrypted messaging app? (Matthew Green)
• China’s tech giants splash out on AI despite US restrictions (Financial Times)
• Apple Explores Robotics in Search of Life Beyond the iPhone (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia Rally Mints Millionaires Too Busy to Bask in New Wealth (Bloomberg)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Breaking down the Crowdstrike outage with Overmind.tech

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Microsoft deprecating a feature that it launched back in 1985. There’s a pretty big loophole that is still letting China use H100 chips. The weird saga evolving over at Bolt. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Microsoft finally officially confirms it's killing Windows Control Panel sometime soon (Neowin)
• Exclusive: Chinese entities turn to Amazon cloud and its rivals to access high-end US chips, AI (Reuters)
• AI-powered coding pulls in almost $1bn of funding to claim ‘killer app’ status (Financial Times)
• Bolt investors baffled by massive new deal proposal (Axios)
• Ryan Breslow’s ‘Lead Investor’ Blindsided By $450 Million Bolt Fundraise: ‘We Were Never In This Deal’ (Forbes)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• New Breed of EV Promises 700 Miles per Charge (Just Add Gas) (Bloomberg)
• Popping the Bubble of Noise-Cancelling Headphones (The New Yorker)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Mike Lynch’s body is recovered off Sicily, a deeper look at what was a roller coaster of a life. More cross posting for Meta’s apps. We have a date for the re-release of Recall. Interesting executive shuffle at Apple. And more data showing the degree to which free streaming is upending the Streaming Wars.

Sponsors:

• QualiaLife.com/ride

Links:

• Bodies of Mike Lynch and four yacht guests pulled from Bayesian wreck (Financial Times)
• Mike Lynch’s journey from tech founder to long legal battle (Financial Times)
• Meta lets you cross-post from Instagram and Facebook to Threads. Here’s how to do it. (TechCrunch)
• Microsoft’s Recall AI feature won’t be available for Windows testers until October (The Verge)
• Neuralink Says Second Brain Device Implant ‘Went Well’ (Bloomberg)
• Apple’s App Store Head to Leave in Reorganization Amid Global Scrutiny (Bloomberg)
• Report: “FAST correcting issues that VoD created” (Advanced Television)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

AI news has been a bit quiet for a little while now, but the headlines came roaring back today. More evidence Waymo might be having some sort of tipping point. Can we really get 3D without the need to wear glasses? And the the interesting raise startup that is actually, literally, going to the moon, not in a figurative sense.

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn.com/ride

Links:

• Gemini in Gmail can now help polish up your drafts (The Verge)
• Microsoft releases powerful new Phi-3.5 models, beating Google, OpenAI and more (VentureBeat)
• OpenAI makes fine-tuning for GPT-4o customization generally available (SiliconAngle)
• Waymo says it has doubled its weekly paid robotaxi trips to 100,000 since May (CNBC)
• Samsung’s new Odyssey monitor lets you play games in glasses-free 3D (The Verge)
• Microsoft Teams’ new single app for personal and work is now available (The Verge)
• Big Tech’s bid to rewrite the rules on net zero (Financial Times)
• Starpath accelerates moon water mining plans with $12M in funding (TechCrunch)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New Raspberry Pi 5. Waymo’s rolling out its new self-driving tech. A major developer draws plaudits for going anti-AI. The tragic and odd story of that tech exec who is missing after his yacht sank. And after six months, how is the Apple Vision Pro evolving? What if it kind of isn’t?

Sponsors:

• TakeThesis.com code RIDE

Links:

• Raspberry Pi 5’s new 2GB model benchmarked: Do you need 2, 4 or 8GB? : We test against the 4 and 8GB versions (Tom's Hardware)
• Waymo is developing a roomier robotaxi with less-expensive tech (CNBC)
• Procreate’s anti-AI pledge attracts praise from digital creatives (The Verge)
• Search continues for British tech magnate and 5 others after luxury superyacht sinks off Sicily (AP)
• Apple Vision Pro review: six month stasis (Apple Insider)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is X closing up shop in Brazil? Remember how Apple is trying to make their own modems? How’s that going? Why is the online dating sector suddenly struggling? And could the next big advertising platform actually be Walmart?

Sponsors:

• ArcticWolf.com/techmeme

Links:

• X says it’s closing operations in Brazil (TechCrunch)
• AMD Buys AI Equipment Maker for Nearly $5 Billion, Escalating Battle With Nvidia (WSJ)
• Apple Is Playing the Long Game With Switch From Qualcomm Modems (Bloomberg)
• ‘Bumble fumble’: online dating apps struggle as people swear off swiping (The Guardian)
• How Walmart became a force in a $54bn retail advertising industry (Financial Times)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Epic saga has reached a sort of conclusion. Epic saga. See what I did there? That California AI safety bill has been pruned a bit. You can now add you California drivers license to your smartphone wallet. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Fortnite Maker Epic Games Challenges Apple’s Dominance With New iOS App Store (Wired)
• California weakens bill to prevent AI disasters before final vote, taking advice from Anthropic (TechCrunch)
• Exclusive: Apple, Google wallets to carry California driver's licenses (Axios)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Inside the Snowflake-Databricks Rivalry, and Why Both Fear Microsoft (Bloomberg)
• The Little Streamer That Could (NYTimes)
• Your Air Conditioner Is Lying to You (The Atlantic)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The new version of Grok will pretty much let you make an AI image of anything or anyone. More rumors of an iPad/robot/smart home hybrid from Apple. Masa Son wanted Intel to spin up a competitor to Nvidia, but Intel reportedly couldn’t hack it. And is Sonos going to just say, heck with it, and re-release their old app that actually worked?

Sponsors:

• Acorns.com/ride

Links:

• X’s new AI image generator will make anything from Taylor Swift in lingerie to Kamala Harris with a gun (The Verge)
• Apple Pushes Ahead With Tabletop Robot in Search of New Revenue (Bloomberg)
• Apple is finally going to open up iPhone tap-to-pay (The Verge)
• The FTC finalizes its rules clamping down on fake online reviews (Engadget)
• SoftBank discussed AI chips tie-up with Intel to rival Nvidia (Financial Times)
• Sonos considers relaunching its old app (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All the details from yesterday’s pixel event, but especially the AI features that show how far ahead Google is. At least when it comes to putting AI on phones. We have official post quantum computing cryptography standards. And why they’re using iPhones to make offsides calls in soccer this season.

Sponsors:

• DataTribe.com/challenge
• Hims.com/ride

Links:

• The Google Pixel 9’s AI Camera Features Let You Reshape Reality (Wired)
• Google Gemini’s voice chat mode is here (The Verge)
• Apple relents and approves Spotify app with EU pricing (The Verge)
• The first post-quantum cryptography standards are here (TechCrunch)
• The English Premier League Will Ditch Its Hated VAR Offside Tech for a Fleet of iPhones (Wired)

Fantasy League Links:

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/s5r9c8

 Code: s5r9c8

https://fplchallenge.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/8znkcc

 Code: 8znkcc

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Patreon is forced to change how it does things because Apple finally came to claim their vig. Have basically all our social security numbers been leaked? Crowdstrike owns its mistakes in person. And even if you build it, the chip factories might not come if nobody shows up to work.

Sponsors:

• HensonShaving.com/ride and code ride
• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Apple says Patreon must switch to its billing system or risk removal from App Store (TechCrunch)
• ‘Apple’s Requirements to Hit Creators and Fans on Patreon’ (Daring Fireball)
• Hackers leak 2.7 billion data records with Social Security numbers (BleepingComputer)
• FBI probing alleged Iran hack attempts targeting Trump, Biden camps (Washington Post)
• CrowdStrike Exec Shows Up to Accept 'Most Epic Fail' Award in Person (PCMag)
• TikTok comes for messaging apps with the addition of group chats (TechCrunch)
• Chipmakers face a labour crisis (Financial Times)

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Hey, want to know the iPhone product road map for the next year or so? I wonder why that’s coming out today? Instagram is copying something it forgot to copy from Snapchat. Celsius wants a ton of bitcoin back from Tether. Flux continues to wow, and is Iran the biggest cyber threat of this election year.

Sponsors:

• Ramp.com/techmeme
• WashingtonPost.com/ride

Links:

• Apple’s iPhone 16 Will Keep Sales Stable Until Bigger Changes Arrive (Bloomberg)
• Instagram is testing its own take on Snap Map (The Verge)
• Amid Layoffs and CPU Controversy, Intel Postpones Innovation Event (PCMag)
• Celsius targets Tether, Badger DAO, Compound, and Netanyahu's niece and nephew in lawsuits (The Block)
• Forget Midjourney — Flux is the new king of AI image generation and here’s how to get access (Tom's Guide)
• Iran Emerges as the Most Aggressive Foreign Threat to U.S. Election (WSJ)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple’s new EU rules still aren’t acceptable to Spotify and Epic. Could we be getting a new, smaller Mac Mini this year? Perplexity AI is showing some real numbers in its effort to unseat Google Search. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Links:

• Apple announces new fee structure for apps in the EU that link out to the web for purchases (9to5Mac)
• Spotify and Epic Games call Apple’s revised DMA compliance plan ‘confusing,’ ‘illegal’ and ‘unacceptable’ (TechCrunch)
• Apple’s Mac Mini With M4 Chip Will Be Its Smallest Computer Ever (Bloomberg)
• ChatGPT now lets free users generate up to two images per day made by DALL-E 3 (The Verge)
• Perplexity’s popularity surges as AI search start-up takes on Google (Financial Times)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Why are so many car YouTubers quitting? (The Verge)
• Moscow’s Spies Were Stealing US Tech — Until the FBI Started a Sabotage Campaign (Politico Magazine)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

TikTok launches Spotlight. Meta’s budget kills a VR studio. Why did everyone think Logitech was going to create a mouse you had to pay a subscription to use? And did you know how big Anime is? I did not.

Links:

• TikTok adds in-app hubs for videos about movies and TV shows (The Verge)
• Exclusive: Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio (AndroidConnect)
• UK regulator launches formal probe into Amazon’s $4bn Anthropic deal (Financial Times)
• Humane’s daily returns are outpacing sales (The Verge)
• Logitech Insists It’s Not Making a Mouse With a Subscription Fee (Gizmodo)
• Anduril now valued at $14 billion, set to build autonomous weapons factories (Axios)
• Crunchyroll Passes 15 Million Monthly Paid Subscribers (The Wrap)
• Crunchyroll Is Thriving Thanks to Gen Z and Appointment Anime Viewing, COO Says (The Wrap)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Google’s new TV streaming appliance, plus lots of lot of Gemini stuff is coming to Google Home and Nest and such. Elon tries to get advertisers to come back to X by… suing them. That time Intel had a chance to invest in OpenAI. And what new products can Airbnb dream up to make more money?

Links:

• The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for (The Verge)
• Gemini intelligence is coming to Google Home (The Verge)
• Scoop: X sues major brands, ad industry group for antitrust (Axios)
• ‘There’s no price’ Microsoft could pay Apple to use Bing: all the spiciest parts of the Google antitrust ruling (The Verge)
• How chip giant Intel spurned OpenAI and fell behind the times (Reuters)
• The limited edition OnePlus Open is the most striking foldable phone yet (The Verge)
• Airbnb details plans to expand beyond short-term rentals, including co-hosting and relaunching ‘experiences’ (TechCrunch)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Three big stories to catch you up on. A federal judge has ruled Google is an illegal monopoly. The Game Of Thrones style drama at OpenAI is just getting weirder. And what if all those weird acquihires in all but name are actually mercy killings?

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Google Monopolized Search Through Illegal Deals, Judge Rules (Bloomberg)
• Forget Apple, the biggest loser in the Google search ruling could be Mozilla and its Firefox web browser (Fortune)
• How the Google Antitrust Ruling May Influence Tech Competition (NYTimes)
• OpenAI co-founder Schulman leaves for Anthropic, Brockman takes extended leave (TechCrunch)
• Struggling AI Startups Look for a Bailout from Big Tech (WSJ)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is OpenAI sitting on technology that could detect AI cheating? Why is Bitcoin so correlated to the stock market? Why is Elon restarting his lawsuit against OpenAI? Why are the Chinese launching a Starlink competitor? And are the go-go days for music streaming over?

Sponsors:

• Dell.com/deals
• HelloMood.com code RIDE

Links:

• There’s a Tool to Catch Students Cheating With ChatGPT. OpenAI Hasn’t Released It. (WSJ)
• Bitcoin tumbles below $50,000 for the first time since February (CNBC)
• Elon Musk Revives Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman (NYTimes)
• China launches first satellites of constellation to rival Starlink, newspaper reports (Reuters)
• AI Chip Startup Groq Gets $2.8 Billion Valuation in New Funding Round (Bloomberg)
• Is the Music Industry Slowdown a Crisis or a Blip? (Bloomberg)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So, tech earnings continued to be boring. Apple was fine. Amazon was not quite so fine. And then someone we don’t cover closely really messed the bed. I’ll tell you who. Are we starting to see the first next-generation AI startups? I’ll tell you about an interesting new model. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• Amazon Beats On Earnings, Revenue Comes In Light Despite Strong Cloud Performance (Investor's Business Daily)
• Intel is laying off over 15,000 employees and will stop ‘non-essential work’ (The Verge)
• 23andMe Board Committee ‘Disappointed’ in CEO Anne Wojcicki’s Take-Private Proposal (Bloomberg)
• Stable Diffusion creators launch Black Forest Labs, secure $31M for FLUX.1 AI image generator (VentureBeat)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• A $500 Open Source Tool Lets Anyone Hack Computer Chips With Lasers (Wired)
• The AI Keeps Score (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So I guess Zuck has convinced Wall Street that all the capex spending on AI is fine. How good a business is Tether? A gooooood business. The first arrival of Apple Intelligence is sort of a ho-hum for now. And how sports is completely transforming the streaming wars battlefield.

Links:

• Meta’s Lesson in Allaying Wall Street’s A.I. Fears (Dealbook/NYT)
• Meta’s AI Costs Surge as Digital Advertising Revenue Grows (WSJ)
• Reddit CEO says Microsoft needs to pay to search the site (The Verge)
• Tether Nets $5B Profits This Year, Says Its US Debt Holdings Surpassed Germany's (CoinDesk)
• A first look at Apple Intelligence and its (slightly) smarter Siri (The Verge)
• Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Sports Streamer Venu to Launch at $42.99 per Month (Variety)
• How the NBA’s Slam-Dunk Deals Will Reshape TV (The Hollywood Reporter)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another big pullback of a major AI tool. Microsoft earnings. How CapCut is taking over the creator tools space. Amazon speedy delivery is rolling out to the nooks and crannies of North America. And the startup taking a new run at AI wearable hardware.

Links:

• Meta Scraps Celebrity AI Chatbots That Fell Flat With Users (The Information)
• The Rise of ByteDance’s CapCut Threatens Adobe and Canva (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Pushes Fast Delivery Into Rural Areas in Challenge to Post Office (WSJ)
• Wear This AI Friend Around Your Neck (Wired)
• Video Announcing the Friend AI device

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Perplexity wants to share ad revenue with publishers. But lots of AI companies are continuing to gamble with scraping. Meta’s new Segment Anything 2 model. AI influencers on Instagram. Canva makes an AI acquisition. And in non-AI news, Meta makes a huge settlement with Texas.

Links:

• Perplexity is cutting checks to publishers following plagiarism accusations (The Verge)
• Websites are Blocking the Wrong AI Scrapers (Because AI Companies Keep Making New Ones) (404Media)
• Zuckerberg touts Meta’s latest video vision AI with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (TechCrunch)
• Instagram creators can now make AI doppelgangers to chat with their followers (Engadget)
• Canva acquires Leonardo.ai to boost its generative AI efforts (TechCrunch)
• Meta to pay $1.4 billion to settle Texas facial recognition data lawsuit (Reuters)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple Intelligence might be coming sooner than we dared hope. Might want to check your settings on X. The universe of alt coins is back. A big tech IPO coming from an unexpected source. And is that Galaxy Ring a thing or no?

Links:

• Apple's AI Features Rollout Will Miss Upcoming iPhone Software Overhaul (Bloomberg)
• Elon Musk calls Grok 'the most powerful AI by every metric' but 'secretly' trains the new model with your X data by default (WindowsCentral)
• A Digital Coin Based on Baby Trump? Yup. (NYTimes)
• Honeywell Weighs Quantinuum IPO at $10 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Paid Almost $1 Billion for Twitch in 2014. It’s Still Losing Money. (WSJ)
• The Galaxy Ring keeps you in Samsung’s orbit (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI takes on Google search directly. Another Hollywood strike with the same underlying causes. We know absolutely everything about the new Pixel 9 series already. Is WhatsApp finally catching on in the US? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Thorne.fit/ridehome, promocode: ridehome.

Links:

• OpenAI announces SearchGPT, its AI-powered search engine (The Verge)
• Video game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns (AP)
• [Exclusive] Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro Fold promo material reveals design, specs, AI, and other features (91Mobiles)
• Uber, Lyft, DoorDash Prevail in California Gig-Worker Ruling (Bloomberg)
• Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp has 100M monthly active users in the US (TechCrunch)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Airbnb Hosts Want Guests to Come to Them Directly (Bloomberg)
• Physicists may now have a way to make element 120 – the heaviest ever (New Scientist)
• He says he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He didn’t, said Frito-Lay. Now he’s suing (LATimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Once again, Reddit looks like it’s not worried about upsetting people. New generative search on Bing, new models from Mistral and a new video model from Stability. But did Runway train it’s video models on YouTube videos? We might have a smoking gun. But what if the dream of synthetic data for AI training is a mirage?

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Google's Exclusive Reddit Access (404Media)
• Microsoft unveils Bing Generative Search — enhanced with AI, it's a complete overhaul of traditional search (WindowsCentral)
• Mistral shocks with new open model Mistral Large 2, taking on Llama 3.1 (VentureBeat)
• Stability AI steps into a new gen AI dimension with Stable Video 4D (VentureBeat)
• Runway Ripped Off YouTube Creators (404Media)
• The problem of ‘model collapse’: how a lack of human data limits AI progress (Financial Times)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meta’s Llama 3.1 shows that open models can at least go toe to toe with proprietary AI models. Why did the Google-Wiz deal fall apart? Was the CrowdStrike outage a part of it? Kamala Harris, AI czar? And what do the reviews of the recent Samsung foldable phones say to us about those Apple foldable phone rumors?

Links:

• Meta puts open source AI on the podium. (Ben's Bites)
• The first GPT-4-class AI model anyone can download has arrived: Llama 405B (ArsTechnica)
• Google’s Aborted Deals Show Antitrust’s Long Shadow Over Tech (Bloomberg)
• Google’s $23 Billion Snub From Wiz Will Sting Them Both (Bloomberg)
• A Kamala Harris Presidency Could Mean More of the Same on A.I. Regulation (NYTimes)
• Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone (The Information)
• The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a great phone that’s out of ideas (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I try to get my head around the whole Google and third-party cookies thing. Wiz turns down Google’s big money acquisition offer. Spot ether ETFs can begin trading. And why weather prediction might be the first big scientific breakthrough of this AI era.

Links:

• After years of uncertainty, Google says it won’t be ‘deprecating third-party cookies’ in Chrome (Digiday)
• Wiz walks away from $23 billion deal with Google, will pursue IPO (CNBC)
• This ‘Google TV Streamer’ set-top box is what comes after Chromecast [Gallery] (9to5Google)
• Spot Ethereum ETFs get final sign off to begin trading Tuesday (The Block)
• Delta CEO sees flight disruptions lasting for another couple of days (Reuters)
• Alexa Is in Millions of Households—and Amazon Is Losing Billions (WSJ)
• AI helps to produce breakthrough in weather and climate forecasting (Financial Times)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wait, did any news happen this weekend? IT people don’t know about it cause they’re still digging out from the CrowdStrike thing. But why is everybody pointing fingers at Microsoft? Samsung jumps on the Google Messages bandwagon. Japan wants AI startups. And what do you do when you need 22 thousand football player avatars real quick? AI of course!

Links:

• CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor also linked to Linux kernel panics and crashes (The Register)
• Microsoft’s global sprawl comes under fire after historic outage (Washington Post)
• Blue Screens Everywhere Are Latest Tech Woe for Microsoft (WSJ)
• Samsung going all in on Google Messages in US, stops pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones (9to5Google)
• Japan’s copyright rules draw AI groups — and alarm from creators (FT)
• How AI Brought 11,000 College Football Players to Digital Life in Three Months (WSJ)
• Review: CMF Phone 1 (Wired)

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The big tech outage caused by a single software update that even my mom is texting me about. The new mini AI models are bring prices down as we hoped. How Netflix completely righted its ship. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Miro.com
• The Next Wave Podcast

Links:

• Major Windows BSOD issue takes banks, airlines, and broadcasters offline (The Verge)
• Global IT Collapse Puts Cyber Firm CrowdStrike in Spotlight (Bloomberg)
• Samsung halts Galaxy Buds 3 Pro shipments over quality issues (The Verge)
• OpenAI debuts mini version of its most powerful model yet (CNBC)
• OpenAI's 4o-mini brings big brains on a budget. (Ben's Bites)
• Netflix Q2 Profits Surge 44% to $2.15 Billion As Streamer Adds 8 Million Subscribers (The Wrap)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• A One-Man Telemundo on TikTok (NYTimes)
• Pooping on the Moon Is a Messy Business (Wired)

Interesting Raise Story About San Francisco Compute Co. (Bloomberg)

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It looks like crypto exchange hacks are back. And so are the North Koreans, I guess. Are the Meta Ray-Bans selling so well Zuck might invest in the Ray-Ban maker? The continuing trend of tech companies withholding products from Europe. And the state of play in terms of whether or not the cops can get into your phone.

Links:

• WazirX Hacked for $230M, Largely in SHIB, as Elliptic Says North Korea Behind Attack (CoinDesk)
• $235 million lost by WazirX in North Korea-linked breach (Elliptic)
• Meta explores stake in Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica (FT)
• Reality Comes to Meta’s Reality Labs (The Information)
• Scoop: Meta won't offer future multimodal AI models in EU (Axios)
• Apple says its OpenELM model doesn’t power Apple Intelligence amid YouTube controversy (9to5Mac)
• Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic Used Thousands of Swiped YouTube Videos to Train AI (Proof)
• Leaked Docs Show What Phones Cellebrite Can (and Can’t) Unlock (404 Media)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sorry, we gotta do more politics. Can’t avoid it cause now Trump likes TikTok and seemingly hates Mark Zuckerberg. Mistrals two new models. A big Pixel phone leak. And the interesting new “sketch to image” AI tool on the new Galaxy phones.

Sponsors:

• CleanMyMac X with promocode: techmeme

Links:

• Trump on Taxes, Tariffs, Jerome Powell and More (Bloomberg)
• Exclusive: Google-backed software developer GitLab explores sale, sources say (Reuters)
• Mistral releases Codestral Mamba for faster, longer code generation (VentureBeat)
• Giant Pixel 9 leak gives us our first real-world look at the Fold, faster charging specs, and more (AndroidAuthority)
• Samsung’s new image-generating AI tool is a little too good (The Verge)

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JD Vance becomes the first Tech industry player, and especially Venture Capitalist, to ever be on a major presidential ticket. It’s never been easier for the cops to break into your phone. Why are the major record labels suing Verizon? And why an AI innovation around spreadsheets could be a big deal.

Sponsors:

• Vanta.com/ride for $1000 off
• CleanMyMac X with promocode: techmeme

Links:

• J.D. Vance Is Trump’s Pick for Vice President (Wired)
• It’s never been easier for the cops to break into your phone (The Verge)
• Microsoft Investigated by UK Over Ex-Inflection Staff Hires (Bloomberg)
• Record labels sue Verizon for not disconnecting pirates’ Internet service (ArsTechnica)
• Microsoft’s new AI system ‘SpreadsheetLLM’ unlocks insights from spreadsheets, boosting enterprise productivity (VentureBeat)
• Apple releases public betas for iOS 18, macOS, and more (The Verge)

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The biggest tech exit in years might be in the offing as Alphabet eyes scooping up Wiz. The weird story of that huge AT&T hack. A new ARM-powered CoPilot+ PC is maybe the most powerful yet. And is India the reason Apple’s stock has been on the rise lately?

Sponsors:

• ArcticWolf.com/techmeme
• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Google Near $23 Billion Deal for Cybersecurity Startup Wiz (WSJ)
• Zero to Billions: The Startup on the Verge of the Biggest Tech Exit in Years (WSJ)
• AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ‘nearly all’ customers in new data breach (TechCrunch)
• AT&T Paid a Hacker $370,000 to Delete Stolen Phone Records (Wired)
• HP's new OmniBook Ultra beats every single Copilot+ PC on the market in TOPS, and it runs on an AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor (Windows Central)
• Apple’s India Sales Surge 33% to Record in Shift From China (Bloomberg)
• India clings to cheap feature phones as brands struggle to tap new smartphone buyers (TechCrunch)

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More about Josh Wolfe and Lux Capital here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All the headlines from what was largely a foldable phone event from Samsung yesterday. Apple has settled with the EU. More numbers on Apple Vision Pro sales. Why the sparkle emoji is the defacto symbol of AI. And, of course, the Weekend Longread Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• Galaxy Z Fold 6 goes official with 7 years of updates, wider displays, starting at $1,899 (9to5Google)
• Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099 with battery, cover display, and camera upgrades (9to5Google)
• Apple Avoids EU Antitrust Threat With Tap-and-Pay Probe Settlement (Bloomberg)
• Apple’s Vision Pro Won’t Cross 500,000 Sales This Year, IDC Says (Bloomberg)
• Has Artificial Intelligence Co-opted the Sparkle Emoji? (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Defeated by A.I., a Legend in the Board Game Go Warns: Get Ready for What’s Next (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Suddenly nobody wants to be on OpenAI’s board, even as observers. I’ll tell you why. More on how AI has thrown everybody’s carbon neutral plans into chaos. A monster raise in the AI and robotics space. And a16z has found a way to get chips into the hands of their AI startups.

Links:

• Microsoft and Apple drop OpenAI seats amid antitrust scrutiny (FT)
• Microsoft gives up observer seat on OpenAI board (Axios)
• Google Is No Longer Claiming to Be Carbon Neutral (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Says It Reached a Climate Goal Seven Years Early (NYTimes)
• Microsoft is hiking the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and launching a new ‘Standard’ tier (The Verge)
• This $1.5 Billion AI Company Is Building A ‘General Purpose Brain’ For Robots (Forbes)
• Andreessen Horowitz Is Building a Stash of More Than 20,000 GPUs to Win AI Deals (The Information)

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The new nothing phone costs almost nothing. I’m not punning. Sam Altman has founded yet another AI startup. Is the hype around AI PCs underdelivering? And two other back the future stories about updating Notepad in Windows, and abandoning floppy disks in Japan.

Sponsors:

• Dragon Ball Legends

Links:

• Nothing’s CMF Devices Prove Yet Again Cheap Doesn't Have to Mean Boring (Wired)
• Amazon announces new $79 Echo Spot alarm clock (CNBC)
• OpenAI and Arianna Huffington are working together on an ‘AI health coach’ (The Verge)
• Spotify is going to let you leave comments on podcast episodes (The Verge)
• Qualcomm, Microsoft Lean on AI Hype to Spur PC Market Revival (Bloomberg)
• After 41 years Microsoft quietly adds spellchecking and autocorrect to Windows Notepad (Tom Hardware)
• Japan declares victory in effort to end government use of floppy disks (Reuters)

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Ok, fine. Give me a thinner watch if it’ll also somehow have a bigger screen. Apple and Epic are just petty, squabbling children at this point. What if AI as it currently exists, is simply too expensive to be profitable? And a new social network is sort of back to the future.

Sponsors:

• Ramp.com/techmeme
• Miro.com

Links:

• What’s Next for the Apple Watch: Bigger Screens But a Similar Look (Bloomberg)
• Apple okays Epic Games marketplace app in Europe (Reuters)
• In a major update, Proton adds privacy-safe document collaboration to Drive, its freemium E2EE cloud storage service (TechCrunch)
• AI industry needs to earn $600 billion per year to pay for massive hardware spend — fears of an AI bubble intensify in wake of Sequoia report (Tom's Hardware)
• noplace, a mashup of Twitter and Myspace for Gen Z, hits No. 1 on the App Store (TechCrunch)

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This about the man who invented the modern disc operating system (the OS) and the concept of the software platform. That man was Gary Kildall. And the question we examine in this episode is, why is Bill Gates the richest man in the world, and not Gary Kildall? Could things have turned out differently?

In this episode we use audio from the following documentaries:

Triumph of the Nerds

and

Computer Chronicles

Special thanks to Justin Schwinghamer for the original score and the voice acting.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This about the man who invented the modern disc operating system (the OS) and the concept of the software platform. That man was Gary Kildall. And the question we examine in this episode is, why is Bill Gates the richest man in the world, and not Gary Kildall? Could things have turned out differently?

In this episode we use audio from the following documentaries:

Triumph of the Nerds

and

Computer Chronicles

Special thanks to Justin Schwinghamer for the original score and the voice acting.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The deploying and then walking back of AI products and features is becoming something of a routine at this point. Apple is joining OpenAI’s board, kinda-sorta. Meta outlines 3D Gen. Proof that VC funding is coming back, baby. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• A Better Paradise Podcast

Links:

• Figma Disables AI App Design Tool After It Copied Apple’s Weather App (404 Media)
• Figma pulls AI tool after criticism that it ripped off Apple’s design (The Verge)
• Apple Poised to Get OpenAI Board Observer Role as Part of AI Pact (Bloomberg)
• Meta drops ‘3D Gen’ bomb: AI-powered 3D asset creation at lightning speed (VentureBeat)
• Investors Pour $27.1 Billion Into A.I. Start-Ups, Defying a Downturn (NYTimes)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions

• Internet Browsers Are Getting a Makeover for the Workplace (WSJ)
• A.I. Begins Ushering In an Age of Killer Robots (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A recent Evolve Bank and Trust cyberattack might impact a lot of tech customers. Why single points of failure impact cyberattacks. YouTube will soon let you take down videos like you’re a Hollywood studio. And big tech’s playbook for AI acquisitions that the regulators can’t frown at.

Sponsors:

• CleanMyMac X Promocode: techmeme

Links:

• Fintech company Wise says some customers affected by Evolve Bank data breach (TechCrunch)
• CDK Global Hack Shows Risk of One Software Vendor Dominating an Industry (WSJ)
• Supreme Court orders new look at social media laws in Texas and Florida (CBSNews)
• Exclusive: Nvidia set to face French antitrust charges, sources say (Reuters)
• YouTube now lets you request removal of AI-generated content that simulates your face or voice (TechCrunch)
• This is Big Tech’s playbook for swallowing the AI industry (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meta’s turn to be accused of breaching the DMA. Smarter AirPods as part of an AR/VR strategy. Better AI leaderboards. And is the Surface Laptop finally a true MacBook Air killer?

Sponsors:

• Dragon Ball Legends

Links:

• Meta's pay or consent model in crosshairs for breaching EU tech rules (Reuters)
• Kuo: Apple to begin mass production of AirPods with cameras by 2026 (9to5Mac)
• ‘Boring’ Bitcoin Sends Weekend Trading Volume to All-Time Lows (Bloomberg)
• Amazon’s Bargain Store Would Use Same Trade ‘Loophole’ as Temu, Shein (The Information)
• Chinese AI models storm Hugging Face's LLM chatbot benchmark leaderboard — Alibaba runs the board as major US competitors have worsened (Tom's Hardware)
• Surface Laptop review: Microsoft’s best MacBook Air competitor yet (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Find out more about Casemark at Casemark.ai.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The growing backlash over Perplexity is getting interesting. OpenAI possibly exiting China will be interesting in terms of a massive land grab. AI Al Michaels will deliver personalized Olympics updates for you. And in the Longreads: is the real King of All Media… YouTube?

Sponsors:

• ConstantContact.com

Links:

• Amazon Is Investigating Perplexity Over Claims of Scraping Abuse (Wired)
• OpenAI’s China Block to Reshape AI Scene as Big Players Pounce (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI Wants AI to Help Humans Train AI (Wired)
• An AI version of Al Michaels will deliver Olympic recaps on Peacock (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• YouTube dominates streaming, forcing media companies to decide whether it’s friend or foe (CNBC)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Uncle Sam about to unload a ton of Bitcoin? AI has helped Google Translate almost double the number of languages it supports. No surprise, but Amazon is gonna take a page out of Temu’s book. Figma’s big redesign. And another way the AI era is rhyming with the DotCom era: the consultants are back.

Sponsors:

• Miro.com

Links:

• Bitcoin Falls After U.S. Sends $240M Worth of Silk Road-Related BTC to Coinbase (Coindesk)
• Google Translate is getting support for more than 110 new languages (The Verge)
• Amazon To Launch Temu-Like Discount Section With Direct Shipping From China (The Information)
• Amazon Hits $2 Trillion in Value as AI Frenzy Fuels Rally (Bloomberg)
• Figma announces big redesign with AI (The Verge)
• Webtoon Entertainment to debut on Nasdaq as latest Korean cultural export success (Financial Times)
• The A.I. Boom Has an Unlikely Early Winner: Wonky Consultants (NYTimes)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The ChatGPT macOS app is now available for everybody. Google drops continuous scroll for search. Waymo drops the waitlist in San Francisco. Are the AI characters on Character.ai somehow… changed? And is there an eInk phone that I might actually have to try out?

Sponsors:

• Lumen.me/ride

Links:

• OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Mac app is now available to everyone (9to5Mac)
• Google dropping continuous scroll in search results (Search Engine Land)
• Waymo ditches the waitlist and opens up its robotaxis to everyone in San Francisco (The Verge)
• Tech Investor Sean Parker Leads Rescue of Struggling AI Startup (WSJ)
• ‘No Bot is Themselves Anymore:’ Character.ai Users Report Sudden Personality Changes to Chatbots (404 Media)
• The Boox Palma is an amazing gadget I didn’t even know I wanted (The Verge)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.