Techmeme
July 5, 2023, 9:50 PM

Top News

Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Meta launches Instagram's Threads, now available on the App Store and Google Play in over 100 countries  —  - Threads is a text-based messaging app that looks very similar to Twitter.  — People will be able to use their Instagram usernames on Threads and follow the same accounts on Threads as they do on Meta's photo-sharing app.
More: @zuck@threads.net, @mosseri@threads.net, New York Times, MacRumors, @zuck@threads.net, The Information, Washington Post, Macworld, Decrypt, Australian Financial Review, Instagram, 9to5Mac, The Verge, NBC News, Mercury News, Gizmodo, Wall Street Journal, AppleInsider, BBC, Vox, CNET, The Verge, Engadget, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Reuters, Forbes, Meta, @sam_faid@threads.net, @nickbilton@threads.net, Social Media Today, NBC 7 San Diego, @crumbler@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, SiliconANGLE, Digital Trends, Pocket-lint, Fortune, GoNintendo, Variety, @alexia@threads.net, Mashable, Agence France-Presse, SlashGear, The National, BGR, iPhone in Canada Blog, The Hollywood Reporter, PetaPixel, Supercharged, Adweek, Social Media Today, MobileSyrup, KnowTechie, TechRadar, ZDNet, WinBuzzer, Dexerto, Bloomberg, Forbes, Silicon Valley Business …, Digit, Memeburn, MarketWatch, Techlusive, and Cryptopolitan
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Hands-on with Threads: fairly basic text-based messaging app, log in via Instagram handle, no hashtags, can't search for anything other than user handles, more  —  Programming note: I really was trying to take a vacation, but this felt like it was worth the one-day interruption.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Q&A with Adam Mosseri on how Threads started, why it is a “risky endeavor”, creating a standalone app off of Instagram, ActivityPub integration, and more  —  The ‘volatility’ of Twitter under Elon Musk has given Instagram an opening to compete.  It's a ‘risky’ bet worth trying, says Instagram boss Adam Mosseri.
Adrian Weckler / Independent.ie:
Kris Holt / Engadget:
Kris Holt / Engadget:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
OpenAI forms Superalignment, a team for developing ways to steer and control “superintelligent” AI systems, with access to 20% of its compute secured to date  —  OpenAI is forming a new team led by Ilya Sutskever, its chief scientist and one of the company's co-founders …
Washington Post:
Source: the US State Dept. cancels regular meetings with Meta about 2024 election prep, one day after a judge limited Biden officials' contact with tech firms  —  A Louisiana federal court's order limiting the Biden administration's communications with tech firms already is disrupting efforts to fight misinformation.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Bluesky raised an $8M seed led by Neo and partners with Namecheap to offer easy custom domain purchasing and management, Bluesky's first paid service  —  Hours before Meta launches its anticipated Instagram competitor, Threads, another Twitter rival — Bluesky — is announcing additional funding and its first paid service.
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Andy Jassy asked Amazon's Hollywood studio for detailed budgets to scrutinize ballooning costs; Amazon spent $7B on originals, sports, and more in 2022  —  I am off this week; that means no newsletter Sunday.  —  (Tips are still welcome at lshaw31@bloomberg.net or on Signal.
Allison Johnson / The Verge:
Samsung announces its next Galaxy Unpacked event for July 26 at 7am ET in Seoul, where the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Watch 6, and new tablets are expected  —  Samsung has announced it's hosting its next Unpacked on July 26th at 7AM ET — bright and early for the east coast …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Australia searched several local Binance offices as part of its derivatives investigation; CZ acknowledged that “external pressure” has hurt Binance  —  Binance's offices in Australia were searched by the country's financial markets regulator as governments around …
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Fairphone and Murena partner to launch the user-repairable, modular Fairphone 4 in the US for $599+, unlocked and running the Google-free /e/ OS, not Android  —  The storage of both models can be expanded via microSD, and the phone features a modular design that can be easily disassembled using …

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