More layoffs make me more concerned the AI jobpocalypse is coming to tech this summer. In the big Meta v. OpenAI talent battle, who is desperate and who is scared? We reframe the situation a bit. Figma files for an IPO. Chinese AI seems to be gain ground worldwide. And do universities need to fundamentally rethink teaching computer science?

Links:

• Microsoft laying off about 9,000 employees in latest round of cuts (CNBC)
• Here’s What Mark Zuckerberg Is Offering Top AI Talent (Wired)
• Sam Altman Slams Meta’s AI Talent-Poaching Spree: ‘Missionaries Will Beat Mercenaries’ (Wired)
• Figma files for IPO on NYSE, plans to ‘take big swings’ with acquisitions (CNBC)
• China Is Quickly Eroding America’s Lead in the Global AI Race (WSJ)
• How Do You Teach Computer Science in the A.I. Era? (NYTimes)

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Meta Superintelligence Labs is official. Cloudflare’s tool to help websites fend off AI bots is official. Will Apple throw in the towel and just buy some AI off the shelf? Does Amazon now have more robots than human workers in its warehouses? And my hands-down can’t live without you app finds a home.

Sponsors:

• CornbreadHemp.com/ride and code RIDE

Links:

• Zuckerberg Debuts Meta ‘Superintelligence’ Group, More Hires (Bloomberg)
• Cloudflare launches a marketplace that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping (TechCrunch)
• Apple Weighs Using Anthropic or OpenAI to Power Siri in Major Reversal (Bloomberg)
• Amazon Is on the Cusp of Using More Robots Than Humans in Its Warehouses (WSJ)
• Musk’s X Hires Entrepreneur Nikita Bier as Head of Product (Bloomberg)
• Grammarly to acquire email startup Superhuman in AI platform push (Reuters)

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Weird beef between Nintendo and Amazon. Is Apple going to make a cheap Macbook with an iPhone chip inside? OpenAI claps back at Meta. The AI avatar startup. And for the first time in a decade, Spotify has changed up the Discover Weekly playlist.

Links:

• Amazon Misses Out on Switch 2 Sales After Nintendo Pulled Products From US Site (Bloomberg)
• Kuo: Apple to release cheaper MacBook powered by iPhone processor (9to5Mac)
• ‘F1’ Revs To $144M Opening Weekend Around The World, Brad Pitt & Apple Original Films Records (Deadline)
• OpenAI Leadership Responds to Meta Offers: ‘Someone Has Broken Into Our Home’ (Wired)
• AI avatars are here in full force—and they’re serving some of the world’s biggest companies (Fortune)
• Spotify revamps its Discover Weekly playlist after 10 years (TechCrunch)

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Mark Zuckerberg’s big AI plan seems still to be such a work in progress, he’s even considering abandoning Llama. Apple attempts to comply with the EU’s DMA. Instagram and TikTok want to follow YouTube to your TV. The infamous Blue Screen of Death is dying. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Links:

• In Pursuit of Godlike Technology, Mark Zuckerberg Amps Up the A.I. Race (NYTimes)
• Meta says it’s winning the talent war with OpenAI (The Verge)
• Apple announces sweeping App Store changes in the EU (9to5Mac)
• Google launches Doppl, a new app that lets you visualize how an outfit might look on you (TechCrunch)
• TikTok, Instagram Plot TV Apps Following YouTube’s Success (The Information)
• Windows is getting rid of the Blue Screen of Death after 40 years (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them (Wired)
• AI is ruining houseplant communities online (The Verge)

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The legal rulings on AI are finally coming in. The problem is, they’re contradictory, so we’re not getting any legal clarity yet. Creative Commons but for AI training data. Is DeepSeek’s R2 model being stymied by lack of access to Nvidia chips? And another deep look at the question of: is AI taking jobs at tech companies, right now?

Links:

• Microsoft sued by authors over use of books in AI training (Reuters)
• Trump Mobile reiterates claims that new phones are 'made in America' (USAToday)
• Creative Commons debuts CC signals, a framework for an open AI ecosystem (TechCrunch)
• OpenAI, Microsoft Rift Hinges on How Smart AI Can Get (WSJ)
• DeepSeek’s Progress Stalled by U.S. Export Controls (The Information)
• Salesforce CEO Says 30% of Internal Work Is Being Handled by AI (Bloomberg)
• AI Killed My Job: Tech workers (Blood In The Machine)

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AI is transforming job search on both sides of the equation. A first court ruling on using copyrighted books to train AI. New AI releases from Google devs will want to know about. How your kids 3rd grade teacher is using AI. And why did Apple push an ad to everybody?

Sponsors:

• Shopify.com/ride

Links:

• Employers Are Buried in A.I.-Generated Résumés (NYTimes)
• CareerBuilder + Monster to Sell Businesses in Bankruptcy (WSJ)
• Exclusive: Uber and Palantir alums raise $35M to disrupt corporate recruitment with AI (Fortune)
• Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books (The Verge)
• Google unveils Gemini CLI, an open-source AI tool for terminals (TechCrunch)
• How ChatGPT and other AI tools are changing the teaching profession (AP)
• iPhone customers upset by Apple Wallet ad pushing ‘F1’ movie (TechCrunch)

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A new Xbox branded Meta Quest. Amazon is expanding same day delivery even more. What does it mean for the AI race if ChatGPT seems to be outcompeting Microsoft’s Copilot offerings in the enterprise space? Why is Wall Street leading the way on AI adoption? And what exactly is Mira Murati’s big new AI startup going to do, exactly?

Sponsors:

• Venice.ai/techmeme and code: techmeme

Links:

• After a year of waiting, Microsoft's Meta Quest 3S "Xbox Edition" is here — our hands-on review of this (very) limited edition partnership (Windows Central)
• Amazon bringing same-day delivery to ‘millions’ of rural customers (The Verge)
• Tesla Robotaxi Incidents Draw Scrutiny From US Safety Agency (Bloomberg)
• Waymo’s robotaxis are now available on the Uber app in Atlanta (The Verge)
• ChatGPT's Enterprise Success Against Copilot Fuels OpenAI and Microsoft's Rivalry (Bloomberg)
• Goldman Sachs launches AI assistant firmwide, memo shows (Reuters)
• Thinking Machines Lab’s $2B Seed Round Is Biggest By A Long Shot (Crunchbase News)
• How Ex-OpenAI CTO Murati’s Startup Plans to Compete With OpenAI and Others (The Information)

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Tesla launches its robotaxi service in Austin. Apple is negotiating desperately to avoid an EU fine coming as soon as this week. Also, why doesn’t Apple do some acquihires to get back in the AI game? Maybe Perplexity would be attractive? The Music industry gathers tools to detect AI. And is there a global divide growing when it comes to AI access?

Sponsors:

• 1Password.com/ride

Links:

• Tesla launches robotaxi service in Austin (Financial Times)
• Jony Ive Deal Removed From OpenAI Site Over Trademark Suit (Bloomberg)
• Apple locked in last-minute App Store negotiations to avoid Brussels fines (Financial Times)
• Apple Will Need to Leave Its M&A Comfort Zone to Succeed in AI (Bloomberg)
• Apple Executives Have Held Internal Talks About Buying AI Startup Perplexity (Bloomberg)
• The music industry is building the tech to hunt down AI songs (The Verge)
• The Global A.I. Divide (NYTimes)

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Meta has some new smartglasses. How long can the TikTok groundhog day go on? Masa Son wants to create a Shenzhen-like production city here in the US. Are your smart cameras a national security threat to the home front in a war? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

• Factor75.com/ride

Links:

• Meta announces Oakley smart glasses (The Verge)
• Meta tried to buy Ilya Sutskever’s $32 billion AI startup, but is now planning to hire its CEO (CNBC)
• Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a third time, without clear legal basis (AP)
• Publishers facing existential threat from AI, Cloudflare CEO says (Axios)
• Masa Son Pitches $1 Trillion US AI Hub to TSMC, Trump Team (Bloomberg)
• Israeli Officials Warn Iran Is Hijacking Security Cameras to Spy (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• Scientists once hoarded pre-nuclear steel; now we’re hoarding pre-AI content (ArsTechnica)
• Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex (QuantaMagazine)

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Are we about to see a summer of layoffs in Silicon Valley? Midjourney’s new video model. Meta continues its acqu-hire spree with some folks we know. Microsoft has its own nuclear option with OpenAI, while OpenAI is starting to get worried about its models being nuclear dangerous? And what even IS AGI?

Sponsors:

• CornbreadHemp.com/ride and code RIDE

Links:

• Microsoft Planning Thousands More Job Cuts Aimed at Salespeople (Bloomberg)
• ‘Surpassing all my expectations’: Midjourney releases first AI video model amid Disney, Universal lawsuit (VentureBeat)
• Meta in Talks to Hire AI Investors Friedman and Gross, Partially Buy Out Their Venture Fund (The Information)
• Microsoft prepared to walk away from high-stakes OpenAI talks (FT)
• OpenAI warns models with higher bioweapons risk are imminent (Axios)
• Why Big Tech cannot agree on artificial general intelligence (FT)

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