Techmeme
January 26, 2014, 10:45 PM

Top News

Liz Gannes / Re/code:
Exclusive: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M  —  Google is shelling out $400 million to buy a secretive artificial intelligence company called DeepMind.  —  Google confirmed the deal after Re/code inquired about it, but declined to specify a price.
Amir Efrati / The Information:
Google Beat Facebook for DeepMind, Creates Ethics Board  —  Google, which is acquiring DeepMind Technologies, has agreed to establish an ethics board to ensure the artificial intelligence technology isn't abused, according to two people familiar with the deal.
Tweets: @amir and @jessicalessin
Harry McCracken / TIME:
Exclusive: Watch Steve Jobs' First Demonstration of the Mac for the Public, Unseen Since 1984  —  It's January, 1984.  Steve Jobs, nattily attired in a double-breasted suit, is demonstrating Apple's breakthrough personal computer, Macintosh, before a packed room.
David Carr / New York Times:
Ezra Klein Is Joining Vox Media as Web Journalism Asserts Itself  —  After a week of speculation, it turns out that Ezra Klein, the prolific creator of The Washington Post's Wonkblog, will be going to Vox Media, the online home of SB Nation, a sports site, and The Verge, a fast-growing technology site.
Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:
Google and Samsung reach global patent cross-licensing agreement covering “the two companies' existing patents as well as those filed over the next 10 years”  —  Google and Samsung reach global patent license deal  —  In a move that could have big implications …
Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:
Foxconn Weighs Plan for U.S. Plant  —  Taiwanese Tech Manufacturer Would Make Displays at U.S. Facility  —  TAIPEI— Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. , which assembles gadgets for Apple Inc. and other global technology firms, is evaluating a plan to build an advanced display manufacturing plant in the U.S., its chairman said.
Jenna Wortham / NYT Bits:
For some, Twitter is becoming less about relevancy and more about one-liners  —  Valley of the Blahs: How Justin Bieber's Troubles Exposed Twitter's Achilles' Heel  —  At some point, Twitter and the rest of social media became less about wanting to share the news and more about wanting to be the news.
CB Insights:
51 Startup Failure Post-Mortems … On his many failed experiments, Thomas Edison once said … And so while we have dug into the data behind startups that have died (as well as those acqui-hired) and found they usually die 20 months after raising financing and after having raised about $1.3 million …
Kevin Poulsen / Wired:
How a Math Genius Hacked OkCupid to Find True Love  —  Chris McKinlay was folded  —  into a cramped fifth-floor cubicle in UCLA's math sciences building, lit by a single bulb and the glow from his monitor.  It was 3 in the morn­ing, the optimal time to squeeze cycles out of the supercomputer …
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
As smart home standards make slow progress, middleman services to tie devices together emerge  —  The dumb state of the smart home  —  Consumers are ready to connect their homes, but their appliances aren't  —  Shane Dyer is surrounded by a dozen or so home appliances made by a dozen or so different manufacturers.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Saam Motamedi from Greylock Partners
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Invest Like the Best:
Henry Ellenbogen - Man Versus Machine
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Grit:
How Evan Spiegel Is Building the Future of Computing
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Acquired:
10 Years of Acquired (with Michael Lewis)
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
Why humans are AI's biggest bottleneck (and what's coming in 2026) | Alexander Embiricos (OpenAI Codex Product Lead)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:45 PM ET, January 26, 2014.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Sam Biddle / Valleywag:
Graham Smith / Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
Danny Sullivan / Marketing Land: