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Tue. 03/14 – Meta Has Now Cut 1/4th Of Its Workforce Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Those expected layoffs have come to Meta. AI tools come to Google Workspace and an API for Google’s PaLM language model. Seems like things have generally worked out with this Silicon Valley Bank aftermath. Microsoft laid off its AI risk team. Layoffs at Y Combinator. And a look at the standard that’s trying to keep over the air broadcast television relevant.

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Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs and cancel ‘low priority projects’ (TechCrunch)
Google announces AI features in Gmail, Docs, and more to rival Microsoft (The Verge)
Google opens up its AI language model PaLM to challenge OpenAI and GPT-3 (The Verge)
FDIC Planning Another Silicon Valley Bank Auction (WSJ)
Venture capitalists weigh Silicon Valley Bank salvage operation (FT)
Microsoft just laid off one of its responsible AI teams (Platformer)
Y Combinator to End Late-Stage Startup Fund, Lays Off Staff (The Information)
The future of TV is up in the air (The Verge)

Mon. 03/13 – Crisis Averted? Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Unless it affected you, you might have missed a huge tech story this weekend. But now that depositors to Silicon Valley Bank are being made whole, is the whole crisis averted? Tim Cook is pressing ahead with the Apple headset over the objections of Apple’s design team. And the varied and complex dilemmas of this new AI reality in two, somewhat oppositional segments.

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SVB’s tech failings were a problem long before the bank run that led to its demise, critics say (CNBC)
SVB provided for tech when everyone else ignored us (FT)
Regulators close crypto-focused Signature Bank, citing systemic risk (CNBC)
Tim Cook bets on Apple’s mixed-reality headset to secure his legacy (FT)
Microsoft Strung Together Tens of Thousands of Chips in a Pricey Supercomputer for OpenAI (Bloomberg)
Large language models are having their Stable Diffusion moment (Simon Willison's Blog)
Self Radicalization with open sourced AI-Systems (Good Internet)

(Portfolio Profile) Cadre.com Mar 12, 2023

Show notes

Cadre.com is revolutionizing commercial real estate investing.

Fri. 03/10 – Silicon Valley Bank(Run) Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

There’s really only one story right now. The troubles at Silicon Valley Bank and how it has literally everyone in the startup ecosystem worried right now. It’s a classic bank run, people. Plus, Meta is developing a Twitter clone. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

Links:

This just broke, FYI: Silicon Valley Bank is shut down by regulators, FDIC to protect insured deposits (CNBC)
Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network (Platformer)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

In AI, is bigger always better? (Nature)
Can Xerox reinvent itself for another 100 years? (The Verge)
Why Are So Many Guys Obsessed With Master and Commander? (GQ)

Thu. 03/09 – Silvergate’s Collapse Makes The Crypto Winter Even Colder Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

Silvergate Capital is shutting down, so the crypto winter just got colder. Microsoft says the new Bing has crossed 100 million daily active users. Why TikTok is responsible for the new Spotify redesign. Can police grab your Ring camera footage without your permission, even if you’re not the target of an investigation? And looks like Stripe won’t be going public this year after all.

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Thuma.co/techmeme

Links:

Silvergate will liquidate bank, wind down operations (The Block)
Microsoft details how it could get Call of Duty: Warzone running on Switch (The Verge)
Microsoft’s AI-Powered Bing Search Engine Surpasses 100 Million Daily Active Users (Gizmodo)
Spotify’s new design is part TikTok, part Instagram, and part YouTube (The Verge)
The privacy loophole in your doorbell (Politico)
SCOOP: Stripe Is Raising $6 Billion to Resolve Taxes & Expiring Employee Shares, Delaying Public Listing (Newcomer)

Wed. 03/08 – The “Cambrian Explosion” Moment For AI Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Today, you might have heard about the latest Elon controversy where he criticized an employee, and then walked it all back. We’ll get into that. DuckDuckGo melds two AI tools together. A Large Visual Language Model that will help robots move around in the real world. I explain why I’m telling you about every new Generative AI advance seemingly every single day. And with Google officially announcing the date for I/O, is their headlong rush to release AI products the waking of a sleeping giant, or the second coming of Google+?

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RelationshipHero.com/techmeme

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Tue. 03/07 – A TikTok Paywall Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

TikTok launches a paywall, but it’s all about the creators. Salesforce has its own generative AI product. More layoffs coming for Meta. Another autonomous driving startup bites the dust. Why Twitter broke yesterday, and new speakers from Sonos.

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self.

Links:

TikTok Launches ‘Series’ Feature, Which Lets Creators Sell Premium Episodes Up to 20 Minutes Each (Variety)
Apple reveals a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus (The Verge)
Salesforce follows Microsoft in launching A.I. tools for salespeople with help from OpenAI (CNBC)
Meta Plans Thousands More Layoffs as Soon as This Week (Bloomberg)
Embark Trucks lays off workers, explores liquidation of self-driving truck assets (TechCrunch)
How a single engineer brought down Twitter on Monday (Platformer)
Apple First to Capture 8 Spots in List for Global Top 10 Smartphones (Counterpoint)
Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 first look: you’re gonna want to hear these speakers (The Verge)

Mon. 03/06 – AI And The Golden Age Of Scamming Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

As Microsoft begins to integrate AI into its core enterprise and productivity products, are we ready for the scamming that AI is going to be able to produce? Details on forthcoming new iMacs. A checkin on Twitter. And why does Meta seem hellbent on ignoring what most people use VR for in the first place?

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Microsoft’s Latest AI Assistant Is Meant for Marketers, Customer Reps and Work Apps (Bloomberg)
They thought loved ones were calling for help. It was an AI scam. (WashingtonPost)
OpenAI Rival Stable Diffusion Maker Seeks to Raise Funds at $4 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)
Multicoin Capital’s Hedge Fund Lost 91.4% Last Year, Investor Letter Reveals (CoinDesk)
Apple Readies Its Next Range of Macs, Including — Finally — a New iMac (Bloomberg)
Musk Delayed Paying Twitter’s Amazon Cloud Bill, Sparking Ad Threat (The Information)
Twitter’s Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Fell About 40% in Month of December (WSJ)
I don’t think Meta knows it’s a game company (The Verge)

(Bonus) State Of The Job Market With Grupa Mar 04, 2023

Show notes

Checking in on the state of the tech job market with Grupa.io.

Fri. 03/03 – AI Summarizers And Glamour Filters Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Everyone in crypto stops doing business with Silvergate. Brave search launches an AI summarizer. A look at TikTok's AI Bold Glamour filter. Maybe the Activision acquisition is going to skate through the regulators. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.

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