Tech Brew Ride Home

Jack Dorsey abandoned Twitter and now he’s abandoned Bluesky as well. YouTube rolls out Jump Ahead. Threads launches post quote controls. More than 40 thousand books on Audible are now voiced by AI. The Air Force is planning more than a thousand AI fighter jets by the end of the decade. And if you’re listening to this on Apple Podcasts, please listen to the end for an important announcement. Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride MackWeldon.com promocode: ride Links: Jack Dorsey departs Bluesky board (TechCrunch) YouTube's AI-powered 'Jump Ahead' feature rolling out widely to Premium users (AndroidAuthority) Farewell, dunks? Threads launches quote controls for all users (TechCrunch) AI-Voiced Audiobooks Top 40,000 Titles on Audible (Bloomberg) An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war (AP) Hugging Face launches LeRobot open source robotics code library (VentureBeat) Washed Out’s new music video was created with AI. Is it a watershed moment for Sora? (LATimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple earnings are out and revenue was down almost everywhere. Boy, AI can’t come fast enough for them. Did you know you can send Bluetooth signals to satellites in space? The full Rabbit R1 reviews turned out exactly how we expected. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: Apple Sales Fall as iPhone, China Businesses Remain Sluggish (WSJ) FDA Qualifies Apple’s AFib History feature as an MDDT (MyHealthyApple) Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time (TechCrunch) Coinbase’s First-Quarter Profit, Revenue Top Forecasts (Bloomberg) Rabbit R1 review: nothing to see here (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Revenge of the Home Page (The New Yorker) Nick Bostrom Made the World Fear AI. Now He Asks: What if It Fixes Everything? (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The music is back on TikTok with a new deal struck. Maybe a third of Americans were affected by that Change Healthcare hack. Why are companies suddenly cutting teams you’d think would be sacred cows? Airbnb wants you to stay in the house from the movie Up. And we finally know just how much Google pays Apple for the search default in iOS. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: TikTok and Universal Music Group Settle Royalty Dispute With New Licensing Agreement (Variety) UnitedHealthcare CEO says ‘maybe a third’ of US citizens were affected by recent hack (TechCrunch) UnitedHealth CEO tells lawmakers the company paid hackers a $22 million ransom (CNBC) Google lays off hundreds of ‘Core’ employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico (CNBC) Amazon-backed Anthropic launches iPhone app and business tier to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT (CNBC) In Latest Stunt, Airbnb Lists the ‘Up’ House. It Floats. (NYTimes) Google’s Payments to Apple Reached $20 Billion in 2022, Antitrust Court Documents Show (Bloomberg) Microsoft Concern Over Google’s Lead Drove OpenAI Investment (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Binance founder CZ looks like he’s heading to jail too, but for way less time than SBF. Is the Rabbit R1 just a fancy device for a glorified Android app? Has OpenAI floated a secret pre-release of GPT5? And finally, so much has happened, I decided we had to do an omnibus catch up with what’s going on in the world of Elon. Links: Binance founder Changpeng Zhao sentenced to four months in prison (The Verge) Rabbit R1, a thing that should just be an app, actually is just an Android app (Updated) (Android Authority) Powerful New Chatbot Disappears as Mysteriously as It Arrived (Gizmodo) Tesla conducting more layoffs, including entire Supercharger team (Electrek) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FCC has fined all the major telecom companies. You’ll never guess why. Why the DMA actions from the EU might be a constant thing. Devs, how about an AI-powered IDE? You’ll never guess why Peacock thinks it can raise prices again. And is Marquess Brownlee right about underbaked hardware releases? Sponsors: ZocDoc.com/techmeme ConstantContact.com Links: FCC fines AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon nearly $200 million for illegally sharing location data (The Verge) Meta Risks EU Fines Over Kremlin Lies on Facebook, Instagram (Bloomberg) How an empty S3 bucket can make your AWS bill explode (Maciej Pocwierz) Copilot Workspace is GitHub’s take on AI-powered software engineering (TechCrunch) Peacock Hikes Subscription Prices Ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics (The Hollywood Reporter) Rabbit R1 Review (MKBHD) Marques Brownlee slams another AI product as “barely reviewable” after Humane AI Pin controversy (Dexerto) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple continues discussions with folks to partner for AI product. Will the upcoming iPad event kick off Apple’s AI strategy? Why does spending on AI seem to work for Google and Microsoft but not for Meta? Why were a bunch of Apple users signed out of their accounts this weekend? And has AI already ruined Meta’s family of apps? Sponsors: CutsClothing.com/RIDE, promocode RIDE for 20% off YahooFinance.com Links: Apple Intensifies Talks With OpenAI for iPhone Generative AI Features (Bloomberg) Apple Rivals Retool to Challenge the iPhone and Vision Pro (Bloomberg) Investors Cheer AI Spending Boom in Big Tech—Just Not at Meta (WSJ) The Financial Times and OpenAI strike content licensing deal (Financial Times) Apple users are being locked out of their Apple IDs with no explanation (9to5Mac) AI is making Meta's apps basically unusable (Fast Company) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Net Neutrality has been voted back into existence. Earnings from Microsoft and Google, but it’s the YouTube numbers that continue to impress me. ByteDance claims it would rather be banned than sell US TikTok. The Onion finds a benevolent billionaire. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules (NYTimes) Google parent announces first-ever dividend; beats on sales, profit; shares soar (Reuters) OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Other Tech Leaders to Serve on AI Safety Board (WSJ) Exclusive: ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in US if legal options fail, sources say (Reuters) The Onion Is Sold by G/O Media (NYTimes) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Chips Act has been surprisingly successful so far (Financial Times) Why You Can’t Get a Restaurant Reservation (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta’s earnings were fine, but it’s what Zuck warned about spending that has Wall Street nervous. Sub 2nm chips are on their way. An AI startup has a big new raise after its big raise just a month ago. Google Meet lets you jump devices. And the first reviews of the Rabbit R1 are out. Links: Zuckerberg Asks for Patience as Meta’s AI Push Spooks Market (Bloomberg) Zuckerberg says it will take Meta years to make money from generative AI (The Verge) TSMC aims to produce ultra-advanced 1.6-nm chips by 2026 (NikkeiAsia) Six-Month-Old AI Coding Startup Valued at $2 Billion by Founders Fund (The Information) Google Meet will let you transfer calls between web and phone with ‘Switch here’ (9to5Google) A morning with the Rabbit R1: a fun, funky, unfinished AI gadget (The Verge) Rabbit R1 hands-on: Already more fun and accessible than the Humane AI Pin (Engadget) Rabbit’s R1 is a little AI gadget that grows on you (TechCrunch) First Ones videos on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The TikTok divestment bill has probably already been signed into law. What happens now? What are the legal arguments that this thing can stick? What about things like, you know, the First Amendment? Also, ads in Windows? Time to take Meta’s RayBan smartglasses seriously? And what it’s like to use AI inside of Instagram. Links: Senate passes TikTok ban bill, sending it to President Biden’s desk (The Verge) TikTok Ban Looms With Biden Poised to Start 270-Day Countdown (Bloomberg) How the TikTok ban could survive a court challenge (Platformer) Windows 11 Start menu ads are now rolling out to everyone (The Verge) The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses get video calling, Apple Music, and a new style (The Verge) Meta’s A.I. Assistant Is Fun to Use, but It Can’t Be Trusted (NYTimes) "First Ones" YouTube Videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft has launched new lightweight AI models. Perplexity has a big new raise. Meta wants other people to build Quest headsets. Another reason Apple needs to find new revenue. And if Congress really is going to ban TikTok, are they ever going to tell us exactly why? Links: Microsoft launches Phi-3, its smallest AI model yet (The Verge) Meta Expands Its Mixed Reality Beyond the Quest Headsets (CNET) Meta wants to be the Microsoft of headsets (The Verge) China Smartphone Sales Remain in Black on Huawei, HONOR, Xiaomi Outperformance (Counterpoint) AI Search Startup Perplexity Valued at $1 Billion in Funding Round (Bloomberg) Adobe’s new Firefly model makes it easier to use Photoshop’s AI tools (The Verge) If TikTok Is Such a Threat, Show Us the Receipts (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I know we’ve said this before, but TikTok really seems on the brink this time. What the heck is going on with Tesla? Tinder wants you to share your date. Streamers want you to stop dating around and playing the field. An open-source smarthome standard. And again, do we really need standalone AI devices when we already have smartphones? Links: TikTok ‘ban’ passes in the House again, moving to the Senate in foreign aid package (The Verge) Tesla lowers price of ‘Full Self-Driving’ to $8,000, down from $12,000 (Electrek) Tinder gets a ‘Share My Date’ feature for users to send date plans to their curious friends (TechCrunch) Americans’ New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat. (NYTimes) The little smart home platform that could (The Verge) The future of AI gadgets is just phones (The Verge) Space Ghost Coast To Coast Marathon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta released Llama 3 yesterday, and some of the moves they made have made be consider if Zuck could win these first AI wars. Is Zuck also getting aggressive in VR? Why Apple had to take down the WhatsApp and Threads apps in China. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Meta’s battle with ChatGPT begins now (The Verge) Meta, in Its Biggest A.I. Push, Places Smart Assistants Across Its Apps (NYTimes) Meta gives the Quest 2 its second permanent price cut in four months (Engadget) Cool or creepy? Microsoft's VASA-1 is a new AI model that turns photos into 'talking faces' (Tom's Guide) China Orders Apple to Remove Popular Messaging Apps (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How Perfectly Can Reality Be Simulated? (The New Yorker) The Life and Death of Hollywood (Harper's Magazine) How Neopets’ nostalgic revival tripled users in six months (The Guardian) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google has fired 28 employees for political protests yesterday. A well-known coding school has been fined by the CFPB. Game emulators come to the iPhone. TikTok’s Instagram clone is rolling out. Has Sony perfecting Mini LED TVs? And the Atlas robot has been reborn in a new body! Links: Google fires 28 employees after sit-in protest over Israel cloud contract (The Verge) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fines BloomTech for false claims (TechCrunch) Third-party iPhone app store AltStore PAL is now live in Europe (The Verge) TikTok Notes starts rolling out as a new rival to Instagram (The Verge) US Air Force confirms first successful AI dogfight (The Verge) Sony might have perfected Mini LED TVs with its new 2024 lineup (The Verge) Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot goes electric (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

T-Mobile and Verizon employees are being offered bribes for SIM swaps. How much coding copilots have taken over. How much would you value Mistral or Cohere in the LLM race? How popular has Airchat gotten? How big has Amazon Prime gotten? And one of the original modern robots is being retired. Links: T-Mobile, Verizon workers get texts offering $300 for SIM swaps (BleepingComputer) Microsoft’s AI Copilot Is Starting to Automate the Coding Industry (Bloomberg) Mistral, an OpenAI Rival in Europe, in Talks to Raise Capital at a $5 Billion Valuation (The Information) Invitation-Only Audio Social Network Is the Hot New App in Tech Circles (Bloomberg) Musk’s Starlink Cracks Down on Growing Black Market (WSJ) Amazon Prime Memberships in US Gain 8% to New High After Lull (Bloomberg) Atlas shrugged: Boston Dynamics retires its hydraulic humanoid robot (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft continues to spread its AI bets. Disney wants to bring back tv channels. YouTube is not gonna let you block ads. What did Humane get wrong with the AI Pin? And can Limitless do any better with its AI Pendant? Sponsors: MackWeldon.com, promocode ride YahooFinance.com Links: Microsoft to invest $1.5bn in Abu Dhabi AI group G42 (Financial Times) To Keep Viewers, Disney Plans a New Streaming Concept: Old-Style TV Channels (The Information) YouTube cracking down on third-party apps that block ads (9to5Google) YouTube Accounted for Nearly 10% of All TV Viewing in March, Nielsen Says (TheWrap) Oh the Humanity (Sandofsky.com) Limitless is a new AI tool for your meetings — and an all-hearing wearable gadget (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Really looks like high-end re-shoring of chip tech is happening, and happening soon. What if satellite telephony becomes a table-stakes smartphone feature? Get ready for the bitcoin halving. Does anyone have invites to Airchat? And get ready for 4TB, yes, TB, SD cards. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Links: Samsung boosts Joe Biden’s chipmaking ambitions with Texas plant upgrade (Financial Times) Exclusive: Google Pixel 9 series to get emergency satellite connectivity, new modem (Android Authority) Bitcoin ‘Halving’ Will Deal a $10 Billion Blow to Crypto Miners (Bloomberg) ChatGPT essay cheats are a menace to us all (Financial Times) Naval Ravikant’s Airchat is a social app built around talk, not text (TechCrunch) 4TB SD cards are arriving in 2025 for your cameras and laptops (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now a big business intelligence company has been breached. Do you get the sense that people are laying the groundwork for something? Google discontinues a product, but this time, its probably our fault. M4 chips are coming from Apple. OpenAI continues to be the drama queen of Silicon Valley. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: US government urges Sisense customers to reset credentials after hack (TechCrunch) Google One VPN will be discontinued, Pixel VPN remains with upgrade coming (9to5Google) X’s Premium users can no longer hide their blue checks (The Verge) Apple Plans to Overhaul Entire Mac Line With AI-Focused M4 Chips (Bloomberg) OpenAI Researchers, Including Ally of Sutskever, Fired for Alleged Leaking (The Information) Is Google's AI Actually Discovering 'Millions of New Materials?' (404 Media) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: AI-Music Arms Race: Meet Udio, the Other ChatGPT for Music (RollingStone) How Bluey Became a $2 Billion Smash Hit—With an Uncertain Future (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple is notifying people their iPhones may have been compromised. Spotify wants you to mix up your music. Adobe is paying handsomely for videos. And the biggest new gadget review event in a long time. Link: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks (TechCrunch) Spotify Plans New Remixing Tools for the TikTok Generation (WSJ) Adobe Is Buying Videos for $3 Per Minute to Build AI Model (Bloomberg) Humane AI Pin review: not even close (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More AI announces from Google. More hints on how Apple will bring AI to iPhones. And a bunch of interesting datapoints: how much Apple has moved away from manufacturing in China, how much money TikTok’s parent company is making, are kids warming up to VR and are alternative browsers benefitting from the DMA? Links: Google Launches Coding AIs That Could Rival Microsoft's Github Copilot (PCMag) Apple's new AI model could help Siri see how iOS apps work (AppleInsider) Apple’s India iPhone Output Hits $14 Billion in China Shift (Bloomberg) ByteDance Profit Jumps 60%, Taking It Past Archrival Tencent (Bloomberg) Exclusive: EU's new tech laws are working; small browsers gain market share (Reuters) Survey shows that teenagers are using more VR devices in the US (9to5Mac) Kobo announces its first color e-readers (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google has a ton of AI announces, including new Arm-based AI chips, utilizing Google search in Gemini, and more. They also released their own Find My network. Microsoft is confident they can release chips that can best Apple Silicon. And maybe OpenAI DID train on YouTube videos after all. Everybody is desperate for data right now. Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: Google Expands In-House Chip Efforts in Costly AI Battle (WSJ) Google Shows AI Model Is Enterprise-Ready After Gemini Mishaps (Bloomberg) Gmail adding voice input, Gemini for Google Chat, Meet ‘Translate for me,’ & more (9to5Google) Google rolling out Find My Device network for Android (9to5Google) Microsoft is confident Windows on Arm could finally beat Apple (The Verge) Spotify launches personalized AI playlists that you can build using prompts (TechCrunch) How Tech Giants Cut Corners to Harvest Data for A.I. (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Marcus comes on the pod to discuss what he's been working on since leaving Meta. Specificially: Lightspark, and efforts to expand the Lighting Network and bitcoin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple joins the tech layoff club. Microsoft warns China is planning to disrupt elections using AI. Disney+ is joining Netflix in cracking down on password sharing. How much is the going rate to buy pictures or videos to train AI models on? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: Apple Cut at Least 600 Workers When Car, Screen Projects Stopped (Bloomberg) China will use AI to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India, Microsoft warns (The Guardian) Disney+ will crack down on password sharing in June (CNN) Inside Big Tech's underground race to buy AI training data (Reuters) YouTube Says OpenAI Training Sora With Its Videos Would Break Rules (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How One Tech Skeptic Decided A.I. Might Benefit the Middle Class (NYTimes) How WhatsApp became the world’s default communication app (Engadget) The 18 most interesting startups from YC’s Demo Day show we’re in an AI bubble (TechCrunch) YC’s latest Demo Day shows fascinating wagers on healthcare, chip design, AI and more (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Apple pivoting to home robotics now that the Apple Car project is dead? Is Google about to pivot to subscription based search? Why is X handing back blue checkmarks whether people want them or not? Why Amazon merchants are upset over return scams. And why the band Kiss might live forever. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Apple Explores Home Robotics as Potential ‘Next Big Thing’ After Car Fizzles (Bloomberg) Google considers charging for AI-powered search in big change to business model (FT) X’s ‘complimentary’ Premium push gives people blue checks they didn’t ask for (The Verge) Washington state judge blocks use of AI-enhanced video as evidence in possible first-of-its-kind ruling (NBCNews) Amazon Sellers Plagued by Surge in Scam Returns (WSJ) Business Schools Are Going All In on AI (WSJ) Rock band Kiss sells rights for $300mn to firm behind Abba hologram show (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we just had a major breakthrough in Quantum Computing? The earthquake in Taiwan might lead to some chip issues. We don’t quite know yet. Amazon is retooling it’s Just Walk Out technology. Venture capitalists are having a hard time raising money. And in the last segment of the show, I actually break some news about Coinbase. Links: Microsoft and Quantinuum say they’ve ushered in the next era of quantum computing (TechCrunch) AI-generated songs are getting longer, not necessarily better (The Verge) Top musicians among hundreds warning against replacing human artists with AI (Axios) TSMC Facilities to Resume Production Overnight After Quake (Bloomberg) Amazon’s Grocery Stores to Drop Just Walk Out Checkout Tech (The Information) Venture capital reckons with the end of ‘megafund’ era (Financial Times) YouTube Of Our Interview With David Marcus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big trove of AT&T customer data dumped online. Microsoft is unbundling Teams. Amazon is readying its own big LLM. We should probably assume Section 230 does not cover AI. And what do you name an AI supercomputer? Stargate, apparently. Links: AT&T resets account passcodes after millions of customer records leak online (TechCrunch) Exclusive: Microsoft to separate Teams and Office globally amid antitrust scrutiny (Reuters) Amazon scrambles for its place in the AI race (The Verge) Gen-AI Search Engine Perplexity Has a Plan to Sell Ads (Adweek) The AI Industry Is Steaming Toward A Legal Iceberg (WSJ) Microsoft and OpenAI Plot $100 Billion Stargate AI Supercomputer (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What prolific AI investor Nat Friedman expects from GPT-5, Microsoft's general strategy in AI, how he invests in startups, and his background an philosophy when it comes to investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBF gets 25 years. X is maybe about to NSFW. Apple’s new OLED iPads should be coming in May. I can’t cram another acronym in here to tell you about Apple suing an employee for leaking. And, of course, the WLS… Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for multi-billion dollar FTX fraud (Reuters) Elon Musk’s X Is Testing ‘Adult Content’ Groups for Users (Bloomberg) Apple Sues Former Employee for Leaking iPhone's Journal App and More (MacRumors) Apple Plans New iPad Pro for May as Production Ramps Up Overseas (Bloomberg) Reddit shares plunge almost 25% in two days, finish the week below first day close (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How We’ll Reach a 1 Trillion Transistor GPU (IEEE Spectrum) How Jesse Plemons Came to Star in, Well, Pretty Much Everything (Texas Monthly) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a new king of the AI hill as Anthropic bests OpenAI for the first time. Amazon invests more in Anthropic and is investing a TON more in datacenters. Is that GPT sort of App Store not exactly catching fire? A big acquisition in gaming. And the tiny Caribbean island nation that is one of the biggest winners of the AI moment so far. Links: “The king is dead”—Claude 3 surpasses GPT-4 on Chatbot Arena for the first time (ArsTechnica) Amazon spends $2.75 billion on AI startup Anthropic in its largest venture investment yet (CNBC) Amazon Bets $150 Billion on Data Centers Required for AI Boom (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s app store draws investors and students seeking artificial aids (FT) Oregon’s governor signs right-to-repair law that bans ‘parts pairing’ (The Verge) Take-Two Buys Gearbox From Embracer, Confirms Development on New Borderlands Game (IGN) The A.I. Boom Makes Millions for an Unlikely Industry Player: Anguilla (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney launches Hulu on Disney+. Apple schedules WWDC. Some Apple users report being victims of MFA bombing attacks. What it will mean to be certified as an AI PC. And more crazy data on the hunt for talent in the AI Wars. Links: Hulu on Disney+ Launches Out of Beta With Marketing Push to Grow Subscribers (The Hollywood Reporter) The Disney Plus-Hulu merger is way more than a streaming bundle (The Verge) Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14 (MacRumors) Recent ‘MFA Bombing’ Attacks Targeting Apple Users (KrebsonSecurity) Databricks launches DBRX, challenging Big Tech in the open source AI race (VentureBeat) Databricks open-sources its own large language model, DBRX (SiliconAngle) Databricks spent $10M on new DBRX generative AI model, but it can’t beat GPT-4 (TechCrunch) Intel shares Microsoft's new AI PC definition, launches AI PC Acceleration Programs and Core Ultra Meteor Lake NUC developer kits at AI conference (Tom's Hardware) The Fight for AI Talent: Pay Million-Dollar Packages and Buy Whole Teams (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Executive shuffling indicates that Microsoft is serious about reorganizing itself around AI. The US and UK move against those alleged Chinese infrastructure hackers. OpenAI seems to be courting Hollywood for its Sora tool. And is the IPO window finally open for tech companies? Links: Microsoft has a new Windows and Surface chief (The Verge) Canva Strikes Biggest Acquisition Yet in Chase to Take on Adobe (Bloomberg) US sanctions APT31 hackers behind critical infrastructure attacks (BleepingComputer) OpenAI shows off first examples of third-party creators using Sora (VentureBeat) OpenAI Courts Hollywood in Meetings With Film Studios, Directors (Bloomberg) Reddit options launch draws bulls, as shares soar (Reuters) IPO Window Cracks Open and Silicon Valley Sees Some Daylight (Bloomberg) Meta’s new opt-out setting limits visibility of politics on Instagram and Threads (The Verge) Elon Musk’s Starlink Terminals Are Falling Into the Wrong Hands (Bloomberg) Nat Friedman YouTube Video Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They said this law would be one that was capable of moving fast. The EU has already opened formal DMA investigations into Apple and Google. Stability AI seems to be circling the Deadpool. Checking in on the health of X. Greater homescreen control coming to iPhones? And what should we make of tech insiders selling massive amounts of shares? Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode RIDE Links: EU probes Apple, Meta and Alphabet under landmark new law (Financial Times) Stability AI Founder Emad Mostaque Plans To Resign As CEO, Sources Say (Forbes) Fewer people are using Elon Musk’s X as the platform struggles to attract and keep users, according to analysts (NBCNews) Spotify adds video learning courses in latest experiment (The Verge) Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid (MacRumors) Justice Department Risks Picking the Wrong Fight With Apple (Bloomberg) Thiel, Bezos and Zuckerberg join parade of insiders selling tech stocks (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone is analyzing the DOJ’s case against Apple. An unpatchable vulnerability in Apple Silicon has been uncovered. Threads joins the Fediverse. How that whole Microsoft hiring the Inflection AI team actually maths out. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Apple CarPlay is anticompetitive, too, US lawsuit alleges (The Verge) U.S. versus Apple: A first reaction (Six Colors) Unpatchable vulnerability in Apple chip leaks secret encryption keys (ArsTechnica) Threads’ fediverse beta opens to share your posts on Mastodon, too (The Verge) Microsoft Agreed to Pay Inflection $650 Million While Hiring Its Staff (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: 8 Google Employees Invented Modern AI. Here’s the Inside Story (Wired) China’s Super-Cheap EVs Offer Hope for Average American Buyers (Bloomberg Businessweek) Indie, rocked (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The DOJ opened a lawsuit against Apple. Reddit’s IPO should be happening today. An Epic Games Store on iOS should be coming later this year. Carvana is a Covid-times high-flier that has actually recovered. And Neuralink’s first human patient reveals himself to the world. Links: U.S. Sues Apple, Alleges Tech Giant Exploits Illegal Monopoly (WSJ) Reddit prices IPO at $34 per share in first major social media offering since 2019 (CNBC) The Epic Games Store is coming to Android (9to5Google) Apple Faces Legal Protest From Meta, Microsoft, X, Spotify and Match (WSJ) Carvana makes U-turn away from financial abyss (Financial Times) Amazon’s New Focus: Fending Off Rivals Temu and Shein (WSJ) Watch Neuralink’s First Human Subject Demonstrate His Brain-Computer Interface (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft hiring DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to run their new AI division might sound like boring c-suite musical chairs, but it’s actually super interesting. Intel gets the first huge check from the CHIPS Act. Stardew Valley is breaking gaming records. And the interesting startup that does AI music. Links: Microsoft Hires DeepMind Co-Founder Suleyman to Run Consumer AI (Bloomberg) Microsoft bets on start-ups to extend AI lead with hiring of Inflection chief (Financial Times) Intel to receive $8.5bn in US funding for high-end chip manufacturing (Financial Times) Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update smashes its Steam player record (The Verge) A ChatGPT for Music Is Here. Inside Suno, the Startup Changing Everything (Rolling Stone) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia announced… well, a ton of things. Two new AI tools show that video is having an AI moment. An update on how TikTok is faring in the Senate. And an interesting raise from a startup that wants to become a major new platform player in Gaming. Sponsors: FactorMeals.com/ride50 and code ride50 Links: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announces new AI chips: ‘We need bigger GPUs’ (CNBC) Nvidia launches NIM to make it smoother to deploy AI models into production (TechCrunch) Nvidia enlists humanoid robotics’ biggest names for new AI platform, GR00T (TechCrunch) Nvidia announces Earth-2 digital twin to forecast planet’s climate change (VentureBeat) Google researchers unveil ‘VLOGGER’, an AI that can bring still photos to life (VentureBeat) Stability AI brings a new dimension to video with Stable Video 3D (VentureBeat) DOJ to Push for TikTok Divestiture in Senate Briefings (Bloomberg) Playtron: the startup hoping to Steam Deck-ify the world (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I did NOT have on my bingo card Apple turning to Google to power its first big foray into modern AI on its hardware. Even while a new Apple AI model might be pointing to breakthroughs in AI reasoning. One of the biggest e-sports competitions in the world has been hacked by cheaters. And some pretty bearish news for the VR industry. Links: Apple Is in Talks to Let Google Gemini Power iPhone AI Features (Bloomberg) Apple researchers achieve breakthroughs in multimodal AI as company ramps up investments (VentureBeat) xAI open-sources base model of Grok, but without any training code (TechCrunch) Musk’s Grok AI goes open source (VentureBeat) Massive ‘Apex Legends’ Hack Disrupts NA Finals, Raises Serious Security Concerns (Forbes) Sony Hits Pause on PSVR2 Production as Unsold Inventory Piles Up (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas tell Chris and I to expect more partnerships like the recent one with Yelp; how Perplexity thinks of search differently than Google does; and the competition Perplexity fears beyond Google. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember that Apple has quietly made more AI acquisitions than anyone else? They quietly made another one. The FCC has a new definition for broadband. Looks like everybody knows the EU is a stick they can beat Apple with now. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Robinhood.com/boost Links: Apple Buys Canadian AI Startup as It Races to Add Features (Bloomberg) FCC scraps old speed benchmark, says broadband should be at least 100Mbps (ArsTechnica) Spotify says its iPhone app updates in the EU are getting held up by Apple (The Verge) Pornhub Disables Website in Texas Over Age-Verification Law (Variety) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Can Reddit Survive Its Own IPO? (Wired) One Big Reason Gen Z Is Still on Facebook: To Save Money (NYTimes) How Nvidia beat everyone else in the AI race (Vox) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If this TikTok bill is actually going to become law, who would actually be in the running to take it over? A bunch of announcements from Microsoft. Hard data on how we listen to music these days. And estimates for how much AI could cut into the traditional web search business. Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme Links: House passes TikTok bill that could ban app in the U.S., spawning Senate support (The Washington Post) Microsoft has added the GPT-4 Turbo LLM to the free version of Copilot (Neowin) Microsoft says new AI security chatbot pricing model lets customers ‘buy what they need’ (CNBC) Microsoft Teams is finally moving to a single app for personal and work (The Verge) Anthropic releases Claude 3 Haiku, an AI model built for speed and affordability (VentureBeat) MusicWatch Reports Results of 2023 Annual Music Study: Record Numbers of Music Streamers and Paid Subscribers (Music Watch) Google's Gen AI Search Threatens Publishers With $2B Annual Ad Revenue Loss (AdWeek) YouTube Video Of The Perplexity CEO Interview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The TikTok legislation has passed the House, but it’s path through the Senate is uncertain to say the least. The first real AI regulation has passed, in Europe, of course. Arm’s new chips for self-driving cars. Did Cerebras just break Moore’s Law with its new AI chips? Spotify has music videos. And Perplexity continues to try to become Google Search faster than Google search can become them. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Nutrafol.com/men code: RIDEHOME Links: TikTok bill, racing toward House passage, faces a minefield in the Senate (Washington Post) How TikTok Was Blindsided by U.S. Bill That Could Ban It (WSJ) World’s first major act to regulate AI passed by European lawmakers (CNBC) Stripe in ‘no rush’ to go public as cash flow turns positive (FT) Arm unveils first chip design to power self-driving cars (FT) AI startup Cerebras unveils the WSE-3, the largest chip yet for generative AI (ZDNet) Spotify adds music videos in some countries (TechCrunch) Perplexity brings Yelp data to its chatbot (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More App Store changes from Apple will allow developers to offer apps via their website. In Europe only, of course. Some of you can file your taxes online, for free, starting today. Why bitcoin has been breaking records. An interesting AI raise. Is TikTok about to launch an Instagram competitor? Though maybe the reason they need to is their user numbers are flatlining. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Apple will allow users to download apps directly from a developer’s website, in latest EU App Store rule change (9to5Mac) The IRS launches Direct File, a pilot program for free online tax filing available in 12 states (AP) Crypto Product Inflows Soar to Record High, CoinShares Says (Bloomberg) Airbnb is banning indoor security cameras (The Verge) Gold-Medalist Coders Build an AI That Can Do Their Job for Them (Bloomberg) Exclusive: Tiktok is working on a new Photo Sharing platform to compete with Instagram (The SpAndroid) TikTok's growth rate has collapsed. 'Life' may be getting in the way for its younger users. (Business Insider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epic got Apple to blink! Sam Altman got back on OpenAI’s board of directors. Reddit finally gets to IPO. Elon Musk says X.ai is going open source. And once again, you won’t believe the degree to which your car and your driving is the new data treasure trove for companies to monetize. Sponsors: 1password.com/ride ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Links: Epic says Apple will reinstate developer account, clearing path for Epic Games Store on iPhone (9to5Mac) Sam Altman returns to OpenAI's board (Axios) Sam Altman rejoins OpenAI’s board after investigation into sudden firing (The Verge) OpenAI’s Sam Altman Returns to Board After Probe Clears Him (Bloomberg) Elon Musk says xAI will open-source Grok this week (TechCrunch) Reddit to raise nearly $750 million in upcoming IPO (CNBC) Telegram hits 900mn users and nears profitability as founder considers IPO (Financial Times) Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guy Kawasaki shares key insights on how to have a successful career, found in his new book: Think Remarkable. Also, some fun Apple and Steve Jobs story, such as: what kind of a***ole boss WAS Steve Jobs, exactly. The kind you want, Guy says. Buy the book: Think Remarkable Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did TikTok overplay its hand yesterday? The potential legislation against them is suddenly moving quickly. How Temu might be single handedly responsible for the tech advertising turnaround. More drama behind the whole Sam Altman ouster business. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Furious Congress plows forward with TikTok bill after user revolt (Axios) China Readies $27 Billion Chip Fund to Counter Growing US Curbs (Bloomberg) Temu’s Push Into America Pays Off Big Time for Meta and Google (WSJ) Key OpenAI Executive Played a Pivotal Role in Sam Altman’s Ouster (NYTimes) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Nvidia Chips Inside Powerful AI Supercomputers (WSJ) Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power (Washington Post) How Netflix’s Massive Paydays, COVID and TikTok Caused ‘Explosion of Comedians’ (Variety) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the first day of the DMA regime, the whole battle between Apple and Epic Games has gotten hella weird. Rumors of the US government going after TikTok again are swirling, again. What if we see a foldable Macbook before a foldable iPhone? And why the job of AI Prompt Engineer might be made redundant by… AI. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: Apple kills Epic’s iOS game store plans over App Store criticism (The Verge) Apple Set to Be Quizzed by EU Over ‘Fortnite’ Maker Shutout (Bloomberg) Big Tech howled over E.U. antitrust law. The White House declined a rescue. (The Washington Post) W.H. works with Hill to ban TikTok (Punchbowl News) Kuo: Apple actively working on 20.3-inch foldable MacBook (9to5Mac) AI Prompt Engineering Is Dead Long live AI prompt engineering (IEEE Spectrum) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple shows how it is complying with the DMA. We’ve got a Microsoft hardware event coming up. I wonder if they’ll mention AI? Has BlackCat been defeated, or is this a clever ruse to rebrand? And OpenAI has clapped back at Elon’s lawsuit. Links: Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 17.4 with Major Safari and App Store Changes in the EU, Transcripts for Podcasts, New Emoji, and More (MacStories) EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft will unveil OLED Surface Pro 10 and Arm Surface Laptop 6 this spring ahead of major Windows 11 AI update (Windows Central) 'Exit scam' - hackers that hit UnitedHealth pull disappearing act (Reuters) OpenAI Fires Back at Musk Allegations With Trove of Emails (Bloomberg) Sam Altman tells staff OpenAI investigation will 'soon' close, as employees brace for more surprises (Business Insider) YouTube Video Of The Guy Kawasaki Interview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The big DMA deadline is mere hours away. A big Twitter related lawsuit has arrived that I kind of can’t believe took this long. Nothing releases a pretty compelling cheap phone. Waymo is bringing its driverless taxi service to Los Angeles. And is Linux quietly having a moment? Links: Google rolls out changes for users, apps developers as EU tech rules loom (Reuters) Instagram now lets you edit DMs up to 15 mins after sending them (TechCrunch) M3 MacBook Pro will gain multi-display support in software update (9to5Mac) Former Twitter Executives Sue Musk Over Unpaid Severance (WSJ) The Nothing Phone 2A proves thoughtful design can come at a budget price (The Verge) Waymo can now charge for robotaxi rides in LA and on San Francisco freeways (TechCrunch) Linux Crosses 4% Market Share Worldwide (Linuxiac) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The EU Commission has fined Apple for stifling music streaming competition. New Macbook Airs with the M3 chip. Why the Apple Car was doomed from day one. Anthropic releases Claude 3 in three different flavors. And if 5G isn’t floating your boat, can I interest you in 5G Advanced? Links: Apple hit with €1.8bn fine for breaking EU law over music streaming (Financial Times) Apple launches new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M3 chip, support for two external displays, faster Wi-Fi (9to5Mac) Apple’s Car Was Doomed by Its Lofty Ambitions to Outdo Tesla (Bloomberg) Anthropic unveils Claude 3, surpassing GPT-4 and Gemini Ultra in benchmark tests (VentureBeat) Google-backed Anthropic debuts its most powerful chatbot yet, as generative AI battle heats up (CNBC) Telcos are barely done rolling out 5G networks — and they’re already talking about ‘5.5G’ (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon is suing Sam Altman and OpenAI. Meta continues to get out of the news business, especially when it’s being pushed. A new AI deepfake supertool. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Elon Musk sues OpenAI over AI threat (Courthouse News Service) Meta to Wind Down Its News Feature in the US and Australia (Bloomberg) Microsoft introduces Copilot AI chatbot for finance workers in Excel and Outlook (CNBC) Alibaba’s new AI system ‘EMO’ creates realistic talking and singing videos from photos (VentureBeat) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Wait. Why is Reddit losing so much money? (Business Insider) The 9-Month-Old AI Startup Challenging Silicon Valley’s Giants (WSJ) What a Major Solar Storm Could Do to Our Planet (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The SEC has subpoenaed OpenAI. What if the Vision Pro is selling better than even Apple thought? Beware of the repo attack affecting GitHub. Beware of the video doorbells that are ridiculously easy to take over. And is robotics the next big tech industry we need to be paying attention to? Links: SEC Investigating Whether OpenAI Investors Were Misled (WSJ) EA to lay off 5% of workforce, or about 670 employees (CNBC) Vision Pro demand higher than expected; returns down to 1% – Kuo (9to5Mac) Kuo: Apple Vision Pro on Track to Launch in More Countries Before WWDC in June (MacRumors) Apple Vision Pro return rate is about the same as the iPhone 15 Pro (Apple Insider) StarCoder 2 is a code-generating AI that runs on most GPUs (TechCrunch) GitHub besieged by millions of malicious repositories in ongoing attack (ArsTechnica) These Video Doorbells Have Terrible Security. Amazon Sells Them Anyway. (Consumer Reports) Humanoid robot startup Figure AI valued at $2.6 billion as Bezos, OpenAI, Nvidia join funding (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices