Techmeme
April 16, 2024, 6:45 PM

Top News

Connor Jones / The Register:
UnitedHealth says the February ransomware attack on Change Healthcare cost the company $872M in Q1; another ransomware group appears to be extorting the company  —  First glimpse at attack financials reveals huge pain  —  UnitedHealth, parent company of ransomware-besieged Change Healthcare …
Financial Times:
Microsoft invests $1.5B in Abu Dhabi-based AI startup G42 for a minority stake, after G42 severed ties with Chinese suppliers; Brad Smith will join G42's board  —  Agreement is latest move by US tech group to extend its reach into fast-growing sector  —  Microsoft has agreed to invest $1.5bn …
Bloomberg:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Raphael Satter / Reuters:
The Open Source Security Foundation and the OpenJS Foundation say the attempt to insert a secret backdoor into XZ Utils “may not be an isolated incident”  —  The recent attempt by an unknown actor to sabotage a widely used software program may have been one of several attempts …
Benjamin Sandofsky / Sandofsky:
How Humane's attempt to build its Ai Pin “The Apple Way” led to disastrous results, after taking six years to build it and raising $230M  —  Why You Can't Build Apple with Venture Capital  —  An ex-Apple designer who went on to startup success once told me …
Priya Anand / Bloomberg:
Sensor Tower: Naval Ravikant and Brian Norgard's audio-focused invitation-only social app Airchat has been downloaded 30K+ times since it relaunched this month  —  - The app feels like a combination of voice notes and Twitter  — Invite-only Airchat has won over VCs and early adopters
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Apple debuts web distribution of iOS apps to EU users, allowing qualifying devs who opt in to its Core Technology Fee to offer direct downloads from their sites  —  Apple is opening up web distribution for iOS apps targeting users in the European Union from today.
Dell Cameron / Wired:
The Senate is set to vote on RISAA, which reauthorizes FISA's Section 702 and could force new types of businesses to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant  —  A controversial bill reauthorizing the Section 702 spy program may force whole new categories of businesses to eavesdrop …
Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg:
Andreessen Horowitz raised $7.2B, including $600M for American Dynamism, $3.75B for late-stage startups, and $600M for gaming, exceeding its target by ~4%  —  Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's biggest venture capital firms, has raised $7.2 billion in new funding — a sizable haul after a rocky period for the startup world.
PA Media:
The UK proposes legislation to outlaw creating sexually explicit deepfake photos without consent, regardless of whether creators intended to share the images  —  Offenders could face jail if image is widely shared under proposed amendment to criminal justice bill
Vittoria Elliott / Wired:
Meta's Oversight Board plans to investigate two deepfake porn cases involving unnamed US celebrities who had their images altered to create explicit content  —  Social platforms have struggled to quickly remove deepfake porn depicting celebrities.  —  As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated …

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More News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Paul Alcorn / Tom's Hardware:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Jennifer A. Kingson / Axios:
Stephen Nellis / Reuters: