Techmeme
January 4, 2025, 1:15 PM

Top News

Mike Allen / Axios:
Sources: Tim Cook will personally donate $1M to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee in the spirit of unity; Apple is not expected to donate  —  The company is not expected to give.  — Cook, with a consistent presence in Washington, has made it clear over the years …
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
After a backlash, Meta says newly viral AI-generated profiles on Facebook and Instagram were created in 2023 in “an early experiment”, and it is deleting them  —  Earlier this week, Meta executive Connor Hayes told the Financial Times that the company is going to roll …
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Samsung and Google plan to bring Eclipsa Audio, a new open-source 3D audio standard, to some YouTube videos later this year on Samsung's 2025 TVs and soundbars  —  Samsung and Google are ready to push a new standard, Eclipsa Audio. … Over the years, Samsung notably hasn't supported Dolby Vision HDR …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Microsoft says it is on track to invest ~$80B in FY 2025 to build out datacenters to train AI and deploy AI and cloud apps, with 50%+ of the spending in the US  —  Microsoft expects to spend $80 billion in fiscal 2025 on the construction of data centers that can handle artificial intelligence workloads …
Max Woolf / Max Woolf's Blog:
In a test, iteratively asking Claude 3.5 Sonnet to “write better code” improved the code's features and speed, but aggressive prompt engineering introduced bugs  —  In November 2023, after OpenAI added the ability for ChatGPT to generate images from DALL-E 3 within the ChatGPT web interface …
Aroon Deep / The Hindu:
India releases the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, aimed at enforcing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, for public comments  —  The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, lay out the tentative terms of enforcing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which was passed in Parliament in 2023
The Block:
The GMCI Meme index, which tracks leading memecoins by market cap, delivered 320% returns in 2024, outpacing AI at 91% and the top 30 cryptocurrencies at 88%  —  - The GMCI Meme index represents broader market trends rather than specific token performance.  — The following is an excerpt …

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Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI vs. Anthropic's Direct Faceoff + Future of Agents — With Aaron Levie
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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OpenAI's new media M&A and old media exposé
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Invest Like the Best:
Alan Waxman - Private Credit and the Modern Financial System
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
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Channels with Peter Kafka:
What Happens When a "Succession" Writer Takes on Silicon Valley
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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Cheeky Pint:
The history and future of AI at Google, with Sundar Pichai
Stripe cofounder John Collison interviews founders, builders, and leaders over a pint.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
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

Molly White / Citation Needed:
Bloomberg:
More: Reuters and The Information
Bluesky: @siscoX: @davidclinchnews and @unusual_whalesLinkedIn: Paul MelcherForums: Slashdot

Earlier Picks

Carly Page / TechCrunch:
Alexandra S. Levine / Bloomberg:
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Victoria Song / The Verge: