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Big new zero day to tell you about. Apple says Siri is safe, honest. Google rolls out an AI Daily Listen audio feature. Looking at the next wave of wearable AI. And let me tell you about WatchDuty, the app everyone in LA was using overnight. Sponsors: Timeline.com/ride33 Links: Hackers are exploiting a new Ivanti VPN security bug to hack into company networks (TechCrunch) Apple says Siri isn’t sending your conversations to advertisers (The Verge) Google’s ‘Daily Listen’ lab is a personalized podcast based on your Discover feed (9to5Google) SoftBank’s Chip Designer Arm Considers Acquiring Ampere Computing (Bloomberg) Your Next AI Wearable Will Listen to Everything All the Time (Wired) With L.A. on alert, wildfire app Watch Duty adds 600,000 users overnight (Los Angeles Times) LA residents find a lifeline in this free wildfire-tracking app (The Verge) ‘It’s not just alerts, it’s a state of mind’: How a wildfire monitoring app became essential in the US west (The Guardian) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tons and tons of controversy and fallout from Meta’s announced content moderation changes yesterday. I’ve got I think a fair, comprehensive rundown of all the angles. Interesting new rounds for Bluesky and Anthropic. And the coolest stuff I’ve seen from CES thus far, including: are rollable laptop screens finally ready for prime time? Sponsors: Acorns.com/ride Links: Meta’s fact-checking changes are just what Trump’s FCC head asked for (The Verge) Social-Media Companies Decide Content Moderation Is Trending Down (WSJ) AI Startup Anthropic Raising Funds Valuing It at $60 Billion (WSJ) Lenovo’s Latest Laptop Has a Rollable OLED Screen (Wired) BMW’s new iDrive turns the whole windshield into a heads-up display (The Verge) New Nike Therapeutic Shoes at CES 2025 Look Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before (CNET) EcoFlow’s Solar hat is better for the planet than your style (Engadget) Anker made a solar beach umbrella, because of course (Engadget) This Slim Little Battery I Saw at CES 2025 Is Like a Tesla Powerwall for Your Fridge (CNET) I Watched a Printer-Size Gadget Boost a Phone's Battery Life in Seconds (CNET) This toaster-looking gadget boosts your phone’s battery in seconds (The Verge) If you’re constantly losing cables, this could be your ideal charger (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta is completely revamping its fact-checking program, going instead with a version of Community Notes. A new Tesla recall, but for a different reason. Dell is taking rebranding to new, Google-like lows. All the headlines from a jam-packed Nvidia keynote. And what about an AI copilot but for gaming? Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: US opens probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over remote driving feature (Reuters) Getty Images and Shutterstock agree to merge (Axios) Getty Images and Shutterstock to Merge in $3.7 Billion Deal (The Wrap) Dell kills the XPS brand (The Verge) Nvidia announces next-gen RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs (The Verge) Nvidia’s Project Digits is a ‘personal AI supercomputer’ (TechCrunch) Razer Project Ava: would you pay an AI to help you get good at games? (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Altman says AGI isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Superintelligence. Why is nobody using Meta’s AI profiles? Keep an eye on Zuck, is my advice. The big trend at CES so far is AI inside smart TVs. And our first day wrap up of some of the cool things we’ve seen so far at CES. Sponsors: Oracle.com/techmeme Links: Reflections (Sam Altman's Blog) Meta's AI Profiles Are Indistinguishable From Terrible Spam That Took Over Facebook (404 Media) Samsung spreads Vision AI across its 2025 TV portfolio (VentureBeat) LG and Samsung are adding Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to their TVs (The Verge) LG’s 2025 OLED TVs are its best yet — but they risk going overboard with AI (The Verge) CES 2025: We Spent Hours Watching a Robot Vacuum Pick Up Socks. It's a Dream Come True (CNET) Stop Scalding Your Tongue: This $25 Cat Robot 'Blows' on Your Drink to Cool It (CNET) Elvie unveils an app-controlled smart bouncer that transforms into a bassinet at CES 2025 (TechCrunch) TiVo-powered TVs are coming to the US (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple pays a fine cause Siri was listening in on what you said. Strava does a tie-in with Apple Fitness+. Net Neutrality is dead again, and it looks like for good this time. The nuclear winter in the VC space, CES is coming for us all, and a Weekend Longreads Suggestion. Links: Apple to pay $95 million to settle Siri privacy lawsuit (Reuters) Apple Fitness Plus and Strava are collaborating with a new integration (The Verge) US appeals court blocks Biden administration effort to restore net-neutrality rules (Reuters) AI-generated phishing scams target corporate executives (Financial Times) Number of US venture capital firms falls as cash flows to tech’s top investors (Financial Times) Asus, Samsung, and MSI announce world’s first 27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz monitors (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestion: AI Needs So Much Power, It’s Making Yours Worse (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among other things, learn how Miami Vice inspired the Golden Girls, how the Golden Girls helped finance the making of the movie Reservoir Dogs, whether or not Betty White and Bea Arthur hated each other, where the Golden Girls house was, and the real ages of the actresses when they were playing Golden Girls. Special guest, Christina Warren, @film_girl! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AT&T and Verizon say they’ve rooted out Salt Typhoon. Trump asks the Supreme Court to intervene in the TikTok situation. All the banks want to be like Tether. And as we slide into this new year, it’s a USB-C world now, we’re just living in it. Links: AT&T, Verizon Say Networks Now Clear After Salt Typhoon Hack (Bloomberg) Trump Asks Supreme Court to Pause Law Threatening TikTok Ban (Bloomberg) Biden administration proposes new cybersecurity rules to limit impact of healthcare data leaks (Reuters) Banks Want In on Tether’s Billions in Stablecoin Profits (Bloomberg) ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ set to break records despite gaming slowdown (FT) The USB-C charging mandate arrives in the EU — here’s what that means (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly having problems deciding how make this whole, reclassifying as for-profit thing work. Oh, also, they secretly decided on a new definition of artificial general intelligence that is tied to tangible dollar value. At the tail end of the year, the most interesting new AI model of the year. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Microsoft and OpenAI Wrangle Over Terms of Their Blockbuster Partnership (The Information) Microsoft and OpenAI’s Secret AGI Definition (The Information) DeepSeek-V3, ultra-large open-source AI, outperforms Llama and Qwen on launch (VentureBeat) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Video Games Can’t Afford to Look This Good (NYTimes) Hawk Tuah Wasn’t What It Seemed (The Atlantic) The Paper Passport Is Dying (Wired) You Need to Create a Secret Password With Your Family (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was Calvin And Hobbes the greatest comic strip ever? Or maybe a great work of art of the 20th Century? Why did Bill Watterson disappear? Was Calvin "good" (morally)? Was Hobbes "real"? Why were there never any toys? Would we ever really want Calvin and Hobbes to come back? With special guest @kibblesmith! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How about a Ring Doorbell, but from Apple? How about Meta Ray Ban’s but crossed with Google Glass? How everybody is combining forces to bid for defense contracts. How Tether won the crypto profitability wars. And how Britannica has not only survived the Internet era, but is actually thriving? Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: Apple Explores a Face ID Doorbell and Lock Device in Smart Home Push (Bloomberg) Meta to add display to Ray-Bans as race over smart glasses intensifies (FT) Palantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contracts (FT) Tether Sees $10 Billion in Net Profits for 2024 (Bloomberg) Britannica Didn’t Just Survive. It’s an A.I. Company Now. (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gemini Flash Thinking a model making a serious run at “reasoning.” The FAA has had to ban drones in New Jersey cause of all those weird drone sightings. Self Driving technology continues to prove it is safer. An open source generative physics engine for robots. Sponsors: WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: Google reveals AI ‘reasoning’ model that ‘explicitly shows its thoughts’ (The Verge) FAA Bans Drone Flights in Parts of New Jersey (Bloomberg) Instagram teases AI editing tools that will completely reimagine your videos (The Verge) Waymo still doing better than humans at preventing injuries and property damage (The Verge) New physics sim trains robots 430,000 times faster than reality (ArsTechnica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple says Meta is getting annoying. You can now call 1800CHATGPT to, you know, talk to ChatGPT. Apple scraps plans for a hardware subscription package. Oura’s big new raise also indicates how well its smart-ring business is going. And has Bengaluru grown to quickly for its own good? Links: Apple hits out at Meta's numerous interoperability requests (Reuters) OpenAI makes ChatGPT available for phone calls and texts (CNBC) Apple Halts Effort to Build iPhone Hardware Subscription Service (Bloomberg) Smart ring start-up Ōura raises $200mn as valuation leaps to $5.2bn (Financial Times) Oura closes $200M round, bringing its valuation to $5.2B (TechCrunch) 3 Changes That Would Make Samsung's Galaxy Ring So Much Better (CNET) PS5 Pro deep dive reaction: GPU and RT improvements, PSSR and Sony's new AMD Amethyst partnership (EuroGamer) Inside India's 'Silicon Valley' (BusinessInsider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your home internet router about to be banned? The US has a new Chinese tech target. An AI dev kit from Nvidia. Who actually buys the most chips from Nvidia? Hollywood has flip-flopped on the whole theatrical release strategy. And why Instagram is officially king of the hill at Meta. Sponsors: Lumen.me/ride Links: U.S. Weighs Ban on Chinese-Made Router in Millions of American Homes (WSJ) Nvidia's new $249 AI development board promises 67 TOPS at half the price of the previous 40 TOPS model (TomsHardware) Nvidia’s $249 dev kit promises cheap, small AI power (The Verge) Microsoft acquires twice as many Nvidia AI chips as tech rivals (Financial Times) Grubhub to pay $25 million for misleading customers, restaurants, drivers (Reuters) ‘Red One’ Becomes Most-Watched Prime Video Film Debut Ever With 50 Million Viewers After Modest Theatrical Run (Variety) Here’s a Hollywood Twist: Streaming Success Runs Through Theaters (NYTimes) Instagram Expected to Generate 50% of Meta’s US Ad Sales in 2025 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the same day that ByteDance asks the US Supreme Court to intervene, the TikTok CEO meets with Donald Trump. DeepMind’s big new competitor to Sora called Veo 2. The FTC comes down against so called “junk fees.” And on their historic raise, a deep dive look at Databricks, one of the biggest private companies in the world. Sponsors: Miro.com Links: Trump meets with TikTok CEO as video app challenges potential ban (NBCNews) TikTok Asks Supreme Court to Block Law Banning Its U.S. Operations (NYTimes) Google DeepMind unveils a new video model to rival Sora (TechCrunch) FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket sellers to reveal ‘junk fees’ (WashingtonPost) Waymo to begin testing in Tokyo, its first international destination (CNBC) His Startup Is Now Worth $62 Billion. It Gave Away Its First Product Free. (WSJ) Google’s Whisk AI generator will ‘remix’ the pictures you plug in (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I break down the coming battle of the titans that is going to likely play out in 2025 between Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Mark Gurman says Apple is finally going foldable. Oh, and that Magic Mouse is finally that sin against God charger design. Every country wants a Starlink. And the big legal battle happening this week. Links: Meta Urges California Attorney General to Stop OpenAI From Becoming For-Profit (WSJ) OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk's lawsuit in court filing (Axios) Sam Altman reckons with a growing threat to OpenAI: Elon Musk (Financial Times) Apple’s New Vision for Computing Is a Giant Foldable iPad (Bloomberg) Europe signs €10.6bn Iris² satellite deal in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink (Financial Times) Chip groups Arm and Qualcomm square off in high-stakes US trial (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian on The Newsworthy podcast with Erica Mandy. Find out more about the show here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ok, what if AI models are really the new OS for… everything. But also: smartglasses and a Vision Pro competitor. I’ll explain. Could NotebookLM become a fully fledged product? Seemingly the leader in the clubhouse in the race to create the next AI paradigm beyond the transformer model. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face (The Verge) Google’s NotebookLM AI podcast hosts can now talk to you, too (The Verge) Google says its breakthrough quantum chip can’t break modern cryptography (The Verge) Liquid Set to Raise $250 Million to Build AI Inspired by Tiny Worm Brains (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Cult of Claude (NYTimes) How WhatsApp ate the world (Rest Of World) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More fallout from the whole Cruise wind-down. What it’s like to use some of the new Gemini 2.0 features. Has Apple, quite belatedly, finally done a feature update that provides the Vision Pro with a “killer app?” An Instagram-like app from China I had never heard of. And one singular, eye-popping datapoint from the CHIPS Act. Links: The end of Cruise is the beginning of a risky new phase for autonomous vehicles (The Verge) Gemini 2.0 Flash: An outstanding multi-modal LLM with a sci-fi streaming model (Simon Willison's Blog) FCC Opens Entire 6-GHz Band to Very-Low-Power Device Operations (TV Tech) The Vision Pro’s ultrawide Mac display is very close to being a killer app (The Verge) China’s Instagram-Style Xiaohongshu Crosses $1 Billion in Profit (Bloomberg) Harvard Is Releasing a Massive Free AI Training Dataset Funded by OpenAI and Microsoft (Wired) US chipmaking boom in doubt after Biden’s defeat (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GM shocked everybody by shutting down the Cruise robotaxi business. ChatGPT is finally on your iPhone once you update it. Could all Apple watches someday have satellite texting? And then, I guess Google wanted to pre-empt Santa Sam, because they released an absolute slew of AI products today. Links: GM to refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles (GM Investor Relations) GM Calls It Quits on Mary Barra’s $50 Billion Robotaxi Dream (Bloomberg) Apple’s Next Ultra Smartwatch Will Be Able to Send Texts Via Satellite (Bloomberg) Google Rolls Out Faster Gemini AI Model to Power Agents (Bloomberg) Google’s new Trillium AI chip delivers 4x speed and powers Gemini 2.0 (VentureBeat) Gemini 2.0, Google’s newest flagship AI, can generate text, images, and speech (TechCrunch) Google unveils AI coding assistant ‘Jules,’ promising autonomous bug fixes and faster development cycles (VentureBeat) Google unveils Project Mariner: AI agents to use the web for you (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can now buy a car on Amazon. A new AI unicorn doing something with AI I hadn’t heard about before. New AI enhanced smartglasses. Microsoft says it has a new datacenter design that uses zero water. And if you were able to use Sora yesterday, what was that like? Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: You Can Buy a Car on Amazon Now (Wired) US finalizes $6.1 bln Micron chip-making subsidy (Reuters) Memory chip maker Micron’s $6.1 billion grant confirmed by Commerce Dept. (Washington Post) OpenAI-Backed Language Tutor Startup Doubles Value to $1 Billion (Bloomberg) Solos challenges Meta’s Ray-Bans with $299 ChatGPT smart glasses (The Verge) Microsoft Unveils Zero-Water Data Centers to Reduce AI Climate Impact (Bloomberg) Bluesky teases paid subscription, Bluesky+, in new mockup (TechCrunch) I just went hands-on with Sora — the good, the bad, and the wow (Tom's Guide) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI’s Sora model is here! TikTok is still in trouble. China does more turnabouts is fair play, this time with Nvidia. I Apple, belatedly, getting serious about gaming on the Vision Pro? And did Google just make a huge, historic leap forward in quantum computing? Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride MackWeldon.com promocode: brian Links: Sora is here (OpenAI) OpenAI’s controversial Sora is finally launching today. Will it truly disrupt Hollywood? (LATimes) OpenAI releases Sora, its buzzy AI video-generation tool (CNBC) Appeals Court Upholds U.S. Ban of TikTok (WSJ) Nvidia Hit With China Probe in Global Tech War Escalation (Bloomberg) Apple, Sony Discuss Teaming Up on Gaming Controllers for Vision Pro (Blooomberg) Quantum Computing Inches Closer to Reality After Another Google Breakthrough (NYTimes) Google Debuts New Quantum Chip, Error Correction Breakthrough, and Roadmap Details (HPCWire) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Santa Sam has made his first delivery of the promised 12 days of launches from OpenAI. David Sacks is named the AI and Crypto Czar. Samsung’s entire UI is getting a radical overhaul. OpenAI is seemingly about to restructure everything. No more Surface Studios? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: OpenAI is charging $200 a month for an exclusive version of its o1 ‘reasoning’ model (The Verge) Trump Names David Sacks as White House AI and Crypto Czar (Bloomberg) Here’s everything new Samsung’s Android 15 update, One UI 7, and the full changelog [Gallery] (9to5Google) OpenAI seeks to unlock investment by ditching ‘AGI’ clause with Microsoft (Financial Times) The Surface Studio is dead? — Microsoft ends production on $4,500 Surface Studio 2+ as stock dwindles (Windows Central) Hawk Tuah memecoin dumps 90% amid backlash over controversial launch (Cointelegraph) What Pat Gelsinger’s exit means for Intel and the US Chips Act (Financial Times) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: He Was Going to Save Intel. He Destroyed $150 Billion of Value Instead. (WSJ) Friend or Faux (The Verge) When a Telescope Is a National-Security Risk (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bitcoin crosses the big $100k mark for the first time. We now know who Trump wants to fill the roles Silicon Valley cares about the most. Is Amazon about to become a top tier AI model player? Two new models from Google DeepMind, one of them promises to revolutionize weather prediction. And Waymo says bienvenido a Miami. Sponsors: WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: Crypto Trading Volume Surged to $10 Trillion for the First Time in November (Bloomberg) Trump Picks Paul Atkins to Run the S.E.C. (NYTimes) Trump Taps Vance Aide Gail Slater as Top DOJ Antitrust Cop (Bloomberg) Amazon announces Nova, a new family of multimodal AI models (TechCrunch) First impressions of the new Amazon Nova LLMs (via a new llm-bedrock plugin) (Simon Willison's Blog) DeepMind’s Genie 2 can generate interactive worlds that look like video games (TechCrunch) Google Introduces A.I. Agent That Aces 15-Day Weather Forecasts (NYTimes) Key leaders behind Google’s viral NotebookLM are leaving to create their own startup (TechCrunch) Waymo to expand to Miami, aims to launch robotaxi service there in 2026 (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid the Salt Typhoon hack, the US government wants you and me to go encrypted. Ubisoft shuts down XDefiant. Spotify Wrapped 2024 has NotebookLM baked right into it. And Google’s text to video AI model has beaten Sora to market, but is Sam Altman about to get all Santa on us? Sponsors: Lumen.me/ride Links: U.S. officials urge Americans to use encrypted apps amid unprecedented cyberattack (NBCNews) Ubisoft shutting down XDefiant in 2025, laying off half of its team (Polygon) Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast powered by Google’s NotebookLM (TechCrunch) Smart Home Market Becomes Apple’s Next Strategic Target; New HomePod with Display Set to Be Key Product in Apple’s Smart Home Strategy (Ming-Chi Kuo) Google’s new generative AI video model is now available (The Verge) AWS announces Aurora DSQL, a new distributed SQL database that promises virtually unlimited scalability (TechCrunch) Kindle Scribe 2 review in progress: Is slightly useful AI worth the extra cash? (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The search for a new Intel CEO has begun in earnest, but a change in leadership probably makes a wholesale transformation of the company more likely. China goes tit for tat on banning things. Why ChatGPT can’t say certain names. And how is that shopping with AI agents thing going? Links: Exclusive: Intel's CEO-shortlist candidates include former board member Lip-Bu Tan, sources say (Reuters) Intel CEO Forced Out by Board Frustrated With Slow Progress (Bloomberg) China retaliates against latest US chip restrictions (Financial Times) Why does the name ‘David Mayer’ crash ChatGPT? Digital privacy requests may be at fault (TechCrunch) The race is on to make AI agents do your online shopping for you (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pat Gelsinger is out at Intel. So where do they go from here? The first announces from the AWS re:Invent conference. More signs that crypto is in the ascendency. Elon files to block OpenAI from going for profit. Is he the greatest threat to that company? And a new startup taking on Nvidia. Links: Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retires (TechCrunch) AWS opens physical outlets that let customers upload their data (TechCrunch) Ripple-Linked XRP Soars to Third-Largest Token After Trump Win (Bloomberg) Elon Musk files for injunction to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit (TechCrunch) Musk’s Rivals Fear He Will Target Them With His New Power (WSJ) Bezos Backs AI Chipmaker Vying With Nvidia at $2.6 Billion Value (Bloomberg) Open-source OpenWrt One router released at $89 — 'hacker-friendly device' sports two Ethernet ports, three USB ports, with dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (Tom's Hardware) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is maybe the one moment of tragedy where most 80s kids remember where they were when it happened. Today, RAD! 80s90s History is looking at the Challenger disaster. Our guest is @fmanjoo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that we could have had the answering machine decades before we actually got to buy one? Why the 1980s and 90s was an unusual time for an innovation explosion in communications technology. The history of the whole AT&T/Ma Bell breakup by the government. And how much did YOU beg your parents to get your own phone line in your bedroom? The guest this episode is the actress Toni Trucks. @tonitrucks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI has suspended access to Sora after an activist stunt. Anyone can train AI on your Bluesky posts, but that is by design, in a way. Elon is readying a straight ChatGPT competitor. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: OpenAI’s Sora video generator appears to have leaked (TechCrunch) OpenAI hits pause on video model Sora after artists leak access in protest (Washington Post) Someone Made a Dataset of One Million Bluesky Posts for 'Machine Learning Research' (404Media) Inside Elon Musk’s Quest to Beat OpenAI at Its Own Game (WSJ) Yes, That Viral LinkedIn Post You Read Was Probably AI-Generated (Wired) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Should You Still Learn to Code in an A.I. World? (NYTimes) Bad influence (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel does get its money. Threads continues to feel the heat from Bluesky, and responds by… giving people what they want. The new Mate 70 flagship smartphone from Huawei. Is Apple trying to make the iPhone so thin it can’t put a sim card in it? And yes, the whole Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef. Sponsors: LegalZoom.com promocode: techmeme Links: Intel Gets Up to $7.9 Billion Award for U.S. Chip-Plant Construction (WSJ) Threads is testing the option to choose your own default feed (The Verge) Elon Musk Admits X is Throttling Links — Effectively Limiting People From Reading News (Mediaite) Starbucks, Other Retailers Hit by Ransomware Attack on Tech Provider (WSJ) China’s Huawei Takes Aim at Apple With Latest Smartphone (NYTimes) Apple’s Thin iPhone Has No Physical SIMs—That Could Dampen China Sales (The Information) Drake Accuses UMG & Spotify of Scheme to ‘Artificially Inflate’ Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ (Billboard) Link to AI avatar experiment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Sony about to get back into the mobile gaming hardware business? Is Bluesky in the dog house with the EU? Nvidia’s new AI model. Is Intel not going to get as much money as it hoped for? And the rise of AI superclusters. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN 1Password.com/ride Links: Sony Working on Handheld Console for PS5 Games to Rival Switch (Bloomberg) Bluesky breaching rules around disclosure of information, says EU (Financial Times) Nvidia shows AI model that can modify voices, generate novel sounds (Reuters) NVIDIA's new AI model Fugatto can create audio from text prompts (Engadget) Washington Curtails Intel’s Chip Grant After Company Stumbles (NYTimes) Klarna’s Planned IPO Sets the Stage for More Fintech Listings (Bloomberg) Exclusive: CoreWeave targets valuation of over $35 billion in 2025 US IPO, sources say (Reuters) AI’s Future and Nvidia’s Fortunes Ride on the Race to Pack More Chips Into One Place (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian's appearance on Daily Detroit talking about creating new tech hubs around the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wait, how long is it going to take Apple to make Siri behave like ChatGPT already does today? Maybe that talk of OpenAI buying the Chrome browser isn’t completely far fetched after all. Is Threads feeling the heat from Bluesky? Do I want to wear a watch on my finger? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Apple Readies More Conversational Siri in Bid to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg) OpenAI Considers Taking on Google With Browser (The Information) Threads’ algorithm will focus more on the people you follow (The Verge) As Bluesky soars, Threads rolls out custom feeds globally (TechCrunch) Casio’s first smart ring has innovative features like a stopwatch and flashing alarm (The Verge) The Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Here’s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky (The Verge) How Mark Zuckerberg has fully rebuilt Meta around Llama (Fortune) Are the robots finally coming? (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The DOJ has filed its “remedy” for Google but what would it mean for end users if their recommendations actually come to pass? Nvidia’s earnings continue to be historic but are they worried about current AI models hitting a wall? How AI might help make quantum computing become reality. And did a major new AI player just release its first product? Sponsors: Lumen.me/ride Links: US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment (Associated Press) Google could be forced to sell Chrome – here’s what it would mean for users (iNews) Apple Pay, Other Tech Firms Come Under CFPB Regulatory Oversight (Bloomberg) Nvidia’s CEO defends his moat as AI labs change how they improve their AI models (TechCrunch) AI Power For Quantum Errors: Google Develops AlphaQubit to Identify, Correct Quantum Errors (Quantum Insider) Elon Musk’s xAI Startup Is Valued at $50 Billion in New Funding Round (WSJ) H, the AI startup that raised $220M, launches its first product: Runner H for ‘agentic’ applications (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now authors are being approached about training AI on their books, and some are not pleased. The new Android development cadence is here. More signs crypto is ascendant. More signs that Bluesky has taken off. And a case in point for why governments and militaries are worried about smartphone tracking. Links: Microsoft Signs AI-Learning Deal With News Corp.’s HarperCollins (Bloomberg) Penguin Random House underscores copyright protection in AI rebuff (The Bookseller) The first Android 16 developer preview just landed: Here’s what you need to know (Android Police) Sony’s new PlayStation Portal update lets you stream PS5 games from the cloud (The Verge) Howard Lutnick, Tether's Wall Street Banker, Is Trump's Pick for Commerce Chief, Not Treasury Secretary (CoinDesk) Bluesky tops 20M users, narrowing gap with Instagram Threads (TechCrunch) Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have an idea of how the DOJ wants to breakup Google, and it seems to hinge a lot on selling the Chrome web browser. Sony wants the Elden Ring franchise. The outgoing administration is racing to give out Chips Act money. And all the headlines from today’s Microsoft Ignite event. Sponsors: WashingtonPost.com/ride Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RIDEHOME at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/ridehome Links: Google’s Chrome to Fetch Up to $20 Billion If Judge Orders Sale (Bloomberg) Source: Google is turning Chrome OS into Android to compete with the iPad (AndroidAuthority) Exclusive: Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse behind 'Elden Ring' (Reuters) Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted, sparking warnings of possible ‘hybrid warfare’ (CNN) Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud (The Verge) Windows comes to the Meta Quest (TechCrunch) Want to speak Italian? Microsoft AI can make it sound like you do. (Washington Post) Biden Team Races to Deliver Chip Grants Before Trump Takes Over (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have the nomination for the next FCC chair. More hype around smartglasses. About that Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight on Netflix. Is YouTube now the king of the podcast ecosystem? And a deeper dive on how AI is giving Wall Street a brand new window into the startup ecosystem. Sponsors: ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Ramp.com/techmeme Links: Trump Designates FCC Veteran Brendan Carr as Chair of Agency (Bloomberg) Report: Samsung XR glasses have Ray-Ban Meta specs with more features, seemingly no display (9to5Google) Netflix’s Tyson-Paul Boxing Bout Gets 65 Million Viewers at Peak (Bloomberg) Why Everyone Is Now Watching Podcasts on YouTube (WSJ) Nvidia Customers Worry About Snag With New AI Chip Servers (The Information) Wall Street's Elites Are Piling Into a Massive AI Gamble (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Eighteen states are suing the SEC over crypto regulation. The FTC might be going after Microsoft, but is this well timed or terribly timed? ChatGPT on Windows just got more available. NASA has created an AI Copilot for… Earth. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Acorns.com/ride Links: SEC, Gary Gensler Sued by 18 States Over Biden’s Crypto Crackdown (Decrypt) US regulators plan to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business (Financial Times) ChatGPT App for Windows Now Available to Everyone (PCMag) NASA’s AI Earth Copilot will take your questions about our planet (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Not even Spotify is safe from AI slop (The Verge) Klarna’s Seb Siemiatkowski — from burger flipping to billionaire club (Financial Times) Inside the Billion-Dollar Startup Bringing AI Into the Physical World (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buckle up cause it’s going to be a regulation heavy day. Meta is served up its first big EU fine. The FBI is investigating Polymarket? The CFPB might require regular inspections of Google? A new AI agent from OpenAI in about a month? And forget the streaming wars, are we entering the age of the puzzle wars? Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices (FT) Polymarket Investigated by DOJ for Allegedly Letting US Users Bet on Platform (Bloomberg) CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash (WashingtonPost) OpenAI Nears Launch of AI Agent Tool to Automate Tasks for Users (Bloomberg) Live Scam Detection in calls rolling out to Pixel 6-9 Phone app (9to5Google) Apple Releases Updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad (MacStories) Meta to Launch Ads on Threads in Early 2025 (The Information) Words With Friends takes on Wordle with new single-player daily puzzles (The Verge) AI Avatar YouTube Experiment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The guessing game on who the new tech regulators will be for the new administration. What is Amazon Haul? Why has Bluesky suddenly seen a flurry of activity? More on Apple’s smarthome ambitions. And more on why AI seems to be hitting a wall lately? Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech. Sponsors: Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RIDEHOME at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: Incogni.com/ridehome Links: Donald Trump’s potential antitrust enforcers may keep Big Tech in their sights (Financial Times) Amazon debuts discount store with everything under $20 to take on Temu and Shein (CNBC) With Surge in New Users, Bluesky Emerges as X Alternative (NYTimes) Apple’s Next Device Is an AI Wall Tablet for Home Control, Siri and Video Calls (Bloomberg) OpenAI, Google and Anthropic Are Struggling to Build More Advanced AI (Bloomberg) Bluesky Techmeme Starter Pack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looks like Apple wants to get serious about smarthome tech. The EU gets Meta to change, but has another requested change from Apple. Signal has some new features. Netflix’s ad-tier continues to win. And a deeper dive into how AI can leap this scaling wall it seems to have run into. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Kuo: Apple to release its own smart home camera in 2026, with AI features (9to5Mac) In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal (WSJ) Apple Gets EU Warning to Stop Geo-Blocking on App, ITunes Stores (Bloomberg) Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta (The Verge) Signal calls now work a lot more like Meet and Zoom (The Verge) Netflix Says Ad Tier Reaches 70 Million Users Globally (Variety) OpenAI and others seek new path to smarter AI as current methods hit limitations (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FTX is suing basically anybody you can think of. Why will your iPhone now reboot itself if you don’t log into it for several days? Is OpenAI’s next flagship model underperforming what they were expecting? And I’ve found the one company most disrupted by AI. At least, so far. Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: FTX Sues Binance, Ex-CEO Zhao Seeking $1.8 Billion Clawback (Bloomberg) FTX Sues Scaramucci to Recoup Money for Creditors (Bloomberg) Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (404Media) OpenAI Shifts Strategy as Rate of ‘GPT’ AI Improvements Slows (The Information) How ChatGPT Brought Down an Online Education Giant (WSJ) Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Middle Mile is the next evolution of the gig economy. Make use of your spare garage/basement space to provide fullfillment for ecommerce brands. More here: GetMiddleMile.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some interesting moves over at Block. Share to TikTok could be something major for the music industry. Amazon’s offer to invest again in Anthropic comes with some interesting strings attached. More signs that the smartglasses category is coming now. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: LegalZoom.com promocode Techmeme Links: Block reports revenue miss but a slight beat on earnings (CNBC) Jack Dorsey's Square to Invest More in Bitcoin Mining and Shut Decentralized 'Web5' Venture (CoinDesk) TikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple Music (TechCrunch) Amazon Discussing New Multibillion-Dollar Investment in Anthropic (The Information) Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta’s Ray-Bans (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse. (ArsTechnica) What I Learned From Destroying Myself at the NYC Marathon (Intelligencer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More in depth analysis of what the Trump victory might mean for Silicon Valley, and Elon Musk’s companies in particular. Canadian regulators going after TikTok. Australia wants to make sure no one uses social media until they’re sixteen. France is “aware” of Polymarket. And the reviews of all the new Macs. Sponsors: Promevo.com/techmeme Links: Elon Musk Helped Elect Trump. What Does He Expect in Return? (NYTimes) Canada orders shutdown of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue (Reuters) Labor backs 16 as the minimum age to use social media ahead of national cabinet meeting (ABCNews) French Regulator Examines Polymarket After Bets on Trump (Bloomberg) Apple Mac mini review (M4 Pro, 2024): Shockingly small, incredibly powerful (Engadget) Apple MacBook Pro M4 review: the Pro for everyone (The Verge) Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch review (2024): Brace yourself for M4 speed (Engadget) Apple iMac M4 review: More power, same great looks (Tom's Guide) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tech angle to the election news yesterday, and interestingly a lot of it is crypto related. The EU Commission looks like it will fine Apple and has opened a case against Corning? Perplexity is raising another massive new round. And a pretty definitive piece about how drone tech has changed warfare. Sponsors: Head to Lumen.me/RIDE for 15% off your purchase. WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: Polymarket, Prediction Betting Markets Vindicated by Trump's Strong Showing (Coindesk) Apple to Face First EU Fine Under Bloc’s Digital Markets Act (Bloomberg) Corning Faces EU Probe Into Smartphone ‘Gorilla Glass’ (Bloomberg) How Lina Khan Became an Election Hot Topic (NYTimes) Mozilla Foundation lays off 30% staff, drops advocacy division (TechCrunch) AI Startup Perplexity to Triple Valuation to $9 Billion in New Funding Round (WSJ) Battles of Precise Mass (Foreign Affairs) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big hacking arrest in Canada. More evidence Apple is thinking: “You know, maybe smartglasses are the way to go…” More signs OpenAI is focusing on hardware. More signs they’re about to go for-profit. And what it’s actually like to use GPT Search? Is it a Google killer or no? Links: Canada Arrests Man Suspected of Hacks of Snowflake Customers (Bloomberg) Apple Explores Push Into Smart Glasses With ‘Atlas’ User Study (Bloomberg) Meta’s former hardware lead for Orion is joining OpenAI (TechCrunch) OpenAI in Regulator Talks to Become For-Profit Company (Bloomberg) Anthropic hikes the price of its Haiku model (TechCrunch) Uber’s Real Threat Isn’t From Robots (WSJ) ChatGPT Search is not OpenAI’s ‘Google killer’ yet (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple is investing more in Satellite technology, and also acquires Pixelmator. What does this all mean for them? Is the high end Vision Pro getting abandoned? What does it mean that Google Cloud is now growing faster than AWS? And how Coreweave and other “neocloud” startups are financing their crazy growth in a totally new way. Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech. Sponsors: Miro.com MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN Links: Apple expands iPhone satellite services deal, commits $1.1bn to expand capacity (9to5Mac) Apple is acquiring the popular image editing app Pixelmator (The Verge) Apple Finally Finds Its Gaming Console With the New Mac Mini (Bloomberg) Apple Vision Pro rumored to get M5 in 2025, but lower cost model is delayed (Apple Insider) X updates block feature, letting blocked users see your public posts (TechCrunch) Google’s cloud outpaces rivals in third quarter as AI battle heats up (CNBC) Early Apple M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks hint at a massive performance boost (Neowin) Wall Street frenzy creates $11bn debt market for AI groups buying Nvidia chips (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI officially gets into the search game. Earnings from Apple and Amazon. Why Google is switching up how it does Android. And in the longreads, Meta to win AI even if doesn’t produce AGI, and how downsizing is helping game developers survive the jobspocalypse. Links: OpenAI Brings Search Features to ChatGPT in Challenge to Google (Bloomberg) China Ruins Apple's Quarter (24/7WallStreet) Amazon Surges Past Earnings Forecasts (The Motley Fool) Google confirms Android 16 is coming earlier than usual, developer preview begins soon (Android Authority) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Meta’s AI Abundance (Stratechery) After Era of Bloat, Veteran Video-Game Developers Are Going Smaller (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices