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Techmeme
March 16, 2026, 10:20 AM
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Apple:
Apple unveils the $549 AirPods Max 2, with an H2 chip, up to 1.5x more effective ANC, studio-quality audio recording, and camera remote, shipping in early April  —  Powered by H2, AirPods Max are better than ever with more effective ANC, enhanced sound quality, and new features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Amsterdam-based Nebius says Meta plans to spend up to $27B over the next five years to access AI infrastructure, starting with $12B of capacity in early 2027  —  Meta Platforms Inc. will pay as much as $27 billion over the next five years for access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence infrastructure …
Horace Dediu / Asymco:
As AI models commodify, Apple's plans to spend just $14B on 2026 capex, far below hyperscalers' combined $650B, or 90%+ of their cash flow, may be a genius move  —  The 3rd? most valuable company on Earth watched as its rivals lit $650 billion on fire and did nothing.
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: OpenAI faced intense backlash from its advisory council over a planned ChatGPT “adult mode”, delayed earlier in March due to technical and other issues  —  Warnings surface that the company risks creating a ‘sexy suicide coach’ if it begins allowing sexually explicit chats
Theodore Schleifer / New York Times:
How tech billionaires are turning on the Giving Pledge, promoted by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett; Peter Thiel says he privately told ~12 signers to undo it  —  Just a few months after Warren Buffett convened a series of high-end dinners across America to collect signatures for something called …
Sherry Qin / Wall Street Journal:
Foxconn reports Q4 revenue up 22% YoY to ~$81B, net profit down 2% YoY to ~$1.4B, below ~$1.9B est., due to a higher tax expense, and a 5.9% gross profit margin  —  The company generates a significant share of its revenue making AI servers for the likes of Nvidia and Amazon
Timmy Shen / The Block:
Reliz, which operates crypto lender BlockFills, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, reporting $50M to $100M in estimated assets and $100M to $500M in liabilities  —  Quick Take  — Chicago-based BlockFills has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
Sam Sabin / Axios:
Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Adobe, and Match sign a voluntary pledge to share threat intelligence about how scammers abuse their services  —  Eight major technology companies — including Google, Amazon and OpenAI — have signed a new pledge promising to share threat intelligence …
Fanny Potkin / Reuters:
Sources: Hua Hong is readying a 7nm process at its Shanghai fab with Huawei's help, which would make it China's second chipmaker with such tech, after SMIC  —  China's Hua Hong Group has developed advanced chip manufacturing technologies that can be used to produce artificial intelligence chips …
Kenrick Cai / Reuters:
President Trump accuses Iran of using AI as a “disinformation weapon” to make fake images of wartime successes against the US, saying “AI can be very dangerous”  —  U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Iran of using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon” …
Washington Post:
GovAI and Brookings: many of the people most at risk if AI transforms work are also the best placed to find new jobs, as researchers disagree over AI's impact  —  No one has a perfect road map to the future, but researchers at GovAI, which studies technology policy, and the Brookings Institution …

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About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:20 AM ET, March 16, 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

Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Sources: the Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes' publisher, EIC, and a Middle East reporter for insubordination; the publisher earlier announced his retirement

Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Sources: Paramount reps are expected to meet Monday with the California AG's office to discuss a possible settlement of the antitrust suit blocking the WBD deal

Dominic Patten / Deadline:
Chris Aronson, ex-president of domestic theatrical distribution at Paramount, sues the company, claiming breach of contract and age discrimination

More News

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify announces Taste Profile editing in beta, the first time it lets users fine-tune its recommendations, starting with Premium subscribers in New Zealand

Earlier Picks

Reuters:
JD.com launches its online marketplace Joybuy in the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, as it expands globally to challenge Amazon
Clinton Nwachukwu / Ventureburn:
Standard Kernel, which is making AI-powered GPU optimization software, raised a $20M seed led by Jump Capital, with General Catalyst and others participating
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
Indian edtech startup upGrad plans to acquire rival Unacademy in an all-stock deal; Unacademy was valued at less than $500M in 2025, down 85% from $3.5B in 2021
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