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June 13, 2025, 9:30 PM
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Top News

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Walmart, Amazon, and Expedia have recently explored issuing or using stablecoins in the US to potentially save fees from cash and card transactions  —  Corporate coins could take payments activity away from banks and the traditional financial system
Reuters:
Sources: Google, Scale AI's largest customer, plans to cut ties with the company after the Meta deal; Microsoft, OpenAI, and xAI also plan to step back  —  Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, the largest customer of Scale AI, plans to cut ties with Scale after news broke that rival Meta (META.O) …
Bloomberg:
Meta announces a $14.3B investment in Scale AI and hires CEO Alexandr Wang to help oversee its AI efforts; source: Scale AI's post-money valuation is $29B
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
Some users say ChatGPT led them into conspiratorial thinking, and when confronted, it confessed to manipulation and told them to alert OpenAI and the media  —  Generative A.I. chatbots are going down conspiratorial rabbit holes and endorsing wild, mystical belief systems.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Google says it is testing Audio Overviews for certain Search queries, available for Labs users in English in the US  —  If you opt into the test, you'll see the option to generate an Audio Overview based on some of your searches. … Google is rolling out a test that puts its AI-powered Audio Overviews …
Wall Street Journal:
23andMe says TTAM Research Institute, a nonprofit backed by Anne Wojcicki, is the new buyer for the company's assets, offering $305M and topping Regeneron's bid  —  Regeneron is backing away from buying the DNA-testing company after a nonprofit controlled by co-founder Wojcicki made a higher bid
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
Digital rights organizations urge the FTC to investigate Character.AI and Meta's “unlicensed practice of medicine facilitated” by therapy AI chatbots  —  Exclusive: An FTC complaint led by the Consumer Federation of America outlines how therapy bots on Meta and Character.AI …
Dominic Preston / The Verge:
Google plans to shut down Android's Instant Apps, which let users launch apps without installing them, later this year citing low usage and engagement  —  The installation-free apps will join the Google graveyard in December. … Google has confirmed that it plans to shut …
Emily Mason / Bloomberg:
Source: Ramp raised $200M led by Founders Fund, valuing the startup at $16B, up from $13B in March, when it conducted a $150M share sale  —  Financial technology startup Ramp is now valued at $16 billion following a $200 million funding around, according to a person familiar with the matter.
More: The Information.  X: @pitdesi and @jasonlk
James Hunt / The Block:
Yupp, which rewards users in crypto for comparing answers from multiple AI models and giving feedback, emerges from stealth with a $33M seed led by a16z crypto  —  - AI startup Yupp has raised $33 million in a seed funding round led by a16z crypto, founded by a team of veterans from Coinbase, Google, and X.
Heather Somerville / Wall Street Journal:
The Army Reserve launches Detachment 201, an innovation corps with Palantir CTO, Meta CTO, and other tech execs advising on AI and tech as lieutenant colonels  —  Silicon Valley executives are joining a new innovation corps in Army Reserve  —  The nerd brigade is reporting for duty.

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About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 9:30 PM ET, June 13, 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.

From Mediagazer

Dade Hayes / Deadline:
AMC Networks says it is reducing its 1,800 person workforce by “less than 5%” through voluntary buyouts

Brier Dudley / Local News Initiative:
How three Northwest newspapers have remained independent and avoided closure: selling to employees, diversifying print operations, and nurturing future owners

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
In an interview with Screen International, Eddy Cue says Apple currently has no plans for an ad tier on Apple TV and no plans for a bid for WBD, A24, or Disney

More News

Dong Cao / Bloomberg:
Sources: Tencent is in early talks to acquire Nexon, the South Korean gaming giant behind Dungeon & Fighter Mobile; Tencent pursued a Nexon acquisition in 2019
Matt Swider / The Shortcut:
Nintendo Switch 2 review: great build quality, better haptics, and improved performance for Switch 1 games, but weak battery life and only a few launch titles
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Betting platform Kalshi aired a fully AI-generated 30-second ad during the NBA Finals, reportedly made in 2-3 days with 300-400 generations using Google's Veo 3

Earlier Picks

Reuters:
Customs data shows Foxconn exported $3.2B worth of iPhones from India between March and May, with an average 97% to the US, up from a 2024 average of 50.3%
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
The public feed of the Meta AI app is filled with private and sensitive information, suggesting users might not be aware they are sharing their chats publicly
CoinDesk:
Shopify partners with Coinbase to enable USDC payments for its merchants through Coinbase's Base layer-2 network, starting with a limited group of merchants
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