Techmeme
September 28, 2023, 1:20 PM

Top News

Ash Parrish / The Verge:
Epic Games confirms it is laying off 16% of its workforce, or about 830 people, and intends to divest from Bandcamp and spin off “kid-tech” company SuperAwesome  —  Bloomberg reports that Fortnite developer Epic Games is expected to lay off 16 percent of its workforce.
Financial Times:
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Raspberry Pi 5 launches with a 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 chip, up to 8GB of RAM, two 4K HDMI ports with HDR, available in October for $60 for a 4GB model  —  Despite doubts that the Raspberry Pi 5 would launch this year, the latest version of the microcomputer has arrived with some notable upgrades at a $60 starting price.
Carly Page / TechCrunch:
Google patches a Chrome zero-day that was exploited by a commercial spyware vendor, just two days after Google's Threat Analysis Group informed the Chrome team  —  Google has rushed to patch a zero-day vulnerability in Chrome that was exploited by a commercial spyware vendor.
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Email: Serve Robotics, used by Uber Eats in Los Angeles, shared video filmed by one of its food delivery robots to the LAPD as part of a criminal investigation  —  This article was primarily reported using public records requests.  We are making it available to all readers as a public service.
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Reddit removes the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on Reddit activity but says that users will still have opt-out controls in “select countries”  —  Reddit said Wednesday that the platform is revamping its privacy settings with an aim to make ad personalization and account visibility toggles consistent.
RT Watson / The Block:
Coinbase says the crypto exchange has gained approval from the Bermuda Monetary Authority to offer non-US retail users perpetual futures trading  —  - Coinbase has gained approval to offer non-U.S. retail users perpetual futures trading from the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg:
Apple asks SCOTUS to revisit the 2021 Epic Games ruling regarding alternative IAP payment options, a day after Epic separately asked SCOTUS to take up the case  —  - IPhone maker wants to avoid allowing an end run around store  — Fortnite maker has separately asked high court to take up case
Camomile Shumba / CoinDesk:
Report: the Bank for International Settlements and French, Swiss, and Singaporean central banks successfully tested cross-border trading of wholesale CBDCs  —  The Bank for International Settlements alongside the central banks of France, Singapore and Switzerland tested out using wholesale CBDC to conduct cross border trading.
Erin Woo / The Information:
Sources: X is cutting ~50% of its election integrity team, including its Dublin-based head, less than a month after saying the company would expand the team  —  Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, is cutting around half of the global team devoted to limiting disinformation and election fraud …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Meta's celebrity AIs are generated AI animations built from filming the 28 people they represent; Meta would not comment on how the celebrities were compensated  —  Actors are in the middle of a major, protracted battle with Hollywood over what role AI will be playing in the future of entertainment …
Mia Sato / The Verge:
Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan plans to retire in March 2024; Ryan joined Sony in 1994, just before the first PlayStation debuted  —  Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is stepping down after almost 30 years with the company.
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple launches an iOS Wallet feature in the UK using the country's Open Banking API, showing users their current account balances, deposits, and payment history  —  Apple is soft launching a new iPhone Wallet app integration today that is powered by the United Kingdom's Open Banking API.
Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer:
The US and Japan warn that the China-backed BlackTech hacking group is breaching network devices, including Cisco's, to install backdoors on corporate networks  —  US and Japanese law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies warn of the Chinese ‘BlackTech’ hackers breaching network devices …
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
Paris-based Mistral AI makes its first LLM, Mistral 7B, that it claims outperforms open models with up to 13B parameters, free to use without restrictions  —  The most popular language models out there may be accessed via API, but open models — as far as that term can be taken seriously — are gaining ground.
Victoria Song / The Verge:
Google unveils the Fitbit Charge 6, with a physical side button, integration with Google services like YouTube Music, and more, available on October 12 for $160  —  Fitbit is back with the Charge 6 — and on paper, this one feels like the most Fitbit-y Fitbit since Google actively began folding the company into its ecosystem.
Bloomberg:
An analysis of 115 warrants in five US states shows that investigators are increasingly using Google's location and search data to try to solve nonviolent cases  —  Investigators increasingly use warrants to obtain location and search data from Google, even for nonviolent cases—and even for people who had nothing to do with the crime.
Samrhitha Arunasalam / Reuters:
OpenAI says ChatGPT can now browse the web, available first to Plus and Enterprise users, and the chatbot is “no longer limited to data before September 2021”  —  ChatGPT users will now be able to surf the web, Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) OpenAI said on Wednesday …
CNBC:
GameStop names Ryan Cohen as its CEO, effective immediately, and says Cohen won't be compensated for his work, after firing CEO Matthew Furlong in June 2023  —  - Ryan Cohen was appointed the company's CEO, president and chairman and won't receive compensation for his work.

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs  —  You know us for voice.  Now meet ElevenAgents — featuring Expressive Mode, our most human-sounding AI voice technology in 70+ languages with ultra-low latency.  Hear it for yourself.
Niantic Spatial:
World models need real-world data  —  Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics.  Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate.
Zoho:
Introducing the sandbox environment: Safely test and optimize e-signature workflows  —  Changes are an inevitable part of any workflow.  The average agreement workflow involves recipients across organizations …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Access:
OpenClaw for normies is here
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
When AI Kills
Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI vs. Anthropic's Direct Faceoff + Future of Agents — With Aaron Levie
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Great Chat:
OpenAI's new media M&A and old media exposé
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Invest Like the Best:
Alan Waxman - Private Credit and the Modern Financial System
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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 1:20 PM ET, September 28, 2023.

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

Yogita Khatri / The Block:

Earlier Picks

Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Matt Tamanini / The Streamable: