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.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Reimagine your photos with a prompt  —  Our new native image generation and editing is state-of-the-art, and ranked #1 in the world.  Try it for free in the Gemini app.
Zoho:
Your top questions answered: What's new in Zoho Writer's fillable templates  —  See how the newest fillable form features help you improve accuracy, efficiency, and user experience.We've been getting users' feedback …
Sevalla:
Sevalla - PaaS from the future  —  Deploy your app before your coffee gets cold.  It's that simple.  Application, database, object storage and free static site hosting.  Start with $50 free credit!
Bitrix24:
Bitrix24 powers the next generation of high-performing businesses  —  Chat, projects, CRM, and automation — all in one place.  Replace dozens of tools so your team moves faster, collaborates smarter, and grows effortlessly.
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.

Featured Podcasts

Decoder with Nilay Patel:
Ring's Jamie Siminoff thinks AI can reduce crime
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Grit:
Synthetic Data and the Future of AI | Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The Godmother of AI on jobs, robots & why world models are next | Dr. Fei-Fei Li
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:
Inside The AI Bubble: Debt, Depreciation, and Losses — With Gil Luria
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:
Data Centers in Space + A.I. Policy on the Right + A Gemini History Mystery
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.
Great Chat:
Turns out, there's still a line (don't mock the pope)
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:10 PM ET, January 23, 2024.

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

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: