Techmeme
May 21, 2025, 9:25 PM

Top News

Bloomberg:
OpenAI is buying io, Jony Ive's secretive AI startup, for ~$6.5B in stock; Ive and LoveFrom will remain independent but take over design for all of OpenAI  —  OpenAI will acquire the AI device startup co-founded by Apple Inc. veteran Jony Ive in a nearly $6.5 billion all-stock deal …
OpenAI:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Sam Altman and LoveFrom have been working for two years on a new device to move consumers beyond screens, including headphones and devices with cameras  —  OpenAI to buy Ive's startup in $6.5 billion deal, as Ive and CEO Sam Altman work on new generation of devices and other AI products
New York Times:
Sources: OpenAI owned a 23% stake in io from a 2024 deal so is now paying ~$5B to fully acquire it; separately, OpenAI's Start-up Fund invested in io last year  —  Jony Ive, a former top executive at Apple, said that the goal with OpenAI was to create “amazing products that elevate humanity.”
Sharon Goldman / Fortune:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Google tests bringing ads to AI Mode, both below responses as well as “integrated into” them, and expands ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US  —  Google on Wednesday detailed its plans to bring ads to AI Mode, the company's AI-powered experience in Google Search.
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Signal says it will block by default screenshots of its Windows 11 desktop app due to the privacy risks of Microsoft's Recall; users can enable them in settings  —  Signal Messenger is warning the users of its Windows Desktop version that the privacy of their messages is under threat by Recall …
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Microsoft seizes about 2,300 domains globally to disrupt Lumma's malware-as-a-service operation, after finding over 394K Windows computers infected by Lumma  —  Earlier this month, a coordinated disruption action targeting the Lumma malware-as-a-service (MaaS) information stealer operation seized thousands …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Epic v. Apple: Microsoft files an amicus brief supporting Epic Games and blames Apple for delaying the Xbox mobile gaming store, first announced in May 2024  —  Microsoft has filed support for Epic Games' fight with Apple, as it wants to launch new Xbox mobile improvements.
Eleanor Olcott / Financial Times:
Reuters:
Distributed Denial of Secrets: the TeleMessage hacker stole messages from 60+ US government users spanning about one day ending on May 4, including travel plans  —  A hacker who breached the communications service used by former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz earlier …
Milana Vinn / Reuters:
AT&T agrees to acquire Lumen's consumer fiber business for $5.75B, in an all-cash deal expected to close in H1 2026; LUMN jumps 13%+ after hours  —  AT&T (T.N) has clinched a deal to acquire Lumen Technologies' (LUMN.N) consumer fiber operations for $5.75 billion in cash …
Tanaya Macheel / CNBC:
Bitcoin reached a new all-time high, surpassing $110,000 and breaking its January record, after slumping to $74,000 in April  —  WATCH NOW  —  Bitcoin rose to a new all-time high on Wednesday, breaking its January record.  —  The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by 2% at $108,955.10, according to Coin Metrics.
Carl Franzen / VentureBeat:
OpenAI updates its Responses API for building agentic applications to include remote MCP server support, image generation and Code Interpreter tools, and more  —  OpenAI is rolling out a set of significant updates to its newish Responses API, aiming to make it easier for developers and enterprises …
Eric Geller / Cybersecurity Dive:
In a joint statement, the US, France, Germany, and eight other countries say Russia has stepped up cyber attacks on firms aiding Ukraine, often via Fancy Bear  —  One of Moscow's most infamous hacker teams is targeting logistics and technology companies supporting Kyiv's war effort.  —  Listen to the article
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Shopify launches new AI tools, including one for setting up storefronts and another for creating elements like banners, and upgrades its AI assistant Sidekick  —  Shopify is giving its merchants a slew of new AI-powered tools designed to help them enhance the online shopping experience for their customers.
Alfred Ng / Politico:
Sen. Wyden says AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile failed to create systems for notifying about surveillance on Senate-issued devices, despite a requirement to do so  —  Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) revealed in a new letter to Senate colleagues Wednesday that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile failed …
More: TechCrunch, The Register, and The Hill
Bluesky: @dell, @kimzetter, and @keithchuMastodon: @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.socialThreads: @senatorwarnerForums: r/technology
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Maine AG filing: Coinbase says its recent data breach impacted 69,461 individuals; stolen data included government IDs, account info, and personal identifiers  —  Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange with over 100 million customers, revealed that a recent data breach in which cybercriminals stole customer …
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
MIT Technology Review:
An analysis of AI's energy footprint, from the demands for making a model and the impact of a query to the emissions from data centers and the future ahead  —  The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn't tracking and consider where it's heading next.

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.
Intel:
5G's most deployed platform  —  Powering live networks with built-in Inference across Core and RAN.  That's the power of Intel Inside®
Zoho:
5 common AI pitfalls in staffing and how to fix them  —  Staffing teams are turning to AI to keep up with growing hiring demands.  It helps recruiters move faster, handle more applications, and stay on top of their pipelines.
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:
Live @ Nvidia's nerd Super Bowl, poker takes over tech, and the future of AI banking
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Superapp Ambitions, Jensen on Jobs, Bezos's $100 Billion Automation Fund
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.
Hard Fork:
'A.I.-Washing' Layoffs? + Why L.L.M.s Can't Write Well + Tokenmaxxing
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
The Social Radars:
Paul Graham, Founder, Y Combinator
Come be a fly on the wall as Y Combinator's Jessica Livingston and Carolynn Levy talk to some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley about how they did it.
Subscribe to The Social Radars.
The Upstarts Podcast:
Star Catcher's Andrew Rush: Harnessing The Sun To Build The First Energy Grid In Space
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Everybody Goes Home: How technology is helping prevent wildfires from spreading
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 9:25 PM ET, May 21, 2025.

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

Bloomberg:
Matthew Gault / 404 Media:
Tom Warren / The Verge:

Earlier Picks

William Langley / Financial Times:
CoinDesk: