A peek into today’s edition: 

• Updates at OpenAI
• The NFL launches new mobile game
• Apple Vision Pro digital personas are here

OpenAI Shakeups and Updates

OpenAI’s ChatGPT will no longer require users to make an account to use its platform, though those who don’t won’t be able to save or share chats. Essentially, without an account, users will be able to access a limited version of the conversation AI chatbot.

Elsewhere, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stepped back from overseeing the OpenAI Startup Fund, the company’s venture arm that invests in early-stage AI companies. Ian Hathaway, an executive who has helped manage the fund since its inception in 2021, will succeed Altman.

More updates from OpenAI:

• Users can now edit DALL-E images directly in ChatGPT by selecting parts of images and texting out the changes they want to make.
• OpenAI teased its new AI-powered voice cloning tool, Voice Engine, to a select group of businesses.
• Microsoft and OpenAI are teaming up to build a $100 billion supercomputer coined Stargate

A16z to Invest $30M in Tech & Gaming Startups

A16z general partner Andrew Chen announced via X that he’s investing $30 million in startups building at the intersection of tech and gaming, specifically across the web3, AI, and augmented reality industries. The $30 million fund is part of the venture capital firm’s Speedrun program, which is an early-stage accelerator for startups at the intersection of tech and games. Accepted startups will receive a $750,000 investment and participate in a 12-week intensive program running between July and October in LA later this year.

The deadline to apply is May 19, and selected startups will be notified in June.

• Apple officially launched Spatial Personas from beta for the Vision Pro to help solve the device’s isolating experience. This new offering allows users to display digital versions of themselves in SharePlay-enabled apps to interact with other Apple Vision Pro users.
• Three TikTok-fueled trends are coming together as one. Alo, the omnipresent sportswear company, is teaming up with Beats by Dre for a special edition headphone drop. The campaign features singer Tyla and is soundtracked by her song Safer. The collaboration is a “celebration of the rhythm of life and the practice of being present.”
• Stevie Wonder, Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, and more than 200 other artists signed an open letter penned by the Artist Rights Alliance that calls on AI developers and digital music services to stop using AI to infringe on artists’ rights.
• In an effort to bring more educational content to its platform globally, TikTok is expanding its dedicated STEM feed to Europe after first launching it in the US last year.
• It’s been a busy week over at Microsoft. As the US House of Representatives announced that it’s banning the Big Tech company’s AI chatbot, Copilot, on government devices, Microsoft also announced that it’s unbundling Teams from the rest of its Office subscription services following complaints from the European Union and rivals like Slack.
• Google has agreed to delete millions of users’ web browsing data as part of a settlement for a 2020 class action lawsuit that alleged the Big Tech giant wasn’t being honest about how Chrome tracks web activity.
• AT&T is investigating a widespread data leak that resulted in sensitive information from 73 million of its current and former customers being released on the dark web a few weeks ago.
• Popular NFT collection Doodles is expanding its range with an animated special featuring Pharrell, Lil Wayne, and Coi Leray. The campaign, titled “Project Grey,” will begin its rollout this summer. This isn’t the first time Doodles and Pharrell have linked up, having been named the company’s Chief Brand Officer in 2022.

Tesla‘s annual sales are down for the first time since 2020 due to increased competition. To entice interested buyers, I’m going to bet that Tesla will kick down prices for its EVs at least one more time this year.

The post ChatGPT, Voice Engine, Sam Altman & More Updates from OpenAI appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Apple‘s developers conference is back
• Tech Talk Reviews: Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
• TikTok launches Youth Council

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is Back in June

Apple‘s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will return from June 10 to 14. As always, the keynote will kick off at Apple Park and be streamed online. The conference will showcase the latest operating system advancements across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro products. Essentially, this is the conference for devs to learn about what they can build with the most updated Apple software and systems before they are pushed publicly. Like in previous years, developers will be able to get hands-on with Apple designers and engineers during in-person experiences and demos following the keynote on opening day.

We first learned about the Apple Vision Pro at WWDC 2023, so what can we expect from this year’s conference? I heard some chirps that we might get insights into Apple’s AI plans, but if I’ve learned anything about following this tech company, I’m never right about what’s coming next.

Still, I’ll have a download on the event right here in a few months.

Amazon Completes $4B Investment in AI Startup Anthropic

In September 2023, Amazon announced that it would invest up to $4 billion in generative AI startup Anthropic, and the Big Tech giant said this week it has made good on that promise. After initially writing a check for $1.25 billion, Amazon maxed out its investment with another $2.75 billion as part of its strategic collaboration with Anthropic. As part of the deal, Amazon will maintain a minority stake in the company, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will be the primary cloud provider for Anthropic’s work. AWS customers will continue to get access to Athropic’s AI platforms, including Claud, via Amazon Bedrock, as well as other features.

It seems like Amazon is getting cozy with Anthropic, just like Microsoft is doing with OpenAI. It’ll be interesting to see how the Big Tech companies shepherd in companies that might be their next big competition.

Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

On Thursday, disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison. SBF was facing more than a century behind bars, though the prosecution was seeking a sentence between 40 and 50 years. The defense pleaded for a six-and-a-half-year term since his crimes were nonviolent and he was a first-time offender. SBF was found guilty of multiple fraud and conspiracy charges in November 2023, nearly a year after he was arrested, for his role in the collapse of his crypto exchange.

SBF was sentenced in a Manhattan court, but it’s unclear where he will serve his prison term. If he serves the full 25-year term, he will be 57 years old when he gets out of prison.

Tech Talk Reviews: Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Ray-Ban and Meta teamed up again to release the second generation of their Smart Glasses. For the past month, I’ve been testing the new device in different environments, from subway stations to bars, the office, and more. Read up on what I learned here.

• TikTok launched a global Youth Council featuring 15 teens between the ages of 15 and 18 who will be charged with advising the short-form video app company on issues that affect young users and how to mitigate them.
• The European Union is investigating Apple, Alphabet, and Meta to see if the changes the Big Tech companies said they would make on their platforms comply with the region’s new regulations in its Digital Markets Act. Of course, the Commission will be looking into app store operations once again.
• OpenAI published a roundup of videos created using its newly developed text-to-video and image-to-video creator, Sora. This comes as Bloomberg reported that OpenAI is meeting with studios and directors based in Hollywood to promote its ner generative AI tool.
• As if TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts weren’t enough, LinkedIn is testing a short-form video feed with a select group on its platform to give users another avenue to discover relevant content.
• Hulu on Disney+ officially launched this week in the US, bringing Hulu’s library of content onto Disney‘s streaming platform. This integrated experience is available to users who are subscribed to both platforms.
• Google‘s philanthropic arm, Google.org, launched a $20 million accelerator program for nonprofits using generative AI. The inaugural class of the Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI program includes 21 nonprofits that will receive exclusive funding and training for six months.
• X users are getting some new perks. First, the platform’s AI chatbot Grok was enabled for all Premium subscribers after previously only being available to Premium+ members. Elon Musk also posted that “X accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free, and accounts with over 5,000 will get Premium+ for free.”

This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting children under 14 from having social media accounts. The law is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, but I’m going to bet it’ll get blocked by a higher court.

The post What Will We Learn at Apple WWDC24 this Summer? appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Everything you need to know about Reddit‘s IPO
• Yikes. The DOJ is suing Apple 
• LinkedIn is reportedly developing games

Did Reddit Just Have the Best IPO for a Social Network?

Reddit officially made its debut as a publicly traded company on Thursday. The social media company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the RDDT ticker. Reddit launched in 2005 with a simple idea: anyone could submit links for others to vote on to create a “front page of the internet.” Those votes led to customized pages of recommended links and content for each user. Much of that is still in Reddit’s DNA.

This moment is almost two decades in the making, but before we jump into how well Reddit did on its public debut, let’s take a look at some major milestones from the company over the years.

Major Milestones

• June 23, 2005: Reddit is founded by University of Virginia roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian.
• Oct. 31, 2006: Huffman and Ohanian sold Reddit to Condé Nast Publications for a reported $10 to $20 million and moved the company to San Francisco.
• January 2008: Subreddits are born.
• January 2009: The “I Am A” subreddit was created, becoming one of the most popular subreddits to date. The forum often hosts Ask Me Anything sessions with notable people.
• October 2009: Huffman and Ohanian part ways with Reddit.
• November 2014: Ohanian joins Reddit’s board as executive chairman. (He later stepped down on June 5, 2020, and called to be replaced by a Black person in response to the murder of George Floyd. Five days later, Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel was inducted into Reddit’s board.)
• July 10, 2015: Huffman rejoins Reddit as CEO, a role he still holds today.
• May 31, 2017: Reddit sunsets default subreddits and introduces the r/popular landing page for more inclusivity.
• April 2018: Reddit unveiled a new design for its website and introduced its famous logo, Snoo.
• Dec. 13, 2020: Reddit acquires Dubsmash to integrate video creation tools.
• March 21: 2024: Reddit begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

A Historic IPO

Nearly 19 years after its inception, Reddit finally went public. The company’s mascot, Snoo, was on deck at the NYSE to ring the opening bell on Thursday. Reddit priced its IPO at $34 per share, but the stock opened at $47 and reached a high of $57.80 on Thursday. Reddit’s market cap reached $9.5 billion on opening day, exceeding its target of $6.4 billion, and shares closed at $50.44 each. Reddit and its selling shareholders raised $748 million, which is what the company was targeting.

Reddit originally filed to go public in December 2021 following the GameStop meme stock saga, but after hitting some roadblocks, the company decided to delay its public offering. It’s clear that now was the best time for the social media network to make its debut on the stock market. Reddit filed to offer 22 million shares for its IPO while reserving 8% of shares to offer to eligible users, board members, and family and friends of employees.

One unexpected person who netted millions of dollars from Reddit’s public debut is OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman, who holds 9% of the company’s shares. The shares he controls were worth $613 million at closing price on Thursday. Altman is a close friend of Huffman and has known Reddit’s CEO since the social network’s launch years ago. The pair met during their time as part of the inaugural Y-Combinator class. If you’re wondering where all of those entrepreneurs ended up, check out this read.

Reddit is the first social media company to go public in nearly five years. Before Reddit, Pinterest was the last social network to hit the stock market on April 18, 2019, at $19 per share, with a high of $24.40 on opening day. It’s obvious the market has a larger appetite for social media stocks right now, as Reddit joins the likes of Meta, Snap, and others.

Reddit boasts an estimated 850 million monthly active users and around 73 million daily users. The company has yet to turn an annual profit, but we can expect to see some positive dollar signs for Reddit soon.

I’ll continue following Reddit’s successful public debut and report on the big news here.

• The US Department of Justice filed an 88-page lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the Big Tech giant monopolizes the smartphone market by making it difficult for consumers to interact with some platforms and switch to other smartphones. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI tech on iPhone devices.
• Starbucks is (finally) sunsetting its Web3 rewards program, Odyssey, on March 31 after launching it in beta in late 2022. The Odyssey marketplace will be moved over to Nifty Gateway for consumers still interested in chasing Starbucks‘ coffee NFTs.
• Microsoft hired Inflection AI co-founders Karén Simonyan and Mustafa Suleyman to lead its new Microsoft AI unit, which will focus on developing Copilot AI initiatives. Suleyman, who also co-founded AI startup DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014, will lead the new unit as CEO and executive VP, while Simonyan is joining the unit as chief scientist. The Information reported that Microsoft is paying $650 million to Inflection AI since it’s hiring its leaders and most of its 70-person staff.
• Elon Musk‘s Neuralink company shared a video on X allegedly showing that its first human patient using a brain implant can control a mouse to virtually play chess. The patient, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down during a diving accident, is participating in Neuralink’s first human trial that’s supposed to last for six years.
• AI music generator Suno released its flagship platform, which lets users generate “radio-quality music” made with original lyrics and beats from simple text prompts. The platform can generate two-minute-long songs in seconds.
• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a new class of AI chips named Blackwell during the company’s developer conference. The new computing chips will ship later this year and are expected to be Nvidia‘s most powerful yet.

Apparently, LinkedIn is working on launching a new gaming experience within its platform. While the idea sounds fun, I’m going to bet that this project won’t make it out of the beta phase since consumers go on LinkedIn to build their professional networks, not play games.

The post Did Reddit Just Have the Best IPO for a Social Network? appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• The download on TikTok‘s possible US ban
• Tech Talk Reviews: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
• Reddit eyes $6.4 billion valuation

Everything You Need to Know About TikTok’s Potential Ban in the US

The clock is ticking on TikTok’s fate in the United States after the House of Representatives voted in favor of a bipartisan bill that could ban the platform if it doesn’t get new ownership.

But there is a lot of information to understand and dissect around this ordeal, so I’m here to break it down for you.

How the TikTok Ban Bill Ended Up in Congress

TikTok, which China-based ByteDance owns, launched in the US in September 2016. The company splits its headquarters between LA and Singapore. TikTok’s app didn’t gain noticeable traction until October 2018, when it became the most downloaded app in the US. The US government has always been critical of the video-sharing app since its parent company is based in China, where the government has a stronger influence over local businesses, even if they have an international reach.

Congress is most concerned about national security risks and data privacy since the Chinese government can decide at any moment to instill laws that would require ByteDance to share sensitive information about its users. Still, ByteDance’s leadership said it would never do that, and the tech company has even made strides to build trust in the US. Back in 2022, TikTok agreed to move all US user data to American soil through a partnership with Texas-based tech giant Oracle. This relocation was to make sure only the US-based security team could access the data. Additionally, the US government will have the ability to monitor the operation regularly.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew spoke about this relocation, dubbed Project Texas, in detail during his first testimony before the House in March 2023. The testimony lasted more than six hours, and I watched the entire thing. Here are some key takeaways from the hearing. Chew’s testimony came at a time when sweeping TikTok bans hit the nation. In February 2023, the Biden administration banned TikTok from federal devices, even though the president’s re-election campaign made an account last month. In May 2023, Montana became the first state to ban TikTok after signing a bill that would have gone into effect in January 2024 before a federal judge blocked the decision in November. A slew of states across the US have instilled similar TikTok bans on federal devices, and some universities have restricted the app on school devices and campus Wi-Fi.

The Vote in the House

The noise around a nationwide TikTok ban was quiet for some time, but that was the plan all along. Bipartisan lawmakers kept the bill under wraps until last week when a House committee unanimously voted to put the legislation to a larger vote. Chew quickly traveled to the US to speak with lawmakers ahead of the vote on Wednesday. TikTok also pushed messages to its US users urging them to contact their Congressional representatives to kill the bill. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, as the bill was passed, with 155 Democrats and 197 Republicans voting in favor of it.

Chew responded to the vote on the bill in a TikTok video, emphasizing how much a TikTok ban in the US would negatively impact small businesses and content creators.

What’s Next?

If the bill goes to a vote in the Senate and it is passed, President Joe Biden already agreed to sign it into law. The bill would require ByteDance to sell its ownership in TikTok within 165 days, or the app will be blocked from US app stores indefinitely.

TikTok has grown to attract an estimated 170 million users in the US, which is nearly half of our population, so it’s understandable why there are bigger concerns at play here. It’s unclear if the Senate will bring a bill to a vote.

Personally, I don’t think TikTok is leaving the US anytime soon. Refer to my Bet of the Week for more.

Still, TikTok is in a tough spot since the Chinese government has also told ByteDance it will oppose a sale of the app in the US.

For more on my thoughts on a potential TikTok ban, check out this video.

Tech Talk Reviews: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Electronics leader Samsung debuted its newest line of smartphones in January with new AI tools. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the first Samsung device to feature a titanium frame, reducing the smartphone’s weight. I’ve been playing around with the Galaxy S24 Ultra for the past six weeks. Take a look at what I learned.

• Reddit announced that it plans to raise $748 million at a $6.4 billion valuation from the 22 million shares it filed to offer for its IPO. The social media platform is launching a subreddit (/RDDT) for users to ask questions about its public offering. Stay tuned; I’ll have more on Reddit IPO next week.
• Bitcoin hit a new all-time high again on Wednesday when it briefly surpassed the $73,800 threshold. For context, Bitcoin was trading at around $26,500 this time last year.
• A new bill in Illinois called the Journalism Preservation Act will soon be put to a vote. If passed, it would require tech companies to pay local news outlets for work viewed by residents on their platforms. Meta says it will pull news from its platform in the state if the bill passes.
• A group of authors is suing Nvidia for alleged copyright infringement. The authors are claiming that Nvidia trained its AI platform NeMo using their books without their consent.
• Spotify is beta testing a new feature with Premium subscribers that allows them to access music videos for select songs via the Now Playing screen. The feature is available across 11 markets.
• OpenAI announced a new board of directors that includes eight members, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Instacart CEO Fidji Simo, and Nicole Seligman, former Sony Entertainment President.
• Elon Musk agreed to release the code and open up access to Grok, an AI chatbot that was previously only accessible to X Premium+ subscribers, following his lawsuit against OpenAI that alleges the AI company is keeping its tech too private. Fun fact: In one of my Bet of the Week editions last year, I predicted this would happen in Q1 of 2024. Check it out here.
• Speaking of Musk, Don Lemon said the troubled tech tycoon canceled his content deal on X’s platform hours after they filmed the debut episode of his new show. Lemon said the episode will still air on YouTube, which will be the primary home for The Don Lemon Show moving forward.

If Congress fully passes the TikTok bill in the US, I’m going to bet that ByteDance will let TikTok spin out as its own company and maintain its HQ offices in Singapore and LA.

The post Everything You Need to Know About TikTok’s Potential Ban in the US appeared first on Boardroom.

The 170 million TikTok users in the US are in jeopardy of losing their accounts after the House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban the app if China-based ByteDance doesn’t sell it.

The federal government has long been concerned about the national security risk TikTok could pose if sensitive data about US users is shared with the Chinese government.

So, how did we get here, and what exactly did the House vote on?

Let me break it down clearly.

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The bill passed by a vote of 352-65. It’s unclear if the Senate will raise a vote on the bill, but the chamber did agree to review the legislation. President Joe Biden already agreed to sign the bill into law if Congress passes it, forcing ByteDance to sell the app in 165 days or see it banned from US app stores.

TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance, but we’ll continue to track the legislation’s movements and report them in Boardroom’s Tech Talk newsletter. Stay tuned.

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The post US House Advances Bill on TikTok Ban appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Social media platforms went down this week, but why?
• EU fines Apple $2B as the tech giant and Epic Games go at it (again)
• OpenAI responds to Elon Musk’s lawsuit

Social Media Platforms Went Offline This Week. But Why?

Hmmm, seemingly every social media platform went down this week but X, and that just really doesn’t sit right with me.

It all started on Tuesday morning when Meta‘s family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, experienced a widespread outage that lasted roughly two hours. The platforms glitched for some users and wouldn’t refresh or load, while others were completely logged out of their accounts. Meta acknowledged the issue on its status page, but when the services returned online, the company didn’t say why they were ever down other than that there was a “technical issue,” which we all could have guessed.

YouTube also briefly went down on Tuesday after experiencing a surge in traffic due to outages across Meta’s platforms. The same happened to Discord. Again, the platforms were brought back online without much explanation. LinkedIn also briefly went offline Wednesday evening after nearly 45,000 users reported encountering an error page when accessing the networking site.

We’ll probably never know why all of these social media platforms went down, but on the bright side, Instagram users can now edit DMs up to 15 minutes after sending them and pin chats. Woohoo!

EU Fines Apple $2B as the Tech Giant & Epic Games Go At It Again

The European Union announced on Monday that it’s hitting Apple with a $2 billion fine for breaking antitrust laws in the region following a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019. This is the first time Apple has received a fine from the EU, which pertains to the Big Tech giant’s App Store practices for music streaming platforms. The EU told Apple it can’t stop music services from advertising cheaper subscription deals outside of the App Store. Apple responded to the ruling, saying the EU didn’t “uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm,” so it will appeal the decision. Apple also accused Spotify of trying to rewrite its App Store rules to gain competitive advantages and reap all the benefits.

Amid this, Apple terminated Epic Games‘ developer account this week before reinstating it a few days later. Epic Games intends to use the account to launch its own app store for iPhones in Europe to distribute Fortnite and other games. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the gaming company’s account was iced as retaliation following Epic’s lawsuit against Apple, other litigation, and some of his social media posts. Apple responded, saying it had the right to terminate Epic’s account for breaching its contractual obligations.

The developer account termination was another red flag for the EU, which announced it will investigate.

Crypto Chronicles: Bitcoin, Ethereum Reach New Milestones

Bitcoin and Ethereum are having a historic week after reaching new heights since Q4 of 2021. First, Bitcoin set a new all-time high of $69,210 on Tuesday before doing it again on Friday by eclipsing $70,000 for the first time ever. The token outpaced its previous highest value of $68,982 on Nov. 10, 2021, and has been trading above $66,000 consistently throughout the week. Soon after, ETH surpassed the $3,800 mark on Wednesday morning for the first time since December 2021, partly due to its upcoming network upgrade. ETH hit its all-time high on Nov. 9, 2021, when it was trading for $4,815, so the crypto has a way to beat that record.

ETH’s value has historically trended along with Bitcoin, so it doesn’t surprise me that the crypto and many others are seeing some success this week. There was even a big NFT sale. CryptoPunk #3100 sold for 4,500 ETH, or $16.03 million, on March 4. This is the second-highest CryptoPunk sale ever, and some NFT enthusiasts are saying this sale is a sign that the bull market is back.

• The OpenAI leadership team finally responded to Elon Musk’s lawsuit last week in a blog post revealing that the tech tycoon promised to invest as much as $1 billion but only cut a check for $45 million. The AI startup said Musk didn’t significantly impact its development and success, even after he offered to bring OpenAI under Tesla‘s wing in 2018.
• Anthropic debuted Claude 3 on Monday, a new AI chatbot and suite of AI models that it’s dubbing its most powerful offerings yet. The company said its latest chatbot can summarize up to 150,000 words. For reference, that’s about how long Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is.
• ByteDance‘s revenue in the third quarter of 2023 rose by an estimated 43% to $30.9 billion, showing that it’s growing at twice the rate of Meta, The Information reported. The news broke as TikTok‘s parent company internally shared plans to buy back stock, indicating that it wants to stay a private company for the foreseeable future.
• Coachella announced a partnership with NFT marketplace OpenSea to give NFTs a second try for fans seeking access to more VIP areas and exclusive merch at its annual music festival. This new offering comes after Coachella’s failed 2022 partnership with FTX following the crypto exchange’s collapse.
• Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding was arrested in California and charged with four counts of federal trade secret theft for allegedly stealing and sharing AI trade secrets with two companies based in China.
• More than 200 AI researchers signed an open letter published by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University urging generative AI companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, to allow investigators to access their systems for examination and safety testing.

I’m going to go long here and bet that Bitcoin will cross the $80,000 threshold before the summer hits since its value has consistently been trending upward in recent weeks.

The post Social Media Platforms Went Offline This Week. But Why? appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Bitcoin briefly hits $64K
• No EV car from Apple is coming
• Alphabet faces $2B lawsuit from media publishers

Bitcoin Briefly Hits $64K for the First Time in 2 Years

Suddenly, it feels like November 2021 again since Bitcoin briefly broke the $64,000 threshold earlier this week and is holding steady above $61,000 as of Friday morning. The token just closed out its best month since 2020, and its value is up 40% this year already. In this past week alone, Bitcoin was up nearly 20%. This is a big deal for the world’s most valuable digital asset, which hasn’t traded in the $60,000 range since it hit its all-time high of $68,789 in November 2021.

So, what’s driving Bitcoin’s rally right now? Demand, increased interest, spot Bitcoin ETFs, and the impending Bitcoin halving event could all be playing a role in the token’s success right now. Personally, I don’t think there is enough of the crypto to account for all this new demand, though some investors are liquidating their assets as the token climbs. It’s important to note that around the year 2140, Bitcoin will cap at 21 million total coins in circulation, meaning no more tokens will be mined after that, ever. The Bitcoin network is currently producing roughly 900 tokens per day. Originally, the halving event was supposed to happen in May, but it got pushed up due to increased demand.

I’m going to hold on to my biggest Bitcoin hot take for now, but expect to see one as my Bet of the Week very soon.

Apple Pulls the Plug on its Decade-long Electric Car Project

After 10 years of development, Apple has decided to nix its electric vehicle plans coined Project Titan, the company told employees on Tuesday. Apple CEO Tim Cook first announced the tech company’s plans to foray into the auto industry in 2017, even though reports surfaced in 2014 that Apple was building a driverless car. Apple had nearly 2,000 employees working on Project Titan, and some of them will be relocated to other AI teams while others will be laid off. Apple’s EV ambitions have been plagued with reorganizations and new leadership shuffles over the years.

Apple spent billions on its EV project, but its investors seem to be pleased it stopped development since the Big Tech company’s stock rose by 1% following the internal announcement that was prematurely leaked to the press.

TikTok Removes More of Universal Music Group’s Catalog from Platform

This week, TikTok began removing more music from Universal Music Group‘s catalog as their battle over royalties continues. UMG’s contract with TikTok ended on Jan. 31, and the pair decided not to renew it after they failed to reach a new agreement on royalties for artists and songwriters. Initially, TikTok only removed music owned and distributed by UMG, but it extended its removal to include songs published by the music company as well. That even includes some songs with non-UMG artists who feature songwriters and artists under UMG’s umbrella.

It seems like TikTok and UMG are inching further away from reaching a new agreement, but I still have faith the companies will come to some sort of resolution sooner rather than later.

Tech Talk Reviews: Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Audio giant Bose recently launched the Ultra Open Earbuds, a new product I’ve been testing for the last month. The earbuds feature a fashion-forward, cuff-like design, and they were built for users to hear their favorite audio and physical surroundings at the same time. I shared my thoughts on Bose’s newest device in the latest edition of Tech Talk Reviews, a series highlighting my experience testing new tech gadgets, emerging platforms, apps, games, and more.

• Elon Musk is suing Sam Altman and OpenAI, alleging the company has abandoned its founding mission to develop artificial intelligence “for the benefit of humanity broadly.” The lawsuit says that OpenAI‘s focus on maximizing profits for Microsoft negates that.
• While Google announced the expansion of its Gemini AI tech in its messaging system, wearables, and Android Auto, 32 media groups banded together to hit its parent company, Alphabet, with a $2.3 billion lawsuit filed in a Dutch court. The media companies, including Axel Springer, allege that they suffered losses due to Alphabet‘s digital advertising practices.
• Automattic, the parent company of WordPress and Tumblr, is nearing a deal to sell user data to OpenAI and Midjourney, 404 Media reports. This could include private and deleted posts, so millennials, it’s time to get back into those Tumblr accounts and see what you posted back in the day.
• Meta is putting together a team focused on tackling voter disinformation and generative AI abuse in the European Parliament elections in June. The Big Tech giant will launch an Election Operations Center to mitigate threats in real-time.
• New money: Photo-sharing app Lapse closed a $30 million Series A that will go toward product and team expansion, while Humanoid robot startup Figure AI raised $675 million from notable investors, including Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
• Spotify announced that it paid out nearly $4.5 billion to independent labels and publishers last year, marking a new record for the streaming platform.
• Sony Interactive Entertainment is shuttering its London PlayStation studio and is laying off 900 employees, or an estimated 8% of its global workforce, from its PlayStation division. The staffing cuts come after Sony also cut its sales forecast for the PS5 after lower demand.

Nokia phone maker HMD announced a collaboration with Mattel to develop the real-life version of the Barbie Flip Phone, which is slated to be released this summer. Nostalgia and the Barbie movie will drive potential interest in the device, so I’m going to bet that sales will at least top 100,000 at launch.

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This past year was only the beginning. Let’s see what I can do with the next 365 days.

Alright, let’s get into it.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Nvidia revenue is up 265% year-over-year
• Google pauses its Gemini AI image generator
• AT&T hit with nationwide service outage

Nvidia Revenue Surges to $22B as AI Chip Biz Booms

AI chipmaker Nvidia generated $22.1 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter, up a whopping 265% year-over-year due to the increased demand for its tech across the AI sector. The company beat analysts’ expectations across the board, driving its shares up as much as 10% in after-hours trading. Most notably, Nvidia’s data center division saw a big boost, with sales up 409% year-over-year to $18.4 billion. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang doubled down on the company’s growth trajectory to investors who have fears about demand decreasing over the years.

Huang said demand for the company’s AI chips will remain high due to the generative AI buzz. On top of all its success, Nvidia is reportedly developing a new AI chip to deploy in China that will comply with US export rules.

Nvidia expects to generate $24 billion in sales at the end of the next quarter, while analysts predict it’ll bring in around $22.17 billion. Nvidia has come a long way since it hit a $1 trillion market cap for the first time in May 2023. Last week, Nvidia surpassed Amazon and Alphabet in market capitalization, making it the third most valuable tech company behind Microsoft and Apple. On Feb. 22, Nvidia added $277 billion to its market cap in one day, overtaking Meta to claim the top spot for the biggest single-day market cap surge in stock market history.

Google Pauses Gemini AI Image Feature, Announces New AI Model Gemma

Google announced on Thursday that it’s pausing AI image generation of people on Gemini after the platform developed inaccurate historical pictures of people and their races and genders. Gemini is allegedly doing this in an effort to erase discrimination across history, but the facts are the facts, and it’s obvious Google trained Gemini to curve some of the truth.

“We’re already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature,” Google detailed in its statement on X. “While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon.”

Elsewhere in Google news, the Big Tech firm announced a family of new AI models called Gemma that were built for responsible AI development. Google wants AI developers and researchers to tap into the new AI platforms via laptops and desktops for “responsible commercial usage and distribution for all organizations, regardless of size.”

OpenAI and Match Group Announce Partnership as ChatGPT Glitches Again

Match Group and OpenAI announced a new partnership that grants 1,000 enterprise licenses to the dating app maker’s employees. This means that Match Group employees will be able to leverage ChatGPT for an array of business tasks like communications, building templates, coding, and much more. Match Group’s team will be able to access ChatGPT-4, and only trained and licensed employees will gain access to the AI tool.

While OpenAI was locking in a new partnership, ChatGPT seemingly malfunctioned earlier this week after it began responding to queries with incomprehensible responses Tuesday night. OpenAI didn’t catch wind of it right away but reported that it’s currently investigating the glitch. For now, ChatGPT seems to be operating in its right mind.

• AT&T customers were hit with nationwide outages on Thursday, and some Verizon and T-Mobile customers were mildly affected. Cellular service and internet access were unavailable across the board, while AT&T spent the majority of Thursday getting back online. It’s unclear what caused the outages.
• Reddit inked a $60 million deal with an unnamed AI company to give it access to its content for training purposes, Bloomberg reports. The partnership came just before the popular website filed to go public on Thursday, and Reddit plans to reserve some shares for 75,000 of its most loyal users.
• Livestream shopping platform NTWRK acquired Complex from BuzzFeed for $108.6 million, the companies announced on Wednesday. BuzzFeed also announced that it will continue cutting expenses by laying off 16% of its workforce.
• Arc Boat Company, an electric boat maker that includes backing from Kevin Durant, Rich Kleiman, and Klay Thompson, announced the launch of its second fully electric model, dubbed the Arc Sport. The new e-boat designed for wake sports is 23 feet long and can carry 15 passengers, and Arc expects to start delivering its newest model to customers later this year.
• The European Commission is applying pressure on social media giants once again. This time, the foreign agency is looking into TikTok for potentially breaching its Digital Service Act for its alleged addictive algorithms. Apple may be facing a $539 million fine in the EU, and a ban on some of its App Store restrictions focused on music streaming platforms following a 2019 complaint filed by Spotify.
• Walmart has entered an agreement to acquire smart TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion to advance its advertising revenue through the ability to display more ads on streaming devices.

This week, Apple announced a new free app for sports fans called Apple Sports, which will deliver real-time scores, stats, and more across NBA, MLS, NCAA basketball, and many other leagues currently in season. I’m going to bet that Apple’s new app will become the ESPN app’s biggest competitor, driving it to either rebrand or partner with another company to stay afloat.

The post Nvidia Revenue Surges to $22B as AI Chip Biz Booms appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Big Tech’s strong presence at NBA All-Star 2024
• Bitcoin surpasses $51K
• OpenAI announces a new text-to-video platform

Big Tech is Strong in Indy for NBA All-Star Weekend 2024

Big Tech and the NBA go hand-in-hand as the league continues to implement creative ways to bring tech into the popular sport.

The NBA hosted its 24th annual NBA All-Star Technology Summit on Friday, where it brought together leaders across tech, sports business, and media to have off-the-record dialogues about trends and innovations across their industries. The NBA is undoubtedly the most tech-focused league out there, in my opinion, and that’s because it consistently goes above and beyond to implement and showcase its new tech innovations. IIt did so again at the Tech Summit on Friday as Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama joined Adam Silver to unveil NB-AI, an NBA-trained voice assistant that leverages AI tech to personalize the live game viewing experience for fans. The league didn’t announce when the new offering will launch or if it will cost at this time.

Outside of the summit, Big Tech giants like Meta and Google had a strong presence throughout the weekend, with tech-focused activations and exclusive programming. One of my favorite events of the weekend was the Google Pixel Combine, which featured interactive stations to showcase its latest device in action. Foot Locker also got in on some tech action with an interactive LED half-court.

Check out my story, All Things Tech at NBA All-Star Weekend 2024, for a full download on what some of the top tech brands have planned for the big game.

Bitcoin Surpasses $51K as Next Halving Event Nears

Bitcoin surpassed the $51,000 threshold earlier this week for the first time since December 2021, marking a new two-year high for the world’s most valuable digital asset. This pushed the token’s market cap back over $1 trillion, which is also the first time this has happened since late 2021. So far, my crypto predictions for the year are coming true since the SEC approved spot Bitcoin ETFs, and Bitcoin breezed past $40,000. ETFs are driving the current rally behind Bitcoin as the token’s price continues to drive up. Remember, Bitcoin’s highest value per token was $69,000 in November 2021. It’s too soon to tell if it will reach that threshold again, but you can expect I’ll make a bet on it soon.

It’s also important to remember that Bitcoin’s next halving can occur as soon as April 17, which is roughly two months away. Check out my explainer on what a Bitcoin Halving is to learn more.

Elsewhere in the crypto world, the sentencing for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has been rescheduled for April 30. CZ’s sentencing was initially scheduled for Feb. 23, and he is facing up to 10 years in prison for pleading guilty to anti-money laundering charges.

Nvidia’s Market Cap Outpaces Alphabet & Amazon as AI Chip Market Booms

Nvidia won this week after it surpassed Amazon in market capitalization on Tuesday for the first time since 2002, but the AI chipmaker didn’t stop there. The company went on to overtake Alphabet on Wednesday as well, becoming one of the top three most valuable tech companies on the market behind Microsoft and Apple. Nvidia’s stock has risen more than 200% in the last 12 months as demand for its AI chips continues to rise. The company’s chips power popular AI models from OpenAI, Amazon, Google, and others.

Nvidia will share its next earnings report on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Stay tuned for an explainer of the AI chipmaker and why it’s having a meteoric rise right now.

• OpenAI announced a new text-to-video AI platform called Sora, which lets users create realistic or animated videos up to 60 seconds from simple text prompts. The generative AI company showcased its new tech offerings through a thread of posts on X featuring different prompts and the videos they created.
• Elon Musk is moving all of his businesses out of Delaware after a judge in the state rejected his Tesla pay package reportedly worth more than $55 billion. Musk filed to move SpaceX and Tesla to Texas and Neuralink to Nevada.
• Google Pixel inked a deal to become the official mobile phone of the NWSL to further media coverage of women’s sports through exclusive behind-the-scenes access to game highlights, teams, and players. Elsewhere, Verizon and the NHL renewed their multi-year partnership to bring more 5G connectivity to arenas.
• New York City and a few agencies are suing TikTok, Meta, Snap, and YouTube, alleging that the tech companies intentionally implement tactics to get young users hooked on their platforms. NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the state is seeking a jury trial, policy changes, and financial damages.
• President Joe Biden‘s re-election campaign launched a TikTok account to attract younger voters on the platform, and the account has already attracted more than 145,000 followers (as of Friday afternoon).
• The European Union ruled that Apple won’t be forced to make iMessage interoperable with other messaging platforms, and Microsoft won’t have to tighten restrictions on its Bing search engine. The EU concluded that the services don’t meet designation under its Digital Markets Act, which is a win for the Big Tech giants.

The US Patent and Trademark Office shared new guidance that says AI systems cannot be named inventors in applications, but humans can leverage AI tools to create patented works as long as they disclose that they do. I’m going to bet that as AI systems get smarter, these rules will change to allow AI platforms to be named inventors.

The post Big Tech is Strong in Indy for 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Big Tech is doing it big at Super Bowl LVIII
• Bluesky opens to the public
• Disney invests $1.5 billion in Epic Games

How Big Tech is Taking Over Super Bowl LVIII

Technology is showing up in big ways at Super Bowl LVIII, with brands such as Microsoft, Verizon, Apple, and Google snagging multi-million-dollar advertising spots during the year’s biggest sporting event. But commercials aren’t all you’ll see from the tech world, with brands like Snapchat integrating with the NFL to bring its augmented reality tech to Allegiant Stadium, Verizon working overtime to hook up 5G connectivity for the thousands of fans who will be at the game, and the NFL is even partnering with creators to attract new viewers.

Moments like this remind me that tech touches everything. That’s kind of the slogan I say when people ask me what type of work I do and why. This is it, connecting the dots to how all of these tech brands ended up in the same room.

Check out my story, All Things Tech at Super Bowl LVIII, for a full download on what each tech brand has planned for the big game.

Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky Enters the Market Full-time

Bluesky, a decentralized social media network launched by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is now open for anyone to join. Dorsey officially incorporated Bluesky in 2021 after spinning the project out from Twitter. Since opening the platform’s waitlist in October 2022, the only way to get on Bluesky was through an invite code from a user already on the platform. Bluesky had roughly 3 million sign-ups before it opened to the public earlier this week, and within a few days, it amassed more than 850,000 new users.

The surge in interest for Bluesky might mean it’ll genuinely become a competitor for X and Instagram‘s Threads. Bluesky’s public launch also comes a month and a half after it launched a new logo with a butterfly to symbolize change and transformation. The logo models the sky blue and white colors the Twitter logo used to have.

Google Says Goodbye to Bard & Hello to Gemini

Last weekend, leaked documents detailed Google’s plans to rebrand its generative AI tech, Bard, and launch an app dedicated to it. It turns out the rumors were true since Google confirmed on Thursday that Bard will now be known as Gemini, the Big Tech company’s most powerful and flexible AI model that can run on everything from mobile devices to data centers. Gemini is the name of Google’s flagship AI model and the name of its conversational AI chatbot, which it also confirmed can be accessed via the Gemini App on Pixel and Android devices and through the Google App on iOS devices. Users can communicate with Gemini in over 40 languages.

With this rebrand and app launch, Google also announced Gemini Advanced, the AI model’s premium tier that costs $19.99 a month via a Google One subscription. The new offering comes with 2TB of storage, and interested users can try it out with a two-month free trial.

• Disney announced that it’s investing $1.5 billion in Epic Games, which comes with an equity stake and an expansive collaboration with the game developer’s Fortnite universe. Disney CEO Bob Iger shared the news during the company’s earnings call earlier this week, marking it as the brand’s biggest entry into the gaming industry.
• Gaming investments aren’t all that Disney is getting into right now. The entertainment leader is partnering with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a new streaming app focused on sports programming, a venture that will pull content from ESPN, TNT, and Fox Sports.
• Apple is reportedly developing two foldable iPhone prototypes, according to The Information, though they aren’t slated to be released anytime soon. The Big Tech giant hasn’t confirmed the new products, but after announcing the Vision Pro from stealth last year, it’s safe to say Apple is always up to something.
• YouTube TV has hit 8 million subscribers, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan detailed in his annual letter to the community, where he also shared that YouTube has paid over $70 billion in the last three years to creators and media partners. Mohan also said YouTube is making big bets on AI innovations this year and investing more in creators on the platform.
• Meta is adding AI-generated labels to images created with third-party tools from OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and more. OpenAI will also be adding visible symbols and invisible watermarks to image metadata for content created on its image generator, DALL-E 3, and via ChatGPT.
• Snapchat is laying off 10% of its global workforce, which is about 550 employees. Snapchat’s parent company is cutting its headcount in an effort “to reduce hierarchy and promote in-person collaboration,” which also means letting go of some senior-level staff members.

Reddit generated $800 million in revenue last year, a 20% increase year-over-year. This comes as the social news aggregator and forum prepares for an IPO, but I’m going to bet that Reddit won’t go public at the reported valuation of $5 billion; it’ll be under that, especially since it’s not profitable yet.

The post How Big Tech is Taking Over Super Bowl LVIII appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• My Apple Vision Pro Review (finally!)
• Big Tech CEOs on Capitol Hill
• UMG vs TikTok rages on

Believe the Hype: The Apple Vision Pro is Here & It’s a Game Changer

“MVP! MVP! MVP!”

That’s what the staffers at Apple Fifth Avenue were chanting for Apple CEO Tim Cook as he walked up to open the doors of the store to customers eager to get their hands on the Apple Vision Pro on Friday morning. Cook shook hands with early adopters of his company’s newest device, spending about an hour in the store interacting with customers and the media. Every way I turned in the store, there were excited customers unboxing their Vision Pros, doing demos, and spectating the electric scenery.

Entertainment and the freedom to work on multiple screens were the top two things people told me they were most excited about experiencing with the Vision Pro. It was very obvious to me that the majority of the early Vision Pro adopters were tech enthusiasts, coders, legacy Apple supporters, and entertainment fanatics. I was excited to be in the room and on the ground, covering a historic moment. After testing out the Vision Pro myself this week, I have one piece of advice for the skeptical people out there: Believe the hype.

My Review of the Apple Vision Pro

I’ve been covering the Apple Vision Pro‘s rollout since the day the new device was announced last June at WWDC 2023. Ahead of the Vision Pro launch, Boardroom received an exclusive demo of the device on Thursday. I got a one-hour experience and even had to share my eye prescription ahead of it so the headset would be personally calibrated for me. Right off the bat, it was simple and easy to get used to the iris control and finger taps to click and move items around. The Vision Pro is truly a spatial computer, and I was able to control how immersed I wanted to be in the virtual space compared to being able to see the physical space around me.

I mostly interacted with apps native to Vision Pro, which truly leaned into making a spatial computing experience. I was able to select immersive backgrounds, and I was impressed by the device’s ability to handle multiple screens at once. I had screens positioned all around me, though typing is definitely a task I’ll have to get used to.

Watching movies in the Vision Pro exceeded my expectations. I felt like I was at the movie theater with the best seats in the house, and don’t get me started on the video quality. The imagery was top-tier. Aside from getting up close with a dinosaur that made me forget it wasn’t really in front of me and a butterfly landing on the tip of my finger, the NBA League Pass experience was, by far, my favorite thing I got to try.

Honestly, the only thing I was missing out on was interacting with my friends and other users, which I’m sure there will be updates and apps that allow for that down the line.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, I left that demo thinking: Who is this device actually for, and how will Apple market it to the masses? I can’t imagine kids or someone my mom’s age investing in a device like this at this stage.

I got a couple of insights into these questions when I joined Cook and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at the NBA HQ on Friday afternoon for an exclusive experience with the development team that built the Vision Pro version of NBA League Pass. Chad Evans, NBA SVP Head of Product, along with Senior Software Engineers Lauren Marshall and Matthew Parrott, presented their work on building out NBA League Pass from the Vision Pro. Evans told me that a core team of six engineers, designers, and product managers worked on the NBA League Pass app for the Vision Pro.

“We really wanted to be there for the launch because we think it’s really important for fans to get their hands on the experience,” Evans told Boardroom. “I love statistics and the way stats can help you build a deeper understanding of the game. We actually rebuilt our core stats engine so that we can have real-time stats in sync with all of the videos you’re watching. That experience just makes the app feel alive.”

Following the demo, I asked Cook and Silver one question from all of the learnings I gathered about the Vision Pro: What do you think the future of sports and entertainment is in this new spatial computing universe, and how will you get fans to invest in it?

“I think it’s more immersive than ever before; I think the fan wants to be a part of the game and a part of the action, and there’s nothing like being in Vision Pro and feeling like you’re on the court,” Cook exclusively told me. “It’s not that you have a courtside seat; it’s so much better than that. I’m so excited. I think it really changes everything.”

Silver doubled down on that.

“You often hear, even from casual NBA fans, that the best seat in all of sports is a courtside seat, which virtually no one gets to experience. As Tim said, this is in many ways better than sitting courtside; it can take you anywhere on the floor, it can give you the perspective of a player, and it can give you places you can otherwise never go and absorb it,” Silver told me. “It can give you the perspective of a player; it can give you places you can otherwise never go and absorb it. “These are, of course, early days, but it is transformative. This will, to me, be how people over time experience sports through media.”

I have more insights to share from my experience with the Apple team this week, but one thing is clear to me after my experience this week: Apple is all in on entertainment for the Vision Pro.

Expect more from me on the new device very soon.

• Big Tech CEOs from Meta, TikTok, Snap, Discord, and X were in the hot seat on Wednesday during a Senate hearing focused on the harm young users face online and policies meant to protect them. Meta‘s Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew got most of the heat from Senators looking to pass a bill that would put more liability on social platforms when young users experience harm online.
• Amazon mutually agreed with iRobot to call off its planned acquisition of the Roomba maker. As a result, iRobot founder and CEO Colin Angle announced he is stepping down, and the company has cut 31% of its workforce, which is 350 people.
• In other Amazon news, the Bellevue, WA, house where Jeff Bezos founded the Big Tech company has hit the real estate market for $2.3 million.
• Elon Musk reported on X that the first human has received a Neuralink brain-computer interface, a device that’s implanted into the brain and allows users to control external computers, robotic products, and mobile devices. The patient is a part of Neuralink’s first human trial for its flagship device.
• Also, a Delaware judge sided with Tesla shareholders who filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk to block his 2018 pay package, which included a whopping $56 billion salary that was previously approved by the company’s board.
• TikTok has a master plan to boost shopping and in-app sales by opening live studios across major cities like LA that allow creators to come in and livestream products they are pushing to sell. The company is also working on a new feature that would allow users to feature links to products in their videos.
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT announced a partnership with children’s safety org Common Sense Media to develop AI guidelines, educational materials, and a kid-friendly section in the GPT Store.

• Amazon & Meta Making Big Market Moves, Apple Exceeds Earnings Expectations
• Universal Music Group Artists Set to Disappear from TikTok After Negotiations Break Down
• Microsoft, Alphabet Post Big Revenue Numbers but Mixed Market Results

Universal Music Group decided to pull its music library from TikTok this week after the parties failed to reach a new agreement on royalties for artists and songwriters. I’m going to bet that UMG will return to the short-form video platform by the end of Q1 since it’s been able to reach deals with every other social network on the market.

The post Believe the Hype: The Apple Vision Pro is Here & It’s a Game Changer appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 get banned again
• Samsung announces mobile AI system
• Google employees brace for more layoffs

The Apple Watch Ban Battle Continues

Are Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 devices banned or not? There has been a lot of back and forth, but once again, a federal judge ruled against Apple this week. The Big Tech giant wasn’t able to overturn a US International Trade Commission ban on sales of the two watches with blood oxygen sensors. The commission found in October that Apple’s blood oxygen sensors infringed intellectual property owned by medical device company Masimo. The ban went into effect on Thursday, and I bet Apple has a lengthy legal battle ahead to get the newest version of its watches back on shelves.

More updates from Apple:

• Apple Vision Pro presales officially kicked off on Friday, and if you plan on getting in line for a demo on Feb. 2, prepare to get your face scanned and sit for a rundown of the interface before actually diving into the 25-minute demo.
• While Apple is depending on robust entertainment options to sell the Apple Vision Pro, the device won’t launch with a Netflix, Spotify, or YouTube app. But, it will launch with 3D movies from Disney Plus.
• The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Epic Games‘ lawsuit against Apple. Still, Apple decided to expand to let developers link out from its App Store to allow outside payments, though it requires companies to pay a 27% fee.
• The Big Tech giant is shutting down a 121-person AI operations team based in San Diego and relocating some staffers working on Siri data operations to Austin.
• iPhone 15 models were on sale in China for $70 this week as Apple attempts to attract more business in the region with steep competitors.

Samsung Unveils Galaxy AI at Latest Galaxy Unpacked Showcase

Samsung showcased the next class of its smartphone series, a new AI platform, and a fitness ring at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event. The electronics leader unveiled that its new Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra will be equipped with Galaxy AI, the bespoke AI model that operates on S24 devices and is accessible via the cloud. Galaxy AI boasts many features, including live translation, photo editing suggestions, note summaries, and chat assistance. The new tech is powered by Qualcomm’s mobile chipset.

Toward the end of Unpacked, Samsung teased a new device dubbed the Galaxy Ring in a short video. The health-focused hardware features various sensors on its inner ring, but the electronics company hasn’t elaborated on further specs or launch plans at this time.

Samsung’s new AI tech and devices come as Apple beat it for most smartphone shipments last year for the first time in over a decade. Samsung has previously held the top spot down every year since 2011. Maybe some native mobile AI tech will give Samsung the boost it needs to rise back to the top.

OpenAI Launches Master Plan to Combat 2024 Election Misinformation

OpenAI announced that it’s introducing some new policies and tools for its suite of offerings, including ChatGPT and DALL·E, in preparation for the 2024 elections later this year. The generative AI company is making some changes to prevent its flagship platforms from being used to spread election misinformation. OpenAI vowed to ban people from using its tech to impersonate candidates and government officials, and it will also begin rolling out digital watermarks for images generated with DALL·E. The company is also teaming up with the National Association of Secretaries of State to provide ChatGPT users with accurate voting information when they prompt related questions.

Also this week, OpenAI announced its first official partnership with a university. Arizona State University will get full access to ChatGPT Enterprise beginning next month to use for coursework, research, tutoring, and more. To gain access, faculty and staff must submit plans for using ChatGPT in three areas: “enhancing student success, forging new avenues for innovative research, and streamlining organizational processes,” according to a press release.

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in an internal memo this week to brace themselves for more layoffs in 2024. The Big Tech giant has laid off over 12,000 employees since January last year, including 100 staffers at YouTube on Thursday.
• Amid layoffs, Google’s AI research and development lab, DeepMind, announced a new system called AlphaGeometry that it claims can solve the most complex geometry problems. DeepMind built the system to unlock new innovations across mathematics, science, and AI.
• Elon Musk is demanding 25% voting control of Tesla before agreeing to expand the electric vehicle maker’s AI and robotics plans. If he doesn’t get a quarter of the company’s voting control, Musk said he’d start building products outside of Tesla.
• TikTok is experimenting with an AI music generator called AI Song that allows users to turn basic text prompts into new tunes. The new feature comes as TikTok gears up to host its annual Super Bowl Tailgate in-app event featuring a performance from Gwen Stefani.
• Microsoft announced a pro plan for Copilot targeted at consumers to broaden the network of paying customers of its flagship AI platform. Copilot Pro is priced at $20 per user per month and expands to Microsoft‘s suite of apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• GameStop is shuttering its NFT marketplace a year and a half after launching it, citing regulatory uncertainty as the cause. The service will officially wind down on Feb. 2.

Amazon is developing a higher tier of its Alexa voice tech offering called Remarkable Alexa, which users will have to pay for, according to Business Insider. The new tech is expected to debut at the end of June, despite some bad early testing results. I’m going to bet that Amazon will revamp the project and push the release date due to unforeseen difficulties and testing result leaks.

The post The Apple Watch Ban Battle Continues Due to Intellectual Property Disputes appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• SEC approves first batch of spot Bitcoin ETFs
• The Apple Vision Pro gets a February launch date
• Amazon announces more mass layoffs

SEC Approves 11 Spot Bitcoin ETFs in Landmark Victory for the Crypto Industry

After months of speculation, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finally authorized spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Bitcoin‘s price has been steadily climbing with optimism surrounding this moment, and while the token’s price has fluctuated in the aftermath, it was trading for above $46,560 at the time of this writing. Additionally, the Bitcoin ETF saw $4.6 billion in trade volume by Thursday’s end.

The commission approved 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs from a group of asset managers, including BlackRock, Grayscale, Bitwise, Fidelity, and Invesco. The news comes after an unknown hacker posted on the SEC’s X account on Jan. 9 that spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved, a day before the commission made the official announcement.

Anyways. I think it’s safe to say crypto is back.

I’ll end this bit with a fun fact: The Winklevoss twins were the first to submit a spot Bitcoin ETF application to the SEC in 2013, which was eventually rejected. That makes this moment 10 years in the making. Check out my piece for more on what the SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs really means.

The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro Arrives on Feb. 2

Apple‘s highly-anticipated first headset will arrive on shelves in the US on Feb. 2 for a whopping $3,499. Pre-orders begin on Jan. 19 at 8 a.m. EST, and the Big Tech company will be running free demos of the Apple Vision Pro at its retail stores on launch day. The headset will be equipped with 256GB of storage and will be available for purchase at all retail stores and online. Check out my full download of what to expect from the Apple Vision Pro.

I want to point out that Apple has been steering clear from using terms like virtual reality and augmented reality to describe apps for the Apple Vision Pro. The company told developers creating visionOS-compatible apps to call them “spatial computing apps,” and Apple is even referring to its new device as a spatial computer. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet because I’m still too focused on the price tag, and I’m so curious to see how quickly the headsets will sell out.

Also, this week, Jan. 9, marked 16 years since Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, a device he described as a touchscreen mobile phone with an iPod, camera, and web browsing. Apple has released over 30 smartphone iterations since its inception, and it hasn’t stopped yet.

The Biggest Tech Announcements at CES 2024

The annual Consumer Electronics Show took over Las Vegas this week, and to no surprise, artificial intelligence was the talk of the town. I’ve been following the news coming out of this year’s electronics trade fair, but there is so much to keep up with.

Here are some of the big announcements that were made at CES 2024:

• X is expanding its original content offerings with new shows from former CNN anchor Don Lemon, former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and more that will air exclusively on its platform.
• Volkswagen announced that it’s integrating ChatGPT into all Volkswagen models equipped with its IDA voice assistant and will be offering ChatGPT as a standard feature in its vehicles moving forward.
• Samsung debuted a transparent MicroLED glass display with a frameless design and high pixel density and brightness. The consumer electronics company hasn’t announced when the new screens will go to market, but it’ll be a while.
• Sony teased a new unnamed spatial mixed-reality headset that’s expected to arrive later this year. The new headset is targeting creators and artists who work in virtual spaces.
• Nvidia announced a suite of new AI features, including a new partnership with Getty Images to launch Generative AI by iStock, a text-to-image platform designed to make stock photos.

• Amazon announced another round of mass layoffs, cutting hundreds of jobs across its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions, including 500 employees, or 35% of staff, at Twitch. This latest round of layoffs comes after Amazon cut more than 27,000 jobs since November 2022.
• Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal raised roughly $30 million for his new AI startup that’s building software for developers working on large language AI models, The Information’s Kate Clark first reported. Agrawal has not disclosed the name of his company or more information on what he’s building just yet.
• Meta will spend the next few weeks updating Facebook and Instagram accounts for teenage users to its most restrictive content control settings after facing lawsuits from a bipartisan group of 42 attorney generals last year. The group alleged that Meta developed addictive features on purpose for young adults across its platforms.
• As promised, OpenAI launched a GPT Store for developers to list personalized chatbots they built for others to download. The AI company also released a smaller version of its ChatGPT enterprise offering for businesses called ChatGPT Team. The new offerings come days after OpenAI published a response to The New York Times’ lawsuit against it, saying it’s without merit.
• Byte Dance is in talks with gaming giants, including Tencent, to sell its gaming assets as it pulls away from its ambitious push into the industry, Reuters reported. There are no deals officially on the table yet.
• Speaking of gaming, Warner Bros. Games reported that over 22 million copies of Hogwarts Legacy were sold in 2023, 2 million of which were sold during the holiday season alone. Since launching last February, the Harry Potter-inspired adventure became the best-selling game of 2023 worldwide.

Lawmakers introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to prohibit the creation and distribution of unauthorized digital replicas following a slew of AI voice clones across the music industry and celebrity deepfakes in the past year. I’m going to bet that this bill will pass in the first half of this year and that we’ll also see an influx of digital replica licensing agreements across entertainment industries.

The post SEC Approves 11 Spot Bitcoin ETFs in Landmark Victory for the Crypto Industry appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Bitcoin turns 15 and briefly surpasses $45K
• OpenAI revenue, new lawsuit, and more
• Indiana Pacers get QR code jersey patch

Bitcoin Celebrates 15 Years on the Blockchain by Briefly Surpassing $45K

Bitcoin celebrated 15 years in circulation this week. On Jan. 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto launched the first blockchain network ever after mining the genesis block of Bitcoin. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies out there today, and recently, the digital assets market has been booming due to a steady uptick in Bitcoin value. This can be attributed to impending spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund approvals, and a decision from the SEC is rumored to come in the next week or so.

As Bitcoin blows out the candles on 15 years in the game, the token also reached another milestone this past week. Bitcoin briefly surpassed the $45,000 threshold on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022, and it’s been steadily holding above $40,000 for the past month.

I’ll continue explaining what this all means as new movements happen. For now, keep an eye out on asset managers like Grayscale, BlackRock, and VanEck, who are all vying to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs to expose retail investors to crypto without buying any on a crypto exchange.

OpenAI’s Revenue Up 20% to $1.6B Thanks to ChatGPT

OpenAI surpassed $1.6 billion in annualized revenue, up from $1.3 billion in October 2023, according to The Information. That’s a 20% uptick in growth over two months, which can be attributed to more ChatGPT revenue flow. The generative AI leader expects its revenue to hit $5 billion by the end of 2024. OpenAI’s revenue news comes as it enters discussion to raise more funding at a valuation at or above $100 billion, Bloomberg News reports.

Aside from positive cash flow, OpenAI has been hit with another copyright infringement lawsuit, this time by the New York Times. The NYT is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the companies are responsible for billions of dollars in damages for using its copyrighted works. It’ll be interesting to see how courts deal with these various copyright infringement lawsuits against OpenAI as the company continues to grow rapidly.

Disgraced FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Won’t Get Second Trial

Prosecutors announced this week that they won’t pursue a second trial against convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. In November, SBF was found guilty on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy and is facing a maximum sentence of 115 years behind bars. The prosecution decided against a second trial because the majority of the evidence set to be presented was already unveiled in the widely covered first criminal trial. If there were going to be a second trial, it would have started in March.

SBF’s sentencing date is locked in for March 28 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

• The Indiana Pacers announced tech startup Spokenote as its official jersey patch partner, making it the first professional sports franchise in the US to add a QR code on regular season and postseason jerseys. The QR code gives fans access to exclusive Pacers content.
• AI and metaverse infrastructure tech company Futureverse launched a new venture called Readyverse Studios in partnership with “Ready Player One” author Ernest Cline and Warner Bros. Discovery. Futureverse will bring the “Ready Player One” franchise to the Web3 universe as part of the new deal.
• SpaceX officially launched the first set of Starlink satellites into space on a rocket earlier this week. T-Mobile confirmed the news, directly bringing cell services from space to its customers’ smartphones.
• Microsoft is doubling down on its generative AI efforts by adding a new button to keyboards of Windows PCs dedicated to its Copilot AI assistant, marking the first update to Windows keyboards in three decades. Microsoft will share more about its new tech and hardware devices at CES next week.
• Peloton‘s shares surged as much as 15% on Thursday after the company announced a partnership with TikTok to attract a broader array of customers. Peloton will build a virtual fitness hub within the short-form video app’s platform dubbed “#TikTokFitness Powered by Peloton.”
• Meta cut the price of its Quest 2 headset once again, knocking the 128GB price down from $299 to $249, and the 256GB dropped from $349 to $299. The Big Tech company has lowered the Quest 2 VR headset prices by nearly $250 in the last year.

MicroStrategy founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor is selling $216 million worth of shares in his company to buy more Bitcoin for his personal reserve. Saylor’s business intelligence company has been aggressively investing in Bitcoin with 189,150 tokens under its umbrella, so I’m going to bet that we’ll see another big Bitcoin purchase from MicroStrategy by the end of Q1.

The post Bitcoin Celebrates 15 Years on the Blockchain by Briefly Surpassing $45K appeared first on Boardroom.

I’m back in your inbox after a short Christmas hiatus to highlight five tech trends and some of my favorite headlines from 2023. I’m not sure about you, but it seems so surreal to be wrapping up another year. I’ve been looking back at all of my reporting and Tech Talk editions from this year, and I’m in awe at all that has happened in the industry. Recently, I recapped 10 of the biggest tech moments in 2023, and I noticed that many of the big headlines touch on the same themes.

Many new tech trends arose this year, but these stood out to me the most. Here are five tech trends that took over headlines in 2023.

AI Overtook Blockchain as Biggest Emerging Tech

Artificial intelligence quickly became the top emerging tech this year, and experts expect it to have the most impact on the industry in the coming years. In 2021, we’d easily say the blockchain would be the tech to change the world, and that still may be true, but AI is running the game right now.

There was always skepticism about the blockchain, and the tech’s primary use cases in the last two years were NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The unpredictableness of the digital assets market stirred people away from it. I still truly believe the possibilities are limitless on the blockchain, a technology simply built on creating decentralized digital ledgers for any and every transaction that happens on enabled networks. I think the difference with AI is that it’s not a new type of technology; it’s just being leveraged and implemented in new and different ways.

AI’s impact has already spanned various industries this year alone, and I have no doubt it will continue to expand and impact everything we do in the years to come.

The Race for Best AI Chatbot Took Shape

We’ve all likely interacted with AI chatbots before when using online customer service systems, but those are nothing like the AI chatbots we can access today. To think, around this time last year, all people could talk about was a new AI chatbot called ChatGPT that could only be used on a desktop. So much has changed since then.

Here’s a snippet of some of the AI chatbots on the market racing to be the best and favorite among everyday people:

• ChatGPT: OpenAI‘s flagship AI-powered and text-generated chatbot has attracted 100 million monthly users since it launched in late November last year. ChatGPT has expanded with free, premium, and enterprise versions.
• Microsoft Copilot: Microsoft was the first to follow in OpenAI’s footsteps in February by overhauling its search engine Bing and implementing an AI chatbot function. The chatbot was originally named Bing Chat before rebranding as Microsoft Copilot.
• Bard: Google entered the race in March when it launched Bard, a conversational generative AI chatbot equipped with Googling capabilities.
• Claude: Anthropic, an AI startup founded by ex-OpenAI employees, also launched the first version of its AI chatbot in March. Claude is available through open beta and has pro and enterprise versions as well.
• Grok: Elon Musk‘s xAI unveiled a conversational AI chatbot that responds humorously, for lack of better terms. Grok launched in November exclusively for verified X Premium Plus subscribers. `

It’s easy to say ChatGPT is the most popular or best because it was the first, but I have no doubt Big Tech companies will continue to give OpenAI a run for its money next year.

New VR and AR Headsets Emerged

The competition for the best mixed-reality headset also kicked off this year. Apple, Meta, and Sony have risen as the biggest players in this race, with all three companies either releasing or announcing new headsets this year.

Sony released the PlayStation VR2 in February for $549, but users can only use this headset if they already have a PS5. The PlayStation VR2 is not a standalone headset and requires a PS5 to set up and function. Conversely, you can play PlayStation titles in VR, which isn’t doable with any other headset on the market.

Meta is bullish on VR headsets, and it made that clear when it launched another new one this year. The Big Tech giant now has three headsets on the market. Its most popular headset, the Quest 2, launched in October 2020 and retails for $249.99. Meta has shipped an estimated 20 million Quest 2s since launch. The company launched the Quest Pro in October 2022 and initially sold the high-end headset for $1,499.99 before knocking the price down to $999.99 in March. Consumers don’t seem to be that into the Quest Pro, and rumors are circulating that Meta will discontinue it soon. But it doesn’t stop there. Meta released the Quest 3 in October for $499.99, an updated and much slimmer version of the Quest 2.

Apple has officially entered the mixed-reality headset chat with the Vision Pro. The tech company’s augmented reality and virtual reality headset won’t come with controllers and is equipped with 4K displays, a 3D interface, spatial audio, and eye-tracking tech. Apple’s first headset is slated to hit the market in early 2024, and it will (allegedly) retail for $3,499.

Bitcoin’s Resurgence Put Crypto Back on the Map

Bitcoin is back on the rise as the volatile digital assets market shakes off some of that snow from the longest crypto winter ever. One thing to know about crypto is that when one asset is doing well, the entire market reaps some of the benefits in one way or another. Bitcoin averaged around $20,000 in January and even went as low as $16,600 to kick off the year. Bitcoin’s average has more than doubled since the token is trading above $43,000 as of December and crossed the $40,000 threshold in recent weeks for the first time in over a year and a half.

Bitcoin has been up and down all year, but since Q4 hit, the cryptocurrency has been climbing at a steady pace. There can be many reasons for this, but two that have a high impact include fodder around an impending Spot Bitcoin ETF approval and the next Bitcoin halving event that is estimated to happen between April and May 2024.

Bitcoin didn’t start 2023 strong, so I’ll be paying close attention to how the token performs at the top of the year.

Tech Layoffs Plagued the Industry

Thousands of tech workers were laid off this year as companies attempted to adjust and reset after overhiring staff during the pandemic. It seemed like every other week, there was news of another tech company cutting employees. The media industry was hit pretty hard, too.

Here is a short recap of Big Tech layoffs that came this year:

• Alphabet/Google: Laid off 12,000 employees in late January in a mass restructuring of business focus.
• Amazon: Laid off 9,000 more employees in March after announcing in November 2022 that it was cutting 18,000 workers. The Big Tech company cut another 180 gaming employees in April.
• Meta: Cut 11,00 jobs in fall of 2022 before laying off another 10,000 employees in March to further cut costs and operate more efficiently. Meta’s recruiting, technology, and business divisions were most affected by the cuts.
• Microsoft: Laid off 10,000 workers between January and March to trim costs. The Big Tech company’s subsidiary, LinkedIn, laid off 716 workers in May before letting go of 668 employees in October.
• Spotify: Cut 600 employees in January, 200 more in June, and another 1,500 workers in December to round out three rounds of layoffs this year.
• ByteDance: Cut hundreds of jobs across its gaming division in November as it pulled back its aggressive push into the market.

Other Big Tech players like Apple and Tesla carried out smaller rounds of layoffs throughout the year, but not big enough to make headlines. On the other hand, Nvidia didn’t make any cuts this year and hasn’t made a formal round of layoffs in 15 years, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at a recent internal meeting.

15 of My Favorite Headlines from 2023

In no particular order, here are 15 stories I wrote this year that I’m really proud of.

1. ‘Queen Charlotte’ Gives Black Women the Limelight
2. Boardroom Q&A: Latasha Gillespie, Amazon Studios Head of Global DEI
3. This Song Is No Longer Available: Forecasting the Future of Music and AI
4. The Business Behind VeeCon
5. Omar Bailey’s FCTRY LAb is More Than a Sneaker Innovation Hub
6. Black Women in Tech Don’t Owe You Anything
7. NBA Threads: A Guide to the Thriving Hardwood Community
8. Tennis & Tech: Inside IBM’s Artificial Intelligence Evolution at the 2023 US Open
9. Cole Anthony & Crystal McCrary McGuire Want to Make Your Kid into an NBA Player
10. Key Facts You Need to Know About the Sam Bankman-Fried Trial
11. Tech Talk Reviews: WHOOP Coach, Powered by OpenAI
12. Boardroom Q&A: Pauliina Törnqvist, Senior Producer of VR Games at Meta
13. Forecasting the Future: Predictions for Crypto in 2024
14. 10 Must-have Tech Gadgets For Your 2023 Holiday Wish List
15. ChatGPT Turns 1: A Timeline of Events From a Monumental First Year

I (risk-free) gambled on movements in the tech industry over 40 times this year in this little section. I won’t be placing a new bet today. Instead, let’s take a look back at all of the bets I made this year and how some of the big ones landed.

Now, let’s raise a glass and cheers to making it through another year. I hope you enjoyed this last edition of 2023. Tech Talk will be back in 2024!

The post 5 Tech Trends That Took Over Headlines in 2023 appeared first on Boardroom.

This year, I made over 40 bets focused on things I predict will happen across the tech industry.

When Boardroom’s weekly newsletter, Tech Talk, got a makeover in February, I started making bets on happenings across the tech industry. “Michelai’s Bet of the Week Presented by FanDuel Sportsbook” holds space at the bottom of the newsletter, and it easily became my favorite place to share my real and sometimes unhinged tech hot takes.

Now, I wasn’t making any wagers or putting up money for these bets, but some came true, and some didn’t.

Here is a rundown of every bet I made this year on tech, with some small updates on the big ones that have had movements.

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February

• Feb. 12: Calling it now: Twitter’s verified badge pricing model will fall apart in the next year because people won’t care enough to pay for a blue check.
• Feb. 19: As the SEC cracks down on crypto, lawmakers will attempt to implement widespread crypto regulations within the next year.
• Feb. 26: After steady progress with AI-powered chatbots, there will be talks of at least one AI-scripted film at the Tribeca Film Festival this summer.
  • Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.

March

• March 5: Since Yuga Labs is the top household name in Web3, I predict that TwelveFold NFTs will sell out in four hours max when they drop.
  • TwelveFold NFTs sold out in minutes when the auction concluded on March 6.
• March 12: Since Meta plans to release three more headsets before 2027, I think the big tech company will knock those Quest prices down again before the year is up to make space in the market for the new products.
  • Meta knocked down the Meta Quest 2 price by $50 to $249, while the Meta Quest Pro is still $999.
• March 19: Even though lawmakers are scrutinizing President Joe Biden for not banning TikTok by now, I bet a deal will be reached very soon, and a complete barring of the social media won’t be necessary.
• March 26: If ByteDance puts a real deal on the table to sell TikTok, I’m going to bet that Oracle will arise as an early contender to buy the company.

April

• April 2: I’m going to go big here and say Twitter removing legacy blue checks will backfire tremendously, causing the platform to move back to a more traditional verification process.
  • After discontinuing the Legacy Blue Check program on April 20, X began reinstalling them on accounts for deceased individuals and many celebrities by April 24.
• April 9: I’m going to bet that NFT.NYC will look a lot different next year, or not happen at all since it’s really just a week of hundreds of community events that can run throughout the year.
• April 16: I’m going to bet that Adidas will follow in Nike and RTFKT’s steps and release some exclusive ALTS apparel tied to the blockchain.
• April 23: I’m going to bet that streaming platforms will not ban AI services from using copyrighted music in favor of imposing some restrictions instead.
• April 30: This is a big one, but I’m going to bet that Microsoft won’t be able to close its acquisition deal with Activision Blizzard this year.
  • This is probably the biggest bet I lost on this year since Microsoft closed the deal in October.

May

• May 7: Super hot take alert: I’m going to bet that more tech workers will push to unionize in the coming years as AI continues to disrupt the workforce.
• May 14: Since Twitter/X Corp is getting a new CEO, I’m going to bet that investors will begin talking about how to buy Musk out to push him out of the company.
• May 21: I am going to confidently bet that Montana’s TikTok ban will not hold up. I’m sure the ACLU is already drafting a lawsuit to detail how this ban violates freedom of speech.
  • In November, a federal judge blocked Montana’s TikTok ban from going into effect.
• May 28: Following FaZe Clan’s latest round of layoffs, I’m going to bet that the once-beloved esports brand is going to file for bankruptcy or merge with another company pretty soon.
  • Texas-based esports company GameSquare Holdings inked a deal in October to acquire Faze Clan.

June

• June 4: This seems like a no-brainer, but since AI leaders are warning that AI will overtake humans in the future, I’m going to bet that investors, consumers, and maybe even Congress will begin to question what they are actually building.
• June 11: After watching Meta knock down its Quest Pro price by $500, I’m going to bet that Apple will chip a little off the Vision Pro’s expensive price tag before the device goes to market later this year.
  • Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.
• June 18: After finally watching Ready Player One for the first time (I know, I’m sorry) following the film’s tech comparisons to Apple’s new AR headset, I’m going to bet that streams of the movie will skyrocket as Apple shares more of its plans.
• June 25: Since President Joe Biden met with AI experts this week, I’m going to bet that we’ll see some joint AI regulations in the near future before we see any real crypto regulations.

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July

• July 2: Google seems to be a bit confused about how to build around emerging technologies right now, and after its recent job cuts at Waze, I’m going to bet we will see another big staffing restructure at the company in the next year.
  • Google cut at least 40 jobs in its news division in October, but no big restructuring.
• July 9: Since there has been fodder about OpenAI getting acquired by Microsoft in its lifetime, I’m going to bet that we’ll see rumors of a deal on the table in the next year after the big tech giant sorts out its Activision Blizzard merger deal.
• July 16: While everyone is focused on generative AI, I always think about humanoids, aka robots. I’m going to bet that a new robotics and AI company building bots will arise soon.
• July 23: Since Amazon is bringing its pay-by-palm tech to all Whole Foods stores by the end of the year, I’m going to bet that another company will do the same with iris tech. (Kind of surprised Amazon didn’t try that first!)
• July 30: I’m going to bet that Xbox will end up selling its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-inspired pizza-scented controllers after Aug. 13. For now, fans can only grab one as part of a marketing campaign to promote Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem film.
  • Unfortunately, this didn’t come true.

August

• Aug. 6: An unopened, first-generation Apple iPod sold for $29,000 via Rally this week, and I’m going to bet that, unlike cassette and CD players, these devices will continue to hold high value due to extreme scarcity.
• Aug. 13: Despite the Detroit Police Department’s trouble with facial recognition tech, I’m going to bet that more law enforcement agencies will adopt the tech, leading to more false arrests.
• Aug. 20: VinFast will go the way of Rivian, facing an extreme challenge (and plummeting stock prices) as it is unable to keep up with the sky-high demand for its EV offerings.
• Aug. 27: Despite the desirable $130 price point, I’m going to strongly bet that the new Atari 2600+ dropping in November won’t sell even half the units that the Atari 2600 sold, which was about 30 million.
  • The console just released a month ago, so sales numbers haven’t been reported yet.

September

• Sept. 3: Amazon is pushing forward with its return-to-office policy, requiring employees to report to an office three days a week, just as Meta recently implemented. I’m going to bet that tech workers will begin to push back on Big Tech companies to fight the crackdown on in-office policies in favor of remote work.
• Sept. 10: Warner Music Central Europe signed a record deal with AI pop singer Noonoouri, and while this is a first for Warner Music, I’m going to bet that we won’t see a deal of this nature in the US anytime soon.
• Sept. 17: With Hulu and Disney Plus price hikes on the way next month, I’m going to bet that a tech company like Roku, for example, will offer a bundle deal of all the major streaming platforms in the next year. It’s like we’re headed back to the cable era of television all over again.
• Sept. 24: Snapchat+ hit a new milestone with 5 million paying subscribers, and while this is impressive, I’m going to bet that the subscription program will see a massive dip in interest by next summer.

October

• Oct. 1: Samsung is targeting content creators through a new sponsorship with MrBeast. I’m going to bet that this deal won’t drive significant sales for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 as the mobile brand expects it to.
• Oct. 8: Meta is testing a $14-a-month subscription service in the UK for users who want an advertisement-free Instagram or Facebook experience. TikTok is also internationally testing a similar feature for $4.99 a month. Since social networks don’t operate like streaming services, I’m going to bet that this offering won’t thrive in the US.
• Oct. 15: Joby Aviation Founder JoeBen Bevirt said his company can deliver on launching a commercial air taxi service in 2025. We didn’t get flying cars in 2000 as promised, so I’m going to bet that flying taxis won’t arrive in 2025 or this decade.
• Oct. 22: After years of delays, Tesla will reportedly start delivering its much-anticipated Cybertruck vehicle to select customers on Nov. 30. I’m going to place a hot bet that we’ll see at least one recall or some sort of design change on the luxury electric SUV before the year is up.
  • Unfortunately, this didn’t happen for the Cybertruck, but Tesla did do a big recall of 2 million of its flagship vehicles recently.
• Oct. 29: Shazam, the music identification app owned by Apple, announced a new feature called Concerts, which will recommend music events to customers based on their Shazam queries. With this expansion, I’m going to bet that Shazam will add a concert ticket-purchasing feature as well, or maybe Apple will build its own internal ticket sales tech.

Everything You Need to Know About the Tesla Cybertruck

The Tesla Cybertruck has officially entered the automotive market, so Boardroom breaks down what to expect from the new electric-powered vehicle, now and in the future.

Check it out!

November

• Nov. 5: The Information reported that TikTok users sent over $250 million to livestreamers on the platform by way of tips and digital gifts. With the potential to generate tipping revenue, I’m going to bet that TikTok Live will give other platforms like Twitch a run for their audiences pretty soon.
• Nov. 12: Despite Epic Games losing in a similar antitrust case with Apple back in 2021, I’m going to bet that the video game developer will prevail with a few wins in its antitrust trial against Google since the Big Tech giant is fighting multiple court battles right now.
  • This was my biggest win on a bet of the year since Epic Games prevailed against Google on all fronts.
• Nov. 19: Indie studio A24 was granted the rights to make a movie based on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. I can’t pinpoint who I think will play the controversial tech tycoon, but I am going to bet that Musk will put his bid in to play himself in the highly-anticipated film.
• Nov. 26: Elon Musk confirmed that Grok will be available to all X Premium+ subscribers as soon as next week, but I’m going to bet that he’ll expand the AI chatbot to more consumers by Q1 2024 to compete with other AI chatbots on the market.

December

• Dec. 3: Lapse, a photo-sharing app that skyrocketed from No. 118 to No. 1 in Apple’s App Store in September, saw downloads drop as much as 70% in recent months. I’m going to bet that we’ll see an uptick in activity once Lapse opens up invites to the masses instead of only allowing users to join by invite codes from friends.
• Dec. 10: I recently shared some of my crypto predictions for 2024, and while I predicted that Bitcoin would break the $40,000 threshold in the new year, it already did that. I want to up that prediction and bet that Bitcoin will break the $50,000 threshold before May.
• Dec. 17: Nearly 20% of teens said they are almost constantly visiting or using YouTube and TikTok, a new report by the Pew Research Center found. As more kids get online to learn, play, and create, I’m going to bet that that figure will double by this time next year.

Be sure to subscribe to Tech Talk to stay current on all my Bets of the Week — right and wrong — heading into 2024.

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The post Michelai’s Bet of the Week: A 2023 Rundown of Every Odd appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Epic Games defeats Google in court
• OpenAI inks deal with Axel Springer
• Threads expands to the EU

Epic Games Prevails Against Google in Antitrust Case

A jury unanimously sided with Epic Games over Google in an antitrust case that started three years ago when the Fortnite creator filed a lawsuit against the Big Tech company for charging higher than normal app store fees and restricting payment systems. Epic Games claimed Google’s Play Store violated federal and California state antitrust laws by doing this, and the court agreed. The jury’s decision came after four weeks of court testimony.

This is a big deal, but we won’t know for sure what will come of it until remedies start in January. While Epic Games is taking this as a win, Wilson White, Google’s VP for government affairs and public policy, said the tech company will appeal the verdict. Epic Games hopes this court decision will force Google to allow app developers to use alternative payment systems within their apps or run their own app stores on Android. Right now, Google gets a 30% cut of in-app purchases.

My Bet of the Week a month ago was that the video game developer would prevail against Google, and it looks like I was right. Stay tuned for an official recap of all the bets I made this year on the movements in the tech industry.

OpenAI Inks Content Licensing Deal with Axel Springer

ChatGPT is getting a boost from the journalism realm since OpenAI signed a global licensing deal with Axel Springer. The new content partnership allows ChatGPT to summarize news stories and events from Politico, Business Insider, and more publications under the global news publisher’s umbrella. ChatGPT’s answers will begin to include attribution and links to full articles, even paywalled content typically limited to paid subscribers. OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said in a release that this partnership will help provide people with new ways to access quality, real-time news content powered by AI.

It looks like OpenAI is making some strong bets on journalism. This deal comes after the AI company launched a licensing partnership with the Associated Press in July to use its news archive to train its AI models. Axel Springer has also agreed to provide content as training data.

Tesla Recalls US Vehicles & Launches New Humanoid Robot

Tesla is recalling more than 2 million of its vehicles, nearly all in the US, to update software and add some new system alerts and warnings for drivers using the Autopilot function. This comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded a two-year investigation into crashes that happened while Tesla drivers had Autopilot activated. The recall will update where Tesla’s Autopilot function can operate and increase the amount of alerts drivers get while using the self-driving feature.

Tesla’s vehicle recall news came a day after the company unveiled the second generation of its Optimus humanoid robot, which can walk, squat, and hold an egg. It’s unclear what more the robot can do or will be able to do when it eventually goes to market.

More news updates from Musk’s companies:

• X is expected to bring in roughly $2.5 billion in ad revenue in 2023 after major advertisers left the platform. This is down about 50% compared to last year.
• Tax filings show that Musk plans to launch a STEM-focused K-12 school in Austin with a $100 million donation. The planned school could eventually expand to a university.
• Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones got his X account restored after Musk ran a poll on the platform to decide his fate. Jones’ controversial reinstatement came with a three-hour-long X Spaces with Musk, Andrew Tate, and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

• Meta‘s newest social app, Threads, is expanding to Europe with a few tweaks to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Elsewhere in Meta’s family of businesses, Quest 2, 3, and Pro users can now stream and play Xbox Cloud Gaming titles with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership.
• Spotify confirmed to Tech Crunch that it’s testing a new feature that will let users create AI-powered playlists via text-based prompts. The digital music service didn’t say when the feature will expand with a full launch.
• The Entertainment Software Association announced that it won’t be hosting its annual video game tradeshow E3 any longer after over two decades. The decision came after ESA canceled this year’s tradeshow when gaming giants backed out to host their showcases.
• The New York Times hired Quartz founder Zach Seward as its new editorial director of artificial intelligence initiatives. In this newly created position, Seward will establish how the NYT will and won’t use AI in the newsroom.
• ByteDance is scrapping its next VR headset from its subsidiary company, Pico, after sales fell short for the Pico 4, which hasn’t even launched in the US yet. The Information reports that Pico is working on a more high-end headset similar to Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro.
• To celebrate the release of Pink Friday 2, Nicki Minaj teamed up with Republic Records and Karta, a metaverse studio, to launch a virtual shop in Roblox dubbed “Nicki Minaj’s Gag City.” Fans can enter the shop to tap into 3D experiences inspired by the rap star’s music and purchase digital items.

Nearly 20% of teens said they are almost constantly visiting or using YouTube and TikTok, a new report by the Pew Research Center found. As more kids get online to learn, play, and create, I’m going to bet that that figure will double by this time next year.

The post Epic Games Prevails Against Google in Antitrust Case appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Tech companies band together for new AI Alliance
• Spotify lays off 17% of its staff, CFO exits
• Meta launches AI image generator

Meta, IBM Lead More Than 50 Tech Companies Launching AI Alliance

Meta and IBM are leading the charge on a new global alliance for open-source AI development called the AI Alliance. The group includes organizations across the tech industry, academia, research, and government that have banded together to share AI tech and reduce risk across the emerging sector. The AI Alliance’s most significant focus is open-source AI development to further advancements. Some other notable members in the new AI alliance include Cornell University, Dell Technologies, Intel, Oracle, NASA, Sony, and Yale University. The AI coalition will establish a governing board and technical oversight committee in the near future.

Some notable generative AI heavy hitters, including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, aren’t a part of the alliance. These companies haven’t been as susceptible to the open-source approach with their AI models, though Google and OpenAI have made some strides in that arena. Anthropic, on the other hand, hasn’t created any open-source AI models.

Spotify Cutting 1,500 Jobs, CFO to Exit in March 2024

After a fun week of celebrating Spotify Wrapped content, the Swedish company announced it was laying off 17% of its staff. A few days after that news dropped, the music streaming giant also announced that its CFO, Paul Vogel, is departing in March 2024. This marks Spotify’s third round of layoffs this year following letting go of 600 staff members in January and another 200 in June. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek broke the news to employees on Monday in a memo, attributing this latest round of layoffs to overhiring in 2020 and 2021. Vogel joined Spotify in 2016, when the company expanded into podcasting and audiobooks. Ek said Vogel will be departing because he doesn’t have the skills to pull Spotify through expansion and meet market expectations. The company hasn’t named a successor at this time.

Google Shares Another Preview of Gemini AI Model

Google is ready to share Gemini with the masses after first teasing its largest AI model at its developer conference in June. The Big Tech giant is dubbing Gemini its “most capable” AI model yet, and it’ll be releasing it in three tiers: Gemini Ultra, Gemini Pro, and Gemini Nano. Ultra is the most capable category at the highest tier, while Pro can scale across various tasks, and Nano will be used for specific tasks and mobile devices. Google will license Gemini to customers through Google Cloud. Gemini Pro will be available to developers and enterprises via an API as soon as Dec. 13. Android developers will also get access to Gemini Nano next week.

As expected, Gemini will be used to power Google’s flagship AI chatbot, Bard. Gemini Ultra is set to launch sometime next year.

• Meta is ready to rival DALL-E and Midjourney by launching a standalone generative AI image generator called Imagine with Meta AI. Users can create images by describing via text what they want Meta AI to generate.
• Verizon will soon offer some customers a bundled Netflix and Max subscription for $10 a month. This week, the wireless network operator announced that it’s also opening two cashier-less retail stores at Lincoln Financial Field powered by Verizon 5G and AI-powered computer vision technology.
• Rockstar Games released a 90-second trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, with a rare feature of a woman in one of the leading roles for the much-anticipated game. The video game publisher promises that GTA VI will be released in 2025. The trailer has already garnered more than 129 million views on YouTube at the time of this writing.
• Sports Illustrated publisher The Arena Group has fired the sports magazine’s COO Andrew Kraft and President Rob Barrett following recent news that SI was publishing AI-generated content under fake author names. The Arena Group told Futurism that the firings aren’t related to the recent events but are part of a reorganization plan.
• TikTok shared a report detailing some of its most trending content in 2023, and this year’s top video in the US features makeup artist Nyadollie doing a simple bright pink makeup routine. Food critic Keith Lee was crowned the top breakthrough creator of the year.
• Wikipedia released its top 25 most-viewed pages of 2023, and ChatGPT‘s page was the most viewed on the website this year, with 49.4 million views.

• NBA Threads: A Guide to the Thriving Hardwood Community
• Close Friends Only: Ice Spice & Doja Cat Get Personal on New Instagram Podcast
• With New OnlyFans Deal, Nick Kyrgios is Disrupting the Game … Again

I recently shared some of my crypto predictions for 2024, and while I predicted that Bitcoin would break the $40,000 threshold in the new year, it already did that. I want to up that prediction and bet that Bitcoin will break the $50,000 threshold before May.

The post Meta, IBM Lead More Than 50 Tech Companies Launching AI Alliance appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Happy first birthday, ChatGPT!
• AI fakes are back on the rise
• Amazon announces new tech at AWS conference

OpenAI Preps for a Major Transition as ChatGPT Turns 1

ChatGPT turned 1 this week, so I penned a story highlighting some of the monumental moments the viral AI chatbot had this past year. OpenAI‘s flagship conversational AI platform quickly and easily took the world by storm last fall, mainly because no one else was doing it yet. ChatGPT walked so Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing, Snap’s My AI, and all the other countless AI chatbots on the market right now could run.

Still, it’s hard to commemorate ChatGPT’s success without also mentioning OpenAI’s recent turmoil. As of this past week, OpenAI’s board has fully made its transition as founder Sam Altman prepares to take back over. Microsoft has adopted a non-voting observer seat, and three of the four members who suddenly fired Altman are now gone. I have been wondering if Altman’s ousting, return, and board changes are the reasons Apple and Google didn’t honor ChatGPT as their apps of the year. ChatGPT’s mobile app has attracted more than 110 million downloads and generated nearly $29 million in consumer spending since it launched on iOS in May and on Android in July.

Despite the commotion, the platform’s impact is undeniable, and I can’t wait to see how ChatGPT progresses in the next year.

ByteDance Downsizes Gaming Division, Announces Virtual TikTok Open House

ByteDance announced that it’s restructuring its gaming business and cutting hundreds of jobs. This decision will mainly affect Nuverse, a video game publisher and subsidiary of ByteDance, an anonymous source told CNBC. ByteDance also halted work on unreleased games after aggressively pushing into the gaming industry in the past few years. A ByteDance spokesperson told CNBC that the company made this decision “to center on long-term strategic growth areas.” Nuverse will continue to operate at a smaller capacity.

Elsewhere in ByteDance’s business world, TikTok announced that it’s hosting a virtual open house on Dec. 12 to showcase its new and evolving augmented reality development tools.

A Popular Coding Influencer and Sports Illustrated Flagged for AI Fakes

It’s been a whirlwind of a week for AI fakes.

Firstly, Microsoft and Amazon executives backed out of speaking at a software developer conference called DevTernity after one of its organizers, Eduards Sizovs, admitted that one of the featured speakers was an AI-generated woman with a fake job title. To make matters worse, 404 Media revealed that Sizovs is also behind a popular Instagram account, @Coding_Unicorn, that was supposed to be run by a woman named Julia, who is a coder. The account boasts 115,000 followers, but in 404 Media’s investigation, the outlet found countless pieces of evidence that point to Sizovs running the page.

Sports Illustrated is also under fire for allegedly publishing AI-generated articles authored by AI-generated writers, Futurism uncovered. Yes, you read that right. Both the articles and author images were created with AI. SI has since taken down the stories pending an investigation, and its publisher, The Arena Group, claimed in a statement that Futurism’s findings are false. The Arena Group said that the articles in question were product reviews from an external partner, AdVon Commerce. The Arena Group’s shares plunged nearly 30% on Tuesday, knocking $20 million off its market cap.

• OpenAI’s ChatGPT isn’t the only one celebrating a birthday this week — Nov. 28 marked 11 years since the first Bitcoin halving event took place, a time when the cryptocurrency cost $12 per coin. Bitcoin has surpassed $37,500 as of this week.
• Amazon announced at its AWS re:Invent 2023 Conference that it’s releasing an AI-powered image creator called the Tutan Image Generator. The e-commerce giant also unveiled an AI chatbot for businesses called Q.
• Google‘s new geothermal energy project is officially operational in Nevada, becoming a new clean energy power source for two of the Big Tech giant’s data centers.
• Post headlines are back on X, though URLs still won’t have further preview text. Elsewhere, the New York Times reported that X could lose up to $75 million in revenue by the end of the year as more advertisers pull out. Elon Musk‘s response? He told advertisers, including Disney, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros Discovery, to “go fuck yourself. Go. Fuck. Yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”
• FTX investors are targeting Major League Baseball, Formula 1, Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s racing team, and other high-level entities in a newly filed lawsuit this week, accusing them of participating in FTX’s $11 billion scheme to defraud investors.
• YouTube is further breaking into the gaming industry with the launch of more than 30 mini-games for its YouTube Premium subscribers. Coined Playables, the portfolio of games are both mobile and desktop-friendly.

• Launch Day Approaches for Tesla Cybertruck
• Spotify Wrapped 2023: Taylor Swift’s Global Reign Continues
• 10 Must-have Tech Gadgets For Your 2023 Holiday Wish List

Lapse, a photo-sharing app that skyrocketed from No. 118 to No. 1 in Apple’s App Store in September, saw downloads drop as much as 70% in recent months. I’m going to bet that we’ll see an uptick in activity once Lapse opens up invites to the masses instead of only allowing users to join by invite codes from friends.

The post OpenAI Preps for a Major Transition as ChatGPT Turns 1 appeared first on Boardroom.

There have been endless announcements of new tech gadgets, platforms, and games this year. Virtual reality headsets have been a hot commodity, and access to AI chatbots like ChatGPT is all the rave.

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas on the horizon, Boardroom pulled together its inaugural Tech Gift Guide, led by me, Boardroom’s resident tech guru and creator behind Tech Talk. Now, I wanted to lay some ground rules for this list, so it’s important to note a few things:

• Some items included on this list were released in previous years, and some were released in 2023. Tech hardware has longevity, so I wanted to expand beyond new items announced this year.
• I only included items that are available on the market today. That means you won’t see the Meta Quest 3, PlayStation Portal, Apple Vision, Pro, or new Apple iMac below, but these are definitely gadgets that may show up on next year’s list since they will officially be on the market. (For those who are really eager, get in on those pre-orders and include the receipts as stocking stuffers.)
• I chose items I’ve had personal experiences, want to try out myself, and have consistently popped up in the tech world. There are hundreds of tech gadgets out there worthy of making this list, but I felt these ones best serve what I see and think are the hottest on the market right now.
• Prices were pulled directly from the brands’ websites, but as always, search for the deals across the web.

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From fitness gadgets to gaming devices to headphones and more, here are my 10 tech gadgets that you should have on your wish list. Disclaimer: Narrowing this tech gift guide down was very hard. Maybe next year, I’ll double it up because it broke my heart to cut the Ember Temperature Controlled Smart Mug and the Eight Sleep Pod Cover from the list, but I’m sure I’ll dive into some coverage on these two soon. While I’ve tried out most of these, I haven’t gotten my hands on them all, so some of them will be on my wish list, too.

In no particular order, here’s Boardroom’s 2023 Tech Gift Guide:

Oura Ring (3rd Gen, 2021)

Price: Ranges from $269 to $319

The Oura Ring is a smart ring that can track 20 biometrics, including heart rate, temperature, sleep, and more. The lightweight device is made of titanium and is water-resistant. With an Oura membership, users can tap into an app to receive more data, personal guidance, and daily insights about their biometrics. Oura’s most recent smart ring was launched in 2021, but the fourth generation of the device is expected to launch in 2024.

Meta Quest 3

Price: $499.99 for 128 GB or $649.99 for 512 GB

Meta’s latest virtual reality and mixed reality headset is much slimmer than its predecessor, as it was designed to be more comfortable and lighter. The Meta Quest 3 is equipped with color cameras, sharper visuals, more augmented reality capabilities, and advanced controllers. On the mixed reality front, users can play virtual board games atop physical furniture and environments and virtually decorate their homes through select games and offerings on the device. For some extra gaming action, add the Meta Quest+ gaming subscription for $7.99 a month, which grants users access to two new titles every month.

Amazon Kindle Scribe

Price: $239.99 for 16 GB

Amazon debuted the first generation of the Kindle on Nov. 19, 2007, marking 16 years since the tech-enabled reading device hit the market. The Amazon Kindle Scribe hit the market in November 2022 and is the Big Tech giant’s first Kindle designed for reading and writing. The device features a 10.2-inch screen, a stylus pen, glare-free capabilities, and a warm light.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Price: $379

Bose’s new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have been my new faves this fall. The headphones are equipped with true noise cancellation audio, spatialized and immersive audio, and a more luxe design for comfort. These headphones just dropped in October and typically cost $429, but Bose is already running a sale on them.

Crosley C6 Turntable

Price: $199.95

Music fans are in for a real analog experience with Crosley’s C6 Turntable, which is a fully manual two-speed turntable. Its vintage style comes with a heavy steel platter to sit vinyls atop of it. The Crosley C6 also has Bluetooth functionality for wireless play from other devices.

Whoop 4.0

Price: Ranges from $30 monthly, $199 annually, or $359 for 24 months

Unlike typical fitness tech wearables, users get a free WHOOP 4.0 and a lifetime warranty when they purchase a WHOOP membership. WHOOP users also get access to the wearable company’s app, which features personalized insights about sleep, stress, and heart rate variables. Most recently, WHOOP launched an AI coach powered by OpenAI to give users access to more guidance and insights. WHOOP 4.0s come with a charging battery pack, a wristband, and access to the app, but the WHOOP devices can be transferred to bicep bands and other apparel to provide the same offerings.

Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)

Price: $104.99

Amazon released its new Echo Show 8 in October, which is a compact smart screen with a built-in smart home hub. The device has a sleek design and upgraded hardware and is equipped with custom-built spatial audio capabilities. Users can take video calls, watch entertainment, play music, podcasts, and other sounds. The Echo Show 8 retails for $149.99, but Amazon has already knocked the price down 30%.

Apple AirTag

Price: $29 for one or $99 for a four-pack

The Apple AirTag is not only a nifty tracking tool, it’s Apple’s cheapest tech device on the market. AirTags can be attached to keys or wallets, slipped into bags, or other places to track via Apple’s Find My app. With iOS 17, users can share their AirTags with up to five people for those special devices that the whole household uses. The best part: AirTags are equipped with small speakers that play a pinging sound if you need to locate a lost item precisely.

Nintendo Switch OLED Model

Price: $349.99 for 64 GB

The Nintendo Switch OLED Model is equipped with a seven-inch OLED screen, an adjustable stand, enhanced audio, and more. The latest Switch device also has a dock, a built-in wired LAN port to play in TV mode, and 64 GB of internal storage. The Switch OLED Model system can be played in TV mode, tabletop mode, and handheld mode.

PlayStation 5

Price: $499.99

If you want to get your hands on a PlayStation Portal handheld device next year, you’ll need to get a PlayStation 5 first since that’s the only PlayStation console the device will be compatible with. The PS5 is equipped with advanced haptic feedback, 3D audio, next-gen PS games, faster loading, and more. PS5s have been a hot commodity since they hit the market three years ago, and since they are still in such high demand, there is a limit of one console per order.

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The post 10 Must-have Tech Gadgets For Your 2023 Holiday Wish List appeared first on Boardroom.

A peak into today’s edition: 

• Nepal officially bans TikTok
• Updates on Google in the courtroom
• Meta rolls out new features across Instagram and Threads

TikTok Ban Takes Effect in Nepal; Byte Dance Rakes in $29B in Revenue

Nepal has officially banned TikTok for the platform’s apparent reluctance to halt hate content that disrupts “social harmony” and “family structure” across the country. TikTok had 2.2 million users in Nepal, but its app will go offline across the country soon after Nepal’s government felt like TikTok’s content was promoting religious hate, violence, and sexual abuse. The news comes after Nepal implemented a rule that requires social platforms to register with the local government.

Several countries have implemented partial TikTok bans, including the US, Britain, and New Zealand, which don’t allow the app on government devices. There are some US state-specific bans in the works that may go into effect next year. Nepal’s ban comes as TikTok’s parent company, Byte Dance, reported $29 billion in second-quarter revenue, a surge of more than 40% year-over-year.

I think it’s time I start building out a TikTok ban tracker. Stay tuned for updates on that.

Google vs. Epic Games: New Revenue-sharing Info Comes to Light

A couple of weeks ago, during Google’s antitrust trial with the SEC, we learned that the Big Tech leader paid Apple somewhere between $18 billion and $20 billion to be the default search engine on iPhone and other Apple devices. It doesn’t help that another big secret slipped during Google’s antitrust trial with Epic Games, this time by University of Chicago professor Kevin Murphy, who told a federal court that Google pays Apple 36% of its revenue from search advertising through Apple’s Safari browser. Professor Murphy wasn’t supposed to disclose this information, especially since his testimony was supposed to be in Google’s defense.

Alphabet CEO and Google chief Sundar Pichai confirmed Google and Apple’s revenue-sharing agreement is true when he took the stand for a second time for a 90-minute testimony in the Epic Games antitrust trial.

More news updates from Google’s world:

• Google is suing a group of scammers based in Vietnam who are running social media malware ads disguised as download referrals for its Bard AI service.
• Google will start deleting inactive Gmail accounts and photos that haven’t been touched in the past two years starting Dec. 1.
• Research published in Science found that Google DeepMind’s weather AI model, GraphCast, can predict extreme weather faster and more accurately than other models currently on the market.
• Google is in talks to ink an investment deal with AI chatbot developer Character.AI.

YouTube Teases New Music AI Features for Select Artists, Creators

YouTube dropped a sneak peek of how its platform is experimenting with AI and music alongside Google DeepMind. The music platform announced Dream Track in YouTube Shorts, which allows artists and creators to create up to 30-second soundtracks featuring music from nine renowned artists who agreed to collaborate on the experiment. Those artists include Alec Benjamin, Charlie Puth, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, John Legend, Papoose, Sia, T-Pain, and Troye Sivan. The new feature is only available to a select group of artists and creators for now, who will help inform and help YouTube fine-tune its offerings for future products and tools. YouTube is also working closely with artists, songwriters, and producers in its Music AI Incubator to build out a set of music AI tools.

As YouTube leans into AI more, it’s working to do it in the right way, which is why the platform is also implementing AI-generated content labels. The new tags will come as a requirement for creators when they publish content that depicts real people and events. AI-generated animations are exempt from this requirement.

• Meta added a new feature to Instagram that allows users to publish reels and feed posts only for their close friends, and it looks like hashtags are on the way over at Threads. The Big Tech company also added some new filters on Instagram along with more creative tools.
• Apple will adopt the RCS messaging standard in 2024, creating a better experience between iPhone and Android users. While iMessage will stay exclusive to Apple, some of the features like read receipts and typing indicators will be available when iPhone and Android users communicate.
• Microsoft made a slew of announcements during its Ignite 2023 event, most notably that it’s developing its own AI computing chips to compete with Nvidia and launching an AI tool that lets users generate avatar-based videos by uploading photos of people they want the avatars to resemble.
• Amazon cut more than 180 jobs from its games division and shut down parts of its gaming business overall. Elsewhere, Amazon is ramping up its security robot patrol biz with the launch of Astro for Business, and the e-commerce giant inked deals with Meta and Snap to run shopping ads and facilitate purchases within Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
• OpenAI chief Sam Altman announced that the AI startup is pausing new sign-ups for its premium subscription service, ChatGPT Plus, due to a surge in usage following its first developer conference earlier this month. Elsewhere, Altman confirmed that GPT-5 is on the way as OpenAI seeks new funding from Microsoft.
• Disney is partnering with NBA Top Shot developer Dapper Labs to launch Disney Pinnacle, a platform for fans to buy, sell, and trade verified Disney collectibles and digital pins.

• Everything You Need to Know About Grok, Elon Musk’s New AI Chatbot
• What If the Sports World Fully Embraced Cannabis?
• Inside the Inaugural Boardroom x Visa Talks With Lil Baby and Michael Rubin

Indie studio A24 was granted the rights to make a movie based on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk. I can’t pinpoint who I think will play the controversial tech tycoon, but I am going to bet that Musk will put his bid in to play himself in the highly-anticipated film.

The post TikTok Ban Takes Effect in Nepal; Byte Dance Rakes in $29B appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• New AI models at Samsung, Amazon, and X 
• Google vs. Epic Games heads to court
• Bad news from Yuga Labs‘ Ape Fest

Samsung, Amazon, and X Unveil New AI Models and Offerings

There was a lot of news coming out of the generative AI sector this week. Most notably, Samsung, Amazon, and X all announced that they are internally developing models to integrate into their flagship products and platforms.

Samsung unveiled Samsung Gauss, a three-pronged AI model equipped with language, coding, and image generation capabilities. The tech giant announced its latest foray into AI at the Samsung AI Forum earlier this week, and we could see Samsung Gauss integrated into future products, including the Galaxy S24 mobile device slated to drop in early 2024.

Reuter’s Krystal Hu broke the news that Amazon is spending millions of dollars to train and build an AI model codenamed Olympus. Former Alexa lead Rohit Prasad is spearheading the team behind Olympus and is working on incorporating the new AI model into Alexa products.

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, unveiled a new AI system called Grok that only X Premium+ subscribers can access when its beta phase ends. Grok is a conversational AI chatbot weaved with responses that mirror Musk’s own humor. The platform will also have real-time access to content on X’s platform.

The real question here is, which one of these platforms will rival OpenAI, if at all? I’ll be testing them out, reporting my findings, and watching to see who moves up in the generative AI race.

Google vs. Epic Games

While Google continues to fight an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice, the Big Tech company entered another courtroom to defend its Android Play Store practices against more antitrust claims from Epic Games. Google and Epic Games’ face-off began on Monday in a federal court in San Francisco after game developers accused Google of taking too much revenue from in-app payments and making it hard for app creators to connect with customers. Google tacks on a 15% to 30% fee to in-app purchases, so Epic Games is pushing to allow app creators to handle direct billing, essentially overriding those high fees.

The trial is expected to last a few weeks, and if Epic Games wins, Google will be forced to restructure its app store offering on Android devices.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Hit New Milestones and Experienced an Outage

OpenAI experienced some gains and some setbacks this week with ChatGPT. The AI company hosted its first in-person event, the OpenAI DevDay conference, on Nov. 6 in San Francisco to announce new platform offerings. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman delivered a keynote where he unveiled GPT-4 Turbo, the company’s latest AI model that’s trained on data up to April 2023 and can handle a lot more input. Altman also announced a new offering that lets developers build custom ChatGPT bots, and the company is opening a GPT-specific app store for developers to make their AI chatbots available for public download. Eventually, OpenAI will begin paying developers based on how much traction their versions of ChatGPT gain.

Coming off a successful event, ChatGPT went dark for as long as 90 minutes on Wednesday due to an API glitch. OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 platform also glitched earlier this week following an upgrade.

By the numbers, ChatGPT attracts an estimated 100 million users a week. I’ll have more on ChatGPT soon as the platform comes up on its first birthday on Nov. 30.

• Yuga Labs is under fire after several Ape Fest attendees left the Hong Kong event with severe eye-burning conditions from excessive exposure to UV lights. The prominent Web3 brand likely installed the wrong type of light bulbs, sending over a dozen of its holders to the ER.
• TikTok is shuttering its $2 billion creator fund on Dec. 16 in favor of creating a more robust ecosystem of monetization offerings for creators. The TikTok fund launched in 2020 with a commitment to disperse $1 billion over three years to micro-influencers with at least 10,000 followers and who accumulate at least 100,000 views each month.
• Meta announced a new policy that requires advertisers to disclose when they use AI or other similar digital methods in political and social issue ads on Facebook or Instagram. The global policy goes into effect in 2024.
• Microsoft announced a multi-year partnership with Inworld AI to develop tools to bring AI-powered characters, storylines, and quests to Xbox consoles. The deal includes an AI design copilot system for Xbox developers.
• CBS is launching a fact-checking news unit called “CBS News Confirmed” to examine misinformation and AI deepfakes. The unit will produce segments on its findings and inform its audience about the evolving role of generative AI in media.
• Rockstar Games is celebrating 25 years in business next month by debuting the trailer for the next chapter of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. GTA 6 still has no release date, even though it’s been a decade since Grant Theft Auto V dropped.

• Coinbase Forecasts Bright Future with Stronger-than-expected Q3 Earnings
• Boardroom Q&A: Pauliina Törnqvist, Senior Producer of VR Games at Meta
• Breaking Down Hollywood Earnings: Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros.

Despite Epic Games losing in a similar antitrust case with Apple back in 2021, I’m going to bet that the video game developer will prevail with a few wins in its antitrust trial against Google since the Big Tech giant is fighting multiple court battles right now.

The post Samsung, Amazon, and X Unveil New AI Models and Offerings appeared first on Boardroom.

Roughly 30% of game developers worldwide are women, a percentage that keeps climbing as women in STEM take over the industry.

Pauliina Törnqvist, a senior producer of VR games at Meta, has made it her mission to climb the ranks in the video game industry. Along the way, she’s advocated for more women in STEM looking to break into the industry. Törnqvist has worked on VR, console, PC, and mobile games. Through it all, she worked in the background before stepping up to push her mission forward.

“I have learned so many things and enjoyed working with so many different teams during my career in the game industry,” Törnqvist told Boardroom in an exclusive interview. “Every project that I’ve had the privilege to contribute to has taught me something new and also has some tiny corner that I personally got to contribute to, and I’m really proud of that.”

When Boardroom asked Törnqvist what her favorite game she’s worked on is, she couldn’t answer. Each one holds a special place in her heart. Her expansive résumé includes:

• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Angry Birds
• Trials of the Blood Dragon
• Trials Fusion
• The Crew
• The Crew 2
• WatchDogs: Legion
• Travian Kingdoms

Törnqvist grew up in Helsinki, Finland, where she sparked a love for playing games with her sister. The senior video game producer has worked across various sectors of the gaming industry, including launching her own gaming company and venturing into project management. Now, Törnqvist oversees end-to-end production of third-party virtual reality games for Quest platforms.

In this Boardroom Q&A, Törnqvist talks about her career trajectory, her diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy work, and where she thinks the VR gaming industry is headed.

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

MICHELAI GRAHAM: Tell me how you got your start in your career. Were you a gamer before you really got into the work that you do?

PAULIINA TÖRNQVIST: I have always been into gaming since I was very little. This is kind of a cliché answer coming from someone who works in gaming, but I have played games since I can remember. I didn’t consider that there were actually people making the games that I was playing when I was younger. I didn’t think that it would be a career I wanted to pursue until I was at university., where I studied business in Finland.

While I was at university, I met a bunch of people and students who were very into gaming. I was also hanging out a lot in the entrepreneurial student societies within my school. This was around the time when Angry Birds was slowly blowing up. That’s kind of when I realized that there are people making these games, and that’s actually a career one can pursue. That’s when I started my own gaming company, where I was making mobile games with a couple of friends. Then, I landed an internship with Rovio, making Angry Birds. I got a really close-up look at how mobile games are being made.

When I graduated, I was really determined that games are what I want to do. I managed to land a job in Paris with Ubisoft. That’s how I ended up working in games, basically.

MG: Can you recall some games you were really into growing up?

PT: Some of the first games I played, I actually played with my big sister. One of us was always on the computer or the PlayStation, and the other was sitting next to us, giving advice on how to play. We loved playing the first Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider games. We spent a lot of time with them.

I believe the very first game that we played together outside of mathematics games our dad bought us was Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, which was on PC. I have a lot of fun memories from that game.

MG: What has your experience been like as a woman working in an industry primarily dominated by men?

PT: So, earlier in my career, I didn’t really care about the gender representation and balance that we have in the game industry. I just love making games and basically doing what I love. But after a handful of years working in the industry, I started questioning, ‘why am I always the only woman on every single team?’ I started paying attention and realized how big these issues in the game industry actually are and how few women and gender minorities we see in the game industry in general.

It’s a very male-dominated industry. As a result of this, I volunteer at several nonprofit organizations advocating for a more diverse and inclusive game industry. I also mentor aspiring game developers from underrepresented groups, be that sexuality, gender, or race.

This is something that’s really near and dear to my heart. While I have personally not had super negative experiences, I think there is a bigger conversation in the game industry that needs to happen.

MG: So, let’s take it back to your internship. You said you worked with Rovio on Angry Birds. At that time, did you envision launching a career in the game industry, or was it just something you were trying out?

PT: It was kind of a mix of the two. I already had my own game company, and I was making games with a couple of friends of mine. We were making our own games and publishing them for Android and iOS. That was a lot of experimentation, and we didn’t really know what we were doing. When I went to do this internship with Rovio, I was kinda cautiously optimistic that, hey, I really like this, but I don’t understand it well enough. During the internship at Rovio, I really got a front-row seat.

I realized then that this is absolutely what I want to do. When I finished my internship, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

MG: Your trajectory from project management into video game production seems like a natural transition. Can you talk to me about when you went from Travian Games to Activision, where you became a full-on video game producer?

PT: This was a big transition because I loved my time at Travian, but, obviously, the scope of what I was doing and the size of the game that I was working on compared to going to Los Angeles and working on Call of Duty was almost incomparable. So, all in all, it was a huge leap in terms of my responsibilities and the scope of the work that I was doing. But I enjoyed it a lot.

It was a lot of learning on the go as I was figuring things out when working on Call of Duty. The good thing about working on big productions is that you have a huge support network there. I got to work with some of the best in the business, and there were industry veterans there to support me and really show me the ropes. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to work there and got to contribute to something so significant in entertainment history.

MG: What was your experience working as a producer on Call of Duty, and some of your key takeaways?

PT: If I had known when I was young that I was going to work on Call of Duty one day, I would not have believed anyone who told me that. I really learned a ton about how the largest video games in the world are made and how incredibly intense shipping, something like a Call of Duty game, was. It was a lot of learning, but I really loved every second of it, and as I said earlier, I got to learn from some of the best in the business while doing it.

Those takeaways that I had in terms of how you make a game that’s basically alive and has new installments still after 20 years is something that you can’t learn anywhere else. So I’m definitely taking a lot of the things that I learned there in my career for the rest of however long I work in gaming.

MG: Let’s talk about your transition from Activision to Meta when you went over to VR gaming. Was there a learning curve?

PT: When it comes to game development, I believe that regardless of what platform you’re working on, what makes the game good has nothing to do with the platform. That made the transition fairly easy for me.

Obviously, there are a lot of design and development best practices that I had to learn in this transition from console and PC to VR. In the end, games are games. The transitions between platforms or game developers, probably excluding the technical side where you’re actually programming, but especially in terms of production, they’re fairly easy because when it comes to project management and production, you’re there to make a good game. It doesn’t matter if it’s VR, console, PC or mobile.

MG: What are some things about video game production that people might not actually know?

PT: I think that when it comes to game development, a lot of people don’t realize that game development is not just programming. Games are especially big entertainment productions these days, and there’s every single function contributing to these games, from marketing to PR to testing, to programming, to art, to design, you name it, and there is a function for it, probably in game development.

You don’t have to be a programmer to work in games, and you don’t have to have extensive technical knowledge to work in games. I hope that this message also gets through to a lot of aspiring game developers, especially women and gender minorities, who are considering working in games.

MG: What advice do you have for women studying STEM right now who want to break into the gaming industry?

PT: My biggest advice is to go for it. There’s never been a better time to work in games. The game industry is growing constantly. More and more talent is needed to make these awesome games, and honestly, the size of games and the budgets for games keep growing. There’s more scope than ever to contribute to the industry.

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MG: Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard, as you know. How do you think a deal of this magnitude will affect the gaming industry?

PT: It’s going to be interesting to see what the long-term effects of the deal are. It is a historical acquisition that we’ve seen, and a lot of the things regarding this deal are just unprecedented; we don’t really know what’s going to happen and how it’s going to work.

What I am curious to see is what this means for cross-platform play in the long term, the fact that we already have a lot of huge game publishers under these hardware manufacturers, and what the deal means in terms of content.

MG: Lastly, where do you see the video game space in 10 to 20 years?

PT: This is a tough question because a lot can happen between now and then when it comes to technology. We never know what the next trend is gonna be. I think the budgets and the size of games will keep growing as more and more entertainment companies, especially ones that are not necessarily focusing on games originally, are entering their game development space and investing in this form of entertainment as it keeps growing. I think that we will likely see a lot more AAA games and quadruple productions in the future.

Aside from that, something that’s definitely going to rise is the use of AI in gaming. A lot of people forget that AI has already been an existing tool in the game development space for a really long time. More and more players are going to enter the space, and I absolutely would love to see new players be successful in shipping new IP games and not just remakes or sequels to existing IPs.

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The post Boardroom Q&A: Pauliina Törnqvist, Senior Producer of VR Games at Meta appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• SBF found guilty in FTX fraud trial
• Apple reports $86B in revenue
• Meta and X are offering ad-free tiers

Disgraced FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Found Guilty on All Counts

After five weeks of testimony and less than five hours of deliberation,  a jury found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of multiple charges of fraud and conspiracy. SBF has been convicted of stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers. Prosecutors called this one of the biggest financial frauds in US history. SBF’s conviction comes after the disgraced CEO testified across multiple days, telling a jury his inner circle and top executives are the ones to blame for mishandled customer funds. He claimed he didn’t commit fraud and instead thought that some of FTX’s big purchases, like naming rights at a Miami sports arena, were paid for with company profits. When he was cross-examined, the prosecution pointed out SBF’s stance on cryptocurrency regulations and some of his profane opinions published on X.

The conviction comes only 11 months after the once-famous crypto enthusiast was arrested in the Bahamas and extradited to the US. SBF didn’t visibly react to the jury’s verdict, even though he now faces a maximum of 115 years in prison.

Apple Generates $89B in Quarterly Revenue and Announces New iMacs and MacBooks

Apple narrowly beat analysts’ expectations after it posted $89.5 billion in revenue in its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report. The big tech giant saw another drop in overall sales for the fourth quarter in a row, and outside of the iPhone, revenue for all of Apple’s hardware devices declined year-over-year. The company’s iPhone unit reported $43.8 billion in revenue, which only includes about a week of iPhone 15 sales. Apple did post some gains across its services business, which includes iCloud storage, Apple Music, App Store sales, advertising, and AppleCare. The company’s services sector brought in $22.3 billion in revenue, which is a 16% increase compared to this time last year.

Apple’s earnings come after it swiftly announced a new iMac, Macbook Pro laptops, and the third generation of its computer processing chips in an unusually late product event on Monday night. The tech firm’s new 24-inch iMac will run on its new M3 chips and is the first upgrade to the product since April 2021. The new MacBook Pro starts at $1,599, while the iMac starts at $1,299.

Be sure to check out my full Apple Q4 report breakdown.

White House Inks First AI Executive Order Focused on Security and Innovation

President Joe Biden‘s first order of business this past week was issuing the White House’s first artificial intelligence-focused executive order. The first action of its kind attempts to establish standards for AI safety and security, consumers’ privacy, equity, civil rights, research, and the advanced tech’s effect on the labor market. The executive order has eight key components, including requiring AI developers to share internal testing data, promoting innovation and competition, supporting impacted workers, and developing guidance around content authentication and AI watermarking.

The new executive order comes as the Senate preps for its fifth AI Insight Forum next week, focusing on the advanced technology’s impact on elections.

A Threads API is on the Way

Instagram‘s chief, Adam Mosseri, confirmed that Threads is working on an API for developers, though he’s concerned it’ll benefit publishers more than content creators on the platform. A Threads API will not only allow publishers to schedule posts and drive engagement, but it could expose users to third-party apps and more features. Mosseri has consistently doubled down on his desire to make Threads a home for creators because they “drive more engagement and cultural relevance.” To this end, Threads won’t be doing any extra work to boost content from news publishers and will instead count on content creators to inform users.

• Meta is offering ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram users in Europe for about $10.50 a month on the web or roughly $13.75 on mobile. X also introduced a new ad-free subscription, Premium+, that will cost $16 monthly.
• Google will invest up to $2 billion in AI startup Anthropic, which comes with a $500 million upfront investment and $1.5 billion over time. This comes after Amazon announced a $4 billion investment into OpenAI‘s competitor last month.
• Disney entered an agreement to purchase Comcast‘s 33% stake in Hulu for $8.61 billion in 2024, giving it full control over the streaming platform.
• TikTok advertisers will be able to better manage and maximize their ad campaigns while easily transferring leads on the short-form video platform since TikTok announced a new integration with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Once a stomping ground for tech startups, WeWork is inching closer to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the Wall Street Journal reported that it could file as early as next week. WeWork was valued at $47 billion in January 2019, but its stock is down nearly 50% following bankruptcy reports.
• Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com’s parent company, Match Group, settled a big antitrust claim against Google’s app store days before a federal trial was set to begin. The lawsuit was merged with Epic Games’ complaint against Google, which accuses the big tech giant of charging higher than normal app store fees.

The Information reported that TikTok users sent over $250 million to livestreamers on the platform by way of tips and digital gifts. With the potential to generate tipping revenue, I’m going to bet that TikTok Live will give other platforms like Twitch a run for their audiences pretty soon.

The post Disgraced FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Found Guilty on All Counts appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Meta, Microsoft, Snap, Alphabet, and Amazon report earnings
• Apple to host Mac event next week
• Elon Musk‘s Twitter purchase anniversary is here

Big Tech Earnings From Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Snap and Amazon

Artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure were the main topics of discussion across Big Tech earnings calls this week. Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Snap, and Amazon reported earnings and updated financial outlooks this week.

Here are some key revenue highlights, but check out my story on Amazon’s earnings and Boardroom’s latest Big Tech Earnings Roundup for more in-depth details:

• Amazon generated $143.1 billion in revenue, a 13% increase year-over-year. The big tech firm beat analysts’ projections across the board, and thanks to the holiday season, Amazon expects sales to land in the $160 billion to $167 billion range.
• Alphabet’s revenue increased to $76.7 billion, up 7% year-over-year. The company’s Google Cloud division produced $8.41 billion, and despite missing projections, revenue for Alphabet’s Google Cloud biz grew 22% year-over-year.
• Meta generated $34.15 billion in revenue, a 23% increase year-over-year, marking the company’s fastest rate of growth since 2021. Daily active users across Meta’s family of apps topped 3.14 billion, an increase of 7% year-over-year.
• Microsoft generated $56.5 billion in revenue, an increase of 13% year-over-year. Its biggest revenue win came from its cloud business, which produced $24.26 billion in revenue, up 19%.
• Snap’s revenue rose 5% year-over-year to $1.19 billion, and its Snapchat+ monthly subscription service surpassed five million subscribers. The company returned to positive growth in the third quarter, boosting its stock by as much as 20% on Tuesday.

Apple Set to Announce New Line of iMacs Ahead of Releasing Q3 Earnings

Apple swiftly announced an unexpected event set for Monday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. PT. The Big Tech giant will likely announce a new line of Macs, and the event will be completely streamed virtually. Apple knew what it was doing when it dubbed this keynote its “Scary Fast” event since it usually has an IRL crowd for big product announcements. The company took the play on Halloween words to the next level when it updated its event page with its logo transformed into a spooky Finder face. Apple hasn’t launched a new line of iMac desktop computers since April 2021.

This isn’t the only order of business Apple is getting to before its next earnings report comes out on Nov. 2. The company is also upping the Apple TV+ monthly subscription fee from $6.99 to $9.99 and said it will honor California’s new right to repair initiative nationwide. In the midst of this, Taiwan-based Foxconn, Apple’s biggest product maker and supplier, will cooperate with the Chinese government in potential tax and land-use investigations.

Meta Hit With Lawsuits, Alleging Facebook and Instagram Features Are Addictive to Kids

Meta is facing lawsuits from a bipartisan group of 42 attorney generals, alleging that it knowingly developed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook to keep young users engaged on its platforms longer. The lawsuits span 41 states and DC and even include Meta’s home state of California. One of the filings runs 233 pages long and accuses Meta of altering the psychological and social realities of young users and refusing to implement age verification parameters. CNBC reported that one of the suits accuses Meta of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data on users under 13 without parental consent.

The Big Tech firm hasn’t responded to the lawsuits yet, but we can expect to see Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg in many courtrooms across the nation very soon.

Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: What We Learned from Week 4

Something surprising happened this week after the court took a break until Thursday: Sam Bankman-Fried decided to testify in his own trial, where a jury will decide if he’s guilty on 12 counts of financial-related fraud charges. Up until this point, SBF’s defense hadn’t decided if he was going to take the stand or not, but the former FTX leader spent Thursday answering some questions in a mock testimony.  Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed the jury for the day, so they didn’t get to hear SBF’s testimony while the court ruled on which parts of SBF’s testimony were admissible in court.

Judge Kaplan said SBF had an interesting way of answering questions and even begged him at one point to listen to inquiries before speaking and to answer questions directly. SBF official took the stand on Friday in front of jurors, where he told them he told them he didn’t defraud FTX customers. SBF answered questions about his vision for FTX, the company’s early days in Hong Kong, and his initial plan to sell FTX to Binance before it took off. From the sounds of it, SBF will be back on the stand next week as the defense calls an estimated six witnesses to testify.

While SBF prepped to take the stand, his bankrupt crypto exchange narrowed down its list of bidders interested in reviving the platform, MilkRoad reports. Soon after FTX filed for bankruptcy last November, talks began about restarting the exchange under new management.

• Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion on Oct. 27, 2022, before rebranding it as X and losing about 13% of the platform’s daily active users. Former employees are calling Musk’s leadership style “ruthless and clumsy” as they fear for X’s future.
• TikTok is testing out 15-minute uploads, an increase of 5 minutes from its previous video cap. The company also announced its first live music event headlined by Cardi B that will broadcast on its platform with highlights.
• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared that Threads is nearing 100 million monthly active users. The Big Tech company is also testing a verified-only feed for paying Meta Verified customers.
• Bitcoin briefly breached the $35,000 threshold for the first time since May 2022, marking a new 16-month high amid the expected approval of a Bitcoin ETF soon. This ETF would give financial institutions a smoother bridge into crypto investing that mirrors how they typically buy stocks.
• Spotify‘s monthly active users increased by 26% to 574 million, marking its second-largest Q3 net addition performance in its history. The streaming service posted $3.55 billion in revenue for the quarter.
• Sony sold 2.5 million copies of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game in the US in the first 24 hours of its release, making the PlayStation 5 exclusive Sony’s fastest-selling gaming title to date.

• Coinbase Weighs In On Needed Crypto Regulations
• Inside the Charlotte Hornets’ Hive of Innovation
• GameSquare Holdings Acquires Embattled FaZe Clan

Shazam, the music identification app owned by Apple, announced a new feature called Concerts, which will recommend music events to customers based on their Shazam queries. With this expansion, I’m going to bet that Shazam will add a concert ticket-purchasing feature as well, or maybe Apple will build its own internal ticket sales tech.

The post Big Tech Earnings From Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Snap, and Amazon appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Amazon “Delivering the Future” recap and new drone tech
• X begins testing ‘Not a Bot’ $1 subscription programs
• LinkedIn lays off nearly 700 employees

Amazon Announces Slew of New Tech During Its ‘Delivering the Future’ Event

I’m penning this edition of Tech Talk from the lobby of a Seattle hotel after spending the week with Amazon and attending the Big Tech company’s “Delivering the Future” event. It was an insightful experience and refreshing to see the everyday people working on the ground throughout Amazon’s ecosystem. Among the fun tours, like a look into The Spheres indoor garden and a stroll through Amazon’s HQ, I also got to tour a fulfillment center and innovation lab where Amazon previewed new tech that better serves its customers, employees, and supporting communities.

Here are some high-level learnings from my trip:

• Amazon revealed a new drone called the MK30 and is expanding its drone delivery program, including free medication delivery to customers in College Station, Texas. Prime Air is also expanding to Italy and the UK.
• The Big Tech giant demoed two new robotics systems it’s using to sort and store packages, manage inventory, and move products. Amazon employs over 750,000 robots worldwide to work alongside its employees.
• I got to see Agility Robotics’ bipedal robot, Digit, in action as Amazon tests how to implement them into their operations. Digit can reach high and low to grab items and place them where they need to go. To start, Amazon will be using Digit robots to pick up and move empty inventory containers.
• Amazon has put roughly 6,000 electric delivery vehicles on the roads in India, with a goal of getting at least 10,000 on the ground by 2025.
• Amazon announced that its fulfillment center in Euclid, Ohio, is the first in the US to fully replace plastic delivery packaging with paper packaging. Amazon’s engineers redesigned packaging machines that use sensors to identify the size of an item and precisely measure packaging needs.

It’s safe to say I learned a lot, and I’ll be sprinkling my learnings through my reporting on Amazon moving forward.

X’s New Bot Reduction Plan Costs Only $1

X is going to charge new users in New Zealand and the Philippines $1 a year to post and interact with content as it tests its new “Not a Bot” subscription program. The social media platform is implementing the fee to combat spam and bots, and users who decline to pay the $1 annual fee will only be able to view content and follow accounts. X didn’t share a timeline to roll the program out to more markets, but all I can think is — why $1? Why a fee at all when there are a variety of efforts to reduce spam, including two-factor verification features every other social network offers for free?

In other important news, X Premium users can get a pink app icon as part of the platform’s partnership with Paris Hilton. Also, the US Labor Board filed its first complaint against X for allegedly illegally firing an employee who tweeted some thoughts about Elon Musk‘s in-office work policy.

California Passes New Crypto Regulation Bill

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a crypto regulation bill coined the Digital Financial Assets Law that will go into effect in July 2025 across the state. The new legislation requires individuals and businesses to obtain a Department of Financial Protection and Innovation license to operate with digital asset-focused offerings. The bill also requires licensees to maintain records for at least five years, which could include business expenses, asset holdings, and capital.

Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: What We Learned from Week 3

Week three of  Sam Bankman-Fried‘s trial is behind us, and this time, FTX co-founder and former Director of Engineering Nishad Singh gave a pivotal testimony. Unlike the other key witnesses who took the stand, Singh knows SBF on a personal level since he’s been friends with his younger brother since their high school years. Singh told the courtroom that once he discovered that SBF was misusing funds, he pleaded with him to stop and consistently voiced his concerns, but he wouldn’t listen. Singh, who once lived in the much-talked-about FTX mansion in the Bahamas, testified that SBF spent about $1.13 billion on celebrity sponsorship deals, which included millions in payments to Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Larry David, and Gisele Bundchen. Former FTX general counsel Can Sun also took the stand on behalf of the prosecution.

Singh’s testimony may be the nail in the coffin of SBF’s fate, but we have to remember the former engineering chief admitted to being implicit in these crimes because he was benefiting from them, too. The trial continues on Monday, and we may see the prosecution call Sam Trabucco, former co-CEO of Alameda Research, to the stand. Trabucco is the only former executive who has not been accused of wrongdoing himself since he left Alameda in August 2022, three months before SBF’s crypto empire came tumbling down.

• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn laid off about 668 employees across its engineering, product, talent, and finance departments. The new wave of layoffs comes after the professional networking platform let go of roughly 720 workers in May as part of Microsoft’s larger cut of 10,000 employees earlier this year.
• The Walt Disney Company turned 100 years old on Oct. 16, and as part of its celebration, the famous brand launched a content hub in partnership with TikTok to provide fans with interactive experiences and stories on the video-sharing platform.
• The Biden administration is halting Nvidia and other chipmakers’ ability to ship AI computing chips to China in an effort to slow the country from making tech-forward military advances.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Winklevoss-owned Gemini and Genesis and its affiliate Digital Currency Group for allegedly defrauding investors of over $1 billion.
• Apple unveiled a new $79 Apple Pencil model equipped with a USB-C charging port. This model can magnetically attach to iPad devices, but unlike other Apple models, it doesn’t have wireless charging capabilities.
• Netflix has begun beta testing video games based on its popular series and films on more devices to a limited number of subscribers. The streaming giant is testing games on smart TVs, personal computers, and other smart devices.

• Devin Booker x Call of Duty: The Inside Story on a Team-up Years in the Making
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After years of delays, Tesla will reportedly start delivering its much-anticipated Cybertruck vehicle to select customers on Nov. 30. I’m going to place a hot bet that we’ll see at least one recall or some sort of design change on the luxury electric SUV before the year is up.

The post Amazon Announces Slew of New Tech During Its ‘Delivering the Future’ Event appeared first on Boardroom.

WHOOP is elevating its portfolio of offerings after introducing a new generative artificial intelligence feature powered by OpenAI.

WHOOP, the Boston-based wearable health and fitness tracker developer, is on a mission to revolutionize the wearables market through health and fitness trackers that monitor a range of metrics, including heart rate, sleep performance, supplement intake, stress and anxiety levels, and dietary restrictions. The company then uses these metrics to provide daily feedback and recommendations for improving sleep, recovery, and strain. WHOOP was already leveraging AI and machine learning across its offerings, but its new generative AI plugin powered by ChatGPT brings a more all-access conversational appeal to the company’s membership-based app that pairs with its wearables.

Boardroom’s resident tech reporter, AKA me, got early access to WHOOP Coach, and honestly, it’s easier to show you than tell you about the experience. I also get into more specifics about the wearable itself and supplemental products.

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WHOOP Coach was developed to reshape how users get their health and fitness recommendations. Users can “ask WHOOP anything” via a chat plugin within the app, and much like ChatGPT, OpenAI archives each conversation for a short time.

As for privacy, OpenAI does not store any conversational data that it collects with WHOOP Coach. The new feature is still in beta as WHOOP rolls out some enhancements over time. WHOOP Coach works hand-in-hand with other features within the iOS and Android-friendly app. The more data users log while wearing their WHOOP 24/7 and using features like the Journal, the more in-depth the AI coach will get with its answers.

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“We aspire to build a 24/7 health and fitness coach, and what does that mean? It means that at any time, anywhere, you can ask questions and get guidance on your health and fitness,” WHOOP Founder and CEO Will Ahmed told Boardroom in an exclusive interview. “What previously would have required a human being and a bunch of medical technology is not at your fingertips for a fairly low cost, and that’s because of the advancements in artificial intelligence and how WHOOP has woven this technology together.”

Even though WHOOP Coach can’t build out specific workout plans down to the exercise, Ahmed all but confirmed that the feature will be able soon. For the most part, WHOOP Coach offers direct answers, especially when users are asking questions about anything pertaining to the metrics WHOOP tracks.

“I anticipate that WHOOP will be able to build out workout plans for anyone who joins the platform,” Ahmed said. “I imagine the coaching feature will evolve to be more actionable and proactive. Today, a lot of the back and forth with the WHOOP Coach begins with you asking a question. I imagine WHOOP will be the one starting the conversation more [in the next year].”

WHOOP Coach is not an upsell for members already on the company’s platform; it’s already included in the subscription-based membership program. WHOOP subscriptions are available at $30 monthly, $239 annually, or $399 for a 24-month period.

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The post Tech Talk Reviews: WHOOP Coach, Powered by OpenAI appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• The US vs. Sam Bankman-Fried trial is underway.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testifies in Google’s antitrust trial.
• Google Bard and virtual assistant join forces.

The US vs. Sam Bankman-Fried Trial Begins

Sam Bankman-Fried is finally getting his day in court this week, where he is facing 12 charges spanning wire fraud and conspiracy, money laundering, and securities fraud. I laid out all the key facts you need to know about SBF and the collapse of his business empire, including details on some of the expected witnesses who will take the stand. Caroline Ellison, former co-CEO of Alameda Research, FTX co-founder and CTO Gary Wang, and Nishad Singh, FTX co-founder and former head of engineering, are slated to testify against their former boss. The trial is expected to last up to six weeks in a Southern District of New York Court. In opening statements, SBF’s defense said he acted in good faith and didn’t steal from anyone, while the prosecution said he purposely built his empire on lies to profit billions.

Federal prosecutors did not offer SBF a plea deal. If this trial doesn’t go his way, he’s facing up to 115 years in prison.

P.S. — I’m about 30% through Michael Lewis’s highly-anticipated book about SBF, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon. I have a lot of thoughts, but preliminary, Lewis paints SBF as a misunderstood genius who often found himself disconnected from people and the world around him. While this might be true, that doesn’t give him a pass to be a criminal (allegedly).

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Testifies in Google’s Antitrust Trial

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified in Google‘s antitrust trial, telling the federal court that Google has an overwhelming power over the online search engine game. Nadella called the internet the “Google web” during his testimony and painted a picture that Microsoft could never compete with Google to become the default search engine. Now, it’s important to note that Google does maintain roughly 90% of the online search industry, but whether it used illegal tactics to get there is what’s up for debate in the courtroom. This is another big blow to Google in the Department of Justice’s historic antitrust trial against the company. Nadella is the government’s highest-profile witness to take the stand, and his testimony lasted nearly four hours. A Google employee also testified this week that the Big Tech giant alters search queries to generate results that would drive users to make purchases.

So, what would happen if Google loses in its antitrust lawsuit battle with the DOJ? The likely outcome is that the government could force Google to break up its business offerings, much like the SEC is trying to push Amazon to do. For example, Google’s Chrome browser could be forced to spin off into its own company.

But there is still much to learn. The trial is expected to last for up to seven more weeks.

Tom Hanks, MrBeast & Gayle King Warn of Deepfake AI Scams

Tom Hanks, MrBeast, and Gayle King are the latest celebrities to fall victim to deepfake scams powered by artificial intelligence-generated versions of them. King warned her followers on social media that the AI video floating around about her promoting a weight loss product was not real and derived from a video she posted to promote her radio show. An AI dupe of Hanks appeared in an advertisement promoting a dental plan, so he took to his Instagram to send a similar message to his followers. YouTube creator MrBeast went as far as to call AI-generated content using peoples’ likenesses without their consent a serious problem. An AI-generated advertisement featuring MrBeast touted an Apple iPhone 15 giveaway, which posed a bigger problem since the creator recently inked a sponsorship deal with Samsung. MrBeast took to X to ask how social media platforms are gearing up to handle the rise of AI deepfakes. It’ll take way more than an AI-generated content tag.

Paris Hilton Partners With X as the Platform Battles Multiple Lawsuits

Paris Hilton and her company 11:11 Media inked a partnership deal with X that covers an array of content and commerce opportunities and includes a revenue-sharing agreement. Users can expect to see Hilton appear in content across X’s video, live video, shopping, and Spaces features. Now, it wouldn’t be X to announce some good news if bad news didn’t quickly follow. This week, Florida-based social media advertising agency X Social Media filed a lawsuit against X, alleging trademark infringement. X owner Elon Musk is battling a few lawsuits of his own as well. Firstly, a man sued Musk and accused him of libel for applying social media posts that falsely identified him in a racially charged altercation. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is also suing Musk, alleging that he didn’t adhere to a subpoena to testify over his purchase of Twitter.

IN OTHER NEWS

• Google unveiled its next generation of mobile devices, the Pixel 8, with improved cameras, AI photo-editing tools, and a brighter screen. At its recent product event, the Big Tech company also announced that it’s adding its generative AI chatbot Bard to its virtual assistant product.
• Generative AI leader Anthropic is in talks with big investors to raise $2 billion in fresh funding following a $1.25 billion commitment from Amazon and another undisclosed amount from Google.
• Apple is releasing a special update for all iPhone 15 and Pro Max models to address iOS 17 glitches that are causing the devices to overheat and surpass 100 degrees.
• Visa launched a $100 million generative AI ventures initiative to invest in startups building generative AI technologies and applications that will impact commerce and payment services.
• Amazon is pulling back on its live audio ambitions and shutting down operations for its live audio platform Amp a year and a half after launching it. Elsewhere in the audio biz, Spotify is making audiobooks free to paid subscribers.
• Nike’s Web3 platform and virtual studio .SWOOSH is bringing its first digital sneaker to life with the drop of the Air Force 1 Low ‘TINAJ,’ available exclusively to .SWOOSH members.

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MICHELAI’S BET OF THE WEEK

Meta is testing a $14-a-month subscription service in the UK for users who want an advertisement-free Instagram or Facebook experience. TikTok is also internationally testing a similar feature for $4.99 a month. Since social networks don’t operate like streaming services, I’m going to bet that this offering won’t thrive in the US.

The post What We’ve Learned From the Sam Bankman-Fried Trial This Week appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Coinbase in the nation’s capital
• The download on Meta Connect
• The end of Google Podcasts

Coinbase Takes DC Same Day Gary Gensler Testifies Before Congress

Coinbase mobilized the crypto community, welcoming leaders from more than 50 crypto companies to join it in DC on Wednesday, Sept. 27 for the inaugural Stand With Crypto Day. Coinbase’s head of US policy, Kara Calvert, spearheaded the effort, which coincided with SEC Chair Gensler testifying in front of the House Financial Services Committee about his ambitious rulemaking proposals. Coinbase conceptualized Stand With Crypto Day to advocate for pro-crypto policies as regulators inch closer and closer to implementing more laws and regulations around digital currencies. Some crypto leaders met with Congress members to advocate for clear legislation for crypto operations. Stand With Crypto also operates as an independent nonprofit to mobilize the crypto community year-round for different actions, programs, and events. Coinbase capped off the day with a moderated fireside chat with CEO Brian Armstrong who discussed why Coinbase is stepping up to challenge lawmakers to act.

This event comes a month after Coinbase won approval from the Biden Administration’s CFTC National Futures Association to list crypto futures. The move made the exchange the first crypto platform to offer regulated and leveraged crypto futures alongside traditional spot trading.

The Download on Meta Connect 2023

The annual Meta Connect 2023 conference wrapped this week. It included two days of new AI product reveals and updates on Meta’s augmented reality and virtual reality landscape. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the tech giant is “focused on building the future of human connection” during his keynote. Here are some of the key announcements and takeaways from the event:

• Meta Quest 3: Since debuting the new mixed-reality headset in June, Meta announced that preorders for the Quest 3 are now open, and the headset will be available on Oct. 10. Quest 3 models range in price from $500 to $650 depending on storage capacity.
• Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses: Meta and Ray-Ban debuted their second generation of smart glasses that are equipped with cameras, spatial audio, and video capture and photo capabilities. This product succeeds Ray-Ban Stories, which was released in 2021.
• Meta AI: The Big Tech leader showcased its new AI chatbot personality tech with a couple dozen different celebrity voices. Meta AI is the company’s new generative AI assistant that will be available in Meta’s family of apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Generative AI image editing is also being developed for Instagram.

Amazon’s $4B Investment in Anthropic and an FTC Lawsuit

Amazon announced that it will invest up to $4 billion in generative artificial intelligence startup Anthropic as part of a larger strategic collaboration. This deal makes Amazon Web Services the primary cloud provider for Anthropic, which is building AI systems set to rival OpenAI. Within days of that good news, bad news followed when the US Federal Trade Commission and attorney generals from 17 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against the e-commerce giant. The suit alleges that Amazon is illegally maintaining monopoly power to inflate online prices and overcharge sellers. Ultimately, the agency is concerned about Amazon using interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies. The FTC has been investigating Amazon for years. However, the lawsuit comes after the company allegedly failed to offer concessions to settle some of these claims in closed meetings last month.

I’ll surely be following this case closely.

Updates from OpenAI

OpenAI is reportedly seeking a new valuation between $80 billion and $90 billion through a sale of some of its shares. The AI company’s rapid success is undeniable, so reaching this new height wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Here are some more updates from OpenAI’s world:

• OpenAI debuted a new internet browsing feature for ChatGPT users to surf the web.
• OpenAI’a Sam Altman is reportedly working with iPhone designer Jony Ive to conceptualize and develop a new AI hardware device, The Information reported.
• Tubi announced the release Rabbit AI, the streamer’s new AI-enabled recommendations feature powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot.
• OpenAI responded to author and comedian Sarah Silverman‘s lawsuit against ChatGPT that she filed earlier this year. The AI company’s legal team filed motions to dismiss some of the counts in the lawsuit. It expects to fight the copyright infringement allegation head-on in court.
• ChatGPT can now understand spoken words and respond with a synthetic voice.

• Google Podcasts is shutting down this year. However, it’s not the end of the podcast era for the Big Tech, which is adding podcast tools and features to YouTube Music instead. Also, Google Bard got a significant update last week after users discovered that Google Search was indexing conversations with the AI chatbot.

• I’m not sure what MicroStrategy‘s master plan is. he data analytics firm acquired 5,445 more Bitcoin tokens, taking its holding up to 158,245 Bitcoins.
• Web3 brand Yuga Labs announced a partnership with A BATHING APE. They will design apparel collection that will be first available to Bored Ape Yacht Club holders before hitting stores in December. The collection will debut in Hong Kong in November during BAYC’s annual ApeFest community event.
• The Central Intelligence Agency is developing an AI chatbot for other US intelligence agencies. The new tech offering will be trained on publicly available data and is being created to assist users in sifting through public data.
• Tinder officially rolled out its new exclusive subscription program, Tinder Select, which will cost $500 a month and offer users more unique features to find love connections. Tinder is accepting applications for the program on a rolling basis.
• Move over Dall-E 3 and Midjoirney, there’s new competition in town. Getty Images is developing an AI tool that will be able to generate images from its library of work.

• X and its Updated Vision for Building the ‘Everything App’
• What the End of the WGA Strike Really Means for Hollywood
• VeeCon 2024 Heads to Downtown Los Angeles
• Meet the Creators With the Most TikTok Followers

Samsung is targeting content creators through a new sponsorship with MrBeast. I’m going to bet that this deal won’t drive significant sales for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 as the mobile brand expects it to.

The post Coinbase Stands with Crypto at the Capitol appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Microsoft‘s new products and data leaks
• Another lawsuit and new crypto token at ChatGPT
• Apple tops list of most future-proof brands

Microsoft Announces New Products Following Major Data Leaks

Microsoft showcased the next generation of its Surface computers, the new Windows 11 operating system, and shared updates on its Microsoft 365 Copilot AI tool at an event in New York. The tech leader unveiled the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3, Surface Go 4, and Surface Hub 3, all of which will hit the market on Oct. 3. Microsoft also announced enterprise availability for Microsoft 35 Copilot, its supplemental AI tool that can embed with Word, Excel, and other productivity apps. The new offering will be available to businesses starting Nov. 1 and will cost $30 per person per month on top of the existing Microsoft 365 monthly fee.

Microsoft’s legacy product chief, Panos Panay, was missing from the event, and that’s because he announced his departure from the business on Monday. He is headed to Amazon to run the division that oversees Alexa and Echo devices. Panay was with Microsoft for 20 years and is most known for leading the Microsoft Windows team and helping push the tech firm’s Surface computers to market.

Microsoft is also one step closer to closing in on acquiring Activision Blizzard after Britain’s antitrust regulator signed off on the deal. Amid all these new updates this week, news of two separate data leaks at Microsoft took over top headlines, as well.

First, AI researchers at the Big Tech firm accidentally exposed 38 terabytes of sensitive data, including private keys and passwords, while trying to publish some other data on GitHub. Secondly, leaked court documents detailed Microsoft’s plans for an all-digital Xbox Series X refresh that is expected to hit the market next year. The cylindrical device has a new look, lower power usage, expanded internal storage, and no disc drive. The documents came from Microsoft’s trial with the FTC over the summer, but the commission said Microsoft accidentally uploaded these docs to the court itself, and someone got ahold of them.

OpenAI Hit With Another Lawsuit, Plus More Updates From ChatGPT

OpenAI was hit with another copyright infringement lawsuit filed by 17 authors claiming ChatGPT is using their copyrighted works without permission. Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, novelist Josh Grisham, and My Sister’s Keeper author Jodi Picoult are some of the top names in the claim organized by the Authors Guild. OpenAI responded to the lawsuit and said it has been working with authors and creators to understand their concerns about AI and misconceptions around the scope of copyrighted works. The lawsuit comes after a string of similar complaints filed against OpenAI earlier this year.

Despite the legal troubles, OpenAI is rolling out new tech after unveiling Dall-E 3 earlier this week. The latest version of OpenAI’s text-to-image tool that leverages ChatGPT comes with more safeguards and an easier process for users to turn their ideas into images. The AI giant will allow creators to decide if they want their work to be a part of this new offering. The possibilities seem endless with ChatGPT, and an anonymous Ethereum developer proved that when he combined his code with ChatGPT’s API to create a real digital coin named AstroPepeX. ChatGPT suggested all aspects of the coin’s creation, down to its name and imagery. AstroPepeX is available for trading on Uniswap’s exchange, and the memecoin generated $12.9 million on its opening day.

Google is Making Strides With AI

It’s been a busy week for Google. The Big Tech firm is inching closer to releasing its enterprise conversational AI system named Gemini, Jon Victor at The Information reported. Gemini is a collection of large language models that can perform various tasks, and it will be available to businesses through Google Cloud. Google has reportedly given a group of companies access to an early version of the platform with select offerings.

Now, Gemini is completely different from Google’s consumer AI chatbot, Bard, which will stay on the market when Gemini launches. To continue expanding Bard, Google is connecting the AI chatbot to its flagship consumer services, including YouTube and Gmail. YouTube Shorts is getting a generative AI feature called Dream Screen, allowing users to create AI-generated videos and image backgrounds using text descriptions. This new feature comes nearly a month after Snapchat launched a generative AI feature called “Dreams” that allows users to turn photos into more imaginative backgrounds. Coincidence or?

X Shares More on Vision For ‘Everything App’ Plans

X CEO Linda Yaccarino and the platforms management team shared an overview of X’s latest developments and plans on its road to becoming the everything app, which is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around understanding. Yaccarino and her team laid out these updates at X‘s newly reformed Client Council earlier this week. Some of these features have already been released, but X highlighted long-form blog posts, video calls, creator subscriptions, and product and job listings. X still has some work to do on the in-app payments system mentioned, and I’ll be the first to tell you the mock-up images were not good.

Elsewhere in X’s sphere, in an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk teased new X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue) tiers to attract more users to the program. While some outlets report that Musk said X will be completely paywalled, the platform’s owner denied that he made such remarks.

• As Apple rolls out an iPhone 12 software update to address radiation concerns, the Big Tech giant topped the 2023 FutureBrand Index as the most future-proof brand over top tech competitors like Samsung, Microsoft, Intel, and Amazon.
• Amazon announced a slate of new software and devices at its annual fall event, including the addition of generative AI in its voice assistant Alexa.
• Airbnb listings will get a verification symbol as the platform launches a process to shake out fake listings in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and France to start. Airbnb is also using an AI system to flag users who may be booking a property for a party.
• As TikTok rolls out its new AI-generated content label, the social network will also use AI to detect AI content to slap a label on. The new update comes as TikTok is working to bring its employees back into the office, and the company is using an app to track attendance.
• Square CEO Alyssa Henry will depart the Block-owned financial services platform on Oct. 2 following an outage that spanned two days and didn’t allow sellers to process payments. Block Co-founder Jack Dorsey will take over as CEO after Henry’s exit.
• Run Tech Club Foundation hosted a gala celebrating the impact of sports and projects launched by athletes, entrepreneurs, and creatives. Angel City FC‘s Kara Nortman, Trevor McFedries of Friends With Benefits, and Saysh’s Wes Felix are some honorees awarded at the event.

The post Microsoft Announces New Products Following Major Data Leaks appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Apple unveils iPhone 15 and more
• Cyberattack at MGM Resorts
• Copyright infringement trouble at OpenAI and Meta

The iPhone 15 and New Apple Watch Models are on the Way

Apple unveiled its iPhone 15 line with USB-C charging ports and new Apple Watch devices at its fall product demo earlier this week. The Big Tech giant also shared updates on its sustainability plans, featuring a rare skit with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature. As expected, there will be an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max ranging in price from $799 to $1,199. The Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra are also on the way with a notable new feature coined the double-tap gesture, which allows users to tap their index finger and thumb together twice to perform most of the common Apple Watch actions.

Preorders for Apple’s newest products kick off on Sept. 22. Here’s a full recap of everything you need to know from Apple’s fall event.

More updates from Apple:

• Apple extended its partnership with Qualcomm to obtain 5G modems from the wireless tech software company for at least the next three years.
• A French watchdog is working to halt sales of iPhone 12 models, claiming that Apple breached European Union radiation exposure limits.
• Michael Lewis’ book focused on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried‘s life will hit shelves on Oct. 3, and Apple already acquired the rights to it for $5 million.

MGM Resorts Is Under Cyberattack in Las Vegas

A ransomware group using multiple code names is claiming responsibility for a cyberattack that forced MGM Resorts to shut down some of its internal and external systems sporadically throughout the week in Las Vegas. A Russia-based operation called ALPHV/BlackCat guided a native English-speaking group of hackers called Scattered Spide through the attack, which started with a 10-minute call to MGM’s help desk. While MGM said via tweets that its dining, lodging, entertainment, and gaming offerings were operational throughout the week, casino goers reported that slot machines, payment systems, including ATMs, sports books, and other tech-enabled offerings, were down.

It gets worse. Caesars Entertainment reported on Thursday that it was also hit with a cyberattack at the hands of the same cyber attackers. The ransomware group told Reuters via Telegram that it stole six terabytes of data from MGM and Caesars. Caesar claims that the attack did not hault its casino and online operations, and maybe that’s because the entertainment giant paid a $15 million ransom to the group, CNBC reported.

Big Tech CEOs Head to Capitol Hill for AI Insight Forum

On Wednesday, the Senate held a three-hour closed meeting with Big Tech CEOs, including X’s Elon Musk, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and many others, to discuss artificial intelligence regulation efforts. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is calling the meetup the AI Insight Forum, with more sessions scheduled throughout the fall. The tech leaders discussed civilizational risks, transparency with AI systems, how AI can impact economic problems, and much more.

The inaugural forum comes as eight tech companies, including Adobe, IBM, and Nvidia, committed to following a standard of safety and security rules for their AI tools and systems. Meta, Google, OpenAI, Salesforce, and Stability AI have made similar commitments to the White House, which is also expected to release an AI-focused executive order before the year is over.

Chipmaker Arm Debuts on the Public Market With $65B Valuation

British software design company and computer chipmaker Arm made its public debut on the stock market with a boost to a $65 billion valuation. The chip design company hit the Nasdaq at a $54.5 billion valuation before its market cap jumped up $11 billion. Arm’s stock soared as much as 25% to $63.59 on opening day on Thursday. Now, the company’s shares are trading at around $60.75 at the time of this writing. Forbes marked Arm’s public debut as the largest IPO in 22 months. SoftBank maintains its 90% stake in the company.

I’ll be writing a breakdown soon of everything you need to know about Arm, a tech giant you want to know in the AI developmental race. As I prep to write this, I wonder if Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regrets backing out of a $40 billion deal to buy Arm in September 2020. The companies had to fight regulatory concerns, but now, Arm is primed to be a worthy competitor for Nvidia in the chip-making market.

• Another group of writers is suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, claiming that the AI leader illegally used their work to train the AI models powering ChatGPT.
• While OpenAI defends its flagship platform, Meta is building data centers to create an open-source AI model that could launch as early as next year. The big tech giant is building a system that could rival the model that OpenAI built to power ChatGPT.
• Binance.US lost its CEO. Brian Shroder has departed the crypto exchange and more than 100 jobs were cut. The Wall Street Journal reported that top legal and risk executives have also stepped down from their roles following mass job cuts at the company.
• TikTok and Billboard announced a new weekly music charting system coined TikTok Billboard Top 50, which will track the most popular songs on the social network in the US. This week, Irish Data Protection Commission hit TikTokwith a $367 million fine, which alleges that the platform violated data privacy laws and mishandled children’s data.
• It’s been a rough week for Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. Stoner Cats, an animated web series starring the couple, agreed to pay a $1 million fine to the SEC for NFT sales, which the commission deemed as unregistered security offerings. The crypto crackdown isn’t just happening in the US, though, since the CEO behind Turkey-based defunct Thodex received an 11,000-year prison sentence for his involvement in the crypto exchange’s collapse in 2021.

• Cole Anthony & Crystal McCrary McGuire Want to Make Your Kid into an NBA Player
• TNF on Prime Video: Prime Targets, 4th Down Decision Guides & More
• One Up Launches $1M NBA 2K24 Competition With 20 NBA Players
• The NFL’s Artificial Intelligence Era Kicks Off

The post The Apple Event Unveiling: iPhone 15, Apple Watch Upgrades, and More appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Happy 25th birthday, Google!
• Ghostwriter is back with another AI hit
• TikTok Music expands internationally

Google Celebrates a Quarter Century in Business

Google was founded on Sept. 4, 1998, marking 25 years in business. I don’t know about y’all, but I feel like Google has been around much longer than that because it’s so deeply ingrained in my daily digital interactions. But that’s the point. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin set a big goal to organize the world’s information and make it more accessible and searchable online. They did just that, plus much more over the years, but search is still at the nucleus of the Big Tech company’s mission. Google has expanded with 15 core products, including YouTube, Google Maps, and Gmail, which will turn 20 years old next year.

So, what does Google have planned for the next 25 years? Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, detailed the company’s hopes and dreams in a blog post, which mainly includes finding its lane in the artificial intelligence landscape. Speaking of AI, the Big Tech giant will soon require political advertisers to disclose whether AI was used in the development of their ads.

Pichai said in the blog post that “AI will be the biggest technological shift we see in our lifetimes,” and I have to say I agree. What do you think?

Ghostwriter Drops AI-powered Travis Scott & 21 Song While Chasing a Grammy

Anonymous artist Ghostwriter told the New York Times that they are chasing a few Grammy Awards for their viral AI-generated song “Heart on My Sleeve” featuring Drake and The Weeknd’s vocals, even though the song was pulled from streaming platforms for copyright infringement claims. There have been conflicting reports about whether this is even possible, so Harvey Jay Mason Jr., CEO of The Recording Academy, which produces the Grammy Awards, shut all rumors down and said this version of “Heart on My Sleeve” is not eligible for an award. While a human wrote the song, the vocals were illegally used, and the song is not commercially available.

Ghostwriter submitted “Heart on My Sleeve” in the Best Rap Song and Song of the Year categories. The anonymous artist also got busy this week with the drop of a new track called “Whiplash” featuring Travis Scott and 21 Savage’s AI-generated vocals. This time, though, Ghostwriter is calling on the artists to collaborate on an official release and promising they will get the royalties.

Chipmaker Arm’s Valuation Up to $52B Following Apple Deal

British software design company and computer chipmaker Arm inked a deal with Apple that will run through 2040 and “beyond” to license its chip tech to the Big Tech firm for the foreseeable future. The details of the deal were laid out in Arm’s initial public offering documents filed on Tuesday. The Softbank-backed company hopes to enter the public market with a $52 billion valuation, marking the largest tech IPO in the US this year. Arm is a leader in developing mobile phone chips, which Apple already uses across some of its products, including the iPhone. The chipmaker said roughly 250 billion of its chips have shipped to power smartphones since it started developing them decades ago.

Along with Apple, Google, Nvidia, Samsung, Intel, and other notable tech companies have expressed interest in buying Arm shares as part of its public offering in the coming weeks.

FTC Inches Closer to Filing Amazon Antitrust Lawsuit

The US Federal Trade Commission could file an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon as soon as later this month after the e-commerce giant failed to offer concessions to settle claims in closed meetings last month. The FTC is most concerned about Fulfillment by Amazon, the company’s logistics program, and third-party sellers’ prices since regulators believe Amazon favors its own products on its platform over outside sellers. If filed, the lawsuit could force Amazon to break up some of its business practices.

This isn’t the first time the FTC is going after Amazon. The Big Tech firm agreed to pay $25 million in May to settle claims that Alexa devices illegally collected children’s data. The FTC turned right around in June and sued Amazon again, this time claiming that the e-commerce giant deceived customers into signing up for its Prime subscription service and making it hard for them to cancel it.

In Other News: Tik Tok Music, COD Brings in AI Cops, & More

• TikTok is slowly but surely clearing the way for TikTok Music to enter the US market after retiring its Resso brand in Indonesia and Brazil in favor of its flagship music streaming platform. To jog your memory, TikTok filed a patent in the US for TikTok Music in May 2022.
• An AI-powered moderator dressed up as a robot cop will debut with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to identify and flag toxic speech such as hate speech, discriminatory language, harassment, sexism, and bullying in multiplayer games. The moderator won’t flag specific words but will instead focus on the intent behind a player’s communication.
• Meta is getting rid of Facebook’s News tab in the UK, France, and Germany in early December, though it will still honor its existing news deals with publishers in those areas until they expire. To soothe regulators’ worries, the Big Tech giant is also considering offering paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union so users can avoid advertisements.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman received the first Indonesian golden visa, which grants him access to the country for 10 years with priority security screening, longer stays, a smoother entry and exit process, and more. Altman got the honor as Indonesia seeks to draw foreign investors with positive international reputations.
• Former FTX executive Ryan Salame pleaded guilty to fraud charges and agreed to forfeit more than $1.5 billion. He is the fourth executive from the fallen crypto exchange to plead guilty, while disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Friedm will go on trial on Oct. 3 to fight wire fraud and securities fraud charges.
• A software update caused a slowdown in United Airlines‘ tech systems, resulting in the Federal Aviation Administration grounding the airline’s departures for as long as an hour earlier this week. United is still investigating the incident.

Warner Music Central Europe signed a record deal with AI pop singer Noonoouri, and while this is a first for Warner Music, I’m going to bet that we won’t see a deal of this nature in the US anytime soon.

The post Happy 25th Birthday, Google appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Apple‘s new products & iPhone 14 wins
• IBM brings more AI to the 2023 US Open
• OpenAI launches ChatGPT Enterprise

New Apple Products on the Way Following Big iPhone 14 Wins

iPhone 14 models topped global sales, becoming the most-shipped smartphone device in the first half of 2023. Apple shipped 26.5 million iPhone 14 Prop Max units between January and June, according to research firm Omdia’s Smartphone Model Market Tracker. There were 21 million iPhone 14 Pro units shipped and 16.5 million iPhone 14 devices. This success comes as Apple prepares for its next product demo event on Sept. 12. The Big Tech company is expected to announce the iPhone 15, two new Apple Watches, and the latest iOS upgrade. Here’s everything we know so far about the 15th generation of the iPhone. Apple is also planning a major upgrade for the iPad Pro sometime next year.

Also, Google “accidentally” leaked a photo of the Pixel 8 Pro on its own website the same day Apple announced its Sept. 12 event. There’s no launch date for Google‘s new mobile device yet, but the tech company usually holds its demo events in October.

Back to Apple. The company may debut a USB-C charging port with the iPhone 15 to align with European laws stating that all mobile phones, tablets, and cameras sold in the region must use USB-C for wired charging by Dec. 28, 2024. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m sensing Apple will surprise us with something at this event. Remember when the tech giant completely skipped over launching an iPhone 9 and introduced the iPhone X instead? I’ll never forget that.

Inside IBM’s Artificial Intelligence Evolution at the 2023 US Open

IBM is celebrating more than 30 years as the official technology partner of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) with new AI-powered features across all digital platforms for the 2023 US Open Tennis Championships. Following success with similar AI tech first introduced at the 2023 Masters in April, IBM debuted generative AI spoken commentary and AI Draw Analysis to USOpen.org and the US Open app. I was fortunate enough to tour the IBM Data Center at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this past week alongside IBM and USTA execs and Maria Sharapova, 2006 US Open champion.

The future of AI tech in sports is bright simply because of the ease of combing through datasets, viewing player highlights, and digging into rankings, all with intuitive digital interfaces on the web and mobile and fan engagement at the center. Check out my full download on the work IBM is doing with the US Open and how the tech corporation plans to expand its offerings to more big sporting events.

SEC Settles First Major NFT Enforcement Case Against Impact Theory

The Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered LA-based media and entertainment firm Impact Theory to pay $6.1 million in penalties for the unregistered offering of NFTs. The commission alleged that the company raised $30 million from hundreds of investors after encouraging them to purchase NFTs as an investment into the business. This is the first major NFT enforcement action that the SEC has pushed forward with as government entities crack down on crypto operations across the US. Impact Theory did not admit wrongdoing or deny the commission’s allegations as part of the settlement.

Meta Beta Launches Horizon Worlds on Mobile

Meta is pushing forward on its metaverse plans with the beta testing launch of Horizon Worlds on mobile devices. Horizon Worlds is Meta’s premiere virtual reality, gaming, and social platform. This upgrade expands the digital destination beyond Meta Quest VR headsets, and the mobile version will operate like a typical gaming app. The Big Tech firm is also testing a web-based version of Horizon Worlds. Interested users can request access to the mobile and web versions of Horizon Worlds here.

Also, is Meta preparing to launch IGTV 2.0? Maybe. Instagram is internally testing a three-minute and 10-minute Reels feature with a more integrated video experience. There is no word on when the feature will expand externally.

In Other News

• As OpenAI paces toward $1 billion in revenue, the AI leader launched ChatGPT Enterprise, the biz version of its successful AI-powered chatbot.
• Food delivery app company Instacart filed paperwork to go public on the Nasdaq under the “CART” ticker, and if all goes well, Instacart will be the first notable tech IPO to come through in nearly two years.
• As the SAG-AFTRA strike rages on, there has been a 137% surge in Cameo sign-ups and account reactivations as actors and writers flock to the video-sharing site to earn some income. Even SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher recently reactivated her account.
• Elon Musk demoed Tesla’s AI-enabled self-driving tech in a 45-minute grainy video posted on X, where he also doxxed Mark Zuckerberg’s home address when he said he was routing there. Elsewhere in Tesla‘s AI realm, the automotive maker is set to activate its Nvidia supercomputer to enhance its computing capabilities to train its full self-driving tech.
• Speaking of Musk and his business dealings, X/Twitter acquired a license to integrate crypto payments and trading on the platform in the US. While X further moves into the crypto space, the social network is working to stay out of courtrooms with 2,200 arbitration cases filed by ex-employees to face.
• Following in Microsoft‘s steps, Google will start charging large businesses $30 per user a month if they plan to indulge in AI integrations that it’s adding to Gmail and other productivity apps. Also, the Google Doodle turned 25 this week.

Amazon is pushing forward with its return-to-office policy, requiring employees to report to an office three days a week, just as Meta recently implemented. I’m going to bet that tech workers will begin to push back on Big Tech companies to fight the crackdown on in-office policies in favor of remote work.

The post New Apple Products on the Way Following Big iPhone 14 Wins appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Nvidia‘s big earnings wins
• Threads’ web version has arrived
• More (bad) updates from the world of X

Chipmaker Nvidia Beat Estimates With $13.5B in Q2 Revenue

AI computing leader Nvidia‘s stock soared as much as 6% earlier this week after the chipmaker beat revenue estimates in its Q2 earnings report. Nvidia generated $13.5 billion in revenue, and $10.32 billion of Nvidia’s Q2 revenue came from action in its data center, which is up 171% year-over-year. The tech company’s gaming sector attracted $2.5 billion of that revenue. Nvidia’s positive revenue track comes from a significant increase in business for chip buyers using its tech for generative AI purposes. Nvidia’s graphics processing units have been pivotal to the AI boom, especially for corporations investing in the tech giant’s supercomputers, which are powered by 256 of its chips.

The company’s success comes after it hit a $1 trillion valuation in May. Nvidia said it expects to attract about $16 billion in revenue for Q3, much higher than the $12.61 billion analysts estimate.

Threads Finally Gets a Web Version

Meta finally launched the web version of Threads this week, letting users access the new microblogging platform from any web browser. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, shared the news in a Threads post (thread?) and stated that the website was available to everyone. Loads of users flocked under the post to report that they were having trouble logging onto the web version. Users should know some functions aren’t available outside of the mobile app, like editing your profile. Meta is working out the kinks and improving Threads web features.

More Meta news bites:

• Meta updated its return-to-office mandate, requiring employees to work onsite three days a week.
• The Big Tech giant agreed to comply with European laws, which require chronological order offerings for content on Facebook and Instagram.

SoftBank-Owned Chipmaker Arm is Going Public

It’s been a slow run for tech IPOs in 2023, but this company is coming in to try to change the narrative with the biggest IPO of the year thus far. Arm, a British computer chip maker and software design company, filed for a Nasdaq listing. Softbank bought the company in 2016 for $32 billion, and it’s expected to retain voting control over Arm after it goes public. Arm reported $2.68 billion in revenue in its most recent earnings report, and the company is expected to go into its IPO with a $60 billion to $70 billion valuation. Arm’s share price will be set in mid-September ahead of its public offering.

The public offering comes after Softbank’s deal to sell Arm to Nvidia early last year fell through due to antitrust concerns.

X is Getting Rid of News Headlines and Snippets

In his latest attempt to oppress journalism on X/Twitter, Fortune reported that Elon Musk has decided to remove headlines and text snippets from news articles when shared via links on the platform. Articles will now only appear with their lead images. Musk confirmed the update to Fortune and said he’s bidding ado with news headlines and subtext “to help reduce the vertical pixel space that articles take,” cut down on clickbait, and improve the social network’s overall aesthetic. This is such a low blow in Musk‘s war on news outlets and gives them the extra work of having to type headlines and subheads out now.

Elsewhere in X’s ecosystem, a temporary glitch on the platform broke all links and images posted before December 2014. X is still working to fix the bug and claims no images or data were lost in the process, but we won’t know that for sure until after the weekend concludes. The platform is also still experiencing backlash after Musk tweeted that X/Twitter is removing the block feature in favor of a mute function only for feeds, though the block button will still be functional for DMs. There is an interesting note under Musk’s tweet now that says X would be in violation of app store policies if the feature is removed, which could result in the app being taken down. Let’s keep an eye on that.

In Other News: PlayStation Get Portable, YouTube Tackles AI Music, & More

• Sony‘s new remote handheld player, dubbed the PlayStation Portal, will arrive later this year with a $200 price tag and be able to stream PS5 games.
• Since sharing a set of principles for AI-generated music on its platform, YouTube announced an AI Music Incubator with Universal Music Group to gain input from the record label’s network. Elsewhere, YouTube is also testing a search function that lets users hum to identify songs. Watch out, Shazam.
• Charles Martinet, the video game voice actor behind Mario since Nintendo’s Super Mario 64, is retiring after 27 years and pivoting to the role of Mario Ambassador to travel and promote the popular character.
• In an effort to clear its merger forward in the UK, Microsoft cut a 15-year deal with Ubisoft to sell its cloud gaming rights for Activision Blizzard PC and console games. The proposal will only be approved if Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision goes through.
• Snapchat is expanding with a generative AI feature called “Dreams” that allows users to upload photos to be generated into new images with fanciful or imaginative backgrounds.
• IBM is selling off its weather unit to tech-focused private equity firm Francisco Partners, which includes The Weather Channel mobile app and websites, Weather.com, Weather Underground, and Storm Radar. As part of the deal, IBM can continue accessing the weather data to power some of its AI models.

Michelai’s Bet of the Week Presented By FanDuel

Despite the desirable $130 price point, I’m going to strongly bet that the new Atari 2600+ dropping in November won’t sell even half the units that the Atari 2600 sold, which was about 30 million.

The post Chipmaker Nvidia Beats Estimates With $13.5B in Q2 Revenue appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Google is looking to get into the life advice business
• Vinfast is the newest name in the expanding EV market
• Bored Ape Yacht Club owners are stepping up with a lawsuit

Hackers Assembled in Vegas for a White House-sanctioned Event to Break AI

More than 2,000 hackers gathered in Las Vegas for the 31st annual Defcon conference. This year, amidst the multiple stations, the ones that were dedicated to artificial intelligence drew huge crowds. Many attendees collectively tried to predict all of the darkest, least ethical capacities of and uses for artificial intelligence. As the group gathered, they had the blessing of both the White House and each of the biggest companies leading the AI revolution. By exposing the risks of AI technology, the hackers prepared companies with new questions to solve as they roll out the technology in new and innovative ways, staving off some of the more nefarious capabilities. Judges scored the efforts, and two of the peak performances came from Stanford student Cody Ho, who didn’t realize that he was a winner until contacted by a reporter from the New York Times.

Google is Prepping an AI Tool to Hand Out Life Advice

“Hey Google, what should I do with my life?”

The tech giant is reportedly working on building AI technology that will help users make sense of this crazy, mixed-up world. Google’s DeepMind project is testing technology that would enable artificial intelligence to give users life advice. Up until now, this use of AI has been expressly avoided. The technology fields prompts and hands out potential solutions in return, acting as a modern-day “Dear Abby.” But this is only one aspect of DeepMind’s potential, which spans 21 opportunities, including critical breakdowns of complex topics, fact-checking, and more.

Vinfast Leaps into the Market with $18.5 Billion Valuation

The race for top market share in the electric vehicle world is heating up. Just this week, Tesla announced that it will reduce the price of its X and S models by nearly $10,000. However, it has a new competitor in the global market. Vietnamese company VinFast made its Nasdaq debut on Wednesday. Although the stock plummeted nearly 20% on its first day of trading, its market cap remained above $18.5 billion. This huge number placed it above legacy brands such as Ford and GM. Will the company keep up with the rising demand for EVs across the world? More on that in our Bet of the Week.

Bored Ape Owners Sue Sothebys, Paris Hilton, and More

Remember last year when every day there was a new celebrity scooping up a coveted Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT? From Justin Bieber to Snoop Dogg, anyone who was anyone was getting into the exclusive club. As NFTs have fallen out of favor, the value of the digital collectibles has plummeted. Now, a collective of Bored Ape owners is headed to court, suing Sotheby’s, Paris Hilton, and more for “misleadingly promot[ing]” the NFTs and artificially inflating the prices. Today, the average Bored Ape is valued at just over $50,000, whereas in May 2022 that number was 8x greater. Yuga Labs, the company behind the BAYC, responded to the claim, saying, “We believe that these new allegations, like those in the previous iteration of this opportunistic complaint, are completely without merit or factual basis.”

In Other News: Welcome to “Slivingland,” Reliable Service is Coming to FedEx Field, & More

• Microsoft and OpenAI execs sat down and reflected on the current moment in AI, equating its potential impact to be as big as when Bill Gates called the internet at “tidal wave” in 1995. Meanwhile, chipmaker Nvidia saw its stock soar this week, as analysts got bullish on its potential role in the industry boom.

• She may be named in the Bored Ape lawsuit, but she won’t let that bother her. Paris Hilton launched the entertainment hub “Slivingland” on Roblox this week. That’s hot, we guess.

• There is a new ownership group in town in nation’s capital and sponsors are lining up to collab. Verizon announced a wide-ranging, two-year deal with the Washington Commanders this week. The partnership will focus on increasing connectivity at FedEx Field and improving the overall fan experience.

• The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has come to an end after an incredible month. Despite breaking attendance and viewership records, Amazon’s Alexa couldn’t answer the simplest of questions about the competition. The technology encountered a system error when users asked who won the semifinal match between England and Australia, highlighting potential evidence of sexism embedded in the device’s programming and operation.

• Netflix is bidding farewell to its DVD business by sending some keepsakes to diehard fans. Users will receive up to 10 DVDs when the streaming giant sends them out the final time during the week of Sept. 29. However, you have to wonder if DVDs will have a resurgence similar to records, as Gen Z’ers double down on tangible goods.

• Bitcoin sank below $26,000 this week, marking its worst week since November 2022. The dip was motivated by a Wall Street Journal report that revealed that Elon Musk sold off a significant amount of SpaceX’s Bitcoin holdings in 2022.

• TikTok launched its music streaming app in select markets last month; however, things may not be going according to plan. The app was expected to expand into the U.S. next month, but the company implemented layoffs in the music department this week that included both its heads of partnerships and strategy. The move throws the future of the streaming service into question.

VinFast will go the way of Rivian, facing an extreme challenge (and plummeting stock prices) as it is unable to keep up with the sky-high demand for its EV offerings.

The post Hackers Tackle AI at the 30th Annual Defcon Event in Las Vegas appeared first on Boardroom.

A peek into today’s edition:

• Threads on the web
• Google and UMG sync on AI music tool
• Microsoft is betting on Web3

Threads is Headed to the Web

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads that the new microblogging platform is getting a web version and conventional search function in the next few weeks. Meta launched Threads from stealth with a lot of missing features social media users typically expect. Still, millions of users flocked to the platform in the last month, and Meta hopes to retain early adopters with the rollout of some much-anticipated features. Threads is bringing in about 8 million daily active users, which is down from its peak of 44 million daily active users around its launch. Still, Meta is rolling out Threads updates, including the ability to share a post to Instagram DMs directly, a more intuitive mention button, and custom text for photos and videos.

For now, Threads is still only mobile-friendly, and it’s unclear if Meta will release iPad and Mac apps soon, but the Big Tech company has been internally testing more versions of the platform.

Google and UMG in Negotiations For AI Music Tools

Remember that viral AI-generated song featuring Drake and The Weeknd’s vocals that Universal Music Group got pulled from streaming platforms for copyright infringement claims? Well, it seems like UMG had a change of heart following a potential new partnership with Google. UMG and the Big Tech firm are in negotiations on a deal to license artists’ voices and melodies for AI-generated songs. The pair are discussing developing an AI tool for users to generate songs, with the appropriate copyright owners getting compensated. Artists will have a choice to participate in the licensing platform. Warner Music Group is discussing a similar deal with Google.

A deal of this magnitude gestures at how the major labels will look to monetize AI and potentially combat unauthorized deepfakes and other pitfalls. The biggest question now is how many artists will get on board with this new idea.

OpenAI Funds NYU’s New Journalism Ethics Project

ChatGPT‘s parent company OpenAI is dishing out a $395,000 grant to fund a journalism ethics initiative at New York University. The new opportunity will be part of NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and offer workshops and discussions centered on journalism ethics issues, and produce articles and papers for its own website and other news outlets, Axios reported. Stephen Adler, former editor-in-chief of Reuters and veteran journalist, will lead the new initiative and conduct research about quality journalism in the age of AI.

OpenAI’s investment in NYU comes after the company announced last month that it would invest up to $10 million in the American Journalism Project to bolster local news. OpenAI is also partnering with the Associated Press to explore use cases for AI in newsrooms.

The White House Announces a $20M AI Cyber Challenge

The Biden-Harris Administration announced a two-year hacking challenge with nearly $20 million in prizes up for grabs. Led by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the AI Cyber Challenge is calling on US competitors to create AI-focused tech solutions that fix software vulnerabilities. The initial qualifying event will take place in the spring of 2024, where up to 20 teams will advance to the semifinal competition. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency made a commitment to invest $1 million each into seven small businesses that participate in the challenge. Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are some of the top companies that will lend their AI tech to competitors who must build open-source systems that could potentially be widely used.

In Other News

• Microsoft announced a partnership with layer-1 blockchain developer Aptos Labs to build AI tools for blockchain integrations and accelerate mass Web3 adoption.
• Amazon will meet with the FTC next week to avoid an antitrust lawsuit that’s been brewing for a long time. If filed, the lawsuit could force the e-commerce giant to break up some of its business practices.
• In its latest push to make crypto payments and transfers the norm, PayPal launched its own stablecoin, PayPal USD, that will be pegged to the US dollar and become its official digital coin.
• Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is back in custody less than two months ahead of his fraud trail after a judge revoked his bail due to his involvement with media leaks.
• There’s trouble in the C Suite. Tesla’s longtime CFO Zach Kirkhorn stepped down after 13 years of working in various roles at the company, and Disney’s metaverse lead, Mike White, left his post after only a year and a half in the role.
• Renowned online streamer Kai Cenat is in the hot seat again and is facing criminal charges after running an electronics giveaway in NYC that incited chaos and resulted in dozens of arrests.
• Dogecoin founder Billy Markus tweeted that he’s made five times more revenue from posting on X than he did in creating his notable cryptocurrency.

The post Threads is Headed to the Web appeared first on Boardroom.

Apparently, Google is testing an AI tool that can write news articles and is marketing it as a personal assistant for journalists, but I’m just not convinced that’s the real goal of the new tech. 

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Microsoft pauses Activision deal 
• ChatGPT’s memory update
• Apple’s AI chatbot is here

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Microsoft Pauses Activision Blizzard Merger + Other Updates

In a twisted turn of events, Microsoft has decided to delay its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to get approval from the UK’s antitrust regulators. Microsoft and Activision extended the closing of the deal until Oct. 18, with hopes that they can make it over this last hurdle and change the gaming landscape forever. 

Here are some more news updates from Microsoft’s world: 

• After months of feuding, Microsoft and Sony inked a deal to keep Call of Duty titles exclusively on PlayStation devices for the next decade. 
• Microsoft and Meta announced the release of Llama 2, the tech giants’ open-source large language AI model, which is free for research and commercial use. 
• Microsoft is expanding its Bing AI chatbot with Bing Chat Enterprise for work with commercial data protection. 

THIS WEEK IN TECH

ChatGPT’s New Memoery Feature

OpenAI added a new feature to ChatGPT that enables users to customize prompts and add preferences for all their chats. The custom instructions feature gives the AI system a basic memory function that allows ChatGPT to tailor and influence responses based on what users want. The feature is in beta testing with ChatGPT Plus plan users, and a broader rollout to all users could happen in the next few weeks. 

Also, keep an eye out. There’s a ChatGPT clone called WormGPT that hackers are using to launch email phishing attacks. 

Will Threads Survive the Hype?  

Daily active users on Meta’s Threads fell as much as 50% from 49 million on July 7 to 23.6 million on July 14 following a highly successful launch earlier this month. Despite the dip in usage, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he’s still optimistic about the app’s community growing. 

Threads got its first major iOS app update to reel users in, adding more columns to the activity feed, including a Follows tab, text translation, follower subscriptions, and more. Meta also took away the set of numbers on Instagram pages that signaled a Threads account is attached to that user. Instead, each Threads user now has a logo on their Instagram page that leads to their Threads account. There’s no word on when Android users will get an equivalent update. 

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Amazon Prime Daze — I mean, Prime Day — has come and gone, and I’m still irked the annual two-day event doesn’t have a better name, but I have some ideas.  

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Download on Reuters’ annual AI summit
• Threads hits new milestones 
• TikTok and Redbox ink unlikely deal

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The Possibilities Are Endless With AI in the Mix 

This past week at Reuters’ MOMENTUM Summit focused on artificial intelligence, I learned that generative AI technology has existed since sound 2017. OpenAI didn’t invent it with the launch of ChatGPT; the company just figured out how to leverage it best for everyday consumers. That’s one of the biggest key takeaways discussed at the AI summit, which brought together AI leaders and tech executives from top brands, including PepsiCo, Reddit, Amazon, Tinder, eBay, Expedia, and many more. 

Here are some more key takeaways and trends discussed at the summit: 

• AI leaders and litigation experts aren’t talking to each other enough. For real regulations to be set, both parties need to weigh in equally. 
• AI can be used to break silos instead of replacing human expertise. Generative AI models could be most useful in providing foundational knowledge. 
• Athina Kanioura, PepsiCo’s chief strategy and transformation officer, thinks AI can be used to conceptualize new products across the food and beverage industry far before the testing stage. Fun fact: The first ideation for Dorritos’ flaming hot flavor came from an AI model mixing ingredients. 
• The biggest career opportunity in AI is in the cybersecurity field. 
• Managing AI platforms can be expensive and brands need to start thinking about building for the future. Where will AI be in the next 10 to 15 years? Will consumers still be using platforms like ChatGPT? These are questions that need answers. 

This Week in Tech

Threads Hits 100 Million Sign-Ups

Twitter traffic continues to trend down as Instagram’s Threads app surpasses 100 million sign-ups since the platform launched a little over a week ago. The milestone comes ahead of Meta rolling out new features, including branded content tools that offer paid promotion. Analysts also predict that Threads will hit 200 million daily active users, driving $8 billion in annual revenue over the next two years. 

I think it’s officially time for Twitter to panic. 

Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Merger Pushes Forward

Despite more staff cuts in its sales department, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will move forward after a judge threw out the Federal Trade Commission’s injunction request. If the FTC doesn’t make an attempt to delay the merger further, Microsoft could close the $69 billion deal within the next week. UK regulators could still fight against Microsoft and Activision’s partnership, but it looks like they’ll also consider proposals to see the deal go through soon. 

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Logan Paul’s Prime energy drink brand is growing, but let’s not forget he committed to refunding $1.8 million to CryptoZoo investors six months ago and still hasn’t delivered.

A peek into today’s edition: 

• First take on Instagram’s Threads app
• TikTok launches music streaming 
• Dior’s NFC-chipped sneakers go on sale

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Are You Threading or Tweeting?

The race for the best microblogging platform is on, and Meta-owned Instagram just put its bid in with the launch of Threads on July 5. With no Beta testing period or waitlist, the new Twitter competitor amassed more than 30 million users on its first day on the market. Meanwhile, Twitter is temporarily limiting daily tweet views to (allegedly) mitigate spam and bots on the platform. The limit caused Tweetdek to break down, and Twitter had to launch a completely new version of the management tool.

Scorned social media users have been flocking to other microblogging sites like Mastodon, Spill, and Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky, which temporarily paused sign-ups last weekend after a flood of new users following Twitter’s tweet limit shift. 

Okay, back to Threads. Threads can generally do what Twitter can, except there is no direct messaging, hashtags, trending topics, GIFs, an edit button, lists, drafts, or an audio plug-in like Twitter Spaces. But most importantly, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri said chronologically ordered feeds are coming soon. What’s your take on Threads’ quick success? Let us know.

Learn More About Threads

Get the full rundown on Meta’s Twitter competitor from Boardroom’s Michelai Graham.

Check it out!

THIS WEEK IN TECH

TikTok Launches Music Streaming Service in Brazil and Indonesia  

TikTok launched its speculated social music streaming service called TikTok Music in Brazil and Indonesia. The popular platform licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group to launch the new service, which will replace its existing streaming service, Resso, on Sept. 5. This signals TikTok’s plan to take its music discovery resources to a whole new level, though the social media platform hasn’t shared when TikTok Music will launch in other countries. For now, Brazil and Indonesia-based TikTokers can access the new service with a one-month free trial. 

OpenAI Still Bullish on AI Despite Dip in ChatGPT Downloads

OpenAI-owned ChatGPT downloads on iPhones were down 38% in June in the US. Is ChatGPT adoption already slowing down, or are folks just temporarily focusing on other hot AI technologies? Downloads could be down simply because the hype of the app launching in May has passed, but still, it’s noteworthy.

Elsewhere, OpenAI is putting together a dedicated internal team charged with managing the risks of superintelligent artificial intelligence. Since the government is ideating around AI regulations, the AI leader created this new department to stay ahead of the curve. OpenAI will put 20% of its current computer power behind this initiative.

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The post Boardroom Tech Talk: Are You Threading or Tweeting? appeared first on Boardroom.

I’m having flashbacks of the 2020 lockdown after CBS Studios announced that it’s creating an animated series based on Among Us. Let’s get the game back to the top of the gaming charts, shall we? 

A peek into today’s edition: 

• Apple’s $3 Trillion Market Cap 
• Meta’s new VR subscription 
• Candy Digital’s merger deal

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Apple is the Only Company Valued at $3T in History 

Apple became the first company to hit a $3 trillion market cap in January 2022, and it did it again this week. The company made history, becoming first public company to hit that milestone twice. Shares for Apple rose past $193 to close out trading on Friday. As a result, the tech giant held its new market cap over the elusive marker. It marked the first day in history that a publicly traded company maintained a valuation over $3 trillion after the closing bell.

Apple may be the most valuable company in the world, and its closes competition is Microsoft, which is still $500 billion behind. Analysts think the tech giant could even hit a $4 trillion market cap by 2025, but let’s see how that shakes out when its $3,4999 Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset launches next year. 

THIS WEEK IN TECH

Meta Launches New Quest Subscription Program

The launch of Meta’s virtual reality subscription Meta Quest+ signals that the tech giant is hyper-focused on bringing VR tech to the masses. Could Its investment be an attempt to keep up with it Northern California neighbor in Apple? Meta Quest users can now subscribe to the new services to get access to two hand-picked VR titles per month. Subscribers can redeem those titles on the first of each month. The service is available for Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets and will be compatible with Quest 3 when the device drops this fall. 

Meta Quest+ will cost $7.99 a month or $59.99 yearly.

What Happened to Google’s AR Glasses? 

Google is shutting down Project Iris, its big plan to build augmented reality glasses. Even though we’re just hearing about the news this week, the project lost its top leader, Clay Bavor, four months ago. Business Insider reported that Google is focusing on AR software instead of hardware. However, I could still see the company rolling out some gadgets eventually. 

The post Boardroom Tech Talk: Apple Hits $3T Market Cap appeared first on Boardroom.

Here’s a snippet of this week’s edition of Boardroom Tech Talk. This isn’t the entire newsletter, so if you don’t want to miss out on the full letter in your inbox every Sunday at 1 pm ET, then subscribe today.

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How Dumb Money Chronicles the GameStop Short Squeeze

Reddit has been in the news more often recently, and maybe it’s part of this master plan to push Dumb Money, an upcoming film that tells the story of the GameStop short squeeze in January 2021. The historic meme stock event was led by the popular Reddit community and amateur investment group, WallStreetBets, which learned about hedge fund short sellers in the video game retailer. After reporting it, retail traders drove GameStop’s stock up as much as 134%. 

Seth Rogan, America Ferrera, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Paul Dano are some of the notable cast members we can expect to see in the film, which is officially based on Ben Mezrich’s book, The Antisocial Network. He also wrote The Accidental Billionaire, which was later adapted into The Social Network movie. 

Dumb Money will hit theaters on Sept. 22, and the trailer looks pretty damn good. 

THIS WEEK IN TECH

Why Are Fans Mad at Marvel Right Now? 

Marvel fans are upset with the comic book publisher after it used artificial intelligence in its newest Marvel Cinematic Universe show, Secret Invasion. The series debuted on Disney Plus on Wednesday with an AI-powered opening credit designed by Method Studios. Director Ali Selim said he used AI because he thinks the tech fits into the show’s themes, while the audience presumed AI canceled the need for graphic designers and animators who typically take on this job. 

Both sides raise valid points, and now I wonder what other plans Marvel has for AI during a time when the WGA is currently on strike. 

Amazon’s New Legal Troubles  

Amazon has some legal affairs to handle before we can all indulge in Prime Day in a few weeks. First, the Federal Trade Commission hit the online retailer with a lawsuit, alleging that Amazon purposely tricks customers when they sign up or try to cancel Prime subscriptions. The FTC is accusing Amazon of using deceptive design tactics to encourage customers to enroll in Prime without their consent. 

Secondl Bernie Sanders sent Amazon CEO Andy Jassy a 10-page letter informing the company’s leader that he’ll be investigating Amazon’s labor practices and warehouse working conditions. Sanders said he’d subpoena Amazon if need be. In response, the online retailer has invited the senator to tour facilities in person. 

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The post Boardroom Tech Talk: ‘Dumb Money’ Chronicles the GameStop Short Squeeze appeared first on Boardroom.

We’re testing something new here by teasing the latest version of our Boardroom Tech Talk newsletter on the website.

Here’s a snippet of this week’s edition.

Twitter’s Latest Scandals 

Twitter is back in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. First, the National Music Publishers’ Association sued Twitter, alleging that the social media platform violated copyright laws when it used songwriters’ music without permission. The NMPA is comprised of members that song write for various music companies,  each of which is seeking $150,000 per piece of work infringed. 

Elsewhere, it seems like Twitter is having trouble keeping up with its bills. After signing a $1 billion contract with Google in 2018 to host its services on Google Cloud servers, Twitter refused to pay its latest bill as its contract renewal looms this month. The social media company also owes three months’ worth of rent on its Boulder, Colo., office, so a judge inked court documents to allow the building owner to evict Twitter from the premises. 

But no fear, new CEO Linda Yaccarino is still excited about building what she calls Twitter 2.0. 

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This Week in Tech

The Rundown on Reddit’s Civil War 

Thousands of popular Subreddit communities went dark earlier this week in protest of the social news network’s updated API pricing for third-party apps. Over 8,000 Subreddits either went offline or private, while others are considering shutting down indefinitely on June 30 when the new API pricing model officially goes into effect. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told staff in a memo that the API blowback will pass and it hasn’t had a real impact on revenue, but the Subreddit blackout caused a brief crash on Reddit’s site on Monday. That feels like some impact to me. 

Puma Expands With Black Station 2

Puma expanded its digital shopping experience with Black Station 2, a metaverse platform that allows users to purchase phygital footwear and goods. The virtual world got a first look at Black Station during New York Fashion Week last year, but the updated digital destination features two explorable worlds called Unkai and Unter. Puma drew inspiration from the Japanese city, Shibuya, and Berlin’s club culture to build its virtual environments. 

This isn’t the entire newsletter, so if you don’t want to miss out on the full letter in your inbox every Sunday at 1 pm ET, then subscribe to Boardroom Tech Talk.

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