Techmeme
February 21, 2024, 7:05 AM

Top News

Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Messaging app Signal finally rolls out usernames in beta, letting users conceal their phone numbers; Signal still requires inputting a phone number to register  —  We tested the end-to-end encrypted messenger's new feature aimed at addressing critics' most persistent complaint.  Here's how it works.
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple says the iPhone 15 lineup can retain 80% of its original battery capacity after 1,000 charge cycles, up from its original estimate of 500 charge cycles  —  In addition to changes to the Battery Health settings in iOS 17.4, Apple has more iPhone battery news to share today.
Stephen Totilo / Game File:
An interview with Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer on Xbox growth, job cuts, and why getting rid of physical Xbox discs is “not a strategic thing for us”  —  Microsoft's gaming chief Phil Spencer is upbeat about his vast Xbox team's future.  But he also tells Game File …
Tom Wilson / Reuters:
Circle no longer plans to mint USDC tokens on the Tron blockchain, effective immediately, to “ensure that USDC remains trusted, transparent, and safe”  —  Major U.S. crypto firm Circle will end support for its USDC token on the Tron blockchain network, a decision the company said on Wednesday …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Gary Geaves, Apple's longtime VP in charge of acoustics, is stepping down, replaced by Ruchir Davé, adding to the hardware engineering group's upheaval  —  - Apple acoustics chief Gary Geaves is stepping down from role  — Executive has been key to development of AirPods and HomePod
Duncan Riley / SiliconANGLE:
IBM: hackers are finding more opportunities to log in via legitimate credentials, rather than hacking into networks; infostealing malware jumped 266% in 2023  —  IBM's annual X-Force Threat Intelligence Index report released today highlights an emerging global crisis in identity as cybercriminals continue to compromise users worldwide.
Bloomberg:
Cybersecurity experts say global law enforcement agencies dealt Russia-linked LockBit a major blow, but history shows that ransomware gangs regroup quickly  —  - Disruption of LockBit praised as major blow against gang  — History has shown that hackers regroup quickly, experts say  —  Two arrests.
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo:
Demos from AI chipmaker Groq go viral after the startup's inference engine shows lightning-fast speeds when running LLMs, including for real-time conversations  —  Two AI companies are claiming the science fiction term, “Grok,” as their own, but only one is turbocharging the AI industry.
Michael Acton / Financial Times:
Meta and Microsoft are lobbying EU regulators to reject Apple's proposed App Store changes to comply with the DMA, saying Apple's plans don't go far enough  —  Meta and Microsoft want Brussels regulators to extract more concessions that unpick iOS mobile software
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Byju's says the $200M rights issue that cuts its valuation by 99% to $20M-$25M is fully subscribed; source: some of Byju's major investors are yet to take part  —  Byju's says its recently launched $200 million rights issue has been fully-subscribed, but the startup's founder urged …
Josh Xiao / Bloomberg:
China's Ministry of State Security warns unnamed hackers are obtaining data on key issues, like food production and the weather, in a series of WeChat posts  —  - A growing array of sensitive data is being pilfered, MSS warns  — Beijing's vague warnings could spook foreign businesses
Margi Murphy / Bloomberg:
A profile of ElevenLabs, whose AI voice cloning tech is being used to spoof politicians; five of ElevenLabs' 40 employees are dedicated to trust and safety  —  ElevenLabs' technology is already being used to spoof political candidates and promote scammy products.
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet / Sifted:
Paris-based Bioptimus, which aims to build an LLM to understand biological processes on different scales, launches with a $35M seed led by Sofinnova Partners  —  Bioptimus plans to build an LLM that is based on the complex data needed to represent organisms

Sponsor Posts

OVHcloud:
Escape Ingress/Egress Fees  —  Experience seamless multi-cloud solutions without ingress/egress constraints.  Optimize costs and pave the way for a sustainable digital future.
Standard Metrics:
Nail Portfolio Reviews, Board Meetings and LP Reporting  —  You didn't hire that Stanford grad to manage spreadsheets.  Automate VC portfolio reporting and free your talented team up to deliver portfolio insights.
Tribe AI:
Build AI products that matter  —  Tribe AI helps organizations rapidly deploy AI solutions that have real business impact.  We bring together world class AI talent and tooling to drive differentiated results.
Zoho:
Introducing Apple's Journaling Suggestions in Zoho Notebook  —  Are you ready to take your journaling to the next level?  At Zoho Notebook, we are excited to announce a captivating new feature in our iOS app: Apple's Journaling Suggestions!
The Logan Bartlett Show:
EP 111: How Josh Reeves (CEO, Gusto) Built a $10B Company Serving Small Businesses
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
Subscribe to The Logan Bartlett Show!
Techmeme Ride Home:
Fri. 07/26 - SearchGPT
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 7:05 AM ET, February 21, 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

Larry Dignan / Constellation Research:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
John Voorhees / MacStories:
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
Antonia Mufarech / Bloomberg: