Tech Brew Ride Home

Another bonus episode from the Internet History Podcast. I originally wanted to talk to Mike Slade about Starwave, the innovative company that launched some major names onto the web, including ESPN.com, ABCNews.com, MrShowbiz.com, and after an eventual sale to Disney, put together the pieces that eventually became the Go.com portal play. But Mike is one of those guys who has had such a varied and interesting career, I couldn't help but go into other eras of his career. The dude worked at Microsoft in the early 1980s. He worked at NeXT in the early 90s. And from 1998 through 2004 he was Special Assistant to Steve Jobs as he saved Apple as a company, launched the iPod and kicked into motion the modern gadget era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More signs that vital communications infrastructure is abandoning Twitter. Reddit is testing Discord-like chat channels. Big layoffs at Clubhouse. Microsoft exits the peripherals business after 40 years. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers Miro.com/podcast Links: New York City Subway Ends Twitter Service Alerts After Musk Raises Price (Bloomberg) Reddit is testing Discord-like channels for community chat (TechCrunch) Once-Hot Chat Startup Clubhouse Is Cutting Half of Staff (Bloomberg) Pinterest announces multiyear ads partnership with Amazon alongside earnings beat (TechCrunch) Microsoft’s mice, keyboards, and webcams are being discontinued in favor of Surface accessories (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Apple’s Siri Chief Struggles With Turf Wars as New AI Era Begins (The Information) ASML, Europe’s Most Valuable Tech Firm, Is at the Heart of the US-China Chip War (Bloomberg) The Unexpected Reason Apple Is Dominating the U.S. Smartphone Market (WSJ) 35 Ways Real People Are Using A.I. Right Now (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta reported earnings that surprised investors in the good way. But that doesn’t mean they’re backing off the Metaverse. Global smartphone shipments continue to plummet. Might congress ban children from social media? Amazon gets out of the health tracker business. And the interesting way that rejection of the Microsoft Activision deal is using a somewhat novel argument. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Shopify.com/ride Links: Facebook Parent Meta Platforms Sees First Sales Increase in Nearly a Year (WSJ) Meta beats revenue expectations, remains committed to metaverse (TechCrunch) Smartphone Market woes continue with 14.6% Drop in first quarter this year, According to IDC Tracker (IDC) Senators unveil bipartisan legislation to ban kids under 13 from joining social media platforms (CNN Business) Amazon shuts down Halo division and discontinues all devices (The Verge) Google on why Authenticator sync isn’t E2E encrypted, but option coming later (9to5Google) Microsoft’s $69 Billion Deal Tripped Up by Niche Gaming Market (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK is blocking Microsoft’s Activision Acquisition. A quick rundown of Microsoft and Alphabet earnings. The new Mavic drone is a beast. Cruise has actually expanded its self-driving taxi service. And a look at the mounting pressure on Binance and CZ. Sponsors: Mindbloom.com/techmeme and promocode: techmeme Miro.com/podcast Links: UK Blocks Microsoft’s $69 Billion Activision Deal (Bloomberg) Microsoft Q3 2023: Windows, devices, and Xbox down again (The Verge) Google’s cloud business turns profitable for the first time on record (CNBC) Apple Plans AI-Powered Health Coaching Service, Mood Tracker and iPad Health App (Bloomberg) DJI’s latest Mavic drone is a beast (TechCrunch) Cruise continues to burn GM’s cash as robotaxis expand to daylight hours (The Verge) OpenAI Offers New Privacy Options for ChatGPT (Bloomberg) Binance Faces Mounting Pressure as U.S. Crypto Crackdown Intensifies (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Methinks Coinbase is orchestrating laying the groundwork for a showdown with US regulators. Slack rolls out Canvas, which seems pretty cool. AI Guardrails from Nvidia. A browser built for AI tools from Opera. And I delve into the whole story about that AI generated Drake song that has gone viral. OregonState.edu/believe-it Miro.com/podcast Links: Coinbase Asks Court to Force SEC to Clarify Crypto Regulations (Decrypt) Slack launches Canvas, a docs app that lives inside your chat app (The Verge) Google Authenticator now syncs 2FA with your Google Account, gets new icon (9to5Google) Nvidia releases a toolkit to make text-generating AI ‘safer’ (TechCrunch) Opera One is a browser designed for generative AI features (Engadget) An A.I. Hit of Fake ‘Drake’ and ‘The Weeknd’ Rattles the Music World (NYTimes) Grimes Tells Fans To Deepfake Her Music, Will Split 50% Royalties With AI (Forbes) Sol Reader E Ink headset for hands-free e-reading makes CES debut (GoodEReader) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you believe me if I told you there was more Twitter chaos over the weekend. More details on the Apple headset. Is ARM about to abandon its Switzerland strategy? Interesting data about how Netflix dominates TV watching. And sad data about the down rounds we can expect for the foreseeable future. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: Elon Caves, Gives Blue Checks Back to Twitter’s Biggest Celebs (Daily Beast) Apple Will Take Scattershot Approach to Pitching AR/VR Headset (Bloomberg) Chip designer Arm makes its own advanced prototype semiconductor (Financial Times) These Are The Most Popular TV Shows on the Internet (Bloomberg) Silicon Valley Startups Brace for a Summer of Pain (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Again, my Internet History Podcast interview with Chamath Palihapitiya of the All In podcast from 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Again, this is a republishing of my Jason Calacanis interview from the Internet History Podcast. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More… I dunno… Twitter things are happening. Google is consolidating its AI efforts. We now have a hint about what that startup Humane might be creating. The US wants to get a jump start on 6G technology. And pour one out for BuzzFeed News. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Headspace.com/ride30day Links: Twitter seemingly now requires all advertisers to have a verified checkmark (TechCrunch) Google Looks to Turbocharge AI Efforts With Combined Brain, DeepMind Unit (WSJ) Google gives Bard the ability to generate and debug code (Engadget) Watch the first demo of buzzy startup Humane’s wearable AI assistant in leaked clips (The Verge) U.S. Begins Planning for 6G Wireless Communications (WSJ) The Internet of the 2010s Ended Today (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are Elon and Microsoft fully at war at this point? Does Coinbase already have one foot out the country at this point? Is OpenAI careening toward a run-in with GDPR? And, Stability AI’s big play to compete with Chat GPT. Sponsors: Leadership.OregonState.edu/cic Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft drops Twitter from its advertising platform (Mashable) Elon Musk Threatens to Sue Microsoft After it Drops Twitter From Ad Platform (PCMag) Coinbase gets Bermuda license, plans to launch offshore exchange in coming weeks (FortuneCrypto) First EU-Wide Crypto Regulations Clear Final Parliament Vote (Bloomberg) OpenAI’s hunger for data is coming back to bite it (MIT Technology Review) Google to deploy generative AI to create sophisticated ad campaigns (Financial Times) Stability AI releases ChatGPT-like language models (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That Netflix ad tier seems to be paying off. But it’s also the end of the road for those famous red envelopes. We’re about to see a foldable Pixel phone. More layoffs from Meta. More links in bio for Instagram. And forget data being the new oil. What if data was the new fertile farmland to be rented out to LLMs for harvesting? Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme leadership.oregonstate.edu/cic Links: Netflix Adds 1.75 Million Customers in Q1 2023; Grows to 232.5M Globally (The Streamable) Netflix Gains 1.75 Million Subscribers, Axes DVD-Rental Business (WSJ) Google to launch its first foldable phone, the ‘Pixel Fold,’ in June (CNBC) Meta has started its latest round of layoffs, focusing on technical employees (CNBC) Instagram takes on Linktree and others with support for up to 5 ‘links in bio’ (TechCrunch) Reddit Wants to Get Paid for Helping to Teach Big A.I. Systems (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the AI revolution going to kick of a silicon revolution with a whole new generation of chips? Coinbase would consider leaving the US if it can’t get clarity from regulators. Is the Apple savings account the savings account for you? A look at Twitter competitor Bluesky. And what happens if you take GPT-4 and feed it back on itself? Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft Readies AI Chip as Machine Learning Costs Surge (The Information) Coinbase Could Move Away From U.S. if No Regulatory Clarity: CEO Brian Armstrong (CoinDesk) Major Photography Prize Winner Reveals Image Is AI-Generated, Rejects Award (Motherboard) Apple finally launches high-yield Apple Savings account (Apple Insider) Bluesky’s CEO wants to build a Musk-proof, decentralized version of Twitter (The Verge) Hype grows over “autonomous” AI agents that loop GPT-4 outputs (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everybody, back from Ireland, and man, the universe dumped all the news on me this morning. Google is rushing to add AI to search because they’re afraid Samsung is about to jump ship to Bing. More chaos at Twitter. Meta has to make nice with advertisers. Spotify seems to be abandoning it’s paywall podcast strategy. And is Apple’s Watch OS about to get its biggest overhaul ever? Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme GetSunday.com/ride Links: Google Devising Radical Search Changes to Beat Back A.I. Rivals (NYTimes) Sega to acquire Angry Birds maker Rovio for $776 million (CNBC) U.S. House Committee Publishes Draft Stablecoin Bill (CoinDesk) Elon Musk just shut down automation for important public safety accounts (Mashable) Is Twitter finally dying? (Vox) Meta Tries to Lure Advertisers With Reels Discounts, AI Tools (The Information) Spotify will drop paywall for Gimlet podcasts (Semafor) Apple Plans to Launch More Than Just Its New Headset at WWDC (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AWS has begun offering customers access to LLMs made by Anthropic, Stability AI, and AI21 Labs, as they look to be a neutral platform for generative AI features. WhatsApp is rolling out new verification and protection features, including defenses against SIM jacking and social engineering attacks. Twitter has just increased the character limit to 10,000 for Blue subscribers. And your weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme Bloomberg.com/careers Links: Amazon Joins Microsoft, Google in AI Race Spurred by ChatGPT (Wall Street Journal) Amazon Is Joining the Generative AI Race (WIRED) WhatsApp makes it harder for scammers to steal your account (Engadget) Key transparency explainer (Matthew Green, Twitter) Twitter Blue’s new 10,000 character limit turns tweets into essays (The Verge) Dril Is Everyone. More Specifically, He’s a Guy Named Paul. (The Ringer) With a wave of new LLMs, open-source AI is having a moment — and a red-hot debate (VentureBeat) Is ‘The Economist’ Making the Best News Podcasts Right Now? (Vulture) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stocks of Apple suppliers Cirrus Logic and AAC are down after reporting that iPhone 15 Pro models won’t have solid-state buttons after all. IBM is reportedly looking into selling The Weather Company, for quite a bit less than they paid for it in 2015. LinkedIn has new identity verification via the airport and stadium security service CLEAR. Ethereum has successfully completed its Shanghai, or Shapella, upgrade, letting users withdraw staked ether. And Warner Bros. Discovery has officially renamed HBO Max to just… Max. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men, promo code RIDE Links: Apple reportedly nixes iPhone 15 button upgrade, sending supplier stock down 12% (CNBC) iPhone 15 Pro may not have new solid-state volume buttons after all (9to5 Mac) IBM Explores Sale of Weather Business (Wall Street Journal) IBM Mulling Sale of Weather Technology Assets (The Information) LinkedIn rolls out ways to verify your identity and employment, without a price tag (TechCrunch) LinkedIn Verification Now Lets You Verify Your Job and Account (WIRED) Ethereum’s (ETH) Shanghai, Shapella Upgrade Looks ‘Stable,’ Developer Beiko Says (Bloomberg) Ethereum Unstaking Requests Pile Up After Shanghai Upgrade, Now at 2-Week Wait (CoinDesk) 'The Penguin' Trailer: Colin Farrell Returns to Gotham as 'The Batman' Spinoff Series Confirms 2024 Release (Variety) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk did a big spontaneous interview with the BBC last night on Twitter Spaces, but here’s two things that didn’t make the interview: Twitter appears to be working on generative AI for reasons yet unknown and Twitter Inc. doesn’t exist as a company anymore. Global VC funding for crypto startups fell to $2.4 billion in the first quarter of 2023, down 80% from an all-time high in 2022. Video game illustrators in China say AI image generators are causing them to lose their jobs. And Reddit moderators saying AI-generated spam is rapidly mounting as they brace themselves for a spam apocalypse. Links: Elon Musk is moving forward with a new generative-AI project at Twitter after purchasing thousands of GPUs (Insider) Twitter Inc. has been merged with X Corp. and “no longer exists,” Elon Musk’s company says in a court filing. (Slate) Six things we learned from Elon Musk interview (BBC) Crypto VC Funding Plunges by 80% in Dire Quarter for Startups (Bloomberg) AI is already taking video game illustrators' jobs in China (Rest of World) Reddit Moderators Brace for a ChatGPT Spam Apocalypse (VICE) NPR to Suspend Twitter Use After ‘Government-Funded’ Label (NY Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alibaba revealed its ChatGPT-style bot, and mere hours later the Cyberspace Administration of China announced plans to require security reviews of generative AI tools before they’re released. The Winklevoss twins made a $100 million loan to their crypto exchange, Gemini Trust, after it failed to raise enough from outside investors. The FBI has warned against using any public USB charging ports. And YouTube has announced new Premium features and also announced the pricing for their NFL Sunday Ticket packagers and they’re not cheap. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers go.tech/tm Links: China slaps security reviews on AI products as Alibaba unveils ChatGPT challenger (Ars Technica) China proposes measures to manage generative AI services (Reuters) Winklevoss Twins Lend $100 Million to Their Gemini Crypto Platform (Bloomberg) Juice jacking rising, FBI says don't use airport USB outlets (Android Authority) YouTube Premium adds more perks with SharePlay support, higher quality video and more (TechCrunch) NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube starts at $249 for the 2023 season (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter has stopped throttling tweets with Substack links in them, but only after Elon Musk denied they were ever blocked. About 270 US Apple Stores have held staff meetings about unionization risks in the past two weeks. A New York Times article about the environmental and economic impact of bitcoin mines has some crypto proponents up in arms. And the 2023 Dell XPS 13 is… fine. Just fine. Sponsors: OregonState.edu Links: Twitter stops throttling tweets with Substack links (Engadget) Elon Musk Denies Substack Links Are Blocked On Twitter, A Claim That’s Very Misleading (Forbes) Apple (AAPL) Continues Efforts to Keep Retail Stores From Unionizing (Bloomberg) The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin (NY Times) Crypto enthusiasts go after New York Times for its BTC mining report (Cryptopolitan) Rebuttal to the NYT article (Daniel Batten, Twitter) Dell XPS 13 review: Dell is coasting (and that’s fine) (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out David Auerbach's books: Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities Bitwise: A Life in Code Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shenanigans from some Elon companies. Twitter looks like it’s blocking Substack. Not just links to Substack but even mentioning the name, the word Substack, in some cases. Oh, and Tesla employees apparently liked to view videos from your car and share them with each other internally. Last quarter was epically bad when it came to venture investing. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Twitter now disables likes, replies, and retweets if a tweet has Substack links (The Verge) Special Report: Tesla workers shared sensitive images recorded by customer cars (Reuters) A third of organizations admit to covering up data breaches (VentureBeat) Global VC Funding Falls Dramatically Across All Stages In Rocky Q1, Despite Massive OpenAI And Stripe Deals (CrunchBase News) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Behind the curtain: what it feels like to work in AI right now (Democratizing Automation) Think of language models like ChatGPT as a “calculator for words” (Simon Willison's Blog) Anthropic’s $5B, 4-year plan to take on OpenAI (TechCrunch) Blockbuster pushed HBO to start investing in original content, cable giant’s ex-chief says (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More examples of chatbots hallucinating might lead to the first lawsuits. Did you know that you have a copy of the bitcoin white paper on your Mac right now? You don’t know it, but you do. I’ll tell you why. Substack is the latest to launch a Twitter clone. And why E3 had to die. It’s called direct to consumer, or, I guess, gamer. Sponsors: Mimecast.com OregonState.edu Links: ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused (Washington Post) The Bitcoin Whitepaper Is Hidden in Every Modern Copy of macOS (Waxy.org) Google CEO Sundar Pichai Says Search to Include Chat AI (WSJ) Google to prohibit personal loan apps from accessing user photos, contacts (TechCrunch) Substack’s new short-form ‘Notes’ feed looks a lot like Twitter (TechCrunch) Streaming Killed E3 (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sony might be developing a sort of PS Vita mark 2. Sad news of the death of a well-known silicon valley luminary. Meta says its not going to be left behind in the AI race. What happens if the kids aren’t keen on the Metaverse. And I sketch out an example of our grand theory of AI varietals. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers Links: EXCLUSIVE – SONY’S NEXT PLAYSTATION HANDHELD (Insider Gaming) Bob Lee, creator of Cash App and former CTO of Square, stabbed to death (TechCrunch) Google says its AI supercomputer is faster, greener than Nvidia A100 chip (Reuters) Meta to debut ad-creating generative AI this year, CTO says (NikkeiAsia) American teens aren’t excited about virtual reality, with only 4% using it daily (CNBC) What if ChatGPT was trained on decades of financial news and data? BloombergGPT aims to be a domain-specific AI for business news (NeimanLab) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve said before that Elon owns Twitter, so if he decides to change the logo to a Shiba Inu, you know, why not? Apple kinda sorta bites the bullet on layoffs. What’s going on with the Apple Weather app? Do we want universities to call the use of ChatGPT plagiarism? And data on the corporate takeover of AI development. Sponsors: OregonState.edu ZocDoc.com/techmeme Links: Twitter’s new dog icon is sending dogecoin — sigh — to the moon (TechCrunch) Spotify shuts down its Clubhouse-style audio app Spotify Live (Musically) Google to cut down on employee laptops, services and staplers for ‘multi-year’ savings (CNBC) Apple to Cut Jobs in Some Corporate Retail Teams in First Known Layoffs (Bloomberg) Apple Weather forecasts suffer rare outage (AppleInsider) Universities express doubt over tool to detect AI-powered plagiarism (Financial Times) AI is entering an era of corporate control (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The blue checks went away on Twitter over the weekend. Or did they? More interesting details on those Pinduoduo app allegations. In a headline from 2019, Paris says no to e-scooters. And what does the recent move by GM say about the relationship between the car companies and the tech platforms? Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self.” Links: Twitter had a very messy weekend (The Verge) Twitter’s blue check mark was loved and loathed. Now it’s pay for play. (Washington Post) ‘I’ve never seen anything like this:’ One of China’s most popular apps has the ability to spy on its users, say experts (CNN Business) Paris votes overwhelmingly to ban shared e-scooters (TechCrunch) GM is cutting off access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its future EVs (The Verge) The rest of the auto industry still loves CarPlay and Android Auto (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I can tell you E3 is officially cancelled this year, but I’m kinda thinking it might be dead for good. Bunch of stuff about Twitter and checkmarks. Italy has temporarily banned ChatGPT. Some of the signatories of that AI letter are having second thoughts. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast LInks: E3 Has Been Canceled (IGN) Elon Musk Tried to Meet With F.T.C. Chair About Twitter but Was Rebuffed (NYTimes) Japan restricts chipmaking equipment exports as it aligns with US China curbs (Reuters) Italian privacy regulator bans ChatGPT (Politico) The Open Letter to Stop 'Dangerous' AI Race Is a Huge Mess (Motherboard) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Fitbit’s attempt to disappear the button proved why they matter (The Verge) The influencers getting rich by teaching you how to get rich (Vox) “I’LL WALK AWAY FROM ANYTHING”: KARA SWISHER CALLS THE SHOTS (Vanity Fair) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wait, are we NOT going to see the new Apple headset at WWDC? Twitter’s new API tiers? Ads are coming to Bing Chat. Is Elon Musk guilty of laundering his grudge against OpenAI through AI concern trolling? And is TikTok creating more one hit wonders? Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Miro.com/podcast Links: Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again (MacRumors) Twitter announces new API pricing, including a limited free tier for bots (Engadget) Microsoft’s Bing chatbot is getting more ads (The Verge) Alphabet’s Google and DeepMind Pause Grudges, Join Forces to Chase OpenAI (The Information) Elon Musk's AI History May Be Behind His Call To Pause Development (Forbes) Is TikTok Actually Creating More One-Hit Wonders? (Billboard) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over 1,000 big names sign a petition urging a pause on AI development. What analysts think AI could to for or to the economy. North Korean hackers allegedly have a new trick. And did you know ByteDance has an Instagram rival? Well, it looks like they’re putting the pedal to the metal on that. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast go.tech/tm Links: Elon Musk and top AI researchers call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments’ (The Verge) Generative AI set to affect 300mn jobs across major economies (Financial Times) North Korea Is Now Mining Crypto to Launder Its Stolen Loot (Wired) Google Search is adding new ‘Perspectives’ and ‘About this author’ features to help users verify info (TechCrunch) TikTok ban backup plan? ByteDance-owned Instagram rival Lemon8 hits the US App Store’s Top 10 (TechCrunch) Cerebras releases seven large language models for generative AI, trained on its specialized hardware (SiliconAngle) Google Partners with AI Startup Replit to Take on Microsoft’s GitHub (Bloomberg) Microsoft Security Copilot is a new GPT-4 AI assistant for cybersecurity (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I titled an episode last week “Twilight Of The Blue Checks.” Well, today is the sequel, “Rise Of The Blue Checks” cause starting April 15, you’ll have to be a blue check to appear on Twitter’s For You tab. Also: the feds go after Binance. Disney cuts its entire metaverse unit. And the UK cancels its NFT. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Notion.com/ride Links: Elon Musk says Twitter’s For You page will only recommend verified accounts (The Verge) The secret list of Twitter VIPs getting boosted over everyone else (Platformer) Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao violated compliance rules to attract U.S. users, CFTC alleges (CNBC) Disney Eliminates Its Metaverse Division as Part of Company’s Layoffs Plan (WSJ) NFT: Plans for Royal Mint produced token dropped (BBC News) Lyft CEO and president to step down, former Amazon exec David Risher named as replacement (CNBC) Amazon just opened up its Sidewalk network for anyone to build connected gadgets on (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looks like the short, sharp, SVB saga has reached the beginning of a conclusion. Twitter source code has been leaked. The doubts inside Apple about the upcoming mixed reality headset. Why has no one presented any evidence for why TikTok might need to be banned? And, again, will generative AI lead to a physical robot revolution? Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast GetSunday.com/ride for 20% off Links: First Citizens to Buy SVB After Biggest Failure Since 2008 (Bloomberg) Twitter Says Parts of Its Source Code Were Leaked Online (NYTimes) Apple’s Best Hope for New Headset: a Smartwatch-Like Trajectory (Bloomberg) France bans all recreational apps – including TikTok – from government devices (The Register) Pinduoduo App Malware Detailed by Cybersecurity Researchers (Bloomberg) Tech’s AI Armies Are Huge, Yet Struggling to Innovate (Bloomberg) For Smarter Robots, Just Add Humans (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert from Rownd shares his most recent investor update live and in real time, so you can hear how these things go. Also, want to learn more about Rownd? From Robert: Demo site: https://demo.rownd.com. Try out Rownd! We put Rownd into a webflow site to show how easy it works! Sign in with google or email, add biometrics (if you choose), create a wallet, and get an NFT! Do you have a mobile app or eCommerce company? Reach out at [email protected] or sign up at https://app.rownd.io. We offer all podcast listeners 2 months free + 50% off for a year! Just email me! Have some feedback? Grab some time with Rob: https://calendly.com/rob-rownd/mutant-podcast-army. Try a few Rownd customer sites to see the experience! https://stardust.app (mobile experience) https://masrefund.com (web + mobile) https://nextbigideaclub.com (e-commerce + web + mobile) https://spouse-ly.com (e-commerce) SMS Fraud link: https://interactive.twilio.com/sms-traffic-pumping-calculator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter is finally sunsetting its legacy verified program. OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT plugins. Do Kwan has been detained and is facing formal charges here in the US. The FTC’s “click to cancel” proposal. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Headspace.com/RIDE30DAY Links: Twitter to Revoke ‘Legacy’ Verified Badges in April, Leaving Only Paying Subscribers With Blue Check-Marks (Variety) OpenAI is massively expanding ChatGPT’s capabilities to let it browse the web and more (The Verge) Do Kwon Charged With Fraud by US Prosecutors in New York (Bloomberg) The FTC wants to ban those tough-to-cancel gym and cable subscriptions (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Cheating is All You Need (Sourcegraph Blog) The Age of AI has begun (GatesNotes/Bill Gates) The secret history of Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and OpenAI (Semafor) The case for slowing down AI (Vox) Epic’s new motion-capture animation tech has to be seen to be believed (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coinbase got a Wells Notice, which is not good. Hindenburg research has a new note out and is making short run on Block, which is not good. Apple might expand its sports streaming and release more things in actual theaters. And the space startup that 3d prints its own rockets. Sponsors: Thuma.co/techmeme for a $25 credit Links: Coinbase warned by SEC of potential securities charges (CNBC) SEC charges Tron founder Justin Sun, celebrities Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul with crypto violations (CNBC) Jack Dorsey’s Block Falls After Hindenburg Says It’s Short the Stock (Bloomberg) Hindenburg takes aim at Dorsey's payments firm Block; shares plunge (Reuters) Apple Considers Bidding for English Football Streaming Rights (Bloomberg) Apple to Spend $1 Billion a Year on Films to Break Into Cinemas (Bloomberg) Canva Launches ‘Magic’ AI Tools For Its Design Software’s 125 Million Users (Forbes) Chatbot Start-Up Character.AI Valued at $1 Billion in New Funding Round (NYTimes) Relativity Space’s first launch fails to reach orbit, but proves its 3D-printing rocket tech works (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, we’ve got Google Bard. We’ve got a new Copilot from GitHub. Bing Image Creator is rolling out. Mozilla AI launches. The low hanging fruit that is plugging AI into NPCs to make games more realistic. And at the very end, some actual non AI news! Links: Google opens early access to its ChatGPT rival Bard — here are our first impressions (The Verge) Microsoft’s GitHub to Add OpenAI Chat Functions to Coding Tool (Bloomberg) Microsoft brings OpenAI’s DALL-E image creator to the new Bing (TechCrunch) Mozilla launches a new startup focused on ‘trustworthy’ AI (TechCrunch) Ubisoft’s new AI tool automatically generates dialogue for non-playable game characters (TechCrunch) GPT-4 and professional benchmarks: the wrong answer to the wrong question (AI Snake Oil) Amazon is flooding the zone with new TVs as it crosses 200 million Fire TV devices sold (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of a major showdown in Congress this week, TikTok wants the US to know exactly how popular it is. Why ChatGPT was shut down for a while yesterday. Why Google is suspending PinDuoDuo from the play store. The AI powered doctor’s office of the future. And is Andy Jassy the David Moyes of Amazon? If you get that reference, congratulations. Down Round Podcast (Listener Ad!) Links: TikTok says it now has 150m monthly active users in the US (MusicAlly) TikTok bans deepfakes of nonpublic figures and fake endorsements in rule refresh (The Verge) Google flags apps made by popular Chinese e-commerce giant as malware (TechCrunch) OpenAI Shut Down ChatGPT to Fix Bug Exposing User Chat Titles (Bloomberg) Amazon’s post-Bezos experiment hasn’t gone exactly as planned (CNBC) OpenAI-powered app from Microsoft will instantly transcribe patient notes during doctor visits (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New bots to make video from text prompts. Fending off the bots from biting your style. Falling in love with the bots. In the streaming wars, the ad supported experiments are working, and pricing power is a thing. And the startup that says it’s about to introduce humanoid bots. Real, definitional robots. Sponsors: Dot Tech Domains: Go.tech/tm Links: Generative AI’s Next Frontier Is Video (Bloomberg) Glaze protects art from prying AIs (TechCrunch) AI love: What happens when your chatbot stops loving you back (Reuters) Netflix’s Ad Tier Hits 1 Million Users. Is That Good or Bad? (Bloomberg) Disney+ Users Paid Up When the Price Rose (WSJ) Humanoid robots are coming (Axios) Figure Promises First General-Purpose Humanoid Robot (IEEE Spectrum) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon Kindle gets out of the magazine business. An ironically named PE firm is buying Porn Hub. Midjourney v5 is really mind blowing. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Amazon will discontinue newspaper and magazine subscriptions in September (GoodEReader) SVB Financial files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection, says it has $2.2B in liquidity (TechCrunch) Pornhub owner sold to Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital (Financial Times) AI-imager Midjourney v5 stuns with photorealistic images—and 5-fingered hands (ArsTechnica) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Guardians (Meteor) The Future Smartphone: More Folds, Less Phone, a Whole Lot of AI (Wired) LinkedIn turns 20: An oral history of an unlikely champion (Fast Company) ‘It changed the world’: 50 years on, the story of Pong's Bay Area origins (SFGate) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time ever, I had to delay producing this show so I could watch and cover and AI product announcement. Let me tell you about how Microsoft is bringing GPT-4, to basically all their most famous apps with Copilot. Looks like the potential for a TikTok ban is getting really real. And why folks are suddenly turning on OpenAI. Sponsors: Overtired Podcast Links: Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot — your copilot for work (Microsoft) Microsoft 365 gets a host of new AI-powered features (TechCrunch) U.S. Threatens Ban if TikTok’s Chinese Owners Don’t Sell Stakes (WSJ) OpenAI co-founder on company’s past approach to openly sharing research: ‘We were wrong’ (TheVerge) Payments giant Stripe raises $6.5 billion at a $50 billion valuation (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GPT-4 is unveiled and it’s multimodal, and man, is everybody rushing to make use of this stuff. Alleged renders of Google's Pixel 8 Pro appear to show a mysterious new sensor. The state of the music industry in the streaming era. And Deadpool sells his phone company to another phone company. Links: OpenAI unveils GPT-4 with multimodal input and more creative and complex capabilities (Windows Central) 10 Ways GPT-4 Is Impressive but Still Flawed (NYTimes) With Evals, OpenAI hopes to crowdsource AI model testing (TechCrunch) Duolingo launches new subscription tier with access to AI tutor powered by GPT-4 (TechCrunch) GPT-4’s new capabilities power a ‘virtual volunteer’ for the visually impaired (TechCrunch) TikTok Considers Splitting From ByteDance If Deal With US Fails (Bloomberg) Google Pixel 8 Pro adds a mysterious new sensor, flat display in first leaked renders (9to5Google) Apple Music boosts streaming music revenue to record $13.3 billion in 2022; vinyl outpaces CDs for first since 1987 (9to5Mac) Ryan Reynolds-Backed Mint Is Bought by T-Mobile for $1.35 Billion (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Those expected layoffs have come to Meta. AI tools come to Google Workspace and an API for Google’s PaLM language model. Seems like things have generally worked out with this Silicon Valley Bank aftermath. Microsoft laid off its AI risk team. Layoffs at Y Combinator. And a look at the standard that’s trying to keep over the air broadcast television relevant. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs and cancel ‘low priority projects’ (TechCrunch) Google announces AI features in Gmail, Docs, and more to rival Microsoft (The Verge) Google opens up its AI language model PaLM to challenge OpenAI and GPT-3 (The Verge) FDIC Planning Another Silicon Valley Bank Auction (WSJ) Venture capitalists weigh Silicon Valley Bank salvage operation (FT) Microsoft just laid off one of its responsible AI teams (Platformer) Y Combinator to End Late-Stage Startup Fund, Lays Off Staff (The Information) The future of TV is up in the air (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unless it affected you, you might have missed a huge tech story this weekend. But now that depositors to Silicon Valley Bank are being made whole, is the whole crisis averted? Tim Cook is pressing ahead with the Apple headset over the objections of Apple’s design team. And the varied and complex dilemmas of this new AI reality in two, somewhat oppositional segments. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme ZocDoc.com/techmeme Links: SVB’s tech failings were a problem long before the bank run that led to its demise, critics say (CNBC) SVB provided for tech when everyone else ignored us (FT) Regulators close crypto-focused Signature Bank, citing systemic risk (CNBC) Tim Cook bets on Apple’s mixed-reality headset to secure his legacy (FT) Microsoft Strung Together Tens of Thousands of Chips in a Pricey Supercomputer for OpenAI (Bloomberg) Large language models are having their Stable Diffusion moment (Simon Willison's Blog) Self Radicalization with open sourced AI-Systems (Good Internet) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cadre.com is revolutionizing commercial real estate investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s really only one story right now. The troubles at Silicon Valley Bank and how it has literally everyone in the startup ecosystem worried right now. It’s a classic bank run, people. Plus, Meta is developing a Twitter clone. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: This just broke, FYI: Silicon Valley Bank is shut down by regulators, FDIC to protect insured deposits (CNBC) Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network (Platformer) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: In AI, is bigger always better? (Nature) Can Xerox reinvent itself for another 100 years? (The Verge) Why Are So Many Guys Obsessed With Master and Commander? (GQ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silvergate Capital is shutting down, so the crypto winter just got colder. Microsoft says the new Bing has crossed 100 million daily active users. Why TikTok is responsible for the new Spotify redesign. Can police grab your Ring camera footage without your permission, even if you’re not the target of an investigation? And looks like Stripe won’t be going public this year after all. Sponsors: Thuma.co/techmeme Links: Silvergate will liquidate bank, wind down operations (The Block) Microsoft details how it could get Call of Duty: Warzone running on Switch (The Verge) Microsoft’s AI-Powered Bing Search Engine Surpasses 100 Million Daily Active Users (Gizmodo) Spotify’s new design is part TikTok, part Instagram, and part YouTube (The Verge) The privacy loophole in your doorbell (Politico) SCOOP: Stripe Is Raising $6 Billion to Resolve Taxes & Expiring Employee Shares, Delaying Public Listing (Newcomer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, you might have heard about the latest Elon controversy where he criticized an employee, and then walked it all back. We’ll get into that. DuckDuckGo melds two AI tools together. A Large Visual Language Model that will help robots move around in the real world. I explain why I’m telling you about every new Generative AI advance seemingly every single day. And with Google officially announcing the date for I/O, is their headlong rush to release AI products the waking of a sleeping giant, or the second coming of Google+? Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: FTC Twitter Investigation Sought Elon Musk’s Internal Communications, Journalist Names (WSJ) Twitter just let its privacy- and security-protecting Tor service expire (The Verge) Elon Musk apologizes after mocking disabled Twitter employee (AP) DuckDuckGo Releases Its Own ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine, DuckAssist (Gizmodo) Google’s PaLM-E is a generalist robot brain that takes commands (ArsTechnica) Google’s Plan to Catch ChatGPT Is to Stuff AI Into Everything (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok launches a paywall, but it’s all about the creators. Salesforce has its own generative AI product. More layoffs coming for Meta. Another autonomous driving startup bites the dust. Why Twitter broke yesterday, and new speakers from Sonos. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self. Links: TikTok Launches ‘Series’ Feature, Which Lets Creators Sell Premium Episodes Up to 20 Minutes Each (Variety) Apple reveals a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus (The Verge) Salesforce follows Microsoft in launching A.I. tools for salespeople with help from OpenAI (CNBC) Meta Plans Thousands More Layoffs as Soon as This Week (Bloomberg) Embark Trucks lays off workers, explores liquidation of self-driving truck assets (TechCrunch) How a single engineer brought down Twitter on Monday (Platformer) Apple First to Capture 8 Spots in List for Global Top 10 Smartphones (Counterpoint) Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 first look: you’re gonna want to hear these speakers (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Microsoft begins to integrate AI into its core enterprise and productivity products, are we ready for the scamming that AI is going to be able to produce? Details on forthcoming new iMacs. A checkin on Twitter. And why does Meta seem hellbent on ignoring what most people use VR for in the first place? Sponsors: ZocDoc.com/techmeme RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft’s Latest AI Assistant Is Meant for Marketers, Customer Reps and Work Apps (Bloomberg) They thought loved ones were calling for help. It was an AI scam. (WashingtonPost) OpenAI Rival Stable Diffusion Maker Seeks to Raise Funds at $4 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg) Multicoin Capital’s Hedge Fund Lost 91.4% Last Year, Investor Letter Reveals (CoinDesk) Apple Readies Its Next Range of Macs, Including — Finally — a New iMac (Bloomberg) Musk Delayed Paying Twitter’s Amazon Cloud Bill, Sparking Ad Threat (The Information) Twitter’s Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Fell About 40% in Month of December (WSJ) I don’t think Meta knows it’s a game company (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Checking in on the state of the tech job market with Grupa.io. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone in crypto stops doing business with Silvergate. Brave search launches an AI summarizer. A look at TikTok's AI Bold Glamour filter. Maybe the Activision acquisition is going to skate through the regulators. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/Techmeme Links: Silvergate Stock Drops Over 50% as Crypto Clients Flee Beleaguered Bank (CoinDesk) Brave Search launches an AI-powered summarization feature (TechCrunch) Why won’t TikTok confirm the Bold Glamour filter is AI? (The Verge) Microsoft’s Activision deal likely to be approved by EU regulators, says Reuters (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Alexa, what happened? (Margins) The Satellite Hack Everyone Is Finally Talking About (Bloomberg) The next big threat to AI might already be lurking on the web (ZDNet) 50 YEARS LATER, WE’RE STILL LIVING IN THE XEROX ALTO’S WORLD (IEEE Spectrum) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A ChatGPT API for business is here. Microsoft gives Bing those nobs and dials that I’ve been talking about. What are multimodal LLMs? New turmoil in crypto, this time around one of the big crypto friendly banks. How is it going in terms of social platforms diversifying into subscription revenue? And why the FDA has rejected Neuralink’s applications to begin human testing of brain implants. Links: OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, plus dedicated capacity for enterprise customers (TechCrunch) Microsoft now lets you change Bing’s chatbot personality to be more entertaining (The Verge) Microsoft unveils AI model that understands image content, solves visual puzzles (ArsTechnica) Apple Blocks Update of ChatGPT-Powered App, as Concerns Grow Over AI’s Potential Harm (WSJ) Coinbase is no longer accepting, initiating payments with Silvergate (The Block) Snapchat will now let you pause your Snap Streaks (TechCrunch) TikTok Earned $205 Million More Than Facebook, Twitter, Snap And Instagram Combined On In-App Purchases In 2023 (Forbes) U.S. regulators rejected Elon Musk’s bid to test brain chips in humans, citing safety risks (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decentralized social network Bluesky launches in the iOS App Store. TikTok adds wellbeing feature for families and kids. You know about eSIMs but say hello to iSIMs. Meta's entire four-year AR/VR roadmap. And I’m still banging the drum on laptops and smartphones where you can unroll the screen for more real estate. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter alternative Bluesky hits the App Store as an invite-only app (TechCrunch) Republican Bill That Gives Biden Power to Completely Ban TikTok Passes House Committee Super Fast (Gizmodo) TikTok rolls out new screen time controls, adds new default settings for teens and expands Family Pairing (TechCrunch) Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones are the first to support built-in 'iSIMs' (Engadget) This is Meta’s AR/VR hardware roadmap for the next four years (The Verge) Lenovo’s rollable laptop and smartphone are a compelling, unfinished pitch for the future (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices