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OpenAI takes on Google search directly. Another Hollywood strike with the same underlying causes. We know absolutely everything about the new Pixel 9 series already. Is WhatsApp finally catching on in the US? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Links:

• OpenAI announces SearchGPT, its AI-powered search engine (The Verge)
• Video game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns (AP)
• [Exclusive] Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro Fold promo material reveals design, specs, AI, and other features (91Mobiles)
• Uber, Lyft, DoorDash Prevail in California Gig-Worker Ruling (Bloomberg)
• Mark Zuckerberg says WhatsApp has 100M monthly active users in the US (TechCrunch)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Airbnb Hosts Want Guests to Come to Them Directly (Bloomberg)
• Physicists may now have a way to make element 120 – the heaviest ever (New Scientist)
• He says he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He didn’t, said Frito-Lay. Now he’s suing (LATimes)

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Once again, Reddit looks like it’s not worried about upsetting people. New generative search on Bing, new models from Mistral and a new video model from Stability. But did Runway train it’s video models on YouTube videos? We might have a smoking gun. But what if the dream of synthetic data for AI training is a mirage?

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Links:

• Google's Exclusive Reddit Access (404Media)
• Microsoft unveils Bing Generative Search — enhanced with AI, it's a complete overhaul of traditional search (WindowsCentral)
• Mistral shocks with new open model Mistral Large 2, taking on Llama 3.1 (VentureBeat)
• Stability AI steps into a new gen AI dimension with Stable Video 4D (VentureBeat)
• Runway Ripped Off YouTube Creators (404Media)
• The problem of ‘model collapse’: how a lack of human data limits AI progress (Financial Times)

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Meta’s Llama 3.1 shows that open models can at least go toe to toe with proprietary AI models. Why did the Google-Wiz deal fall apart? Was the CrowdStrike outage a part of it? Kamala Harris, AI czar? And what do the reviews of the recent Samsung foldable phones say to us about those Apple foldable phone rumors?

Links:

• Meta puts open source AI on the podium. (Ben's Bites)
• The first GPT-4-class AI model anyone can download has arrived: Llama 405B (ArsTechnica)
• Google’s Aborted Deals Show Antitrust’s Long Shadow Over Tech (Bloomberg)
• Google’s $23 Billion Snub From Wiz Will Sting Them Both (Bloomberg)
• A Kamala Harris Presidency Could Mean More of the Same on A.I. Regulation (NYTimes)
• Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone (The Information)
• The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a great phone that’s out of ideas (The Verge)

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I try to get my head around the whole Google and third-party cookies thing. Wiz turns down Google’s big money acquisition offer. Spot ether ETFs can begin trading. And why weather prediction might be the first big scientific breakthrough of this AI era.

Links:

• After years of uncertainty, Google says it won’t be ‘deprecating third-party cookies’ in Chrome (Digiday)
• Wiz walks away from $23 billion deal with Google, will pursue IPO (CNBC)
• This ‘Google TV Streamer’ set-top box is what comes after Chromecast [Gallery] (9to5Google)
• Spot Ethereum ETFs get final sign off to begin trading Tuesday (The Block)
• Delta CEO sees flight disruptions lasting for another couple of days (Reuters)
• Alexa Is in Millions of Households—and Amazon Is Losing Billions (WSJ)
• AI helps to produce breakthrough in weather and climate forecasting (Financial Times)

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Wait, did any news happen this weekend? IT people don’t know about it cause they’re still digging out from the CrowdStrike thing. But why is everybody pointing fingers at Microsoft? Samsung jumps on the Google Messages bandwagon. Japan wants AI startups. And what do you do when you need 22 thousand football player avatars real quick? AI of course!

Links:

• CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor also linked to Linux kernel panics and crashes (The Register)
• Microsoft’s global sprawl comes under fire after historic outage (Washington Post)
• Blue Screens Everywhere Are Latest Tech Woe for Microsoft (WSJ)
• Samsung going all in on Google Messages in US, stops pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones (9to5Google)
• Japan’s copyright rules draw AI groups — and alarm from creators (FT)
• How AI Brought 11,000 College Football Players to Digital Life in Three Months (WSJ)
• Review: CMF Phone 1 (Wired)

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The big tech outage caused by a single software update that even my mom is texting me about. The new mini AI models are bring prices down as we hoped. How Netflix completely righted its ship. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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Links:

• Major Windows BSOD issue takes banks, airlines, and broadcasters offline (The Verge)
• Global IT Collapse Puts Cyber Firm CrowdStrike in Spotlight (Bloomberg)
• Samsung halts Galaxy Buds 3 Pro shipments over quality issues (The Verge)
• OpenAI debuts mini version of its most powerful model yet (CNBC)
• OpenAI's 4o-mini brings big brains on a budget. (Ben's Bites)
• Netflix Q2 Profits Surge 44% to $2.15 Billion As Streamer Adds 8 Million Subscribers (The Wrap)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• A One-Man Telemundo on TikTok (NYTimes)
• Pooping on the Moon Is a Messy Business (Wired)

Interesting Raise Story About San Francisco Compute Co. (Bloomberg)

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It looks like crypto exchange hacks are back. And so are the North Koreans, I guess. Are the Meta Ray-Bans selling so well Zuck might invest in the Ray-Ban maker? The continuing trend of tech companies withholding products from Europe. And the state of play in terms of whether or not the cops can get into your phone.

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Links:

• WazirX Hacked for $230M, Largely in SHIB, as Elliptic Says North Korea Behind Attack (CoinDesk)
• $235 million lost by WazirX in North Korea-linked breach (Elliptic)
• Meta explores stake in Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica (FT)
• Reality Comes to Meta’s Reality Labs (The Information)
• Scoop: Meta won't offer future multimodal AI models in EU (Axios)
• Apple says its OpenELM model doesn’t power Apple Intelligence amid YouTube controversy (9to5Mac)
• Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic Used Thousands of Swiped YouTube Videos to Train AI (Proof)
• Leaked Docs Show What Phones Cellebrite Can (and Can’t) Unlock (404 Media)

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Sorry, we gotta do more politics. Can’t avoid it cause now Trump likes TikTok and seemingly hates Mark Zuckerberg. Mistrals two new models. A big Pixel phone leak. And the interesting new “sketch to image” AI tool on the new Galaxy phones.

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Links:

• Trump on Taxes, Tariffs, Jerome Powell and More (Bloomberg)
• Exclusive: Google-backed software developer GitLab explores sale, sources say (Reuters)
• Mistral releases Codestral Mamba for faster, longer code generation (VentureBeat)
• Giant Pixel 9 leak gives us our first real-world look at the Fold, faster charging specs, and more (AndroidAuthority)
• Samsung’s new image-generating AI tool is a little too good (The Verge)

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JD Vance becomes the first Tech industry player, and especially Venture Capitalist, to ever be on a major presidential ticket. It’s never been easier for the cops to break into your phone. Why are the major record labels suing Verizon? And why an AI innovation around spreadsheets could be a big deal.

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Links:

• J.D. Vance Is Trump’s Pick for Vice President (Wired)
• It’s never been easier for the cops to break into your phone (The Verge)
• Microsoft Investigated by UK Over Ex-Inflection Staff Hires (Bloomberg)
• Record labels sue Verizon for not disconnecting pirates’ Internet service (ArsTechnica)
• Microsoft’s new AI system ‘SpreadsheetLLM’ unlocks insights from spreadsheets, boosting enterprise productivity (VentureBeat)
• Apple releases public betas for iOS 18, macOS, and more (The Verge)

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The biggest tech exit in years might be in the offing as Alphabet eyes scooping up Wiz. The weird story of that huge AT&T hack. A new ARM-powered CoPilot+ PC is maybe the most powerful yet. And is India the reason Apple’s stock has been on the rise lately?

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Links:

• Google Near $23 Billion Deal for Cybersecurity Startup Wiz (WSJ)
• Zero to Billions: The Startup on the Verge of the Biggest Tech Exit in Years (WSJ)
• AT&T says criminals stole phone records of ‘nearly all’ customers in new data breach (TechCrunch)
• AT&T Paid a Hacker $370,000 to Delete Stolen Phone Records (Wired)
• HP's new OmniBook Ultra beats every single Copilot+ PC on the market in TOPS, and it runs on an AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor (Windows Central)
• Apple’s India Sales Surge 33% to Record in Shift From China (Bloomberg)
• India clings to cheap feature phones as brands struggle to tap new smartphone buyers (TechCrunch)

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