Techmeme
January 23, 2024, 10:10 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple pivots to a less ambitious design for its upcoming EV, from Level 4 autonomy to Level 2+, and pushes back its launch from 2026 to 2028 or later  —  - After board meetings, car downgraded to Level 2+ autonomy  — Company pushes back launch from 2026 to 2028 at the earliest
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Netflix says it's looking to retire its ad-free Basic plan in some countries where ad-supported plans are available, starting with Canada and the UK in Q2  —  Although Netflix no longer allows new or returning members to sign up for the ad-free Basic subscription that costs $11.99 per month …
CNBC:
Netflix buys the exclusive rights to WWE programs like Raw, airing in 2025 in the US, Canada, Latin America, and more; filing: the 10-year deal is worth $5B+  —  - Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE's flagship program Raw starting next year.
Sarah Whitten / CNBC:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google announces AI features for Chrome on Mac and Windows: Organize Similar Tabs and custom themes rolling out soon in the US, and Help Me Write in February  —  Google's Chrome web browser is getting an infusion of AI technology in the latest release.  The company announced today it's soon adding …
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
eBay plans to cut ~1,000 roles, or ~9% of full-time employees, and to scale back the contracts it has within its alternate workforce over the coming months  —  This is breaking news.  Please check back for updates.  — CNBC Councils  — CNBC on Peacock  — Join the CNBC Panel
Basith Rahman P P / MySmartPrice:
Alleged renders of Google's Pixel 9 Pro show a ~6.5-inch display, smaller than the Pixel 8 Pro's, a refreshed camera island with three cameras, and a flat frame  —  The upcoming Google Pixel 9 Pro might feature a smaller flat display compared to the Pixel 8 Pro.  —  HIGHLIGHTS
The Information:
Source: Brex told employees that the fintech is cutting 282 jobs, or ~20% of its staff, saying the team grew “too quickly” and its CTO and COO are stepping down  —  Brex is cutting 20% of its workforce and shaking up senior management ranks in a new effort to slash its cash burn …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
X adds support for passkeys for US-based iOS users; the announcement comes shortly after the hack of the US SEC's X account  —  X, formerly Twitter, today announced support for passkeys, a new and more secure login method than traditional passwords, which will become an option for U.S. users on iOS devices.
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Google unveils a new Gemini-powered chat-based tool in Google Ads to build Search ad campaigns, out in beta to all English language advertisers in the US and UK  —  Google announced today that Gemini, its family of multimodal large language models, now powers the conversational experience within the Google Ads platform.
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
Framework Laptop 16 review: the modular system offers unprecedented customization, is competent at mid-range gaming, but ran hot, froze, and glitched in testing  —  The Framework Laptop 16 is the most ambitious notebook I've ever touched.  There's never been anything like it before.
Bloomberg:
Supermicro stock has jumped 430%+ since early 2023 amid an AI frenzy, outpacing Nvidia and boosting the value of its founder's 12% stake, plus options, to $3.3B  —  - Charles Liang founded Super Micro in 1993 with wife Sara Liu  — Company's shares gained more than 430% since the start of 2023
Ian King / Bloomberg:
Texas Instruments reports Q4 revenue down 13% YoY to $4.08B, vs. $4.13B est., and FY 2023 sales down ~13% YoY, the company's biggest fall in over a decade  —  - Slowdown in automotive and industrial chips drag down results  — Company's wide product range makes it bellwether for industry
Ben Sin / XDA Developers:
A review of the $800+ OnePlus 12, launching on February 6: specs that rival the $1,300+ S24 Ultra's, but no AI features and the curved display feels outdated  —  - OnePlus 12: Pricing and Availability  —  The OnePlus Open stole a lot of thunder from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 last fall …
Ash Parrish / The Verge:
A look at Palworld, a Pokémon-like game launched on January 19, which has sold 5M+ copies and is now the most played game on Steam, amid IP infringement claims  —  The Pokémon-like has sold over 5 million copies in the three days since its early access launch.

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Featured Podcasts

The Upstarts Podcast:
Runway's Cris Valenzuela: Building The Hollywood-Friendly Video AI That OpenAI Couldn't
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.
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Hard Fork:
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'Food and Beverage Director', With MG Siegler
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What happens when AI runs a store
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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.
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More News

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Sam Kessler / CoinDesk:
Mark Wilson / Fast Company:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Sudip Kar-Gupta / Reuters:
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
Emma Roth / The Verge: