Techmeme
February 13, 2025, 1:25 AM

Top News

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Sam Altman says GPT-5 will include o3, which is no longer set to ship as a standalone model, GPT-4.5 will be OpenAI's last non-chain-of-thought model, and more  —  OpenAI has effectively canceled the release of o3, which was slated to be the company's next major AI model …
Kylie Robison / The Verge:
OpenAI expands its Model Spec for how its AI models should behave, from 10 to 63 pages, emphasizing “customizability, transparency, and intellectual freedom”  —  ChatGPT is learning how to handle Stalin, ethical erotica, and trolley problems.  —  ChatGPT is learning how to handle Stalin …
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget:
OpenAI plans to give free ChatGPT users unlimited GPT-5 access at “the standard intelligence setting”; Plus and Pro users will get to run GPT-5 at higher levels  —  It's part of the company's plan to simplify its product offerings.  —  OpenAI's upcoming GPT-5 release will integrate …
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Google plans to begin testing an ML-based model in the US in 2025 that estimates whether a user is under 18 to help provide more “age-appropriate experiences”  —  Google says the technology will help it provide ‘age-appropriate experiences.’  —  Google says the technology …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: X has agreed to pay ~$10M to settle Trump's 2021 lawsuit against Twitter and then-CEO Jack Dorsey over the ban on his accounts after the January 6 riot  —  Musk's platform becomes second social-media company to settle with Trump after Jan. 6, 2021 riot triggered bans
New York Times:
Sources: the Trump administration is releasing cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik to Russia in exchange for the US retrieving the American schoolteacher Marc Fogel  —  The release is part of a swap with the Kremlin that freed an American schoolteacher being held in a Russian prison.
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple releases an Apple TV app for Android phones and tablets, limited to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, and MLB Friday Night Baseball; it doesn't support casting  —  The Apple TV app is finally making its way to Android users.  The app is now available in the Google Play Store for Android phones and tablets.
Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg:
Filing: OpenAI says Elon Musk's $97.4B bid contradicts his attacks in his lawsuit against OpenAI that its assets can't be “transferred away” for “private gain”  —  Elon Musk's all-cash bid to buy OpenAI debunks arguments he's making in court that the artificial …
CJ Haddad / CNBC:
AppLovin reports Q4 revenue up 44% YoY to $1.37B, vs. $1.26B est., net income up 248%, ad revenue up 73%, and Q1 guidance above est.; APP jumps 27%+ after hours  —  AppLovin shares soared almost 30% in extended trading on Wednesday after the company reported earnings and revenue …
Paige Smith / Bloomberg:
Robinhood reports Q4 revenue up 115% YoY to $1.01B, vs. $940.8M est., crypto transaction revenue up 700%+ to $358M, above est.; HOOD jumps 15%+ after hours  —  Revenue grew to $1.01 billion in the quarter, beating Wall Street analyst estimates of $940.8 million for the three-month period.
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Reddit reports Q4 revenue up 71% YoY to $428M, vs. $405M est., and daily active uniques up 39% YoY to 101.7M, vs. 103.1M est.; RDDT drops 13%+ after hours  —  Reddit shares fell more than 15% on Wednesday after the company reported weaker-than-expected user numbers in its fourth-quarter earnings.
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Cisco reports Q2 revenue up 9% YoY to $13.99B, vs. $13.87B est., net income down 8% YoY to $2.43B, and FY 2025 guidance above est.; CSCO jumps 5%+ after hours  —  Cisco shares climbed about 6% in extended trading on Wednesday after the networking hardware maker reported fiscal second-quarter results …
Foreign Policy:
DOGE accessing Treasury systems and classified data breaks a fundamental security principle and could help US adversaries steal data and install backdoors  —  The U.S. government has experienced what may be the most consequential security breach in its history.
Makena Kelly / Wired:
Milana Vinn / Reuters:
Sources: Bain Capital, Advent International, and EQT AB are among the PE firms competing to acquire Trend Micro, which has a market value of about $8.54B  —  Bain Capital, Advent International and EQT AB are among the private equity firms competing to acquire Japanese cybersecurity firm Trend Micro …
More: Bloomberg
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Microsoft details BadPilot, an “initial access operation” team in the Russian hacking group Sandworm that targeted the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia in 2024  —  A team Microsoft calls BadPilot is acting as Sandworm's “initial access operation,” the company says.
Tim Starks / CyberScoop:
Google Threat Intelligence: US adversaries, especially Russia, are increasingly turning to cybercriminals and free or public malware to advance their goals  —  A Google Threat Intelligence Group report notes that Russia in particular has been doing this since the Ukraine war began.  —  Learn more.
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Adobe launches Generate Video in public beta via its redesigned Firefly web app, alongside new image generation, translation, and AI credit subscription tiers  —  Generate Video is now in public beta, allowing anyone to generate five-second video clips at 1080p.
Norman Goh / Nikkei Asia:
Malaysia plans to roll out Google AI tools to 445,000 civil servants to help modernize public services and improve efficiency across government agencies  —  KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's government plans to roll out Google AI tools to 445,000 civil servants, accelerating the Southeast Asian nation's push toward digital transformation.
Financial Times:
Sources: US PE firms have invested in data centers serving ByteDance as a tenant, some without knowing if ByteDance is using the sites to access Nvidia's chips  —  Global buyout groups often do not know whether ByteDance uses their facilities to exploit a legal loophole to access chips

Sponsor Posts

TELUS Digital:
The brand supporting the biggest brands in tech  —  Deliver memorable experiences throughout the customer journey with customer experience support from TELUS Digital.  Scale quickly, automate efficiently and win decisively.
Intel:
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking  —  With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs.  Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Zoho:
From app chaos to business clarity: How to solve software overload  —  The software overload dilemma: A maze or a highway?  Imagine driving through a city where every street follows different rules, forcing constant stops, detours, and delays.
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

Spotlight On:
Speak CEO Connor Zwick on Building the Next Great Language Learning App
A podcast from Accel about how companies are built, from the people doing the building.
Subscribe to Spotlight On.
Techmeme Ride Home:
The Big M&A Test I Was Waiting For
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Invest Like the Best:
Alex Wiltschko - Giving Computers A Sense Of Smell
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
How Trump's tariff chaos is already changing global trade
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Grit:
From Bootstrapped to $12B: Mailchimp's Ben Chestnut on Life After the Exit
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The hidden power of introverts: How to thrive without changing who you are | Susan Cain (author of "Quiet")
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:25 AM ET, February 13, 2025.

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

Michael Nuñez / VentureBeat:
David Shepardson / Reuters:

Earlier Picks

Caroline Igo / CNET:
Euractiv:
Wired:
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Juli Clover / MacRumors: