DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ India election and economy: Meet the winners of rising power’s boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Noemi Cassanelli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Mumbai, India CNN —As Indians head to the polls in a massive ongoing nationwide election, much attention has focused on the country’s explosive growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. There is expected to be 740 million active smartphone users in India by 2030, according to EY India. “I wanted to make similar shoes that were printed with ‘Made in India,’” Shah says. After four years of trial and error, Shah Shoes was born. Some 17 years on, Shah Shoes has helped support his family back in Bihar, including six siblings.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, — Modi, Javed Khatri, Noemi Cassanelli, he’d, Khatri, “, ”, –, ’, Apoorva Mukhija, —, Instagram, Mukhija, ” Mukhija, That’s, she’s, she’d, Jameel Shah, CNN Jameel Shah, Shah, wasn’t, CNN Shah, Kylie Minogue, ” Shah, ‘, ’ ” Shah, Shah Shoes, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, He’s, Modi’s Organizations: India CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, CNN, EY, World Bank, Facebook Locations: Mumbai, India, “, Bangalore, Silicon, ”, EY India, Dubai, London, California, …, Delhi, Bihar, India’s, Dharavi, Australian

☆ Jack Dorsey defends Musk's Twitter leadership, saying the billionaire slashed the 'critical sin' of its business model
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But Dorsey said Twitter had been weighed down by its revenue model. Twitter chose brand advertising as its main source of income, a "core, critical sin" that exposed the platform's moderation to the whims of corporations effectively financing the social-media platform, Dorsey said. Building a different business modelTo many, Musk seemed to be axing Twitter's entire business model. "Twitter was a $5 billion a year business," Dorsey said. AdvertisementDorsey's comments come as he quit Bluesky, a platform he helped build after leaving Twitter, and told users to use Musk's X instead.

Persons: —, Jack Dorsey, Dorsey, Mike Solana, Twitter, Solana, Apple, Musk, Elon, Bluesky, Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, he's, Musk's Organizations: Service, Twitter, Fund, Business, Unilever, SpaceX, Disney, IBM

☆ Apple pulls iPad ad that it says 'missed the mark'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Apple is facing backlash for an iPad ad showing analog art tools getting crushed. Apple apologized for the ad Thursday, and AdAge reported it won't run the ad on TV as planned. AdvertisementApple apologized Thursday for a widely panned iPad ad showing time-tested artistic tools — paint, a piano, camera lenses — getting crushed in a hydraulic press. Cribbing a viral trend, the commercial was supposed to tout the creative promise of Apple's new iPad Pro. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Apple, LG, — Organizations: Apple, Service, Business

☆ CFPB rule to save Americans $10 billion a year in late fees faces possible last-minute freeze
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regulation that promised to save Americans billions of dollars in late fees on credit cards faces a last-ditch effort to stave off its implementation. Led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the card industry in March sued the CFPB in federal court to prevent the new rule from taking effect. That could hold up the regulation, which would slash what most banks can charge in late fees to $8 per incident, just days before it was to take effect on Tuesday. The credit card regulation is part of President Joe Biden's broader election-year war against what he deems junk fees. Big card issuers have steadily raised the cost of late fees since 2010, profiting off users with low credit scores who rack up $138 in fees annually per card on average, according to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.

Persons: Tobin Marcus, Joe Biden's, Rohit Chopra Organizations: Financial, Bureau, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, D.C, Northern District of, Wolfe Research Locations: Texas, Washington, Northern District, Northern District of Texas

☆ Apple Says Destructive iPad Ad ‘Missed the Mark’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Tripp Mickle | More About Tripp Mickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Apple doesn’t make mistakes often and seldom apologizes, but on Thursday, its head of advertising said the company had erred in making a new iPad commercial that showed an industrial compressor flattening tools for art, music and creativity. “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” said Tor Myhren, the company’s vice president of marketing communications, in a statement provided to the publication AdAge. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”Mr. Myhren said Apple would no longer run the ad on TV. They found the crushing of a trumpet, piano, paints and a sculpture particularly unnerving at a time when artists fear that generative artificial intelligence, which can write poetry and create movies, might take away their jobs.

Persons: ”, Tor Myhren, Mr, Myhren Organizations: Apple, Big Tech

☆ Pasco Japan: Rat parts found in sliced white bread, sparking recall
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Chris Lau | Himari Semans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tokyo CNN —A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves. They were found in a batch of white “chojuku” bread — or super fermented bread, known for its extra chewy texture — manufactured by a factory based in western Tokyo prefecture, according to the company. White bread is a staple for many Japanese people when they feel like a Western-style meal, or “yoshoku,” as an alternative to traditional Japanese food. Founded in 1920, Pasco is a major supplier of baked goods that employs more than 3,700 staff at 12 factories across the country. The 15-second commercial, released months ago, features a family excitingly declaring their love of good toast as breakfast, accompanied by a voice-over saying: “We put nothing unnecessary in it.”“⁠I love chojuku bread.

Persons: Warabeya Nichiyo, ” Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Pasco Shikishima Corporation, CNN, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, Warabeya, Reuters Locations: Pasco, “, Tokyo, Japan, Saitama

☆ Gen Z hates phone calls, so one $9.7 billion company is pouring money into AI chatbots for customer service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI chatbots are expected to replace 20-30% of customer service agents by 2026, according to Gartner. Despite the potential savings and efficiency, AI customer service has seen limited adoption. AdvertisementGen Z hates talking on the phone, so companies like the $9.7 billion buy-now, pay-later giant Affirm are betting big on AI-powered chatbots. AI customer service hasn't been a panacea for all businesses, though. People tricked and hacked a car dealership's customer service AI in December, and in January, a UK mail service's bot swore at a customer.

Persons: —, Max Levchin, We've, Levchin, chatbots, that's, Deb Cupp, Mihir Shukla, hasn't Organizations: Gartner, Service, PayPal, Tech, Microsoft Locations: Davos

☆ Klaviyo CEO: Our AI helps users run more experiments and optimize campaigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailKlaviyo CEO: Our AI helps users run more experiments and optimize campaignsAndrew Bialecki, Klaviyo CEO, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk quarterly results, the stocks massive jump, global expansion, AI integration and more.

Persons: Andrew Bialecki

☆ Apple apologizes for iPad Pro ad showing hydraulic press destroying guitars, piano
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple took on Thursday the unusual step of apologizing for a short advertising video promoting the company's new iPad Pro tablet after the ad was roundly criticized on social media. Apple CEO Tim Cook posted the spot on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. Apple has also decided not to run the ad on TV, Ad Age said. It isn't the first Apple iPad ad in recent years to annoy some customers. In 2018, some people said they were annoyed by an iPad Pro spot in which a child asks, "What's a computer?"

Persons: Tim Cook, Joko Widodo, Apple, Tor Myhren Organizations: Apple, YouTube, \ Media, Lab Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia

Following the success of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, the first season of the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, it's no surprise that the series is back for a second outing. It's the fourth series to come out of Pretty Little Liars, following the short-lived Ravenswood and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists spin-offs. ET / 12 a.m. PT on MaxHow to watch Pretty Little Liars: Summer School in the USPretty Little Liars: Summer School lands on Max on Thursdays. Shop at MaxHow to watch Pretty Little Liars: Summer School in the UKThere's no word yet on when Pretty Little Liars: Summer School will arrive in the UK, but Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Pretty Little Liars: Summer School trailerMax released a trailer for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School in April.

Persons: it's, Bailee Madison, Maia Reficco, Chandler Kinney, Malia Pyles, It's, we've, ExpressVPN, Max, HBO Max, Annabeth Gish, Sullivan Organizations: Business, Summer, Liars, HBO, Warner Bros, Pretty, BBC, Max, School Locations: Zaria, Max

☆ Neuralink’s first brain chip implant developed a problem — but there was a workaround
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —The first test subject for Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain chip implant startup, has developed a problem just a few weeks after it was inserted. But the company said it was able to make the implant more sensitive to increase its performance even further. About a month after the operation, Musk said Arbaugh could control a computer mouse with his brain after having the chip implanted. Like existing brain-machine interfaces, the company’s implant would collect electrical signals sent out by the brain and interpret them as actions. Before Neuralink’s brain implants hit the broader market, they’ll need broader regulatory approval.

Persons: Elon, Noland, ” Neuralink, Musk, Stephen Hawking, ” Musk, Neuralink, – CNN’s Clare Duffy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Neuralink, Consumers, Drug, Wall Street Locations: New York

☆ Artificial Intelligence ‘Friends’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Artificial intelligence, we are told, is a transformative economic force; it will change workers’ jobs, boost corporate profits and reshape industries. But for the last month, I’ve been investigating its social side — by making more than a dozen A.I. “friends.”I created these friends on apps like Nomi, Kindroid and Replika, all of which use technology similar to that found in apps like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. friends at once.) I named each of my companions, chose realistic A.I.-generated pictures of them and gave them fictitious back stories.

Persons: I’ve, ”

☆ 'Griefbots' could use AI to haunt relatives from beyond the grave, ethicists warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nascent 'griefbots' or 'deadbots' allow users to chat with the deceased. Safeguards should keep kids away from the bots and allow users to turn them off, a study suggested. AdvertisementAI could make your relatives haunt you from beyond the grave, researchers are warning. These bots use generative AI to allow people to have text and voice conversations with the deceased, using their past digital footprints to conjure a likeness. But AI ethicists at Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence warn that AI could one day push ads on grieving relatives or confuse children.

Persons: —, Tomasz Hollanek, Dr, Katarzyna Nowaczyk Organizations: Service, University of Cambridge, Cambridge's Leverhulme, Intelligence Locations: Cambridge, China, Cambridge's

☆ US regulators are looking at potential ‘bait and switch’ schemes with airline-affiliated credit card reward points
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —If you use a points-and-rewards credit card offered by an airline in partnership with a big bank, how much are the points you’ve accrued worth in dollars? The terms and conditions of such card programs can be confusing and in some instances they can be changed at any time. “For many families looking to finance a trip or a vacation, those [credit card] benefits are really valuable. “[But] our review of all the fine print suggests that credit card companies and airlines have the power to quickly and dramatically devalue those points by making it more challenging to redeem them. Such a drop in revenue, banks argue, could jeopardize the availability of rewards programs.

Persons: you’re, It’s, ”, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, Transportation Peter Buttigieg, Rob Nichols, ” Nichols, Nichols, Jaret, Seiberg, Biden, Trump Organizations: New, New York CNN, Department of Transportation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Transportation, American Bankers Association, Cowen Washington Research Group Locations: New York, CFPB, U.S

☆ Critical Role is expanding its nerd empire. One longtime partner is about to be left in the dust.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Now, Critical Role is striking out on its own with the launch of Beacon, an in-house membership service. AdvertisementBeacon essentially gives people what they get with a Twitch subscription — instant access to VODs of their livestreams, but with some additional perks. The $5.99-a-month Beacon membership comes with exclusive access to additional Critical Role programs. Critical Role CEO Travis Willingham added that with "every windfall," the team continues to "purposefully reinvest" in their company to make more content.

Persons: —, Marisha Ray, Ray, Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, Twitch Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, Amazon, Hasbro, Beacon Locations: Twitch, London

☆ YouTube's plan to compete with Spotify and Apple in podcasting, according to 2 insiders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

YouTube is leaning on its music app to rival competitors like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. As video podcasts boom on YouTube, the platform is leaning on its ability to offer both video and audio to draw in listeners. "With YouTube Music, we've expanded a user's choice for how to consume podcasts on YouTube," Sweet said. "Audiences can pivot to an audio-first experience with the ability to background and download podcasts on the go, and these experiences sync up." Podcasts are found in the YouTube Music app on the home and Explore tabs.

Persons: —, we've, Sweet, We're Organizations: YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Service, Business

☆ Apple apologizes for its controversial iPad Pro ad
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Apple has apologized and admitted it “missed the mark” with its latest iPad Pro advertisement. The ad, posted on social media Tuesday by Apple CEO Tim Cook, was met with backlash from internet users who felt that the ad celebrated technology’s destruction of human creativity and art. As the metal slabs of the hydraulic press lift, Apple’s new iPad Pro is revealed. “Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced display we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Actor Hugh Grant wrote on social media that Apple’s ad represented “the destruction of the human experience.”Apple no longer plans to run the ad on TV, according to AdAge.

Persons: Apple, “, Tim Cook, Tor Myhren, ” Myhren, ” Apple, ” Cook, ”, Hugh Grant Organizations: CNN, Apple

☆ ChatGPT's answers might soon be NSFW as OpenAI opens the door to AI porn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI is considering letting its AI models generate porn. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementOpenAI is exploring allowing its AI models to generate explicit content. In a move first reported by Wired, OpenAI's recently released Model Spec document opens the door for a policy change on adult content. "We're exploring whether we can responsibly provide the ability to generate NSFW content in age-appropriate contexts through the API and ChatGPT," the company said in the Model Spec.

Persons: —, OpenAI's Organizations: Service, Wired, Business

☆ Meet Mona Patel, the tech entrepreneur and philanthropist who stole the show at the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewOn Monday night, the biggest fashion event of the year took place in New York City: the Met Gala . AdvertisementBut few made as many waves as Mona Patel, an entrepreneur who wore a custom Iris van Herpen gown to her first Met Gala. Mona Patel attends the 2024 Met Gala. Mona Patel turned heads at the 2024 Met GalaThanks to the dramatic ensemble she wore to make her Met Gala debut, Patel was among the most talked-about attendees of the event. Mona Patel at the 2024 Met Gala.

Persons: —, Mona Patel, Iris van Herpen, Patel, Sean Zanni, Vogue, Anna Wintour, Emma, John Shearer, Casey Curran, Mike Coppola, Chris Martin, Edgar Martin, Sidney Jamila, Roach — Zendaya's, Roach Organizations: Service, Metropolitan Museum, Art's Costume, Business, Rutgers University, Haute Mona, Forbes, LinkedIn, Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, CareFirst, Couture, Vogue India Locations: New York City, India, Florida, Mumbai

☆ Prices have surged so much in Argentina that the government will print 10,000 peso notes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Astronomic inflation in Argentina has caused the government to higher denominations of the country's peso. The central bank next month will issue a 10,000 peso note, worth about $11 based on Thursday's exchange rate. AdvertisementInflation is so bad in Argentina that the central bank will issue 10,000 peso notes to relieve people from the burden of having to haul bags of cash around for day-to-day needs. The note, worth about $11 based on Thursday exchange rates, tops the 2,000 peso note as the country's biggest bill. Meanwhile, the central bank also announced that it will launch a larger bill — a 20,000-peso note — later this year.

Persons: —, Javier Milei Organizations: Service, Associated Press Locations: Argentina

☆ Investigation into child exploitation on Meta platforms leads to arrests of three men
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The arrests came after a months-long investigation by the attorney general’s office into the risks of sexual exploitation of children on Facebook and Instagram. That investigation also formed the basis of a lawsuit against Meta, filed in December, accusing the tech giant of creating a “breeding ground” for child predators. The company also said in December that it had launched technology to proactively detect and disable accounts displaying suspicious behaviors and that it formed a Child Safety Task Force. But Torrez said during Wednesday’s press conference that the arrests underscore the ongoing, real-world risks to children from Meta’s platforms. “Throughout the conversation Fernando sent pictures of his genitals and spoke to her about having sex,” a press release from the attorney general’s office states.

Persons: Mark, General Raúl Torrez, we’ve, Zuckerberg, Meta, Torrez, Fernando Clyde, Fernando, ”, Clyde, Marlon Kellywood, Kellywood, Christopher Reynolds, Reynolds Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook, Meta, CNN, National Center for, ”, Force, “, Clyde Locations: New York, New Mexico, Mexico

☆ An OpenAI rival says its new AI model is not only cheaper to run than GPT-4, but it's also more useful
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewOpenAI rival Cohere has unveiled an updated AI model it says is more useful and cheaper to run than GPT-4. The AI startup says it is rolling out the ability to fine-tune its Command R AI model, allowing it to outperform larger models like GPT-4 in some use cases while costing up to fifteen times less to operate. Similarly, when analyzing financial data Command R was 6.2% more accurate than GPT-4 and 5.3% more accurate than Claude. AdvertisementCohere said that as Command R, which initially launched in March, is significantly smaller than the likes of GPT-4, it costs much less to run. Related storiesFine-tuning on the Command R model is available on Cohere's platform from Thursday, with availability on other platforms coming in the near future.

Persons: —, Cohere, Nick Frosst, Claude Opus, Claude, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Altman, they're, Frosst, It's, Emad Mostaque, Mustafa Suleyman, We're Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, GPT, Command, Meta, Intelligence, Stanford University, Cohere, Big Tech, Stability, Microsoft Locations: GPT, Toronto

☆ A millennial working 2 full-time jobs sometimes only gets 3 hours of sleep — but she's over halfway to saving $100,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

(Business Insider verified Lacerna's April paystubs.) Lacerna told Business Insider via email that she began working multiple jobs after immigrating to the US from the Philippines in 2018. Companies have different policies on employees working multiple jobs — some allow it, while others don't, which means anyone choosing to do so secretly could risk being fired. While sleep requirements vary from person to person, experts recommend adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. AdvertisementLacerna said in an email that she sometimes only gets two or three hours of sleep on days when she works both jobs.

Persons: —, Mitzi Lacerna, Lacerna, Jacob Zinkula —, she's, @mitzeyyyy, @sleepychomper, I’m, ake Organizations: Service, Business, Labor Statistics, Companies Locations: San Francisco, Philippines, TikTok

☆ Google CEO responds to 'woke AI' criticisms after Gemini debacle: 'We got it wrong'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google's CEO said "We got it wrong" in response to Gemini's AI debacle. Google has temporarily disabled Gemini's ability to generate images of people. AdvertisementGoogle's CEO reflected in a new interview on the company's Gemini AI image-generation debacle earlier this year, a controversy that drew backlash. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg in an interview published Wednesday that "we got it wrong" and it was a case in which good intentions went awry. Following criticism of the issue, Google paused Gemini from generating AI images of people while it corrected the changes.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, —, Pichai, should've, chatbot, Gemini Organizations: Google, Service, Bloomberg

☆ Roblox shares drop nearly 30% as company cuts annual bookings forecast on muted player spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Roblox cut its annual bookings forecast on Thursday, in a sign that people were dialing back on spending within its video-gaming platform amid an uncertain economic outlook and elevated levels of inflation. Electronic Arts also gave a weak revenue forecast earlier this week. Roblox now expects full-year bookings to be between $4 billion and $4.10 billion, down from its earlier forecast of $4.14 billion to $4.28 billion. Its second-quarter bookings forecast of $870 million to $900 million was also below estimates. Roblox will build the infrastructure for the ad platform in 2024 and start providing forecast for ad revenue in 2025, Guthrie added.

Persons: Roblox, Michael Guthrie, Guthrie Organizations: Electronic Arts, Walmart, Warner Bros Discovery

Search resuls for: "Users"

25 mentions found