|
January 4, 2026, 7:45 PM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Ian Hodgson / Financial Times: |
US immigration lawyers, talent managers, and creators say influencers and OnlyFans models now dominate O-1B visas, which are reserved for “exceptional” artists — Work permits increasingly being awarded on basis of online reach, favouring content creators| Herb Scribner / Axios: |
A new Polymarket account bet $30K on Maduro's capture just hours before Trump's announcement, renewing questions on insider information in prediction markets — - These bets — many of which were on Maduro's capture, and are now on what happens next to the ousted leader …
More: The Verge, Gizmodo, Bitcoinist.com, Cointelegraph, NewsBTC, Metro.co.uk, CoinGape, ZeroHedge News, BeInCrypto, Benzinga, Wall Street Journal, Event Horizon, Mediaite, Bitcoin News, The Information, The Block, The Crypto Times, Fox News, Dow Jones Newswires, New Republic, and Associated Press
X: @joepompliano, @mikeeisenberg, @fitzmagic13, @thesampadilla, @alexnowrasteh, @russellbrandom, @rohanspatel, @trungtphan, @tysonbrody, @tysonbrody, @joepompliano, @meustermint, @poesdec, and @quiverquant
Bluesky: @mims, @gghurley, @ryanlcooper.com, @joshsternberg.com, @upbeachbum, @peoplesfabric.com, and @raymondnorman. Threads: @joshpetersel
Forums: r/worldnews and r/Investments
| Austin Carr / Bloomberg: |
How a crew of crypto-focused criminals moved from SIM swap attacks to coordinated, violent home invasions and kidnappings, targeting small-time crypto investors — The pecking at the sliding glass door awoke Julia Goodwin shortly before midnight. She and her husband, Glenn, retirees in their 60s … | Victoria Song / The Verge: |
Xreal unveils the $449 1S, a pair of AR glasses with 1200p, 700 nits brightness, 52 degree FOV, and 16:10 aspect ratio; the 1S can convert any 2D video into 3D — Despite the spec bump, the Xreal 1S are $50 cheaper than their predecessor. … At CES 2026, Xreal announced an upgraded …
More: Ubergizmo
| Scott Stein / CNET: |
Hands-on with Xreal's Neo, a $99 battery pack and mini-dock that acts as a passthrough converter so the company's glasses can work with the Nintendo Switch — I loved playing Switch games on the Xreal 1S glasses, but getting them connected is a little awkward.| Sophie Shulman / CTech: |
Sources: Palo Alto Networks is in talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Koi for $400M; Koi has raised $48M to date — The deal would extend the cyber giant's reach in enterprise endpoint protection amid AI-driven market shifts. — Palo Alto Networks, the cybersecurity giant … | Meir Orbach / CTech: |
Sources: Cisco is in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity company Axonius for $2B; Axonius has raised ~$700M and was valued at $2.6B during earlier rounds — Exclusive: The deal would follow a string of major acquisitions as Cisco strengthens its enterprise security portfolio.| Michael Savage / The Guardian: |
Reddit surpasses TikTok as the fourth most-visited social media service in the UK, likely driven by changes to Google's search algorithms and AI deals — Platform is now Britain's fourth most visited social media site as users seek out human-generated content
More: EasternEye. LinkedIn: Dave Earley. Forums: r/technology, r/europe, r/unitedkingdom, and Slashdot
| Jasmine Sun / New York Times: |
Tech workers in Silicon Valley are increasingly experimenting with gray-market peptide drugs from China, legal for personal use, for improving focus and more — Jayden Clark first heard about Chinese peptides at his Fourth of July party this past year. — In the backyard of a San Francisco … | Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times: |
Filing: West Co, founded by Biz Stone and Evan Sharp, raised $29M; it launched the invite-only social app Tangle, “designed for intentional living”, in November — Biz Stone and Evan Sharp raise new funds for ‘Tangle’ as they assess the ‘devastation’ caused by online excess| Dominic Preston / The Verge: |
Plaud launches the $179 Plaud NotePin S AI recorder, similar to the $159 NotePin but with a button, alongside a new desktop app for recording meeting audio — Plus a new desktop app, free to Plaud hardware owners, for recording meeting audio. … Plaud has updated its compact NotePin AI recorder.| Jiyoung Sohn / Wall Street Journal: |
A profile of June Paik, CEO of Seoul-based chip startup FuriosaAI, valued at ~$700M, whose AI chip dubbed “RNGD” is slated to enter mass production this month — June Paik spurned a takeover offer from Meta Platforms last year. Now his South Korean company, FuriosaAI, has an AI chip entering mass production.| Barbara Moens / Financial Times: |
EU officials and policymakers say the EC will intensify its enforcement of the DMA and DSA in 2026, a move expected to renew clashes with US Big Tech and Trump — Challenges to Google, Meta, Apple and X will test Brussels' willingness to stick with digital rule book| Jared Perlo / NBC News: |
A look at AVA, an AI chatbot developed by Alaska's court system to provide aid in the probate process, which has been plagued by delays and hallucinations — A yearlong effort to build an AI probate assistant reveals the limits of government chatbot development.
X: @napoleonmedia. LinkedIn: Georg Zoeller. Bluesky: @carnage4life, @ianmoody, and @wowbaggert
Forums: r/nottheonion, r/Futurology, r/technology, and Slashdot
Sponsor Posts
Okara:
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data — Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure. Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data — Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure. Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Simplifying global payroll with the Lano and Zoho People integration — Payroll management is one of the most critical and complex functions for any organization. Payroll teams have to handle large volumes …
Simplifying global payroll with the Lano and Zoho People integration — Payroll management is one of the most critical and complex functions for any organization. Payroll teams have to handle large volumes …
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
Lenny's Podcast:
The high-growth handbook: Molly Graham's frameworks for leading through chaos, change, and scale
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:
Meta's AI Agent Plan, Grok's Perversion, Prison Of Financial Mediocrity
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:
Our 2026 Tech Resolutions + We Answer Your Questions
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.
The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'2025 Year in Review', With Rene Ritchie
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
Subscribe to The Talk Show With John Gruber.
Access:
ACCESS Wrapped: Our favorite guest moments so far
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
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 7:45 PM ET, January 4, 2026.
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
Max Tani / Semafor:Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Barrett Media:
Upcoming Tech Events
More News
| Natasha Singer / New York Times: |
More: Taipei Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Signal, The Indian Express, and Chalkbeat
LinkedIn: Ivo Visak and Hall Charter
Bluesky: @natashanyt and @charleswlogan
| Mishal Husain / Bloomberg: |
X: @business, @aogarza, @business, and @x_delcourt
Bluesky: @siezetheclay, @edzitron.com, and @niedermeyer.online
Forums: r/WomenInNews and r/PivotPodcast
Earlier Picks
| Maggie Harrison Dupré / Futurism: |
More: TechCrunch, The Atlantic, Moneycontrol, POST Wrestling, Reuters, France 24, PCMag, Benzinga, Ars Technica, The American Bazaar, The A.V. Club, The Indian Express, Los Angeles Times, Engadget, Business Insider, TMZ.com, Mashable, The Information, Axios, The Decoder, CBS News, Tom's Guide, KnowTechie, and Türkiye Today
X: @ednewtonrex. Bluesky: @kaicable, @therightarticle, @snig, @caseynewton, @stevepeers, @charlotte2153, @mharrisondupre, and @kincsobiro. Mastodon: @Khrys@mamot.fr. Forums: r/EnoughMuskSpam
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
More: AppleInsider, Pebble, Gizmodo, MacRumors, Tick Talk w/ Eric Migicovsky on YouTube, TechRadar, Lifehacker, Notebookcheck, TechEBlog, KnowTechie, PCMag, iPhone in Canada, ZDNET, CNET, Droid Life, Techaeris, Digital Trends, 9to5Google, Android Police, T3, Engadget, Android Authority, and The Verge
X: @ericmigi, @film_girl, @patrick_orourke, @ericmigi, @pebble, and @pebble