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Latest Episodes:

Wed. 12/20 – Sony Has Sold 50 Million PS5s Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Rite Aid was apparently doing some crazy stuff with facial recognition software. Sony says the PS5 is killing it. ByteDance is definitely killing it. Microsoft CoPilot can now compose songs. And maybe the real reason OpenAI is making deals with publishers.

Links:

Rite Aid Banned From AI Facial Recognition by FTC After Misuse (Bloomberg)
PlayStation sales and blockbuster games propel console market back to growth (FT)
ByteDance’s Sales Break $110 Billion to Pass Tencent This Year (ByteDance)
SSH protects the world’s most sensitive networks. It just got a lot weaker (ArsTechnica)
Microsoft Copilot gets a music creation feature via Suno integration (TechCrunch)
Scooter Company Bird Global Files Bankruptcy to Sell Itself (Bloomberg)
What Do AI Companies Want With the Media? (NYMag)

Tue. 12/19 – Google Might Owe You Some Money Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Google has settled lawsuits from the states, has agreed to offer new billing tools, and may owe YOU some money as they’ve agreed to pay $700 million dollars in restitution. What happens to adobe and Figma now that they’ve got to go their own ways? Why do hackers love targeting game developers? And game preservationist have uncovered a gold mine.

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Links:

Google to Pay $700 Million in Play Store Settlement (WSJ)
102 million people eligible for Google’s $630M lawsuit settlement (Washington Post)
Figma Grew Fast Even as Executives Failed to Clinch Adobe Deal (The Information)
Adobe Has $6 Billion for AI and Buybacks After Figma Deal Collapses (Bloomberg)
TikTok rolls out an enhanced app experience for tablets and foldables (TickTok)
Xfinity discloses data breach affecting over 35 million people (Bleeping Computer)
OpenAI Says Board Can Overrule CEO on Safety of New AI Releases (Bloomberg)
Game preservationists dig for lost apps in TestFlight ‘teraleak’ (The Verge)

Mon. 12/18 – Adobe And Figma Call Off Their Merger Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Big news Monday. Adobe and Figma have called off their wedding. Apple might stop selling its top-of-the-line Apple Watches, in the US, this week. I’ll tell you why. The EU has formally opened an investigation into X. And why are all of the Hollywood studios suddenly willing to sell their content to Netflix again?

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Links:

(Portfolio Profile) AdHawk Microsystems Dec 16, 2023

Show notes

You can learn more about AdHawk Microsystems.

But especially learn more about the MindLink Air.

And the link to the YouTube version of this interview is here if you want to watch the demo.

Fri. 12/15 – Did Google Just Kill Geofence Warrants? Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

Did Google just kill geofence warrants? Intel wants you to know it’s in the AI game. Could we get a foldable iPad before we get a foldable iPhone? Soon, maybe your tv really will be spying on you to deliver ads. The AI stuffed toy that Grimes has partnered with. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Links:

Is This the End of Geofence Warrants? (The EFF)
Intel unveils new AI chip to compete with Nvidia and AMD (CNBC)
Report: Apple has ‘no concrete timeline’ for a foldable iPad, focused on OLED displays instead (9to5Mac)
Marketing Company Claims That It Actually Is Listening to Your Phone and Smart Speakers to Target Ads (404Media)
Cruise slashes 24% of self-driving car workforce in sweeping layoffs (TechCrunch)
Grimes is working on an interactive AI toy for kids. Meet Grok. (Washington Post)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

https://www.instagram.com/techmemeridehomepod/

Thu. 12/14 – Threads Is Shipping Some Stuff! Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

The gates have been opened for Europeans on Threads, and it looks like Meta’s serious about tying Threads into to Fediverse. I argue that the release of a new charging case for the AirPods Pro is kinda a big deal. Wait until you hear this wild story about hackers versus a train. And maybe ChatGPT DIDN’T turn students into cheaters afterall.

Sponsors:

Miro.com/podcast

Links:

Meta starts testing Threads integration with ActivityPub (TechCrunch)
Threads launches for nearly half a billion more users in Europe (The Verge)
Apple now sells the AirPods Pro USB-C case by itself — for $99 (The Verge)
Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on Meta’s Quest VR headsets (The Verge)
Etsy Cuts 11% of Headcount as Competition From Shein and Temu Mounts (The Information)
Polish Hackers Repaired Trains the Manufacturer Artificially Bricked. Now The Train Company Is Threatening Them (404 Media)
Cheating Fears Over Chatbots Were Overblown, New Research Suggests (NYTimes)

Wed. 12/13 – Big Tesla Recall Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Apple has a new tool to help you if your iPhone gets stolen. There’s a huge Tesla recall related to Autopilot. More AI tools from Google. How is X doing, you know, financially speaking? And Netflix’s first ever What We Watched report.

Sponsors:

Miro.com/podcast
Mindbloom.com/techmeme100 and code techmeme100

Links:

Apple Makes Security Changes to Protect Users From iPhone Thefts (WSJ)
Google Offers Enhanced Generative AI Features for Cloud Customers (Bloomberg)
Tesla Recalls 2 Million Cars to Fix Autopilot Safety Flaws (Bloomberg)
FCC issues final denial of $885M Starlink subsidy (TechCrunch)
Musk’s X 2023 Ad Sales Projected to Slump to About $2.5 Billion (Bloomberg)
EU Deal to Force Uber, Deliveroo Treat Some Drivers as Employees (Bloomberg)
OpenAI to Pay Politico Parent Axel Springer for Using Its Content (WSJ)
Netflix reveals how many hours we spent watching The Night Agent and Queen Charlotte (The Verge)

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Tue. 12/12 – Epic Win! Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Epic Games has won its case against Google’s app store, but why was this case different than the one they lost to Apple? The sort of big changes to Apple TV. BeReal is still around and still… being real. But E3 is not. It’s officially over as a conference.

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Links:

Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight (The Verge)
Google’s Epic Legal Defeat Threatens $200 Billion App Store Industry (Bloomberg)
Exclusive: Apple offers to let rivals access tap-and-go tech in EU antitrust case (Reuters)
Apple iTunes Will Now Redirect Users to Redesigned Apple TV App for Movies, Series (Variety)
BeReal adds private groups and Live Photo-like features; Pew estimates 13% of US teens use app (TechCrunch)
E3, once gaming’s biggest expo, is officially dead (Washington Post)

Mon. 12/11 – Here Come The New Open-Source AI Startups Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

I told you the open-source AI startups were coming, and a big one is making waves today. Apple’s iPad lineup is hella confusing, but Mark Gurman says Apple is working to streamline that in the coming year. And let me give you the background on that whole Effective Accelerationist movement you might have been hearing about online.

Sponsors:

Links:

Mistral, French A.I. Start-Up, Is Valued at $2 Billion in Funding Round (NYTimes)
Nvidia Sees Vietnam as Potential Second Home, Reports Say (Bloomberg)
Apple Is Working on Cleaning Up Its Confusing iPad Lineup (Bloomberg)
China’s cyber army is invading critical U.S. services (Washington Post)
This A.I. Subculture’s Motto: Go, Go, Go (NYTimes)

Fri. 12/08 – Did Google Fake The Gemini Demo? Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

People across the Internet are accusing Google of faking that Gemini AI video demo that everyone was wowed by. Apple seems to be diversifying out of China for manufacturing at pace now. Might the UK’s CMA have an issue with Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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