Techmeme
August 13, 2025, 1:10 PM

Top News

Reuters:
Sources: the US secretly embedded location trackers in select AI chip shipments, such as in Dell and Super Micro servers, to detect illegal diversions to China  —  U.S. authorities have secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips they see as being at high risk …
SemiAnalysis:
GPT-5's router directs queries based on complexity and intent, helping OpenAI allocate compute across low-value informational and high-value commercial requests  —  To many power users (Pro and Plus), GPT5 was a disappointing release.  But with closer inspection, the real release is focused …
Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunch:
OpenAI adds GPT-5 Auto, Fast, and Thinking settings to ChatGPT's model picker; Auto seems to work like GPT-5's model router that OpenAI initially announced  —  When OpenAI launched GPT-5 last week, the company said the model would simplify the ChatGPT experience.
Bloomberg:
Crypto exchange Bullish raised $1.1B in its IPO, selling 30M shares for $37 each, above its $32-to-$33 marketed range, implying a $5.4B valuation  —  Bullish raised $1.1 billion in an initial public offering, pricing its shares above the marketed range.  —  The digital-asset exchange operator …
M.G. Siegler / Spyglass:
Perplexity's unsolicited $34.5B bid for Chrome with claimed VC backing is clearly a marketing stunt and maybe a signal to the judge in Google's antitrust case  —  Perplexity Makes Longshot $34.5 Billion Offer for Chrome  —  With its unsolicited bid for Google's browser …
Katherine Blunt / Wall Street Journal:
Victoria Song / The Verge:
Core Devices CEO Eric Migicovsky unveils the Pebble Time 2 in four colors, with a 1.5" e-paper display, multicolor RGB backlighting, and a 30-day battery life  —  The Time 2 sports a sleeker profile and RGB backlighting. … Now that Pebble is Pebble again, we're getting an official look …
New York Times:
Derek Thompson:
Studies suggest AI chatbots' sycophantic responses may increase narcissism among young and vulnerable users, potentially changing personality traits at scale  —  “I can imagine a future where a lot of people really trust ChatGPT's advice for their most important decisions,” Sam Altman said.
Bloomberg:
Amazon says it now offers same-day grocery delivery in 1,000+ cities and plans to bring it to 2,300+ more by the end of 2025; Prime subscribers get it free  —  Amazon.com Inc. plans to offer same-day grocery delivery in 2,300 cities by the end of the year, more than doubling the current number …
Reuters:
Tencent reports Q2 revenue up 15% YoY to ~$25.7B, vs. ~$24.8B est., domestic gaming revenue up 17% YoY to ~$5.6B, and global gaming revenue up 35% YoY to ~$2.6B  —  Chinese tech giant Tencent (0700.HK) said on Wednesday it lacks clarity on U.S. AI chip imports as Beijing and Washington continue negotiations …
Ben Raab / Wall Street Journal:
A look at social media “clippers”, who are paid $0.50 to $2 per thousand views by streamers, podcasts, and startups to make buzzy moments go viral online  —  Companies are hiring ‘clippers’ to flood TikTok and Instagram with short, promotional videos  —  You know those buzzy viral clips you see on social media?
Surbhi Misra / Reuters:
Elon Musk says that Apple “makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI” to top its App Store, an “antitrust violation”, and xAI will take legal action  —  Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday his artificial intelligence startup xAI would take legal action against Apple …
Mark Gurman / @markgurman:
Financial Times:
Sources: OpenAI is preparing to back Neuralink rival Merge Labs, co-founded by Sam Altman, that aims to raise $250M at an $850M valuation, including from OpenAI  —  OpenAI in talks to invest in brain implant start-up that would compete with Musk's company  —  OpenAI and its co-founder Sam Altman …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
How Evan Spiegel Is Building the Future of Computing
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Acquired:
10 Years of Acquired (with Michael Lewis)
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
Why humans are AI's biggest bottleneck (and what's coming in 2026) | Alexander Embiricos (OpenAI Codex Product Lead)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
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:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
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.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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 1:10 PM ET, August 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.

More News

Earlier Picks

Joedy McCreary / MedPage Today:
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
Sharon Goldman / Fortune:
Bloomberg: