Techmeme
May 11, 2023, 11:00 AM

Top News

Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Twitter rolls out encrypted DMs, but both sender and recipient must be verified users, no support for group messages, and message metadata is not encrypted  —  There are still some major limitations to the feature.  —  Twitter is beginning to roll out its long-promised encrypted direct messaging feature.
Sam Rutherford / Engadget:
Google unveils the $1,799 Pixel Fold with a 120Hz 7.6" main screen, a 5.8" exterior screen, a Tensor G2, and 12GB of RAM, for preorder now and arriving in June  —  Google's first foldable phone feels like what I always wanted from the Surface Duo to be.  —  I've been using some version …
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google announces the Pixel 7a with a 6.1-inch 90Hz screen, a fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock, wireless charging, and a 64MP camera, available on May 11 for $499  —  Over the years, Google's Pixel phones have gained a reputation for having an exceptional camera, a clean Android experience, and smarts you won't find on any other phone.
Scott Stein / CNET:
Brady Snyder / XDA Developers:
Google launches a dedicated Labs page, where users can sign up to test Google's early ideas for features and products, including Search and Workspace AI tools  —  Google is using artificial intelligence to improve its existing products, and you can sign up to try them in Labs now.  Here's how to get started.
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos says a known cybercrime group gained access to its SharePoint cloud service on May 8 but didn't breach its internal network  —  Industrial cybersecurity company Dragos today disclosed what it describes as a “cybersecurity event” after a known cybercrime gang attempted …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Google shows AI features coming to Search, including an AI-powered “snapshot” that summarizes search results with links to sites “corroborating” the information  —  Google is moving slowly and carefully to make AI happen.  Maybe too slowly and too carefully for some people.
James Vincent / The Verge:
Reuters:
EU lawmakers agree to ban facial recognition in public, limit predictive policing, and impose transparency on generative AI; EU Commission will finalize details  —  European lawmakers came a step closer to passing new rules regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT …
Bloomberg:
SoftBank reports Vision Fund lost ~$2B in Q4, down from ~$16B in Q4 2022, leading to a ~$32B full-year loss; investments for the year to March fell to ~$3B  —  SoftBank Group Corp. lost money in its Vision Fund investment unit again despite a rebound in tech stocks, as the Japanese conglomerate …
Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:
Ted Chiang / New Yorker:
Similar to McKinsey and other consultancy firms, AI advancements may help concentrate wealth, disempower workers, and “sharpen the knife blade of capitalism”  —  As it's currently imagined, the technology promises to concentrate wealth and disempower workers.  Is an alternative possible?
Tracy Wang / CoinDesk:
Filings: the US Internal Revenue Service filed claims worth nearly $44B against FTX companies, including a $20.4B claim against Alameda in partnership taxes  —  The largest of the claims includes a $20.4 billion claim against Alameda Research LLC, which details nearly $20 billion in unpaid partnership taxes.
Mike Rogoway / Oregonian:
Amazon secures an estimated $1B in tax breaks for five data centers in Morrow County, Oregon, which local officials hope will generate $12B in Amazon spending  —  Port of Morrow commissioners signed off Wednesday on a contentious package of tax incentives for five more Amazon data centers in eastern Oregon …
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Google unveils generative AI wallpapers, coming exclusively to Pixels in June, and Magic Compose, a feature in Messages for Android that auto-suggests responses  —  Generative AI is all the rage — and Google has found two new ways to put the tech in the palm of your hand.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:

Sponsor Posts

Soxton:
Fast, affordable 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!
F5:
Accelerate AI Adoption at F5's AI Virtual Summit  —  Learn how to architect, secure, and scale AI for production with real-world insights from industry leaders on June 23.  Register now to save your spot.
Zoho:
Website traffic analytics: How to read your data and take action  —  Traffic is up.  Sessions look healthy.  The dashboard is full of green arrows and yet — conversions are flat, revenue targets are slipping, and the leads coming through aren't closing.
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.

Featured Podcasts

Lenny's Podcast:
Father of the iPod and iPhone on building taste, judgment, and creativity in the AI era | Tony Fadell
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:
Will Apple (Finally) Get AI Right At WWDC?, Anthropic's Worry, Microsoft vs. OpenAI
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:
Hot I.P.O Summer + What Is A.I. Doing to Math? + HatGPT
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 Upstarts Podcast:
Vanta's Christina Cacioppo: The Underdog Turning 'Nonsense' Compliance Into A $4.2B Security Standout
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.
Great Chat:
Who are the billboards for?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
AI's Mythos Moment: Rishi Sunak on preparing governments for AI
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 11:00 AM ET, May 11, 2023.

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

Haaretz:
Vivian Salama / Wall Street Journal:
New York Times:

Earlier Picks

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google on YouTube: