Tech Brew Ride Home

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

History is rhyming today as AI music startups get the Napster treatment and Microsoft gets dinged for product bundling. Google wants you to build your own AI celebrity. Amazon wants to go at ChatGPT directly. And two hella-interesting and hella-big AI raises. Sponsors: Miro.com Links: Major record labels sue AI company behind ‘BBL Drizzy’ (The Verge) EU charges Microsoft with antitrust violations over Teams (FT) Apple Spurned Idea of iPhone AI Partnership With Meta Months Ago (Bloomberg) Uber Is Locking Out NYC Drivers Mid-Shift to Lower Minimum Pay (Bloomberg) Google Develops Challenger to Meta’s Chatbots and Character.AI (The Information) Amazon is secretly working on a ChatGPT killer (Business Insider) Etched is building an AI chip that only runs one type of model (TechCrunch) EvolutionaryScale lands $142 mln to advance AI in biology (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could Apple soon owe Europe a ton of money as they are the first to run afoul of the DMA? Could Meta soon join OpenAI as part of Apple Intelligence. Why food delivery apps are seeing plunging usage in NYC and Seattle. And a big new AI focused bill in California that AI startups are worried about. Sponsors: 1password.com/ride WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: Brussels accuses Apple of breaking EU ‘gatekeeper’ rules (FT) Apple is first company charged with violating EU’s DMA rules (The Verge) Apple Won’t Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns (Bloomberg) Apple, Meta Have Discussed an AI Partnership (WSJ) Delivery Drivers Got Higher Wages. Now They’re Getting Fewer Orders. (WSJ) AI Doesn’t Kill Jobs? Tell That to Freelancers (WSJ) ‘Little Tech’ brings a big flex to Sacramento (Politico) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government has banned Kaspersky antivirus sales in the US. People are losing their minds over Claude 3.5 Sonnet from Anthropic. Soon all devices can pair to your iPhone as easily as AirPods do. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: US bans sale of Kaspersky software citing security risk from Russia (TechCrunch) Anthropic claims its latest model is best-in-class (TechCrunch) Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet wows AI power users: ‘this is wild’ (VentureBeat) New iOS 18 API brings AirPods setup experience to third-party accessories (9to5Mac) SpaceX unveils backpack-sized ‘Starlink Mini’ satellite internet antenna for $599 (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Why are mobile game ads so weird and bad? (Sherwood) From Infocom to 80 Days: An oral history of text games and interactive fiction (ArsTechnica) The song Stevie Nicks wrote to “haunt” Lindsey Buckingham (Far Out) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ilya Sutskever wants to go straight to Safe Superintelligence, do not pass go, but do probably collect hundreds of millions of dollars. Is Perplexity ignoring robots.txt files? Xreal’s hybrid AR glasses play. And how many apps did Apple sherlock at WWDC last week? Links: Ilya Sutskever Has a New Plan for Safe Superintelligence (Bloomberg) Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine (Wired) For Apple’s AI Push, China Is a Missing Piece (WSJ) Xreal’s new gadget is a phone-sized Android tablet just for your AR glasses (The Verge) iOS 18 could ‘sherlock’ $400M in app revenue (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Apple pumping the breaks on the Vision Pro indicate problems for the category, or was this always the plan? What if AI means bots do the social media-ing for you? Actual RISC-V PCs coming to market. And a review of the new slate of CoPilot+ PCs that are available now. Links: Apple Suspends Work on Next Vision Pro, Focused on Releasing Cheaper Model in Late 2025 (The Information) Former Snap engineer launches Butterflies, a social network where AIs and humans coexist (TechCrunch) The Framework Laptop 13 is about to become one of the world’s first RISC-V laptops (The Verge) Here are all of the Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X chips that were released today (Engadget) ASUS VivoBook S 15 Copilot+ PC Review: Is the Snapdragon X Elite hype real? (Windows Central) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The regulators have come for adobe and their alleged subscription shenanigans. Apple might settle with the EU. But it’s also shutting down its BNPL service. The Threads API is here. Tether is making bank. Uber might be having a breakthrough moment. And back to using Reddit for search. Sponsors: A Better Paradise Podcast Links: US sues Adobe for ‘deceiving’ subscriptions that are too hard to cancel (The Verge) Apple to settle ‘tap-and-go’ payments probe with EU (FT) Apple discontinuing Apple Pay Later, ahead of new features launching this fall (9to5Mac) Threads finally launches its API for developers (TechCrunch) Tether Announces a New Synthetic Dollar That Is Backed by Gold (Bloomberg) A Robotaxi Business Is A Dream For Elon Musk–But Already A Reality For Waymo (Forbes) Can You Replace Google Search With Reddit? I Tried It for a Week (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Gurman says Apple is going to go all in on making the thinnest and lightest devices in the industry. Though the Apple Watch is probably going to get a bigger screen. McDonalds pumps the breaks on AI in the drive through. And two contradictory anecdotal stories about what happens when AI comes for your job. Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Miro.com Links: Apple’s Slow Rollout of Intelligence Features Will Stretch Into 2025 (Bloomberg) Kuo: Apple Watch Series 10 to Get Larger Screen and Thinner Design (MacRumors) Privacy app maker Proton transitions to non-profit foundation structure (TechCrunch) McDonald's is ending its drive-thru AI test (Restaurant Business Online) AI took their jobs. Now they get paid to make it sound human (BBC) AI in finance is like ‘moving from typewriters to word processors’ (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recall of some Microsoft AI products continues as literally Recall gets delayed. Another deep dive into how Apple’s AI actually works. Dream Machine is an open source AI video generator you can use this weekend. And in the Weekend Longreads Suggestions, the people who have found everyday use cases for the Apple Vision Pro. Links: Microsoft’s all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed (The Verge) Here’s how Apple’s AI model tries to keep your data private (The Verge) Luma AI debuts ‘Dream Machine’ for realistic video generation, heating up AI media race (VentureBeat) As streaming becomes more expensive, Tubi cashes in on the value of free (Los Angeles Times) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: I Know What the Apple Vision Pro Is For (Intelligencer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple isn’t paying OpenAI anything for their partnership. Guess they’ll make it up on volume. More details on how much money OpenAI IS making. The surprise Galaxy Watch FE. And do you think you’d have the skills to compete in the Excel World Championships? Links: Apple to ‘Pay’ OpenAI for ChatGPT Through Distribution, Not Cash (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s Annualized Revenue Doubles to $3.4 Billion Since Late 2023 (The Information) Perplexity was planning revenue-sharing deals with publishers when it came under media fire (Semafor) You’ll soon be able to join Discord calls directly from your PS5 (The Verge) Nintendo Switch Update 18.1.0 Pulls X/Twitter Support, Bringing It In-Line With PlayStation and Xbox (IGN) Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is its new entry-level smartwatch (The Verge) Spreadsheet Superstars (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk has withdrawn his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI. I guess Wall Street likes Apple’s AI strategy. But why is Microsoft already putting the brakes on some of its AI features? BeReal gets acquired. What does the word “slop” mean when it comes to AI? And what happens when you add modern technology to the humble walkie talkie? Links: Elon Musk drops suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman (CNBC) X is officially making likes (mostly) private for everyone (Engadget) Apple quietly improves Mac virtualization in macOS 15 Sequoia (ArsTechnica) Microsoft is killing off GPT Builder in Copilot Pro for consumers, just three months after broad availability (XDA Developers) OpenAI ex-employees worry about company’s control over their millions of dollars in shares (CNBC) Photo-sharing app BeReal acquired by Voodoo for €500mn (FT) First Came ‘Spam.’ Now, With A.I., We’ve Got ‘Slop’ (NYTimes) Raleigh smart walkie-talkie startup Relay raises $35M from investors (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All of the drips and drabs details from yesterday’s WWDC keynote. Spotify is about to announce a higher tier of membership with some perks. Mistral raises a big new round. The Raspberry Pi IPO is a success. And what if AI could actually make every stoplight in the country more intelligent in real time? Sponsors: Vanta.com/ride Lumen.me/ride Links: Apple’s AI promise: “Your data is never stored or made accessible to Apple” (ArsTechnica) How will Apple’s new AI change your phone? I asked Tim Cook. (Washington Post) Thoughts on #WWDC24 (Chris Messina) Apple’s Push to Infuse Devices With AI Will Take Years to Pay Off (Bloomberg) Spotify to Introduce More Expensive Subscription Tier for Music Lovers (Bloomberg) Mistral secures €600mn funding as valuation soars to almost €6bn (Financial Times) Raspberry Pi shares jump more than a third on first day of trading (Financial Times) The Smart, Cheap Fix for Slow, Dumb Traffic Lights (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the headlines from WWDC. All the AI goodness, even if Apple spent half the time not even mentioning the words Artificial Intelligence. Also, what if the audio quality of cell phones didn’t have to suck? And what if AI could actually make every stoplight in the country more intelligent in real time? Sponsors: Miro.com Shopify.com/ride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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As we prep for WWDC on Monday, word of a completely new Passwords app from Apple. Also, it’s a day of backlashes. The backlash against Adobe’s terms of service. The backlash against Windows Recall. The new social media app that is riding the backlash against AI. And, of course, the Weekend Longread Suggestions. Sponsors: get.StoryBlok.com/ridehome Links: Here’s Everything Apple Plans to Show at Its AI-Focused WWDC Event (Bloomberg) Apple to Debut Passwords App in Challenge to 1Password, LastPass (Bloomberg) Adobe responds to vocal uproar over new Terms of Service language (VentureBeat) Adobe terms clarified: Will never own your work, or use it for AI training (9to5Mac) A PR disaster: Microsoft has lost trust with its users, and Windows Recall is the straw that broke the camel's back (WindowsCentral) A social app for creatives, Cara grew from 40k to 650k users in a week because artists are fed up with Meta’s AI policies (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Behind ‘Suicide Squad,’ the Year’s Biggest Video-Game Flop (Bloomberg) The Unistellar Odyssey smart telescope made me question what stargazing means (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia hits $3T. US regulators aren’t sleeping on the AI market, including Nvidia itself. Humane tells users of the AI Pin to stop using the charging case “immediately.” Google is gonna store your Maps data on device. And would you take a job at Ikea... but in the Metaverse? Sponsors: get.StoryBlok.com/ridehome Kolide.com/ride Links: U.S. Clears Way for Antitrust Inquiries of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI (NYTimes) FTC Opens Antitrust Probe of Microsoft AI Deal (WSJ) US antitrust enforcer says ‘urgent’ scrutiny needed over Big Tech’s control of AI (Financial Times) Humane warns AI Pin owners to ‘immediately’ stop using its charging case (The Verge) ‘This Is Going to Be Painful’: How a Bold A.I. Device Flopped (NYTimes) Google Maps is making a big privacy change to protect your location history (The Verge) Stability AI releases a sound generator (TechCrunch) Ikea Is Hiring Roblox Players To Run Its Virtual Store (The Gamer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As I said on that bonus episode with Alex Kantrowitz, the research side of OpenAI isn’t happy, and they’re starting to speak out. More details on AI at WWDC next week. More price hikes in digital media. Palmer Luckey can’t stop; won’t stop. And how CoreWeave became one of the biggest winners of the AI era. Links: OpenAI Insiders Warn of a ‘Reckless’ Race for Dominance (NYTimes) Apple Made Once-Unlikely Deal With Sam Altman to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg) Twitch is raising US subscription prices for the first time (Engadget) Quest v66 Update "Significantly" Reduces Quest 3 Passthrough Distortion & Warping (UploadVR) How an upstart is using its Nvidia ties to challenge cloud computing giants (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More headlines from Computex. More layoffs at Microsoft, but why? Instagram is copying YouTube’s unskippable ads. Why Samsung is pre-emptively suing Oura. And Palmer Lucky is personally bankrolling a modern-day Gameboy. Sponsors: CrunchLabs.com/ride Links: Intel CEO Takes Aim at Nvidia in Fight for AI Chip Dominance (Bloomberg) E*Trade Considers Kicking Meme-Stock Leader Keith Gill Off Platform (WSJ) Microsoft is laying off hundreds in its Azure cloud business, sources say (BusinessInsider) Microsoft cuts jobs in Azure, HoloLens, and other units in latest move to control costs (GeekWire) Instagram confirms test of ‘unskippable’ ads (TechCrunch) Samsung sues Oura preemptively to block smart ring patent claims (The Verge) Palmer Luckey is now selling pixel-perfect ultrabright magnesium Game Boys for $199 (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Computex brings a slew of announcements from AMD and Nvidia, including an AI bot to help you with your gaming. Another price hike from Spotify. Perplexity launches Pages. X is now officially NSFW. And a look at Sam Altman’s investment portfolio. Sponsors: WashingtonPost.com/ride MackWeldon.com code: BRIAN Links: Nvidia’s G-Assist is an AI chatbot that guides you through games and optimizes your PC (The Verge) Spotify is increasing US prices again (The Verge) Perplexity will research and write reports (The Verge) X tweaks rules to formally allow adult content (TechCrunch) The Opaque Investment Empire Making OpenAI’s Sam Altman Rich (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI Teases GPT-5, Musk Raises $6B for xAI, Loneliness in Remote Work Era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI has a new “affordable” version of ChatGPT for universities and schools. They also are planning to get back into robotics in a big way. Behind the scenes, TikTok is forking its algorithm just in case. Why doesn’t Apple just euthanize the Siri brand? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: OpenAI has a has a new version of ChatGPT just for universities (Engadget) OpenAI Is Rebooting Its Robotics Team (Forbes) OpenAI finds Russian and Chinese groups used its tech for propaganda campaigns (Washington Post) Apple Plans AI-Based Siri Overhaul to Control Individual App Functions (Bloomberg) Exclusive: TikTok preparing a US copy of the app’s core algorithm, sources say (Reuters) Spotify offers Car Thing refunds as it faces lawsuit over bricking the streaming device (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Disney Is Banking On Sequels to Help Get Pixar Back on Track (Bloomberg Businessweek) They Built a $100 Million Watch Empire. Then the Market Tanked. (WSJ) The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong (Defector) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Global authorities take down what they say is the biggest botnet of all time. More big AI deals for big media. More on the delicate dance between OpenAI and Microsoft. Why aren’t there more smartwatches for tweens? And the AR laptop that might give the Apple Vision Pro a run for its money. Links: US dismantles 911 S5 botnet used for cyberattacks, arrests admin (BleepingComputer) Exclusive: The Atlantic, Vox Media ink licensing, product deals with OpenAI (Axios) OpenAI CEO Cements Control as He Secures Apple Deal (The Information) Internal divisions linger at OpenAI after November’s attempted coup (Financial Times) Amazon to Expand US Drone Service After Getting Regulator’s Nod (Bloomberg) Apple Signals That It’s Working on TV+ App for Android Phones (Bloomberg) Google announces Fitbit Ace LTE for kids with Wear OS, Pixel Watch 2 specs (9to5Google) The Spacetop G1 Arrives This Fall. We Try the AR Laptop With No Screen (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big leak at Google might be the tech equivalent of the secret formula for Coca-Cola being revealed for the first time. The ex-OpenAI board members are starting to explain why they tried to fire Sam Altman. Did the Biden administration pass on TikTok’s concessions to avoid a ban? And remember delivery apps? How they doin’ these days? Sponsors: Lumen.me code: RIDE Links: An Anonymous Source Shared Thousands of Leaked Google Search API Documents with Me; Everyone in SEO Should See Them (SparkToro.com) Ex-OpenAI Director Says Board Learned of ChatGPT Launch on Twitter (Bloomberg) Anthropic hires former OpenAI safety lead to head up new team (TechCrunch) YouTube’s free games catalog ‘Playables’ rolls out to all users (TechCrunch) How the U.S. ignored a chance to make TikTok safer (Washington Post) Food delivery apps rack up $20bn in losses in fierce battle for diners (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a rough timeline of when we can expect GPT5 and it looks like it won’t be this summer. xAI has a big raise. Another in-depth look at Apple’s AI strategy. The surprising old school companies getting boosted by the AI boom. And more data on how popular ad-supported streaming is becoming. Sponsors: YahooFinance.com 1Password.com/ride Links: OpenAI Says It Has Begun Training a New Flagship A.I. Model (NYTimes) Elon Musk’s xAI raises $6 billion to fund its race against ChatGPT and all the rest (The Verge) Apple Bets That Its Giant User Base Will Help It Win in AI (Bloomberg) Google adds AI-powered features to Chromebook (TechCrunch) The future of financial analysis: How GPT-4 is disrupting the industry, according to new research (VentureBeat) AI Is Driving ‘the Next Industrial Revolution.’ Wall Street Is Cashing In. (WSJ) What Happened to Our Ad-Free TV? (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of nowhere, the SEC has approved spot ETFs for ether. Spotify is killing its Car Thing. Google’s AI Overview is giving crazy answers all over the place. But Meta already wants to charge more for their AI bots. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com Links: US SEC approves exchange applications to list spot ether ETFs (Reuters) Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold (The Verge) Google's AI search feature suggested using glue to keep cheese sticking to a pizza (Business Insider) Save $200+ on your upgrade to The Information Pro (The Information) The Daylight DC1 is a $729 attempt to build a calmer computer (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: VCs and the military are fueling self-driving startups that don’t need roads (TechCrunch) Two students find security bug that could let millions do laundry for free (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia’s earnings are still historic, but what could upset their apple cart? A few things, actually. I think we know the truth or at least the timeline of JohanssonGate. Big new media deal for OpenAI. Likes are going private on X. And would you clone your voice to answer the phone on your behalf? Sponsors: Vanta.com/ride Links: Nvidia shares pass $1,000 for first time on AI-driven sales surge (CNBC) Nvidia’s Business Is Booming. Here’s What Could Slow It Down. (WSJ) OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show (Washington Post) OpenAI, WSJ Owner News Corp Strike Content Deal Valued at Over $250 Million (WSJ) Crypto Lobby Wins: House Passes FIT21 as Democrats Deride Historic Regulatory Framework (Decrypt) Elon Musk Wants to Make X's Likes Private to Hide Your Favorite 'Edgy' Content (Gizmodo) Truecaller and Microsoft will let users make an AI voice to answer calls (The Verge) The story about my wife's theater project (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the AI announcements from Microsoft Build. I know it’s only been a minute, but is Humane already circling the Deadpool? They’re supposedly shopping themselves, but at a valuation that seems… shall we say, on brand for them? Don’t forget Alexa needs an AI upgrade. And the efforts to peek inside the black box that is the Large Language Model. Links: Microsoft’s new Copilot AI agents act like virtual employees to automate tasks (The Verge) Microsoft is bringing ‘Windows Volumetric Apps’ to Meta Quest headsets (The Verge) Wearable AI Startup Humane Explores Potential Sale, Sources Say (Bloomberg) Google Search’s New AI Overviews Will Soon Have Ads (Wired) Amazon plans to give Alexa an AI overhaul — and a monthly subscription price (CNBC) AI Is a Black Box. Anthropic Figured Out a Way to Look Inside (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are only 2 stories today, but they’re big ones. First, at an event yesterday, Microsoft showed off what they want the PC to look like in the AI era. Plus, this Recall app is super interesting. Then, look, it’s the Scarlett Johansson/OpenAI thing. It’s gotten weird. And more importantly, it’s continuing to highlight how OpenAI itself is… weird. Sponsors: Miro.com for 3 free boards! Links: The new, faster Surface Pro is Microsoft’s all-purpose AI PC (The Verge) Microsoft announces an Arm-powered Surface Laptop (The Verge) Microsoft unveils Copilot+ PCs with generative AI capabilities baked in (Engadget) Recall is Microsoft’s key to unlocking the future of PCs (The Verge) Scarlett Johansson says she was 'shocked, angered' when she heard OpenAI's voice that sounded like her (NBCNews) Midler v. Ford Motor Co. (Wikipedia) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, that ChatGPT voice is not Scarlett Johansson, stop asking. In fact, that voice is going away. What does it mean if OpenAI’s entire superalignment team has gone away? Is Apple News+ the partner publishers have been waiting for? And if you want to be a digital nomad, you’ve got a lot of options these days. Sponsors: Pivotal Podcast To access The Washington Post for just 50 cents per week, head to WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: OpenAI to Pull Johansson Soundalike Sky’s Voice From ChatGPT (Bloomberg) What We Lose When ChatGPT Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson (NYTimes) Apple Needs to Evolve to Compete in the Artificial Intelligence Era (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s Long-Term AI Risk Team Has Disbanded (Wired) As clicks dry up for news sites, could Apple’s news app be a lifeline? (Semafor) Countries wooing corporate digital nomads hope to make them stay (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As telegraphed for the last year, Reddit is going all in on being an all you can eat buffet for AI companies. Will new batteries give iPhones longer battery life like I want, or will they just make the phones thinner? A subtle but important improvement to ChatGPT and in the Longreads, a deep dive into what happened at Cruise. Links: OpenAI strikes deal to bring Reddit content to ChatGPT (Reuters) OpenAI strikes Reddit deal to train its AI on your posts (The Verge) Grand Theft Auto VI is launching in fall 2025 (The Verge) iPhone 16 Pro Max to get new battery that could last longer (AppleInsider) ChatGPT now lets you import files directly from Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive (VentureBeat) Twitter is officially X.com now (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: In a single night, self-driving startup Cruise went from sizzling startup to cautionary tale. Here’s what really happened—and how GM is scrambling to save its $10B bet (Fortune) How cuddly robots could change dementia care (MIT Technology Review) Where Did All The Stocks Go? (Sherwood) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some AI companies want to go after web search. But by hiring an Instagram founder, is Anthropic going in a social or app direction? Will AI kill the carbon neutral ambitions of the major tech players? Will tech companies now have to onshore EMPLOYEES from China? And Netflix with ads? Definitely working. Links: EU launches probe into Meta over social media addiction in children (Financial Times) Instagram’s co-founder is Anthropic’s new chief product officer (The Verge) Android will be able to detect if your phone has been snatched (The Verge) Microsoft’s AI Push Imperils Climate Goal as Carbon Emissions Jump 30% (Bloomberg) Microsoft Asks Hundreds of China-Based AI Staff to Consider Relocating Amid U.S.-China Tensions (WSJ) Stability AI, Facing Cash Crunch, Discusses Sale (The Information) Netflix ad-supported tier has 40 million monthly users, nearly double previous count (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the announces from Google’s massive I/O event yesterday, including, yes, generative AI summaries are fully coming to Google Search. Plus, the camera-based AI system they teased that looks really cool. Ilya Sutskever officially leaves OpenAI. And is crypto the only place left where you can raise a billion-dollar seed round? Sponsors: Lumen.me code RIDE for $100 off Links: Google rolls out AI Overviews in US with more countries coming soon (SearchEngineLand) Can Google Give A.I. Answers Without Breaking the Web? (NYTimes) Google's Project Astra uses your phone's camera and AI to find noise makers, misplaced items and more. (Engadget) OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever says he will leave the startup (CNBC) TikTok creators sue U.S. government over potential ban (Washington Post) Humanity Protocol Becomes Crypto’s New Digital Identity Unicorn (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI unveils GPT-4o which makes Siri look like the technical cul-de-sac it very much is. But what does it mean that this was NOT GPT-5? What does it mean for the gaming industry that the PS5 might be underperforming? More streaming bundles. And the 2024 iPad refresh reviews. Sponsors: YahooFinance.com ConstantContact.com Links: OpenAI debuts GPT-4o ‘omni’ model now powering ChatGPT (TechCrunch) OpenAI debuts new model with enhanced real-time voice abilities (Axios) Tom Warren's PS5 sales Tweet Comcast to Launch Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ Bundle at a ‘Vastly Reduced Price’ (Variety) The new Apple iPad Air is great — but it’s not the one to get (The Verge) Apple iPad Pro (2024) review: the best kind of overkill (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, looks like my worries about solar weather being a threat to technology wasn’t just in my head. Ask farmers. Squarespace to go private. Raspberry Pi to go public? Waymo is setting some impressive records. And the new type of deal Apple and the other streamers want to offer Hollywood. Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Shopify.com/ride Links: Solar Storm Knocks Out Farmers' Tractor GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season (404Media) Website-design firm Squarespace to go private in $6.9 billion deal with Permira (Reuters) British tech firm Raspberry Pi lines up £500m float (The Times) Microsoft set to face EU competition charges over Teams software (Financial Times) Google’s Waymo Crosses 50,000 Paid Driverless Rides Per Week (The Information) Apple Nears Deal With OpenAI to Put ChatGPT on iPhone (Bloomberg) Apple, Netflix Amazon Want to Change How They Pay Hollywood Stars (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well that was fast. Apple apologized for the “Crush” Ad, saying they missed the mark on that one. Microsoft is launching a mobile game app store. Elevenlabs is getting into the music generating game. And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Apple apologizes for iPad ‘Crush’ ad that ‘missed the mark’ (The Verge) Apple doesn’t understand why you use technology (The Verge) Microsoft Plans Mobile-Game Store, Vying With Apple, Google (Bloomberg) Apple to Power AI Tools With In-House Server Chips This Year (Bloomberg) ElevenLabs previews music-generating AI model (VentureBeat) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Tim Cook Can’t Run Apple Forever. Who’s Next? (Bloomberg) World’s Biggest Construction Project Gets a Reality Check (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AlphaFold 3 is a new AI model to predict interactions and structures of proteins, the better to cure diseases and create medicine with. More cuts in Microsoft gaming. The community backlash erupting over at Stack Overflow. And that really weirdly tone deaf Apple commercial that has everyone so upset. Links: Google DeepMind unveils AI model for living cells (FT) Microsoft’s Xbox Is Planning More Cuts After Studio Closings (Bloomberg) Stack Overflow bans users en masse for rebelling against OpenAI partnership — users banned for deleting answers to prevent them being used to train ChatGPT (TomsHardware) Alphabet Progressing in Talks to Buy HubSpot, Sources Say (Bloomberg) That Weird Apple Ad "Crush!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple Bethesda studios are being shut down by Xbox and gamers are worried. The new Pixel phone announcement yesterday that probably nobody heard about. What if OpenAI decides to go after web search? And the surprising fact that FTX investors could be made whole, and then some. With interest! Links: Microsoft Closes Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More in Devastating Cuts at Bethesda (IGN) US revokes licences for supply of chips to China’s Huawei (Financial Times) Exclusive: In Tesla Autopilot probe, US prosecutors focus on securities, wire fraud (Reuters) Google’s New $500 Pixel 8A Smartphone Will Get 7 Years of Software Updates (Wired) OpenAI Is Readying a Search Product to Rival Google, Perplexity (Bloomberg) TikTok Sues U.S. Government Over Law Forcing Sale or Ban (NYTimes) FTX Has Billions More Than Needed to Pay Bankruptcy Victims (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the headlines from today’s Spring Apple event. New iPads? M4 chip? I don’t actually know cause I’m recording this bit beforehand. I can tell you Apple might make its own server chips tho. Nintendo has outlined plans to replace the Switch. And Microsoft is training its own high-end LLM, separate from OpenAI. Links: Apple Is Developing AI Chips for Data Centers, Seeking Edge in Arms Race (WSJ) Nintendo Teases Long-Awaited Switch Successor as Profit Slides (Bloomberg) Meet MAI-1: Microsoft Readies New AI Model to Compete With Google, OpenAI (The Information) Amazon’s Delivery Drones Won’t Fly in Arizona’s Summer Heat (Wired) China hacked Ministry of Defence, Sky News learns (SkyNews) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices