|
December 16, 2025, 2:10 PM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: |
OpenAI updates ChatGPT Images to generate images up to 4x faster and edit more precisely, and adds a new section in ChatGPT's app and website for images — OpenAI is rolling out an update to ChatGPT that's intended to generate images better and faster, the latest move by the artificial intelligence developer …
More: OpenAI, Fidji Simo, TechCrunch, Axios, VentureBeat, Engadget, 9to5Google, Tom's Guide, Business Insider, and Livemint
X: @openai, @simonw, @testingcatalog, @kevinweil, @mark_k, @deryatr_, @billpeeb, @therealadamg, @fidjissimo, @nickaturley, @openai, @sama, and @sama. Forums: r/OpenAI
| OpenAI: |
OpenAI launches FrontierScience, a benchmark to measure models' expert-level scientific reasoning with 700+ questions, finding GPT-5.2 is its strongest model — We introduce FrontierScience, a new benchmark that evaluates AI capabilities for expert-level scientific reasoning across physics, chemistry, and biology.
More: Time. X: @alexolegimas, @littmath, @slow_developer, @andrewcurran_, @sama, @openai, @openai, and @openai
Bluesky: @thedimpsler, @skiesofpluto, @vtmicah, @sherlocksdad, @k2mey, @prietschka, and @feeney.dev
| The Information: |
A look at Apple's iPhone roadmap; sources say the iPhone 18 Pro lineup will get under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will move to the top-left corner — The iPhone family is growing again. Over the next two years, Apple is planning a major expansion of its smartphone product line … | David Pierce / The Verge: |
Mozilla appoints Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as its CEO, after years of its for-profit arm juggling layoffs, restructuring, its Google dependence, and the AI landscape — Anthony Enzor-DeMeo says he thinks there's room for another browser, even an AI browser — as long as you can trust it.
More: The Register, Thurrott, The Mozilla Blog, PR Newswire, Fast Company, and Phoronix
Mastodon: @sarahjamielewis …, @jbz@indieweb.social, @mcc@mastodon.social, @phoenix@chaos.social, @Barredo@mastodon.social, @catsalad@infosec.exchange, @tante@tldr.nettime.org, and @ianbetteridge@social …
Forums: Hacker News, r/BetterOffline, r/firefox, r/technology, and Slashdot
| Robbie Whelan / Wall Street Journal: |
CoreWeave lost $33B in market value in six weeks amid construction delays at its Denton, Texas AI data center, criticism from short seller Jim Chanos, and more — The data-center provider's terrible six-week slide picked up speed when a famous short seller piled concerns on top of delays| New York Times: |
Sources: the US has paused its Tech Prosperity Deal with the UK, signed in September, over frustrations about UK online safety rules and digital services taxes — The U.S. government has paused a tech-focused trade pledge with Britain over broader disagreements about Britain's digital regulations and food safety rules.
More: Financial Times, PYMNTS.com, DatacenterDynamics, BBC, AppleInsider, UPI, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Capacity, Benzinga, The Business Times, Telegraph, CNBC, Reuters, Politico, and Daily Sabah
X: @teroterotero, @josephpolitano, and @josephpolitano
Bluesky: @mgerrydoyle, @justinhendrix, @judah-grunstein, @andybrown1951, @premnsikka, @davidheniguk, and @globaljusticenow. Mastodon: @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Forums: r/neoliberal, r/uknews, r/ukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/europe, and r/ukpolitics
| Counterpoint Research: |
Global smartphone shipments in 2026 are set to shrink 2.1% due to rising memory costs, led by Chinese OEMs; DRAM prices could further raise costs by 10% to 15% — - Global smartphone shipments in 2026 are expected to shrink 2.1% due to rising memory costs.
More: Benzinga, Gizmodo, Axios, Macworld, 9to5Google, AppleInsider, Android Headlines, SammyGuru, iClarified, Bloomberg, Taipei Times, The Register, Android Authority, MacRumors, Reuters, Silicon Republic, CNBC, Tech in Asia, TechPowerUp, Moneycontrol, 9to5Mac, GSMArena.com, and MacTech.com. Forums: MacRumors Forums
| Financial Times: |
OpenAI hires former UK chancellor George Osborne to lead OpenAI for Countries, the global expansion arm of its $500B Stargate data center initiative — Former UK chancellor to lead start-up's effort to spread ‘democratic’ AI across the world — OpenAI has hired former UK chancellor George Osborne … | Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE: |
Meta launches prompt-based sound separation model SAM Audio in its Segment Anything Playground, letting users isolate individual sounds from complex recordings — Meta Platforms Inc. is bringing prompt-based editing to the world of sound with a new model called SAM Audio that can segment individual sounds … | Ben Thompson / Stratechery: |
Q&A with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe on founding Rivian in 2009, production challenges, the VW partnership, autonomy, AI, EVs, chips, CarPlay, and more — Today's Stratechery Interview is with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. Last week Rivian held their Autonomy and AI Day …
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
DoorDash launches Zesty, a standalone AI-powered social app for users to find nearby restaurants, in public testing in San Francisco and New York — DoorDash Inc. is experimenting with a standalone artificial intelligence-powered app for users to find new restaurants, expanding its reach beyond its flagship food-delivery service.
More: TechCrunch and San Francisco Chronicle
| Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Instagram unveils its first TV app, initially available on Amazon's Fire TV as a test with plans to expand to other TV platforms — Meta Platforms Inc.'s Instagram unveiled its first dedicated TV app, which lets users watch the short-form video feature Reels on a larger screen.| Maxwell Zeff / Wired: |
Source: OpenAI rolled back ChatGPT's model router, which sent some queries to reasoning models, for Free and $5/month Go tiers, as it was costly and hurt DAUs — As OpenAI scrambles to improve ChatGPT, it's ditching a feature in its free tier that contributed to last summer's user revolt.| Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal: |
Databricks is raising a $4B Series L at a $134B valuation, up from $100B in September and $62B in December 2024, and had a $4.8B annual revenue rate in October — The data-analytics and AI software company is raising over $4 billion and crossed $4.8 billion in annual revenue rate| New York Times: |
Elizabeth Warren and two other Democratic senators write to Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and others about AI data centers' role in rising electricity bills — Three Democrats are seeking information from tech firms about the growing energy use of data centers and the utility bills of individuals and other businesses.
More: GeekWire, Fast Company, Tom's Hardware, ZeroHedge News, and RTÉ
| Dan Primack / Axios: |
Event software company Cvent acquires video content platform Goldcast; source: Cvent paid just under $300M to acquire Goldcast, which had raised around $38M — - The deal was announced Monday morning without a price tag. … - Goldcast was founded as a virtual events company at around …
More: Boston Business Journal, Washington …, MarTech, and Goldcast
| Emily Mason / Bloomberg: |
Visa says it will allow US banks to settle transactions using Circle's USDC stablecoin over Solana, the US' first full deployment of a stablecoin settlement — Visa Inc. is opening its US network to stablecoin settlement, expanding crypto-linked products and services enabled …
| Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
Adobe adds a prompt-based video editor to its Firefly app that uses Runway's Aleph model, and adds image and video models from Black Forest Labs and others — Adobe is updating its AI video-generation app, Firefly, with a new video editor that supports precise prompt-based edits …
More: Livemint, The Adobe Blog, Thurrott, CNET, Tom's Guide, PetaPixel, SiliconANGLE, Lifewire, and The AI Economy
| Andrew McCalip: |
Orbital solar data centers' cost-per-watt of compute is $51.10/W, far above $15.85/W for terrestrial sites; SpaceX is uniquely positioned to try orbital — It might not be rational But It might be physically possibleBefore we get nerd sniped by the shiny engineering details, ask the only question that matters.
More: MarketWatch. X: @markianrubin, @princeofprawns0, @pham_blnh, @lukaemon, @daniellefong, @lispmeister, @adamscrabble, @pronounced_kyle, @lispmeister, @robotbeat, @dhruvboruah, @elidourado, @__drewface, @limitingthe, @drphiltill, @alesh09758566, @chaliceofenergy, @cjhandmer, @object_zero_, @sammendel00, @ludditedesign, @tjevarts, @stolsvik, @jul_coh, @interplanetary, @_faraz, @mikebaccala, and @andrewmccalip. LinkedIn: Bilal Zuberi
| Jessica Testa / New York Times: |
Netflix announces a partnership with iHeartMedia to exclusively publish at least 15 video podcasts beginning in early 2026, including The Breakfast Club — The streaming service now has about 30 video podcasts lined up for 2026, including the influential radio show “The Breakfast Club.”
More: TechCrunch, CNET, Business Insider, The Verge, Benzinga, Investing.com, Inside Radio, RadioInsight, TV Tech, Baller Alert, Radio Ink, Los Angeles Times, Radio World, Barrett Media, Streaming Better, Media Play News, Radio & Television …, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Podcast Strategy Weekly, Deadline, and Dow Jones Newswires
| Marina Temkin / TechCrunch: |
Leona Health, maker of an AI-copilot that integrates with doctors' WhatsApp accounts in LATAM to manage patient communications, raised a $14M seed led by a16z — Caroline Merin, who spent nearly a decade developing on-demand speed as the first Latin American General Manager for Uber Eats … | Robert Hart / The Verge: |
Google launches CC, an experimental AI assistant that delivers a personalized daily “Your Day Ahead” briefing email based on users' emails and calendar — Google's new AI agent delivers a morning briefing personalized using your emails and calendar. … Google wants you to start your day with AI.
More: TechCrunch, 9to5Google, and The Keyword
| William Sandlund / Financial Times: |
Shares in Chinese companies critical to AI infrastructure surged in 2025, with CATL up 45% and Sungrow up 130%, as exports boost margins despite Trump's tariffs — Companies such as battery maker CATL earn big margins on export sales despite US tariffs — Shares in Chinese makers of batteries …
More: Financial Times
Sponsor Posts
Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
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.
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.
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
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Saam Motamedi from Greylock Partners
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Invest Like the Best:
Henry Ellenbogen - Man Versus Machine
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
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.
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 2:10 PM ET, December 16, 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
Dan Mangan / CNBC:Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Upcoming Tech Events
Earlier Picks
| Maxwell Zeff / Wired: |
More: eWeek, BMI, Axios, Digit, PR Week UK, and TheDesk.net
LinkedIn: Hannah Wong and Maxwell Zeff
Forums: r/BetterOffline and r/OpenAI
| Emilia David / VentureBeat: |
More: Ai2, Digit, WinBuzzer, and Hugging Face
| Lora Kolodny / CNBC: |
More: Electrek, Benzinga, TESLARATI, EV, ZeroHedge News, Interesting Engineering, KnowTechie, Blockonomi, Tech in Asia, TechCrunch, Carscoops, Business Insider, Watcher Guru, Proactive, The Information, Gizmodo, Motley Fool, Reuters, InsideEVs, Mashable, Sherwood News, and CleanTechnica
X: @elonmusk, @aelluswamy, @mandablorian, @garyblack00, @robotaxi, @olivercameron, @sawyermerritt, @yunta_tsai, @scobleizer, @sawyermerritt, @divestech, @scobleizer, @tesla, @cb_doge, @tesla, @tesla, and @divestech. Bluesky: @carnage4life. Forums: r/RealTesla
| Katherine Hamilton / Wall Street Journal: |
More: PayPal Newsroom, Engadget, 9to5Mac, Proactive, PaymentsJournal, Bloomberg, FinTech Futures, TechRadar, The US Sun, Blockonomi, Financial Times, theJasmineBRAND, Finextra, The Information, Decrypt, Reuters, Payments Dive, PYMNTS.com, CNBC, American Banker, and Watcher Guru
X: @thoraxe_kitsu and @chibireviews
LinkedIn: Emil Protalinski and Scott T Henderson
| TechCrunch: |
| Stephen Nellis / Reuters: |
More: Portland Business Journal, Intel, Proactive, DigiTimes, Tom's Hardware, The Register, Business Today, TechPowerUp, Benzinga, Telecompaper, Oregonian, and Bloomberg
X: @lipbutan1. LinkedIn: Lip-Bu Tan, Robin Colwell, Allen Thompson, and Greg Ernst. Bluesky: @golikehellmachine.com. Forums: r/intelstock