There are only 2 stories today, but they’re big ones. First, at an event yesterday, Microsoft showed off what they want the PC to look like in the AI era. Plus, this Recall app is super interesting. Then, look, it’s the Scarlett Johansson/OpenAI thing. It’s gotten weird. And more importantly, it’s continuing to highlight how OpenAI itself is… weird. Sponsors: Miro.com for 3 free boards! Links: The new, faster Surface Pro is Microsoft’s all-purpose AI PC (The Verge) Microsoft announce...
May 21, 2024•17 min
No, that ChatGPT voice is not Scarlett Johansson, stop asking. In fact, that voice is going away. What does it mean if OpenAI’s entire superalignment team has gone away? Is Apple News+ the partner publishers have been waiting for? And if you want to be a digital nomad, you’ve got a lot of options these days. Sponsors: Pivotal Podcast To access The Washington Post for just 50 cents per week, head to WashingtonPost.com/ride Links: OpenAI to Pull Johansson Soundalike Sky’s Voice From ChatGPT ...
May 20, 2024•16 min
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...
May 17, 2024•18 min
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 b...
May 16, 2024•15 min
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. An...
May 15, 2024•16 min
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...
May 14, 2024•17 min
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 b...
May 13, 2024•17 min
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 Too...
May 10, 2024•16 min
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 ag...
May 09, 2024•16 min
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 Huawe...
May 08, 2024•17 min
All the headlines from today’s Spring Apple event. New iPads? M4 chip? I don’t actually know cause I’m recording this bit beforehand. I can tell you Apple might make its own server chips tho. Nintendo has outlined plans to replace the Switch. And Microsoft is training its own high-end LLM, separate from OpenAI. Links: Apple Is Developing AI Chips for Data Centers, Seeking Edge in Arms Race (WSJ) Nintendo Teases Long-Awaited Switch Successor as Profit Slides (Bloomberg) Meet MAI-1: Microsoft Read...
May 07, 2024•17 min
Jack Dorsey abandoned Twitter and now he’s abandoned Bluesky as well. YouTube rolls out Jump Ahead. Threads launches post quote controls. More than 40 thousand books on Audible are now voiced by AI. The Air Force is planning more than a thousand AI fighter jets by the end of the decade. And if you’re listening to this on Apple Podcasts, please listen to the end for an important announcement. Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride MackWeldon.com promocode: ride Links: Jack Dorsey departs Bluesky boar...
May 06, 2024•16 min
Apple earnings are out and revenue was down almost everywhere. Boy, AI can’t come fast enough for them. Did you know you can send Bluetooth signals to satellites in space? The full Rabbit R1 reviews turned out exactly how we expected. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Links: Apple Sales Fall as iPhone, China Businesses Remain Sluggish (WSJ) FDA Qualifies Apple’s AFib History feature as an MDDT (MyHealthyApple) Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellit...
May 03, 2024•16 min
The music is back on TikTok with a new deal struck. Maybe a third of Americans were affected by that Change Healthcare hack. Why are companies suddenly cutting teams you’d think would be sacred cows? Airbnb wants you to stay in the house from the movie Up. And we finally know just how much Google pays Apple for the search default in iOS. Sponsors: Kolide.com/ride Links: TikTok and Universal Music Group Settle Royalty Dispute With New Licensing Agreement (Variety) UnitedHealthcare CEO says ...
May 02, 2024•16 min
Binance founder CZ looks like he’s heading to jail too, but for way less time than SBF. Is the Rabbit R1 just a fancy device for a glorified Android app? Has OpenAI floated a secret pre-release of GPT5? And finally, so much has happened, I decided we had to do an omnibus catch up with what’s going on in the world of Elon. Links: Binance founder Changpeng Zhao sentenced to four months in prison (The Verge) Rabbit R1, a thing that should just be an app, actually is just an Android app (Updat...
May 01, 2024•16 min
The FCC has fined all the major telecom companies. You’ll never guess why. Why the DMA actions from the EU might be a constant thing. Devs, how about an AI-powered IDE? You’ll never guess why Peacock thinks it can raise prices again. And is Marquess Brownlee right about underbaked hardware releases? Sponsors: ZocDoc.com/techmeme ConstantContact.com Links: FCC fines AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon nearly $200 million for illegally sharing location data (The Verge) Meta Risks EU Fine...
Apr 30, 2024•17 min
Apple continues discussions with folks to partner for AI product. Will the upcoming iPad event kick off Apple’s AI strategy? Why does spending on AI seem to work for Google and Microsoft but not for Meta? Why were a bunch of Apple users signed out of their accounts this weekend? And has AI already ruined Meta’s family of apps? Sponsors: CutsClothing.com/RIDE , promocode RIDE for 20% off YahooFinance.com Links: Apple Intensifies Talks With OpenAI for iPhone Generative AI Features (Bloomberg...
Apr 29, 2024•17 min
Net Neutrality has been voted back into existence. Earnings from Microsoft and Google, but it’s the YouTube numbers that continue to impress me. ByteDance claims it would rather be banned than sell US TikTok. The Onion finds a benevolent billionaire. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: F.C.C. Votes to Restore Net Neutrality Rules (NYTimes) Google parent announces first-ever dividend; beats on sales, profit; shares soar (Reuters) OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Other Tec...
Apr 26, 2024•16 min
Meta’s earnings were fine, but it’s what Zuck warned about spending that has Wall Street nervous. Sub 2nm chips are on their way. An AI startup has a big new raise after its big raise just a month ago. Google Meet lets you jump devices. And the first reviews of the Rabbit R1 are out. Links: Zuckerberg Asks for Patience as Meta’s AI Push Spooks Market (Bloomberg) Zuckerberg says it will take Meta years to make money from generative AI (The Verge) TSMC aims to produce ultra-advanced 1....
Apr 25, 2024•16 min
The TikTok divestment bill has probably already been signed into law. What happens now? What are the legal arguments that this thing can stick? What about things like, you know, the First Amendment? Also, ads in Windows? Time to take Meta’s RayBan smartglasses seriously? And what it’s like to use AI inside of Instagram. Links: Senate passes TikTok ban bill, sending it to President Biden’s desk (The Verge) TikTok Ban Looms With Biden Poised to Start 270-Day Countdown (Bloomberg) How t...
Apr 24, 2024•15 min
Microsoft has launched new lightweight AI models. Perplexity has a big new raise. Meta wants other people to build Quest headsets. Another reason Apple needs to find new revenue. And if Congress really is going to ban TikTok, are they ever going to tell us exactly why? Links: Microsoft launches Phi-3, its smallest AI model yet (The Verge) Meta Expands Its Mixed Reality Beyond the Quest Headsets (CNET) Meta wants to be the Microsoft of headsets (The Verge) China Smartphone Sales...
Apr 23, 2024•16 min
I know we’ve said this before, but TikTok really seems on the brink this time. What the heck is going on with Tesla? Tinder wants you to share your date. Streamers want you to stop dating around and playing the field. An open-source smarthome standard. And again, do we really need standalone AI devices when we already have smartphones? Links: TikTok ‘ban’ passes in the House again, moving to the Senate in foreign aid package (The Verge) Tesla lowers price of ‘Full Self-Driving’ to $8,000, ...
Apr 22, 2024•16 min
Meta released Llama 3 yesterday, and some of the moves they made have made be consider if Zuck could win these first AI wars. Is Zuck also getting aggressive in VR? Why Apple had to take down the WhatsApp and Threads apps in China. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Meta’s battle with ChatGPT begins now (The Verge) Meta, in Its Biggest A.I. Push, Places Smart Assistants Across Its Apps (NYTimes) Meta gives the Quest 2 its second permanent price cut in four mont...
Apr 19, 2024•17 min
Google has fired 28 employees for political protests yesterday. A well-known coding school has been fined by the CFPB. Game emulators come to the iPhone. TikTok’s Instagram clone is rolling out. Has Sony perfecting Mini LED TVs? And the Atlas robot has been reborn in a new body! Links: Google fires 28 employees after sit-in protest over Israel cloud contract (The Verge) Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fines BloomTech for false claims (TechCrunch) Third-party iPhone app store Alt...
Apr 18, 2024•17 min
T-Mobile and Verizon employees are being offered bribes for SIM swaps. How much coding copilots have taken over. How much would you value Mistral or Cohere in the LLM race? How popular has Airchat gotten? How big has Amazon Prime gotten? And one of the original modern robots is being retired. Links: T-Mobile, Verizon workers get texts offering $300 for SIM swaps (BleepingComputer) Microsoft’s AI Copilot Is Starting to Automate the Coding Industry (Bloomberg) Mistral, an OpenAI Rival ...
Apr 17, 2024•16 min
Microsoft continues to spread its AI bets. Disney wants to bring back tv channels. YouTube is not gonna let you block ads. What did Humane get wrong with the AI Pin? And can Limitless do any better with its AI Pendant? Sponsors: MackWeldon.com , promocode ride YahooFinance.com Links: Microsoft to invest $1.5bn in Abu Dhabi AI group G42 (Financial Times) To Keep Viewers, Disney Plans a New Streaming Concept: Old-Style TV Channels (The Information) YouTube cracking down on third-party ...
Apr 16, 2024•16 min
Really looks like high-end re-shoring of chip tech is happening, and happening soon. What if satellite telephony becomes a table-stakes smartphone feature? Get ready for the bitcoin halving. Does anyone have invites to Airchat? And get ready for 4TB, yes, TB, SD cards. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride ArcticWolf.com/techmeme Links: Samsung boosts Joe Biden’s chipmaking ambitions with Texas plant upgrade (Financial Times) Exclusive: Google Pixel 9 series to get emergency satellite connectivity, n...
Apr 15, 2024•16 min
Now a big business intelligence company has been breached. Do you get the sense that people are laying the groundwork for something? Google discontinues a product, but this time, its probably our fault. M4 chips are coming from Apple. OpenAI continues to be the drama queen of Silicon Valley. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: US government urges Sisense customers to reset credentials after hack (TechCrunch) Google One VPN will be discontinued, Pixel VPN remains with ...
Apr 12, 2024•18 min
Apple is notifying people their iPhones may have been compromised. Spotify wants you to mix up your music. Adobe is paying handsomely for videos. And the biggest new gadget review event in a long time. Link: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks (TechCrunch) Spotify Plans New Remixing Tools for the TikTok Generation (WSJ) Adobe Is Buying Videos for $3 Per Minute to Build AI Model (Bloomberg) Humane AI Pin review: not even close (The Verge) See Priv...
Apr 11, 2024•15 min
More AI announces from Google. More hints on how Apple will bring AI to iPhones. And a bunch of interesting datapoints: how much Apple has moved away from manufacturing in China, how much money TikTok’s parent company is making, are kids warming up to VR and are alternative browsers benefitting from the DMA? Links: Google Launches Coding AIs That Could Rival Microsoft's Github Copilot (PCMag) Apple's new AI model could help Siri see how iOS apps work (AppleInsider) Apple’s India iPho...
Apr 10, 2024•17 min
