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February 21, 2025, 1:25 PM
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Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Apple removes Advanced Data Protection in the UK for new users, pulling the optional E2EE feature rather than complying with the UK's order to build a backdoor  —  - Company removes Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users  — “We never will” build backdoor to user data, iPhone maker says
Oliver Knight / CoinDesk:
ZachXBT: crypto exchange Bybit has experienced $1.46B worth of “suspicious outflows”; Bybit CEO confirms hacker took control of a cold ETH wallet  —  Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has experienced $1.46 billion worth of “suspicious outflows,” according to blockchain sleuth ZachXBT.
Jesse Pound / CNBC:
Coinbase says the US SEC agreed “in principle” to drop its 2023 case against the company, calling it “righting a major wrong” and a “huge day” for crypto  —  - CNBC Councils  — CNBC on Peacock  — Join the CNBC Panel  — Supply Chain Values
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
DeepSeek plans to open source five of its code repositories next week, letting anyone download, build on, or improve the code behind its well-regarded AI models  —  - The startup will begin making technology available next week  — DeepSeek is pushing harder on its open-source approach
The Information:
OpenAI told investors that it expects revenue to more than triple in 2025, from $3.7B to over $12.5B; one-third of the revenue growth would come from SoftBank  —  New forecasts from OpenAI show the beginning of a dramatic shift in its alliances from Microsoft, its biggest shareholder, to SoftBank, its newest benefactor.
Benj Edwards / Ars Technica:
Microsoft researchers introduce Magma, an AI foundation model that combines visual and language processing to control software interfaces and robotic systems  —  On Wednesday, Microsoft Research introduced Magma, an integrated AI foundation model that combines visual and language processing …
David Heaney / UploadVR:
Apple releases visionOS 2.4 developer beta, adding Apple Intelligence, a guest mode, a Spatial Gallery app, an iPhone app for remote installs, and more  —  visionOS 2.4 will bring Apple Intelligence to Vision Pro, a Spatial Gallery app, an iPhone app for remote installs, and a new iPhone/iPad-driven guest flow.
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
OpenAI launches Operator in the UK, Japan, and most ChatGPT regions, and says it's working to expand to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland  —  OpenAI said on Friday that it is rolling out Operator, its so-called AI agent that can perform tasks on behalf of users …
Ian Duncan / Washington Post:
Sources: the US NHTSA is losing ~10% of its workforce via firings and buyout offers, including nearly half of a small team that regulates autonomous vehicles  —  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is losing about 10 percent of its workforce through firings and buyout offers, according to people briefed on the cuts.
Gergely Orosz / The Pragmatic Engineer:
A look at the potential reasons why software developer job listings on Indeed hit a five-year low in January, down 35% from January 2020, including AI's impact  —  Hi, this is Gergely with a bonus issue of the Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter.  In every issue, I cover topics related to Big Tech …
Bluesky: @kakurady.ca.  X: @gergelyorosz and @gergelyorosz
Forums: Hacker News and Slashdot
Bloomberg:
On Alibaba's Q3 earnings call, CEO Eddie Wu calls the pursuit of AGI the company's “primary objective”, saying “our first and foremost goal is to pursue AGI”  —  “Our first and foremost goal is to pursue AGI,” Eddie Wu told investors on a call after the company reported results that surpassed analyst estimates.

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About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:25 PM ET, February 21, 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.

From Mediagazer

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Bill Simmons and Spotify canceled a ChatGPT partnership after audience backlash; Ringer hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins had voiced unease on air

Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Source: NBC News will stop airing one hour of primetime programming on the NBC News Now streaming service, eliminating the Stay Tuned show and a handful of jobs

Rajeev Syal / The Guardian:
A UK jury convicts two Iranians of assisting Iranian intelligence in a plan to “eliminate” journalists at London-based Persian broadcaster Iran International

More News

Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
SEC filing: Meta raises executives' annual bonuses from 75% to 200% of their base salary, after reportedly cutting most employees' annual stock options by ~10%

Earlier Picks

Ben Lang / Road to VR:
Meta announces a $50M creator fund for Horizon Worlds; CTO Andrew Bosworth reportedly told staff that 2025 is a make-or-break year for Meta's XR ambitions
Ian Carlos Campbell / Engadget:
Meta says that US users over 18 can now sign up to be a Community Notes contributor on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads; notes will have a 500-character limit
Emily Birnbaum / Bloomberg:
US FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson announces an inquiry into “Big Tech censorship”, which he calls “un-American” and “potentially illegal”, and seeks public comment
Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac:
Kuo: all iPhone 17 models will have Apple's in-house Wi-Fi chips, enhancing connectivity and cutting costs; only the slim iPhone 17 will have the C1 modem chip
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