Techmeme Ride Home

Now authors are being approached about training AI on their books, and some are not pleased. The new Android development cadence is here. More signs crypto is ascendant. More signs that Bluesky has taken off. And a case in point for why governments and militaries are worried about smartphone tracking.

Links:

• Microsoft Signs AI-Learning Deal With News Corp.’s HarperCollins (Bloomberg)
• Penguin Random House underscores copyright protection in AI rebuff (The Bookseller)
• The first Android 16 developer preview just landed: Here’s what you need to know (Android Police)
• Sony’s new PlayStation Portal update lets you stream PS5 games from the cloud (The Verge)
• Howard Lutnick, Tether's Wall Street Banker, Is Trump's Pick for Commerce Chief, Not Treasury Secretary (CoinDesk)
• Bluesky tops 20M users, narrowing gap with Instagram Threads (TechCrunch)
• Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany (Wired)

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We have an idea of how the DOJ wants to breakup Google, and it seems to hinge a lot on selling the Chrome web browser. Sony wants the Elden Ring franchise. The outgoing administration is racing to give out Chips Act money. And all the headlines from today’s Microsoft Ignite event.

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Links:

• Google’s Chrome to Fetch Up to $20 Billion If Judge Orders Sale (Bloomberg)
• Source: Google is turning Chrome OS into Android to compete with the iPad (AndroidAuthority)
• Exclusive: Sony is in talks to buy media powerhouse behind 'Elden Ring' (Reuters)
• Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted, sparking warnings of possible ‘hybrid warfare’ (CNN)
• Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud (The Verge)
• Windows comes to the Meta Quest (TechCrunch)
• Want to speak Italian? Microsoft AI can make it sound like you do. (Washington Post)
• Biden Team Races to Deliver Chip Grants Before Trump Takes Over (WSJ)

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We have the nomination for the next FCC chair. More hype around smartglasses. About that Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight on Netflix. Is YouTube now the king of the podcast ecosystem? And a deeper dive on how AI is giving Wall Street a brand new window into the startup ecosystem.

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Links:

• Trump Designates FCC Veteran Brendan Carr as Chair of Agency (Bloomberg)
• Report: Samsung XR glasses have Ray-Ban Meta specs with more features, seemingly no display (9to5Google)
• Netflix’s Tyson-Paul Boxing Bout Gets 65 Million Viewers at Peak (Bloomberg)
• Why Everyone Is Now Watching Podcasts on YouTube (WSJ)
• Nvidia Customers Worry About Snag With New AI Chip Servers (The Information)
• Wall Street's Elites Are Piling Into a Massive AI Gamble (Bloomberg)

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

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Eighteen states are suing the SEC over crypto regulation. The FTC might be going after Microsoft, but is this well timed or terribly timed? ChatGPT on Windows just got more available. NASA has created an AI Copilot for… Earth. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Links:

• SEC, Gary Gensler Sued by 18 States Over Biden’s Crypto Crackdown (Decrypt)
• US regulators plan to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business (Financial Times)
• ChatGPT App for Windows Now Available to Everyone (PCMag)
• NASA’s AI Earth Copilot will take your questions about our planet (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Not even Spotify is safe from AI slop (The Verge)
• Klarna’s Seb Siemiatkowski — from burger flipping to billionaire club (Financial Times)
• Inside the Billion-Dollar Startup Bringing AI Into the Physical World (Wired)

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Buckle up cause it’s going to be a regulation heavy day. Meta is served up its first big EU fine. The FBI is investigating Polymarket? The CFPB might require regular inspections of Google? A new AI agent from OpenAI in about a month? And forget the streaming wars, are we entering the age of the puzzle wars?

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Links:

• Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices (FT)
• Polymarket Investigated by DOJ for Allegedly Letting US Users Bet on Platform (Bloomberg)
• CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash (WashingtonPost)
• OpenAI Nears Launch of AI Agent Tool to Automate Tasks for Users (Bloomberg)
• Live Scam Detection in calls rolling out to Pixel 6-9 Phone app (9to5Google)
• Apple Releases Updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad (MacStories)
• Meta to Launch Ads on Threads in Early 2025 (The Information)
• Words With Friends takes on Wordle with new single-player daily puzzles (The Verge)

AI Avatar YouTube Experiment

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The guessing game on who the new tech regulators will be for the new administration. What is Amazon Haul? Why has Bluesky suddenly seen a flurry of activity? More on Apple’s smarthome ambitions. And more on why AI seems to be hitting a wall lately? Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.

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Links:

• Donald Trump’s potential antitrust enforcers may keep Big Tech in their sights (Financial Times)
• Amazon debuts discount store with everything under $20 to take on Temu and Shein (CNBC)
• With Surge in New Users, Bluesky Emerges as X Alternative (NYTimes)
• Apple’s Next Device Is an AI Wall Tablet for Home Control, Siri and Video Calls (Bloomberg)
• OpenAI, Google and Anthropic Are Struggling to Build More Advanced AI (Bloomberg)

Bluesky Techmeme Starter Pack

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Looks like Apple wants to get serious about smarthome tech. The EU gets Meta to change, but has another requested change from Apple. Signal has some new features. Netflix’s ad-tier continues to win. And a deeper dive into how AI can leap this scaling wall it seems to have run into. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech.

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Links:

• Kuo: Apple to release its own smart home camera in 2026, with AI features (9to5Mac)
• In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal (WSJ)
• Apple Gets EU Warning to Stop Geo-Blocking on App, ITunes Stores (Bloomberg)
• Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta (The Verge)
• Signal calls now work a lot more like Meet and Zoom (The Verge)
• Netflix Says Ad Tier Reaches 70 Million Users Globally (Variety)
• OpenAI and others seek new path to smarter AI as current methods hit limitations (Reuters)

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FTX is suing basically anybody you can think of. Why will your iPhone now reboot itself if you don’t log into it for several days? Is OpenAI’s next flagship model underperforming what they were expecting? And I’ve found the one company most disrupted by AI. At least, so far.

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Links:

• FTX Sues Binance, Ex-CEO Zhao Seeking $1.8 Billion Clawback (Bloomberg)
• FTX Sues Scaramucci to Recoup Money for Creditors (Bloomberg)
• Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (404Media)
• OpenAI Shifts Strategy as Rate of ‘GPT’ AI Improvements Slows (The Information)
• How ChatGPT Brought Down an Online Education Giant (WSJ)
• Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million (NYTimes)

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