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☆ AI engineers report burnout, rushed rollouts as 'rat race' to stay competitive hits tech industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

The AI engineer bailed on his friends, who had traveled from the East Coast to the Seattle area. watch nowThis is the dark underbelly of the generative AI gold rush. Last year marked the beginning of the generative AI boom, following the debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT near the end of 2022. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesAn AI engineer at Microsoft said the company is engaged in an "AI rat race." The Microsoft AI engineer said a lot of tasks are about "trying to create AI hype" with no practical use.

Persons: Sebastien Bozon, Jensen Huang, Tech's, Amy Hood, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Andy Jassy, Jassy, they're, Eric Gu, “, Gu, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Justin Sullivan, there's, Morry, Kolman, doesn't, Sundar Pichai, Bard, There's, That's, beholden, Ayodele Odubela, ", it’s, Adam Selipsky, Anthropic, Dario Amodei, Noah Berger, Odubela, Gemini Organizations: Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, AFP, Getty, Amazon, CNBC, Big Tech, Nvidia, Google . Engineers, Tech, Vision, Cloud Next, Web, Amazon Web Locations: Mulhouse, France, East Coast, Seattle, ChatGPT, San Francisco, Vegas, Las Vegas, German

☆ Elon Musk wants to use AI to summarize the news on Twitter and ... it's not a terrible idea?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk wants to combine Twitter and Grok, his AI engine, and create a news machine. Elon Musk thinks news is something different: It's what people talk about on the service formerly known as Twitter. Musk said Grok will not look directly at article text, and will instead rely solely on social posts. Definitely not in the Elon Musk era of the company formerly known as Twitter. The to-be-sures: Yes, you'd be foolish to rely on an Elon Musk-run AI machine for factual information.

Persons: Elon Musk, Grok, —, Alex Kantrowitz, Musk, Igor Babuschkin, xAI, CNN —, it's, you'd, Ben, Elon Musk's, It's Organizations: Twitter, Service, Elon, CNN, Google Locations: London

☆ What’s at stake in the Google antitrust case? Billions of dollars (and the way we use the internet)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Whenever you type a search into Apple’s Safari browser — say, on an iPhone — chances are it’s Google that returns the results. You can tell Safari to pick another search engine, but in practice most people tend to stick with Google by default. You might know that Google pays Apple enormous sums of money every year for that prime placement. Those eye-popping figures, newly unsealed this week, come from a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Google that’s just entered its closing stages. Nothing prevented Apple from choosing a different default search partner, Google contends.

Persons: —, Google that’s, Trump, Amit Mehta, Mehta, ” Mehta, John Schmidtlein, Google’s, Sherman, “, ” Schmidtlein Organizations: CNN, Google, Apple, Justice Department, DOJ, Microsoft

Every weekend, the store offers a wide variety of deals on top products, so I've gathered the best Best Buy deals available now for you to shop. Whether you need a quick gift or want to upgrade your own tech, keep scrolling to find the best Best Buy deals you can shop below. Best Buy sale quicklinks Apple Watches : Get up to $100 off select models. Shop at Best BuyThis is just a small taste of this weekend's top Best Buy sale picks. Check out the full selection over at the Best Buy website.

Persons: I've, — Organizations: Business, Apple, Lenovo, Samsung, LG, Sony, Sporting, Barista, GE Gaming, GE

Major corporations often don't want to seem like they're taking one side politically, so they either sponsor both conventions, or neither. Conventions could see new sponsorsThe Democratic and Republican conventions this summer are the first fully in-person conventions since the 2016 election. Democratic convention organizers in April said if corporations had any reluctance to back the RNC, it hasn't hampered Chicago's efforts to lure donors. Microsoft in 2012 contributed over $1.5 million in a mix of in-kind and cash contributions to the Republican convention. JPMorgan donated $200,000 to the 2012 Republican convention and didn't write a check for the 2016 event.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jon Cherry, Rashad Robinson, Robinson, —, Fiserv, Greg Goldner, Trump, Donald Trump's, aren't, they'll, Joe Biden, Trent Morse, Morse, they've, Alison Prange, Reince Priebus, Priebus, it's, Steve Kornacki's, Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Yeoh, Natalie Edelstein, Michael Sacks, Sacks, J.B . Pritzker, Barack Obama, Alex Hornbrook, There's, Taylor Swift, she's, Mitt Romney, Obama, didn't, General Motors Organizations: Christian Media, The Gaylord, Center, Getty, Republican National Convention, Republican, NBC News, Trump, Fiserv Inc, Democratic, Fiserv, RNC, Resolute Consulting, GOP, Corporations, Fortune, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Democrats, White House, Milwaukee, NBC, Wall, Republican National Committee, Wall Street, Biden, TV, Kentucky Derby, Street Journal, Northwestern Mutual, Wisconsin Fortune, Democratic National Convention, WEC Energy Group, Manpower Group, Conventions, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, DNC, Convention, Chicago, Longtime Democratic, Illinois Gov, White, Correspondents, Commission, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Bank of America, FEC, Meta, Skype, CNBC, JPMorgan Chase, Walmart, JPMorgan, General Motors, General, Motors, Comcast, Press, Trade Locations: Nashville , Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, America, Chicago, NBCUniversal, Philadelphia

☆ Tech Industry Braces as Google Antitrust Trial Closes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( David Mccabe | More About David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The biggest U.S. challenge so far to the vast power of today’s tech giants has reached its climax. v. Google — over whether the tech giant broke federal antitrust laws to maintain its online search dominance. Google insists that consumers use its search engine because it is the best product. Many antitrust experts expect he will land somewhere in the middle, ruling only some of Google’s tactics out of bounds. The trial is the biggest challenge to date to the vast power of today’s tech giants, which have defined an era when billions of people around the world depend on their products for information, social interaction and commerce.

Persons: Amit P, Mehta Organizations: Justice Department, Google, Apple, District of Columbia, Meta Locations: U.S

The judge overseeing a landmark U.S. antitrust challenge to Google tried to poke holes in both sides’ cases during closing arguments Thursday, as he weighs a ruling that could reshape the technology industry. Judge Amit P. Mehta was presiding over the first day of closing arguments in the most consequential tech antitrust case since the U.S. government sued Microsoft in the late 1990s. The Justice Department has sued Google, accusing it of illegally shoring up a monopoly in online search. On Thursday, Judge Mehta questioned the government’s argument that Google’s dominance had hurt the quality of the experience for searching for information online. “Certainly I don’t think the average person would say, ‘Google and Amazon are the same thing,’” Judge Mehta said.

Persons: Judge Amit P, Mehta, Judge Mehta Organizations: Google, Microsoft, The

☆ This solar stock is poised for 50% upside as demand strengthens on data center surge, Goldman says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

First Solar is poised for growth as demand continues to improve with surging electricity consumption from data centers acting as a catalyst for the manufacturer, according to Goldman Sachs. The firm raised its stock price target to $268 after First Solar reported another stronger quarter, which suggests the shares could log 50% upside from Wednesday's close of $177.58. First Solar CEO Mark Widmar told analysts during the company's earnings call that he is seeing a "meaningful increase in demand expectations driven in part by data center load growth." Apple , Google, Meta , and Microsoft are committed to carbon-free energy as they hyperscale data centers, Widmar said. "We'll be ready to go as quickly as possible," Widmar told analysts.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brian Lee, Morgan, Mark Strouse, Strouse, Wall, Mark Widmar, Widmar, Alexander Bradley Organizations: First, Google, Microsoft

☆ Leaked memo: Amazon requires cloud events to spend up to 80% of their time talking about generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewExpect a lot more talk of generative AI at Amazon cloud computing events this year. "Up to 80% of all Global Summit sessions will be sourced from 2023 re:Invent sessions tagged to Gen AI." The new directive shows how Amazon is going to extraordinary lengths to promote its AI prowess, at a time when interest in generative AI is skyrocketing. On Tuesday, Jassy said Amazon is on pace to generate "multi-billion" dollars in revenue this year from its generative AI offerings. Generative AI has already been accounting for a larger share of Amazon's public comments.

Persons: —, Patrick Neighorn, we've, Andy Jassy, Jassy, It's Organizations: Service, Services, Business, AWS, Amazon, Global, Microsoft, Google, Meta

☆ Google antitrust trial nears end
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | 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 EmailGoogle antitrust trial nears endCNBC's Deirdre Bosa reports on what's next for Google as their antitrust case comes to a close.

Persons: Deirdre Bosa, what's Organizations: Google

☆ OpenAI rival Anthropic launches its first smartphone app
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Anthropic has launched a mobile app for its AI chatbot, Claude. The app, a rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT, allows users to sync conversations and analyze photos. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementOpenAI rival Anthropic launched its first smartphone app on Wednesday, a mobile version of its artificial intelligence chatbot called Claude. Both of these features are available on rival ChatGPT.

Persons: Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, —, ChatGPT, Dario, Daniela Amodei, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Amazon, Google, Service, Union, Services, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, K2 Locations: Canada, OpenAI

☆ We're entering advertising's new era
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at the biggest topic at this year's TV upfronts , and how it's a sign of advertising's new era. What's on deck:Markets: Morgan Stanley's new wealth boss outlines the bank's playbook for hitting $10 trillion in client assets. Andy Kiersz/Business InsiderYou might be wondering what retail data has to do with television advertising.

Persons: —, Morgan, Don Draper's, Burton, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly, Lucia Moses, Andy Kiersz, Andy Jassy, hasn't, Finn, Morgan Stanley, Michael M, Tyler Le, Jed Finn, Andy Saperstein, there's, Joseph Stiglitz, Jerome Powell, Justin Sullivan, Wells Fargo, Kevin Scott, Satya Nadella, Bill Gates, Pablo Declan, Shari Redstone's, tanked, BI's Peter Kafka, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Tech, Wall, Getty, Google, Amazon, Disney, Kroger, Walmart, Big Tech, US Department of Labor, Apple, Department, Paramount, Trump Media Locations: China, OpenAI, New York, London

☆ The Judge Deciding Google’s Fate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Steve Lohr | More About Steve Lohr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

One of Amit P. Mehta’s first cases after becoming a federal judge in late 2014 proved to be a crash course in antitrust. Sysco, the nation’s largest distributor of food to restaurants and cafeterias, was trying to buy the rival US Foods, and the Federal Trade Commission had sued to block the $3.5 billion deal, arguing that it would stifle competition. Judge Mehta told lawyers on both sides that he would need help educating himself. After the trial in 2015, Judge Mehta wrote a comprehensive, closely reasoned 128-page opinion and ordered a temporary halt to the deal. Within days, Sysco abandoned its acquisition plan.

Persons: Amit P, Mehta’s, Judge Mehta, Sysco Organizations: US Foods, Federal Trade Commission

☆ Jim Cramer's thoughts on 5 stocks: Carvana, Etsy, Cigna, Wayfair, Trade Desk
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Jim Cramer's daily rapid fire looks at stocks in the news outside the CNBC Investing Club portfolio. Carvana : Shares of the buying and selling online platform were soaring 35% on Thursday after a record first quarter. CEO Ernie Garcia realized, unlike Wall Street analysts had, that he was OK after getting the Apollo money, Jim Cramer said. Etsy : Shares of the online marketplace for handmade goods were sinking roughly 17% after an earnings miss. "That's all you needed" to push this stock lower, Cramer said.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, Ernie Garcia, Jim Cramer, He's, Josh Silverman, Cramer, Jefferies Organizations: CNBC, Club, Wall Street

☆ Four Google execs got 200% stock payouts for 2023 after strong company performance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Four Google executives will receive 200% performance-based stock payouts in 2023. Google's senior VP and chief business officer each got $35 million in stock for 2023. AdvertisementGoogle parent company Alphabet paid four of its executives tens of millions of dollars in stock payouts for 2023, based on the company's public-markets performance. AdvertisementA 200% stock payout raised the total stock value for Porat and Walker's 2023 compensation to $23 million each. The executives' compensation was approved in early February after a tumultuous year for the company.

Persons: Google's, —, Ruth Porat, Prabhakar Raghavan, Philipp Schindler, Kent Walker, Raghavan, Schindler, Sundar Pichai Organizations: Google, Service, Twitter

☆ The future of Google — and Big Tech — hangs in the balance at trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Google's landmark antitrust trial is wrapping up this week in DC with closing arguments, capping off a yearslong saga. AdvertisementIn the end, Judge Mehta could clear Google or find it liable, which could result in changes to its search engine contracts. Mehta could even bar Google from making future deals around its search engine. In his testimony, Google SVP Prabhakar Raghavan noted the search giant is referred to as "Grandpa Google" in some circles and cited execs' fears that its influence might be dwindling.

Persons: —, Amit Mehta, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Google's, Kent Walker, Judge Mehta, Mehta, Prabhakar Raghavan, Google Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, US, Microsoft, Justice, Google, The New York Times, DOJ, FTC, Amazon, Meta, Big Tech, AP

☆ Court documents reveal Google's payments to Apple increased to an eye-watering $20 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Alphabet paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to remain Safari's default search engine, court documents show. That's a $2 billion increase compared to the reported amount Google paid Apple in 2021. AdvertisementThe price to be the default search engine on iPhones, iPads, and Macs has apparently gone up. That's at least $2 billion more than the reported price it paid Apple in 2021. Google reportedly paid Apple around $18 billion in 2021, surpassing a billion dollars every month, according to court documents.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple, Google, Service, US Department, Business

☆ Making Flying Cleaner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Flying is just about the most polluting thing many of us do. This week the Biden administration announced new moves to make aviation cleaner, proposing guidelines for how fuel producers can qualify for tax credits as part of a program to increase production of more sustainable jet fuel, my colleagues Max Bearak and Dionne Searcey wrote. The guidelines are not yet final, but what caught my attention is that they allow corn-based ethanol to be part of the answer. Among experts, ethanol can be divisive and its environmental benefits are fiercely debated, even two decades after the U.S. started mixing it with gasoline. Today, I want to lay out why the aviation industry generates so much pollution and explain the debate over ethanol.

Persons: Hiroko Tabuchi, Max Bearak, Dionne Searcey Organizations: Google, Biden Locations: New York, San Francisco, Cameroon, U.S

She loaded her carry-ons onto the conveyor belt at the security checkpoint and prepared to walk through the metal detector. “I just felt like they were searching for something.”At first, when they flagged her bags, Griner wasn’t too concerned. This was her eighth season in Russia; she paid taxes there and was familiar with the country and its laws. As soon as she felt the cannabis-oil cartridge stowed in a zippered inner pocket in her backpack, her stomach sank. Griner was told to wait while the agent took the cartridges for testing, along with her passport.

Persons: “, ”, wasn’t, Cherelle, Griner, Lindsay Colas, Colas, Alex Boykov, Boykov, snickered, peered, “ I’ve Organizations: Moscow Locations: Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Russia, Arizona, United States, Russian

Big tech companies have pulled back on PERM applications, often the first step to a green card. AdvertisementBig tech companies have backed off green card applications in a big way because the process has become tougher and there's less competition for talent. "If some of these people say 'yes, I'm interested,' then you're out of luck with the green card application." So this makes the green card process potentially easier outside of places like the Bay Area and NYC, she explained. Are you a foreign tech worker struggling with a green card application?

Persons: Ava Benach, —, Googlers, Benach, It's, Hugh Langley, Kali Hays, Eugene Kim Organizations: Big, Google, Service, Department of Labor, Washington DC, Amazon, Business, Meta, Companies, Citizenship, Immigration Services, Supply, Bay, Labor, Area, Big Tech, US, Department, Labor Department, Software Engineer, Research Locations: PERM, Silicon Valley, New York City, Washington, khays@businessinsider.com

☆ Apple can't tell you iPhone sales are booming, so it's talking about 'services.' That's a problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It didn't boast about iPhone sales, which declined. AdvertisementApple had a great second quarter, Apple says: The company hit an "all-time revenue record in Services," the company reports. And if you head over to the company's financials, you can see why: iPhone sales dropped by 10% in the last three months. Prior to Thursday's earnings, analysts had fretted that Chinese iPhone sales were soft, but on Thursday afternoon, Cook told CNBC that iPhone sales in China were up. AdvertisementAnd, as we've been pointing out repeatedly, Apple's App Store rules are under increasing pressure from regulators around the world — and in the EU in particular.

Persons: —, Cook, I've, it's Organizations: Apple, Service, CNBC, Google, US Department Locations: China, EU

☆ PowerPoint Parties: Gen Z Trend Shows How Work Invades Social Lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Case in point: the PowerPoint party, where people get together to show each other presentations on various topics in the name of having fun. It's a chance to be creative and turn something you do at work into something silly and social. The rise of the PowerPoint party also speaks to the workification of our day-to-day lives. Perhaps it's no surprise that young adults who had their childhood activities scheduled down to the minute are embracing the PowerPoint party. If you absolutely insist on having a PowerPoint party, God bless.

Persons: —, it's, we've, hotness, It's, Anna North, Emily Stewart Organizations: Harvard, it's Harvard, Cosmopolitan, Microsoft, Google, Monopoly, Business Locations: Canada

☆ Roblox steps up its 'year of scale' with new ad formats, hires, and key partnerships as it aims to build a $1 billion ads business
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video ads within Roblox are similar to real-world digital out-of-home advertising. A Roblox Portal Ad for a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" pizza party experience. Roblox/GamefamRoblox's partnerships boss, Christina Wootton, previously told Business Insider that while 2023 was a year of testing, 2024 would be the "year of scale" for its ads business. Roblox ads are labeled and can only be served to users over the age of 13, the company said. "If you literally just slap ads within the game, people are going to run a mile," Litman added.

Persons: Roblox, we'll, Stephanie Latham, Christina Wootton, Michael Guthrie, Latham, Ben Fox, David Vesper, it's, Nathan Pillot, Pillot, It's, Michael Litman, Litman Organizations: Business, Walmart, Warner Bros . Pictures, HUGO, Meta, Yahoo, Google, Social, viewability, Media.Monks, Logitech Locations: Roblox

☆ Google lays off hundreds of 'Core' employees, moves some positions to India and Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Just ahead of its blowout first-quarter earnings report on April 25, Google laid off at least 200 employees from its "Core" teams, in a reorganization that will include moving some roles to India and Mexico, CNBC has learned. The Core unit is responsible for building the technical foundation behind the company's flagship products and for protecting users' online safety, according to Google's website. Core teams include key technical units from information technology, its Python developer team, technical infrastructure, security foundation, app platforms, core developers, and various engineering roles. Many Core teams will hire corresponding roles in Mexico and India, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC. Asim Husain, vice president of Google Developer Ecosystem, announced news of the layoffs to his team in an email last week.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Asim Husain, Husain, Ruth Porat, Prabhakar Raghavan Organizations: Inc, Government, Society, Google, CNBC, Mexico City, U.S Locations: Stanford , California, India, Mexico, Sunnyvale , California, Bangalore, Brazil

☆ Amazon-backed Anthropic launches iPhone app and business tier to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The generative artificial intelligence startup is the company behind Claude, one of the chatbots that, like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google 's Gemini, has exploded in popularity in the past year. Anthropic's first iOS app is free for users across all plans and also available starting Wednesday. In a release Wednesday, Anthropic confirmed that other current clients using Claude include Pfizer, Asana, Zoom, Perplexity AI, Bridgewater Associates and more currently. Now, it's one of the hottest AI startups, with a product that directly competes with ChatGPT in both the enterprise and consumer worlds. Anthropic's stance on the military use of Claude is similar to OpenAI's updated policy.

Persons: Anthropic's, Claude, Amodei, Anthropic, Daniela Amodei, it's, Opus, OpenAI's, Asana, It's, Moby Dick, Harry Potter, OpenAI Organizations: CNBC, Google, Team, Pfizer, Asana, Bridgewater Associates, ChatGPT

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