|
December 29, 2025, 10:45 AM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Shinhye Kang / Bloomberg: |
Coupang says it is offering $1B+ in compensation to all 33.7M customers affected by South Korea's biggest-ever data breach, after an ex-staffer accessed data — Coupang is offering compensation worth more than $1 billion to all customers affected by South Korea's biggest-ever data breach.| Bloomberg: |
SoftBank agrees to acquire NYSE-listed DigitalBridge, a private equity firm that invests in data centers and digital infrastructure operators, for $4B in cash — SoftBank Group Corp. agreed to acquire private equity firm DigitalBridge Group Inc. in a deal valuing the data center investor at $4 billion including debt.| Ellesheva Kissin / Financial Times: |
ACCA, the world's largest accounting body, says it is ending remote exams to combat a rise in students cheating by using AI tools when taking tests — Decision follows scandals at Big Four and comes as AI tools make it easier to circumvent invigilators — The world's largest accounting body …
More: The Guardian, Semafor, and The Decoder
Bluesky: @carnage4life and @eicathomefinn
Forums: r/lawschooladmissions and r/unitedkingdom
| Patrick Oster / Bloomberg: |
Lou Gerstner, a former IBM CEO and chairman credited with turning the company around, died at 83; IBM's market value rose from $29B to ~$168B during his tenure — Louis Gerstner, who took over International Business Machines Corp. when it was on its deathbed and resuscitated it as a technology industry leader, died Saturday.
More: IBM, Reuters, The Register, Benzinga, SiliconANGLE, Tom's Hardware, Business Insider, and The Guardian
LinkedIn: Eron S., Dave McDonnell, Prasanna M Sridhara, and Peter Nilsson. Bluesky: @harrymccracken.com
| Rajesh Pandey / Android Police: |
Samsung and Google partner to bring Google Photos to TizenOS-powered TVs, launching in March 2026 and showing curated memories, ahead of CES 2026 — Rajesh started following the latest happenings in the world of Android around the release of the Nexus One and Samsung Galaxy S … | Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer: |
Ubisoft reopens Rainbow Six Siege after shutting down the server amid a breach exploiting the game's internal systems, and says the Marketplace remains closed — Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege (R6) suffered a breach that allowed hackers to abuse internal systems to ban and unban players …
More: Engadget, Kotaku, Digit, Stevivor, CryptoNinjas, Ace of Spades HQ, Bitcoin Insider, Mashable, Moneycontrol, The US Sun, Cointelegraph, Business Standard, Dexerto, SiliconANGLE, Tom's Guide, Gizmodo, Destructoid, Comic Book, Notebookcheck, The Verge, Tom's Hardware, KitGuru, TheGamer, CyberInsider, Cyber Security News, iPhone in Canada, Neowin, and Android Headlines
X: @rainbow6game, @vxunderground, @rainbow6game, @rainbow6game, @rainbow6game, @rainbow6game, @rainbow6game, @k8em0, @salttiii, @theredcanonr6, @shitpostrock, and @millstwitch
Forums: r/RainbowSixSiege, r/RainbowSixSiege, r/ICGA, r/technews, and Slashdot
| Washington Post: |
Sources detail how JD Vance, David Sacks, and others brokered a fragile truce between President Trump and Elon Musk, who threatened to fund an America Party — JD Vance played a key role brokering a reconciliation between the president and his wealthiest supporter.
More: Mediaite, Raw Story, The Independent, New Republic, and Politico
X: @elonmusk, @kenmoriyasu, @ericldaugh, and @elonmusk
Bluesky: @justinhendrix, @jeffjarvis, and @emptywheel
| George Hammond / Financial Times: |
PitchBook: the biggest US private startups raised $150B in 2025, surpassing the previous high of $92B in 2021, boosted by large funding rounds by AI startups — Mega funding rounds create ‘fortress balance sheets’ as investors advise top groups to brace for tougher markets| Aisha Down / The Guardian: |
A Kapwing study of the 15,000 top YouTube channels finds 278 of them have only posted AI-generated “slop” videos, amassing 63B+ views and 221M+ subscribers — Low-quality AI-generated content is now saturating social media - and generating about $117m a year, data shows
More: PCMag, The Decoder, MediaNama, Metro.co.uk, WinBuzzer, The Indian Express, and Notebookcheck
Mastodon: @cdarwin@c.im, @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social, and @nixCraft@mastodon.social
| Reuters: |
China's SMIC plans to acquire the remaining 49% stake in its SMNC unit for ~$5.8B, making the unit wholly owned; SMNC focuses on 12" integrated circuit wafers — China's top foundry SMIC (0981.HK) said on Monday that it plans to acquire the remaining 49% stake in unit SMNC for 40.6 billion yuan … | Lydia Wheeler / Wall Street Journal: |
Sources and a memo: the US DOJ is using a novel reading of a federal anti-fraud law to probe contractors, including Google and Verizon, over their DEI programs — Google and Verizon among those being investigated under novel interpretation of law applying to government contractors
More: New York Post, The Western Journal, NewsMax.com, and Reuters
| Cheyenne MacDonald / Engadget: |
Sam Altman says OpenAI is seeking a new Head of Preparedness, noting “the potential impact of models on mental health was something we saw a preview of in 2025” — CEO Sam Altman posted about the role on X, saying the models ‘are starting to present some real challenges.’
More: The Information, OpenAI, KnowTechie, NDTV Profit, Android Headlines, Mashable, Times of India, Gulf News, PYMNTS.com, Digit, Tech Times, SiliconANGLE, Computerworld, TechCrunch, PCMag, Benzinga, Moneycontrol, The Verge, Livemint, The Decoder, and Blockchain.News
X: @sama, @deredleritt3r, @deredleritt3r, and @kimmonismus
Bluesky: @carnage4life, @iramjohn, @newmexter, @stevepittelli, @danmitchell, @goreckis.co, @theunixman.com, and @skynetandchill.com. Forums: Slashdot
| Arsheeya Bajwa / Reuters: |
SEC filing: Nvidia acquires Intel shares worth $5B, carrying out a transaction announced in September, buying 214.7M shares for $23.28 each — Nvidia (NVDA.O) has purchased Intel shares worth $5 billion, the American semiconductor firm (INTC.O) said in a filing on Monday, carrying out a transaction announced in September.
More: Tom's Hardware, Benzinga, Business Standard, Investing.com, Proactive, Livemint, Crypto Briefing, and Barron's Online. Forums: r/technology
| Emma Roth / The Verge: |
Framework says it is raising DDR5 RAM prices to charge $10 per GB, after a price hike earlier in December due to “substantially higher costs” amid the AI boom — The modular PC maker will now charge $10 per GB for its 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB DDR5 RAM modules.
More: Tech4Gamers. X: @optimuscan12k, @frameworkputer, @frameworkputer, @frameworkputer, and @frameworkputer
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.
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.
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.
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:
Security update: Retiring weak TLS cipher suites — At Zoho Corp, we are dedicated to maintaining the highest security and compliance standards. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance security …
Security update: Retiring weak TLS cipher suites — At Zoho Corp, we are dedicated to maintaining the highest security and compliance standards. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance security …
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.
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
Big Technology Podcast:
Jensen On The Ropes, Sam Altman's Conflicts, Allbirds' GPU Pivot
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. Backlash Turns Violent + Kara Swisher on Healthmaxxing + The Zuck Bot Is Coming
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.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Max Mullen from Instacart
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Access:
Canva's CEO on what happens when AI does the design
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
The Upstarts Podcast:
Cohere's Aidan Gomez: The Canadian Founder Taking AI Models To The World, Not Just Big Tech
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:
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 10:45 AM ET, December 29, 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
Wendy Davis / MediaPost:Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Bloomberg:
Upcoming Tech Events
More News
| Timmy Shen / The Block: |
| Cecilia Kang / New York Times: |
More: Ars Technica. X: @tedatpolicyband and @a_newsman
Bluesky: @freepress and @terigoodson
Forums: r/politics, r/technology, and Ars OpenForum
| Noam Scheiber / New York Times: |
More: Times of India. X: @noamscheiber. Bluesky: @opeiu.org, @veenadubal, and @tnewmsblues
Mastodon: @mason@partychickens.net, @demarko@xoxo.zone, and @annmlipton@esq.social
Earlier Picks
| Martha Muir / Financial Times: |
More: NBC Bay Area and Robotics News
LinkedIn: Mukund Mohan, Prateek Alkesh, and Adil Mohammad
Bluesky: @heidykhlaaf, @real-me, @climatecentreuk, and @kostyack
| Dan Primack / Axios: |
More: Proactive, BusinessCloud, The Rundown AI, The Information, The Decoder, TechSpot, and Robotics News
X: @joshconstine, @nathanbenaich, @peterj_walker, @wmf, @sperand_io, @danprimack, @jfischoff, @villi, @joshconstine, and @danprimack. Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to. Forums: Hacker News
| Washington Post: |
More: The Decoder and Moneycontrol
X: @jorie_graham and @washingtonpost
Bluesky: @justinhendrix, @joffirphd, @jordanscarroll, @snig, @iamjenmcg, @djdynamic.ca, @solomonmissouri, @xaxxon, and @hmdob
| Bloomberg: |
More: CNBC, Gizmodo, DigiTimes, The Register, The Information, Reuters, and Tech in Asia