Techmeme River
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
4:05 AM
Q&A with Lila Tretikov, who just joined NEA as a partner and head of AI strategy; Tretikov was previously Microsoft's deputy CTO and Wikimedia Foundation CEO
Fortune
2:20 AM
Hollywood actors like Megan Fox, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves are leaping into video games, a once stigmatized medium now seen as a unique platform for stories
New York Times
Monday, March 18, 2024
11:55 PM
Unity's 2024 Gaming Report: the number of multiplatform games rose 40% since 2021, in-app ad revenue rose 26.7% YoY, 62% of studios are using AI, and more
VentureBeat
11:10 PM
Google promotes Liz Reid to Head of Search and names Cheenu Venkatachary as the lead of Search quality and ranking, among other changes to its Search team
Search Engine Land
10:50 PM
Stability AI debuts Stable Video 3D, a generative AI tool built on its Stable Video Diffusion model, letting users create 3D video from a text or image prompt
VentureBeat
10:30 PM
Sources: TSMC and Intel suppliers have delayed construction of facilities in Arizona, citing surging construction costs, a labor shortage, and weak local demand
Nikkei Asia
8:35 PM
The Connectivity Standards Alliance launches a cybersecurity standard that aims to provide a globally recognized security certification for consumer IoT devices
The Verge
8:00 PM
Nvidia announces a software framework built with its Omniverse Cloud APIs to let enterprise developers stream interactive 3D experiences into Apple Vision Pro
AppleInsider
7:20 PM
Valve debuts Steam Families in beta, allowing a group of up to six Steam users to share their games, manage parental controls, and more
Windows Central
6:55 PM
Hippocratic AI, which is building an LLM for health care, raised a $53M Series A co-led by Premji Invest and General Catalyst at a $500M valuation
Financial Times
6:35 PM
Nvidia unveils Project GR00T, a general-purpose foundation model for humanoid robots, and Jetson Thor, a new computer designed specifically for humanoid robots
TechCrunch
6:30 PM
Nvidia launches Quantum Cloud, a service that simulates a quantum computer and allows researchers to test out their quantum computing software
Bloomberg
6:15 PM
Nvidia announces NIM, a set of microservices designed to streamline the deployment of custom and pre-trained AI models into production environments
TechCrunch
5:45 PM
Nvidia unveils the Earth-2 platform, letting users create AI-powered climate simulations ranging from global atmospheric conditions to local weather phenomena
VentureBeat
5:20 PM
Crypto trading platform Bakkt names Andy Main as CEO and president, as the company faces being dropped by the NYSE for failing to maintain listing requirements
Bloomberg
4:40 PM
Nvidia announces Blackwell, a new generation of AI chips available later in 2024, starting with the GB200 superchip, which pairs two B200 GPUs with a Grace CPU
CNBC
4:00 PM
Carlsmed, which is developing an AI-powered personalized surgery tool, raised a $52.5M Series C co-led by B Capital and US Venture Partners
Tech Funding News
3:55 PM
A recording of the Nvidia GTC 2024 keynote at the SAP Center in San Jose, California
NVIDIA on YouTube
3:35 PM
Q&A with Sam Altman on the OpenAI board saga, Ilya Sutskever, Elon Musk's lawsuit, Sora, Q*, GPT-5, raising $7T, Google and Gemini, AGI, aliens, and more
Lex Fridman
2:40 PM
X's pivot to video mirrors past social media trends, but its reliance on user-generated videos from TikTok and other platforms may not ensure long-term success
New York Magazine
2:25 PM
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says, on his channel, that the company raised $330M through bond sales last week, and that the offering was oversubscribed
TechCrunch
1:45 PM
Microsoft plans to hold a Windows and Surface AI event on May 20; sources say the event will include the consumer versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6
The Verge
1:40 PM
After hearing oral arguments, SCOTUS appeared wary of curbing US government contacts with social media platforms to remove posts deemed misinformation
Reuters
1:15 PM
Searches for “As of my last knowledge update”, a phrase used by ChatGPT, return 115 results on Google Scholar, suggesting the use of AI-generated text in papers
404 Media
12:45 PM
In partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, the US DHS rolls out pilot programs to test AI tech to help combat drug and human trafficking crimes, and more
New York Times
12:25 PM
The US SEC fines Delphia and Global Predictions a combined $400K for making “false and misleading statements” about their use of AI
Bloomberg
12:15 PM
TikTok launches Creator Rewards, a creator monetization program that has payouts based on “search value”, originality, play duration, and audience engagement
The Verge
11:50 AM
An Apple-Google deal around AI could solve short-term headaches for both, giving Apple a compelling AI story for investors and Google access to affluent users
Bloomberg
11:15 AM
App analytics company Sensor Tower acquires Data.ai for an undisclosed amount; Crunchbase says Data.ai had raised $157M+ while Sensor Tower has raised just $46M
TechCrunch
11:00 AM
Some GPT Store developers express disappointment by the lack of users and OpenAI not offering user analytics; OpenAI does not yet let developers charge money
The Information
10:45 AM
Q&A with Figma CEO Dylan Field on the failed Adobe deal, competing with Adobe, Figma's new Multi-edit tool, building tools, AI, AGI, Dev Mode, the web, and more
The Verge
10:35 AM
Google Research details VLOGGER, an AI model that can generate lifelike videos of people speaking, gesturing, and moving, from a single photo and an audio clip
VentureBeat
10:15 AM
A profile of Mumbai-based Yotta Data Services, which plans to have ~20K Nvidia H100 chips by June 2024 to offer Indian companies compute to build AI services
Bloomberg
10:00 AM
YouTube now requires creators to label their realistic-looking videos made using AI, via an upload checklist; clearly unrealistic videos will not need a label
CNN
9:30 AM
Figure Markets, a crypto trading platform developed by Figure Technologies, raised a $60M Series A led by Jump Crypto, Pantera Capital, and Lightspeed Faction
The Block
8:25 AM
The US says Poland, Ireland, Finland, Germany, Japan, and South Korea joined the US-led anti-spyware pact; Five Eyes and six countries signed the pledge in 2023
CNN
7:45 AM
Respawn and EA postpone the North American Finals of Apex Legends, after an unknown hacker gave pro players hacks like aimbots and wallhacks during the event
Forbes
7:20 AM
At an EU DMA hearing, an Apple lawyer fended off criticism over DMA compliance; Meta, Amazon, Alphabet, ByteDance, and Microsoft will now have similar hearings
Reuters
6:50 AM
Reviewing Reddit's IPO filings: signs of stalling user growth, struggles to grow overseas, a dependence on Google, wooing brands, a new Class C stock, and more
Wired
6:30 AM
Google quietly refreshes its Fitbit branding from “Fitbit by Google” to “Google Fitbit” and updates the watermark font to match Google Pixel and Google Nest
9to5Google
6:00 AM
A profile of Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman, who blends the personal and professional as CEO and plans to test a tepid IPO market for the unprofitable company
Wall Street Journal
5:40 AM
Filings: in December 2023, Reddit canceled CEO Steve Huffman's pay incentives tied to hitting a $25B valuation, signaling reduced hopes for a blockbuster IPO
Financial Times
5:20 AM
Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, aiming to bring most 8 Gen 3 features, including on-device AI models, to mid-range smartphones in the “coming months”
The Verge
4:15 AM
Behind the rise of AI ambient clinical documentation tools, which let doctors record and automatically turn conversations with patients into clinical notes
CNBC
2:20 AM
A look at the proliferation of gimmicky online crypto-certification programs, as the lack of a well recognized professional crypto accreditation leaves a vacuum
Bloomberg
1:37 AM
Sources: Apple and Google are in active talks to use Gemini to power some new iPhone features in 2024; Apple also held talks with OpenAI to use its models
Bloomberg
12:05 AM
Inside generative AI music startup Suno, whose model can compose songs, including human vocals, using a text prompt, as Suno aims to “democratize” music making
Rolling Stone
Sunday, March 17, 2024
10:40 PM
Sources: Sony pauses PSVR2 production to clear unsold inventory after making 2M+ units; shipments have declined every quarter since PSVR2's February 2023 launch
Bloomberg
9:40 PM
In the years since Facebook and Twitter banned Donald Trump after the January 6 attacks, he and his allies have beaten down efforts to filter election lies
New York Times
7:55 PM
To settle a class action suit, Uber agreed to pay ~$178M to compensate taxi drivers in Australia who claimed they lost income when Uber entered the local market
Bloomberg
6:40 PM
Experts say forcing a TikTok US sale within 180 days, as the bill requires, would be too complicated and costly, and likely mean the app would be banned
Washington Post
4:35 PM
A profile of server maker Supermicro, whose flexibility in offering custom servers has been an advantage in the AI boom, as the company joins the S&P 500
Wall Street Journal
3:30 PM
xAI open sources the base model weights and network architecture of Grok-1, a 314B parameter Mixture-of-Experts model trained in October 2023, under Apache 2.0
xAI
3:20 PM
Sources: Reddit's IPO is currently between four and five times oversubscribed, making the company more likely to at least attain its $6.5B valuation target
Reuters
2:40 PM
A US judge rules Apple must face a class-action suit over AirTag stalking, as three plaintiffs made sufficient negligence and liability claims under CA law
Bloomberg
1:00 PM
An interview with Aaron Levie about Box's acquisition of Crooze, as Box embraces the content management industry's shift toward AI and workflow automation
TechCrunch
10:40 AM
A look at issues and monetization options for CarPlay; sources say Apple plans to produce 20M-25M units of the entry and mid-tier AirPods launching in fall 2024
Bloomberg
8:10 AM
How China's chip spending may swamp India's ambitions; TrendForce estimates China's global mature-node production share to grow from 31% in 2023 to 39% in 2027
Wall Street Journal
5:05 AM
How an Uber Eats worker created UberCheats, a web app that computed the actual distance a courier traveled, after suspecting algorithmic error and underpayment
Financial Times
2:00 AM
A look at the collapse of dating apps' usability, which can be blamed on the paid subscription model and the near monopoly the apps have over the dating world
New York Times
1:15 AM
In a company blog post, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan acknowledged “unease” among VMware customers and partners after making sweeping post-acquisition changes
Ars Technica
12:30 AM
FTX's collapse exposed problems with crypto that are just as relevant today, including a lack of decentralization and companies' persistent regulatory battles
Financial Times
12:00 AM
A profile of former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch, whose trial begins on March 18 in SF, where federal prosecutors have accused him of defrauding HP of billions
New York Times
Saturday, March 16, 2024
11:25 PM
Apple researchers detail MM1, a series of multimodal LLMs with up to 30B parameters that they say achieve state-of-the-art performance in multiple AI benchmarks
VentureBeat
11:10 PM
Epic's antitrust cases against Apple and Google in Australia, which were paused in April 2021, are set to be heard at the same time over the next five months
The Guardian
7:30 PM
An excerpt from the book Behind the Startup details how an unnamed Silicon Valley-based unicorn's push for rapid growth left little time for actual engineering
IEEE Spectrum
6:00 PM
Lotte Rubæk, a psychologist who advises Meta on suicide prevention and self-harm, quits, accusing Meta of “turning a blind eye” to harmful content on Instagram
The Guardian
3:55 PM
How Elon Musk courted Don Lemon to show that X isn't a right-wing tool, as the breakup highlights Linda Yaccarino's thankless task of trying to assure brands
Wall Street Journal
2:33 PM
LinkedIn confirms it is working on adding puzzle-based games; a researcher says it is testing ranking companies in the games based on the scores of employees
TechCrunch
1:25 PM
Sources: US prosecutors in Virginia, with FDA's help, are investigating whether Meta's platforms are facilitating and profiting from the illegal sale of drugs
Wall Street Journal
12:45 PM
A look at a potential TikTok US sale, with an estimated valuation of $100B, or $40B without the algorithm, as Steven Mnuchin and others form investor groups
Axios
11:55 AM
Sources: SpaceX's Starshield is building a network of spy satellites under a classified, $1.8B contract with the US spy agency National Reconnaissance Office
Reuters
11:25 AM
Filing: SBF wrote a Google doc in which he floated “bad ideas” to improve his image, including going on Tucker Carlson and coming out “against the woke agenda”
Gizmodo
10:25 AM
Two of the UK's biggest supermarket chains, Tesco and Sainsbury's, were hit with technical issues on Saturday; Sainsbury's blames a software update
Bloomberg.com
9:45 AM
Review of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16: sets the bar for foldables with a large 4:3 display and seamless centerfold, but the trackpad is prone to missed inputs
The Verge
8:35 AM
Bain: Indian startups raised $9.6B in 2023, down from $25.7B in 2022; over 35K Indian startups shut down in 2023 and leading startups laid off 20,000+ employees
The Economic Times
6:00 AM
How evangelicals proselytize using Bless Every Home, an app that lets users create neighborhood maps and data tables based on people's religion and ethnicity
New Republic
3:25 AM
Twitch plans to remove Prime Video Watch Party from April 2, 2024; Watch Party launched in 2020, allowing streamers to broadcast Prime Video content to viewers
Engadget
2:30 AM
Reddit's down round IPO is a signal that rationality is slowly returning to VC and could encourage other tech companies looking to go public do the same
Financial Times
12:50 AM
Researchers detail ArtPrompt, a jailbreak that uses ASCII art to elicit harmful responses from aligned LLMs such as GPT-3.5, GPT-4, Gemini, Claude, and Llama2
Ars Technica
12:20 AM
Self-driving startup Waabi unveils Copilot4D, a generative AI model trained on lidar data to predict traffic flow around a vehicle 5-10 seconds into the future
MIT Technology Review
Friday, March 15, 2024
11:30 PM
Gumroad, an e-commerce company for creators, updates its rules to more strictly limit NSFW content, citing policies of payment processors like Stripe and PayPal
TechCrunch
10:00 PM
The TikTok divestment bill's progress slows down in the Senate, as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not decided whether to bring the bill to the floor
New York Times
9:45 PM
Game developer Scopely says Monopoly Go! crossed $2B in revenue in February 2024, just 10 months after launching and three months after hitting $1B in revenue
VentureBeat
8:50 PM
Starbucks is ending Odyssey, which launched in December 2022 in closed beta offering NFT-based rewards minted on the Polygon blockchain, on March 31, 2024
Decrypt
7:43 PM
Sources: HashiCorp, which helps companies manage their cloud infrastructure, has been considering options including a sale; HCP jumps 11%+ after hours
Bloomberg
7:35 PM
Sources: Social Capital fired two of its partners after they tried to raise ~$2M from outside the firm for AI chipmaker Groq, which rankled Chamath Palihapitiya
Bloomberg
7:30 PM
Leaked PS5 Pro docs mention rendering 45% faster than the PS5, 2x to 3x the ray tracing performance, and more; sources say it's set for a holiday 2024 release
Insider Gaming
6:20 PM
Microsoft is again injecting pop-ups into Chrome on Windows in a bid to get users to switch to Bing, after previously pausing them citing “unintended behavior”
The Verge
5:10 PM
Layoffs.fyi: 50,000+ workers have been laid off from over 200 tech companies since the start of 2024; some recently laid-off employees recall their experiences
CNBC
4:25 PM
Reddit says FTC launched an inquiry into Reddit's licensing of user data to AI companies; an ex-FTC official says other companies also got such “hold letters”
Axios
3:55 PM
After criticism, India's Ministry of Electronics and IT revises its AI advisory to drop plans to require government approval before new AI models are launched
TechCrunch
3:50 PM
Some Democrats warn that a ban of TikTok, used by nearly two-thirds of Americans under 30, could imperil Biden's reelection by depressing young voter turnout
Politico
3:30 PM
SCOTUS rules that public officials may block people on social media in certain circumstances, tossing aside challenges against Michigan and California officials
CNN
3:15 PM
Filing: prosecutors ask a judge to sentence SBF to up to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced on March 28; SBF's lawyers had suggested five to six years
Bloomberg
2:30 PM
Sources: BeReal is weighing raising a Series C or being acquired, as what is left of its $90M in funding is set to run out this year and DAUs stagnate at 25M
Business Insider
2:10 PM
Michael Seibel steps down as YC's managing director, says he did not feel disappointed when he was not tapped as CEO but would have accepted the job if offered
Wired
1:20 PM
Banning TikTok is a performative, unconstitutional, authoritarian move that won't stop China from spreading propaganda or getting Americans' data
Techdirt
1:10 PM
A look at Murthy v. Missouri, a case SCOTUS will hear Monday, which may upend how government communicates with social media platforms on topics like misinfo
The Verge
12:40 PM
Uber and Lyft threaten to leave Minneapolis on May 1, after the city passed an ordinance to guarantee drivers a minimum rate of $1.40/mile and $0.5/minute
The Verge
12:05 PM
Lawyers warn that the bill to ban TikTok unless it's sold gives POTUS unchecked power to ban any app or website the President deems a “national security threat”
Gizmodo
11:45 AM
Walmart starts selling Macs directly for the first time, partnering with Apple to sell the M1 MacBook Air for $699 a week after Apple stopped selling the laptop
9to5Mac
11:30 AM
Sources: Binance tightened the requirements for listing new tokens, including extending partial coin supply lockups from up to six months to at least a year
Bloomberg
11:11 AM
Sources: TikTok's US revenue hit a record $16B in 2023 while ByteDance saw revenue grow ~40% YoY to $120B in 2023 and recorded a $28B net profit
Financial Times
10:50 AM
Sources: X declined requests by the UK's Labour party to take down a deepfake audio clip of leader Keir Starmer, raising concerns ahead of the general election
Bloomberg
10:00 AM
Apple reaches a $490M settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit that alleged Tim Cook defrauded shareholders in 2019 by hiding falling iPhone demand in China
Reuters
9:15 AM
The Competition Commission of India orders an antitrust investigation into Google for charging app developers an “unfair” Play Store service fee of 10% to 30%
TechCrunch
8:10 AM
In an open letter to Nick Clegg, 36 MEPs urge Meta to scrap its “pay or okay” choice for EU users and to “align your business with the principles of the GDPR”
TechCrunch
6:40 AM
Vodafone sells its Italian business to Switzerland's Swisscom for €8B in cash and plans a ~€4B stock buyback; Swisscom will merge Vodafone Italia with Fastweb
Bloomberg
6:15 AM
Binance CEO Richard Teng, who has been in the role for only four months, quietly spun out Binance Labs, the company's $10B venture capital arm, earlier in 2024
Bloomberg
5:45 AM
Sources: China quietly asked EV makers like BYD and Geely to sharply increase their purchases from local auto chipmakers, to reduce reliance on Western imports
Bloomberg
4:40 AM
A deep dive into Reddit's history and the power of its 60K+ unpaid moderators, based on interviews with 60+ current and former mods, employees, and contractors
Wired
2:00 AM
Oil companies are increasingly using AI and remote operations to drill faster, suggest better ways to frack, and predict when active well pumps will fail
Bloomberg
12:55 AM
How Facebook Marketplace keeps Gen Z thrift-shoppers coming back to Facebook, which they see not as a place to socialize but as a place to score some deals
New York Times
12:15 AM
How Amazon refund fraud gangs organized like businesses exploit the retailer's lenient refund policies and promote their schemes on Reddit, TikTok, and Telegram
CNBC
Thursday, March 14, 2024
11:45 PM
Researchers detail how a side channel can be used to read encrypted responses from AI assistants, except Google's Gemini; OpenAI and Cloudflare made mitigations
Ars Technica
11:30 PM
El Salvador moved 5,689.68 BTC, “a big chunk” or ~$400M worth, into a cold wallet this week; public trackers had estimated El Salvador had less than 3,000 BTC
CoinDesk
11:15 PM
Bethesda, Maryland-based HiLabs, whose AI-powered tools provide clean data for health care organizations, raised a $39M Series B led by Eight Roads and Denali
The Economic Times
10:50 PM
Taiwan is building its own satellite internet network, as China's threats, Ukraine war, and Elon Musk's total control over Starlink make Taiwan's leaders wary
New York Times
9:55 PM
Sources: the US plans to award over $6B to Samsung to help the company expand beyond its $17B chip fab in Taylor, Texas, under the 2022 Chips and Science Act
Bloomberg
8:55 PM
Zephyr AI, which uses AI to generate insights into improving patient care and research in oncology and cardiometabolic diseases, raised a $111M Series A
Pharmaceutical Technology
8:30 PM
An investigation into Onerep.com, which helps people remove their personal data from people-search sites, suggests its CEO founded dozens of people-search sites
Krebs on Security
6:45 PM
The FCC raises its broadband speed benchmark to 100Mbps for downloads and 20Mbps for uploads, from the previous standard of 25Mbps and 3Mbps set in January 2015
Ars Technica
6:20 PM
Small-business owners and activists who rely on TikTok say the US House measure forcing a sale or ban would damage their livelihoods and harm their communities
Washington Post
5:35 PM
At the UN, the US pushes for global AI regulations, with a draft resolution calling for “effective safeguards”; the push contrasts with a lack of US regulations
Bloomberg
4:31 PM
Adobe reports Q1 revenue up 11% YoY to $5.18B, vs. $5.14B est., Digital Media revenue up 12% YoY to $3.82B, and Q2 revenue guidance below est.; ADBE drops 10%+
CNBC
4:15 PM
Spotify emails the European Commission to say Apple is holding up an iPhone app update that adds pricing information and links to its subscription options
The Verge
4:10 PM
Google schedules I/O 2024 for May 14, where details on Android 15 and Android XR, AI announcements, and more are expected; the date was hidden behind a puzzle
9to5Google
3:55 PM
Pornhub blocks access to users in Texas, after a federal appeals court upheld a Texas law last week requiring porn sites to institute age-verification measures
Variety
3:35 PM
WarpStream, which is building a cloud-native data streaming service based on the Apache Kafka protocol, raised $20M led by Greylock and Amplify
TechCrunch
3:30 PM
Snapchat is testing Infinite Retention Mode, which lets users save DMs indefinitely, bringing it closer to a pure-play messaging app like iMessage or WhatsApp
Axios
3:15 PM
Sources: Apple acquired DarwinAI, which makes tech for inspecting components during manufacturing and focuses on making AI systems smaller and faster
Bloomberg
2:45 PM
Microsoft launches Copilot Pro worldwide with a one-month free trial; Pro subscribers can use the AI assistant in Office web apps without a Microsoft 365 sub
The Verge
2:35 PM
Netherlands-based TheyDo, which helps companies map customer journeys, raised a $34M Series B led by Blossom Capital, bringing its total funding to about $50M
Axios
1:05 PM
Massachusetts-based Pi Health, which uses AI to automate tasks in cancer treatment trials, raised a $30M+ Series A co-led by AlleyCorp and Obvious Ventures
Bloomberg
12:25 PM
Damage to the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, and ACE sea cables disrupts internet services across Africa; the cause of the faults has not been determined
Bloomberg
12:20 PM
Google adds real-time URL protection to Chrome's Safe Browsing Standard on desktop and iOS, claiming to guard users' privacy; Android will get the feature soon
The Verge
12:05 PM
Reddit launches free-form ads, an ad format that looks similar to posts made by users, but with a “Promoted” label, to help advertisers get maximum engagement
TechCrunch
11:45 AM
India grants a consumer payments license to Paytm, which has until now operated under a license connected to its beleaguered affiliate, Paytm Payments Bank
Bloomberg
11:30 AM
Intel launches the $689 Core i9-14900KS Special Edition processor, with clock speeds up to 6.2GHz on two cores to become the company's fastest mainstream chip
Tom's Hardware
10:55 AM
X removes a graphic video shared by Elon Musk purporting to show cannibalism in Haiti, for violating its rules; there's no evidence the video was shot in Haiti
Bloomberg
10:45 AM
US cybersecurity company Zscaler acquires Israel-based cybersecurity startup Avalor for $350M; Avalor was founded in 2022 and has raised just $30M to date
Globes Online
10:30 AM
Deliveroo reports adjusted EBITDA of £85M in 2023, its first-ever profit and up from a loss of £45M in 2022, after launching Deliveroo Shopping in November 2023
PYMNTS.com
10:15 AM
A UK High Court judge rules that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, saying the “evidence is overwhelming”
Wired
9:35 AM
In 2023, crypto investors achieved total gains of $37.6B, up from a $127.1B loss in 2022 but down from the $159.7B in gains during the 2021 bull run
Chainalysis
9:15 AM
After the House vote, Chinese officials say the US has shown “robber's logic” toward TikTok, and Washington must “stop unfairly suppressing foreign companies”
Financial Times
9:05 AM
Proton releases its mail app for macOS and Windows out of beta, available as part of its $4/month Mail Plus or $10/month Unlimited tier, and a Linux app in beta
Engadget
8:50 AM
Unstructured, which helps companies prepare messy data for AI training, raised a $40M Series B led by Menlo Ventures at a $230M valuation
Forbes
8:15 AM
Sources: in 2019, Donald Trump authorized the CIA to launch a clandestine campaign on Chinese social media to turn China's public against its government
Reuters
7:45 AM
The EU opens a DSA investigation into Alibaba's AliExpress over illegal content concerns, ad and product recommendations, and more, the third DSA investigation
CNBC
7:07 AM
Meta plans to shut down CrowdTangle in August 2024 and replace it with Meta Content Library, available to academic and nonprofit researchers, not news outlets
Wall Street Journal
6:30 AM
Amazon says “a tiny fraction” of sellers paid for ads for products users couldn't buy and pledges a fix; Amazon offered a $15K refund to a seller seeking $300K
Bloomberg
6:10 AM
A TikTok-funded study on SMBs using TikTok in the US suggests that TikTok drove $14.7B in SMB revenue, added $24.2B to US GDP, and supported 224K+ jobs in 2023
Washington Post
5:55 AM
Memo: TikTok is “disappointed” that the US House passed the TikTok divestment bill, and reiterates its plans to lobby the Senate not to pass the legislation
Bloomberg
5:35 AM
Foxconn reports Q4 revenue down 5.7% YoY to ~$59B, as cloud and networking demand falls, net profit up 33% YoY to $1.69B, and expects flat 2024 consumer demand
Wall Street Journal
5:00 AM
US paid music subscribers hit a record 109M in 2023, or 136M if SiriusXM and Amazon Prime Music are included; seven of every 10 US millennials pay to subscribe
MusicWatch