Tue. 02/26 - Might the FTC Undo Some Tech Mergers?

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

17 Touko 202418min

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

16 Touko 202415min

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

15 Touko 202416min

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

14 Touko 202417min

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

13 Touko 202417min

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

10 Touko 202416min

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

9 Touko 202416min

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

8 Touko 202417min