Techmeme
December 10, 2025, 2:15 PM

Top News

The Information:
Sources: DeepSeek is developing its new AI model using several thousand Nvidia Blackwell chips, which were smuggled into China via third-party countries  —  DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, has been developing its next major model using several thousand Nvidia's state-of-the-art Blackwell chips …
Eli Tan / New York Times:
Sources: this fall, Alexandr Wang told people that he disagreed with top Meta execs like Chris Cox and Andrew Bosworth, including on using Instagram data for AI  —  When Mark Zuckerberg revamped Meta's artificial intelligence operations this year, he recruited a new leader — Alexandr Wang …
More: Business Insider and New York Post
Bluesky: @shiraovideThreads: @andymstone and @andymstoneForums: Slashdot
Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta's new AI model, codenamed Avocado, may launch in spring 2026 as a “closed” model, and was trained using Google's Gemma, OpenAI's gpt-oss, and Qwen  —  Meta Platforms Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg, months into building one of the priciest teams in technology history …
Josh Taylor / The Guardian:
Australia's ban on under-16 social media users takes effect, as Meta, YouTube, and others remove users; platforms that don't comply risk up to AU$49.5M in fines  —  Accounts held by users under 16 must be removed on apps that include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and Threads under ban
Nasteho Said / Bloomberg:
As Australia bans under-16s from social media platforms, TikTok-powered video app Lemon8, friends-only photo app Yope, and others climb Apple's App Store charts  —  Alternative social media platforms have surged in popularity in Australia Wednesday, as the nation's landmark ban for under-16s drives children to non-restricted apps.
More: Forbes
Christine Chung / New York Times:
The US CBP proposes vetting five years of social media history for travelers from the UK, France, Germany, and more; the current system only requires basic info  —  Even visitors from countries like Britain and France, whose citizens don't need visas, would have to share five years' worth of social media.
Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
McDonald's Netherlands pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad, made by ad agency TBWA\NEBOKO with film production company The Sweetshop, after social media backlash  —  There's just one issue: pretty much everybody hates it.  —  This year, McDonald's decided to get in on the corporate slopfest …
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Adobe launches free ChatGPT-integrated Photoshop, Acrobat, and Express apps on desktop, the web, and iOS, after OpenAI added ChatGPT app integrations in October  —  Just describe your edits to ChatGPT, and the Photoshop, Acrobat, and Express apps will do it for you or surface the tool you need.
Dylan Butts / CNBC:
Amazon plans to invest $35B+ in India's cloud and AI sector by 2030, adding to the nearly $40B it has invested in India, and expects to create 1M more jobs  —  Amazon on Wednesday committed to investing over $35 billion in India's cloud and artificial intelligence space by 2030, as hyperscalers race to get a foothold in the market.
Stevie Bonifield / The Verge:
Google unveils Emergency Live Video, similar to iOS' Emergency SOS Live Video, letting US users on Android 8 or later to share live video with 911 responders  —  Emergency Live Video is rolling out today on phones running Android 8 or later. … A new feature coming to Android …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTube TV plans to launch over 10 genre-specific, cheaper YouTube TV Plans in early 2026, including a Sports Plan featuring ESPN Unlimited and Fox Sports 1  —  YouTube TV's base package currently costs $82.99 per month.  But early next year, the streaming service will roll out a range …
Reuters:
Sources: Nvidia has privately demonstrated its unreleased location verification tech in recent months, which could show the country its chips are operating in  —  Nvidia (NVDA.O) has built location verification technology that could indicate which country its chips are operating in …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon plans to let authors offer their DRM-free ebooks in the EPUB and PDF formats through Kindle Direct Publishing, starting January 20, 2026  —  Amazon says it will allow authors to offer their DRM-free e-books in the EPUB and PDF formats through its self-publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing.
More: Android AuthorityForums: Slashdot
Peter Andringa / Financial Times:
Documents and former US government officials detail the DHS' digital surveillance capabilities, amid a drive to deport 1M people in President Trump's first year  —  The US is pulling in vast amounts of personal information in its drive to deport 1mn people this year
More: Washington PostX: @ftBluesky: @peter.andringa.me, @samjoiner, and @tonytassellMastodon: @jackhutton@mstdn.socialForums: r/politics
Anhata Rooprai / Reuters:
Dropbox says its CFO Timothy Regan will step down after five years in the role and will be succeeded by Avalara president Ross Tennenbaum; DBX drops 5%+  —  File hosting service provider Dropbox (DBX.O) said on Wednesday its chief financial officer Timothy Regan will step down after five years …
New York Times:
Sources: Lip-Bu Tan's dual roles as Intel CEO and tech investor cause consternation in the industry and at Intel; four ex-Intel execs say it caused them to exit  —  Lip-Bu Tan, who was appointed chief executive of Intel in March, is also a longtime venture capitalist.  His dual roles have caused some consternation.
Benoît Morenne / Wall Street Journal:
Geothermal energy company Fervo, which aims to power data centers and more, raised $462M from Google and others, taking its total funding to $1.5B since 2017  —  The company, also backed by Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has emerged as a leader in advanced geothermal energy
Pia Singh / CNBC:
Starcloud, which launched a satellite with a Nvidia H100 chip in November, says the satellite is running and querying responses from Google's Gemma  —  Nvidia-backed startup Starcloud trained an artificial intelligence model from space for the first time, signaling a new era for orbital data centers …
Reece Rogers / Wired:
Instagram launches Your Algorithm, which shows users an AI analysis of their activity to let them customize the topics shaping their Reels recommendations  —  In the battle for your attention, Instagram is betting that more control over the algorithm could keep you scrolling on Reels.
Jem Aswad / Variety:
TikTok launches a podcast series called TikTok in the Mix, featuring four 30-minute episodes streamed live on TikTok; the first episode stars Demi Lovato  —  TikTok is launching a brand-new live podcast series called “TikTok in the Mix,” a four-episode season of conversations with major artists.
Heather Somerville / Wall Street Journal:
How US startups like Oakland-based Brimstone are racing to develop sources of raw materials that the US needs for tech, an industry China has long dominated  —  Startups and venture capital are joining the nationwide push to develop new sources of metals the U.S. desperately needs
Ben Casselman / New York Times:
Study: 193 Instacart users across four US cities saw different prices for the same items from the same store at the same time; Instacart says it's running tests  —  The findings are the latest example of how the notion of a single price is breaking down in the digital age, a trend economists say could be pushing up some prices.
Yoolim Lee / Bloomberg:
Coupang CEO Park Dae-jun resigns after the company incurred South Korea's largest-ever data breach, in which the personal data of 30M+ people was compromised  —  Coupang Chief Executive Officer Park Dae-jun resigned over his failure to prevent South Korea's largest-ever data breach …

Sponsor Posts

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:
Fixing communication friction: How Zoho Workplace gives every conversation the right space  —  Work doesn't break all at once.  It slowly, silently wears out.  It's not the dramatic communication failures that kill productivity.
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.
Anuma:
The Private AI That Remembers  —  Anuma is the all-in-one AI platform with private, portable memory.  Chat, text, create, build, and solve across every model.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Mark Cuban: AI Hype vs. Reality, OpenAI's Wasting $1 Trillion, Lebron vs. Jordan
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.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Tarek Mansour from Kalshi
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
AI Can Make Software Now. That Changes Everything, with Paul Ford
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
The Social Radars:
Ron Conway, Founder, SV Angel: Silicon Valley Bank Crisis
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.
Invest Like the Best:
Paul Tudor Jones - Lessons From 50 Years in Markets
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 2:15 PM ET, December 10, 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

Bloomberg:
Carl Franzen / VentureBeat:
Bloomberg: