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☆ TikTok Is Its Own Worst Enemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I was really rooting for TikTok. In 2020, when the Trump administration first tried to force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app or risk having it shut down, I argued that banning TikTok in the United States would do more harm than good. If the Chinese government wanted to snoop on Americans through their smartphones, it wouldn’t have to use TikTok to do it. It could buy troves of information from a data broker, thanks to America’s nonexistent federal data privacy laws. And I’m still worried that banning TikTok would be a huge gift to U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, which own TikTok’s largest competitors — Facebook, Instagram and YouTube — further entrenching winners in a market that already has too little competition.

Persons: Trump, I’m, snoop Organizations: Meta, Google, Facebook, YouTube Locations: United States

So we have to talk about the drama that has been playing out in the past week between OpenAI and Elon Musk. According to OpenAI, Elon Musk wanted majority, equity, initial board control, and to be CEO of this new for-profit subsidiary. It’s basically —casey newtonIt’s like, I’m going to find a way to follow your rule, but in the worst way possible. Like, working was one I thought that, oh, I’m going to work in this all the time. kevin roose[LAUGHS]: Well, I thought, like, I’m going to take some spatial videos.

Persons: casey newton Casey, kevin roose, casey newton, Kevin, casey newton What’s, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, OpenAI, Will, Joanna Stern, Casey, it’s, kevin roose I’m, Elon Musk, It’s, casey newton Let’s, Elon, he’s, I’ve, casey newton What’d, there’s, you’ve, we’re, GPT, Sam Altman’s, that’s, AGI, Annie “, Sam Altman, who’s, isn’t, “, we’ve, ” casey newton Go, He’s, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Ilya, casey newton Yes, Tesla, casey newton Well, they’ll, casey newton Oh, kevin roose It’s, don’t, kevin roose Will, casey newton Right, casey newton Mhm, kevin roose They’re, Microsoft’s Bing, Microsoft Bing, Bing, Apple, Europe — casey newton, Charles Duhigg, John Gruber, they’ve, casey newton It’d, — casey newton, they’re, They’ve, you’ll, Apple’s, casey newton It’s, I’ll, casey newton Sure, GDPR, you’re, kevin roose Really, let’s, kevin roose Casey, kevin roose —, Jonah Stern, casey newton Wow, Joanna, Let’s, kevin roose Joanna Stern, joanna, casey newton Hi, kevin roose Long, joanna stern, —, kevin roose We’re, Kara Swisher, kevin roose Don’t, I’m, casey newton Don’t, casey newton That’s, Neil Patel, Um, kevin roose That’s, kevin roose Sure, casey newton Great, KEVIN, IV, wearables, Fitbits, kevin roose Oh, hadn’t, casey newton —, casey newton I’ve, Joe Rogan Organizations: The New York Times, Elon, Apple’s, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Google’s, Facebook, Tesla, Big, European Union, Digital Services, Giants, Apple, Digital Markets, EU, Bloomberg, Digital, Spotify, General, Apple Vision Pro, Street, Apple Vision, Vision, New York Times, “, Housewives, Club, Ray, Tesla Chargers, Vision Pro, Apple Watch, Sony Locations: Los Angeles, Europe, what’s, Elon, OpenAI, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Reddit, American, America, California, Florida, United, Mars, The

☆ 'There's an enormous catch-up trade': These 5 small-cap stocks are destined to soar, according to a stock researcher behind a top-11% fund in the last 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The research director at Westfield Capital Management is instead focused on finding attractive stocks through a bottom-up fundamental process. Many companies have been abandoned in this top-heavy market, Meyers said. Instead of calling for a meltdown for the market's favorite companies, Meyers emphasized the stocks destined to rebound once investors shift their focus away from pricey growth names. "We don't overpay for growth for the sake of growth," Meyers said. 5 top stocks to own nowInvestors searching for small-cap stocks to buy are in the right place.

Persons: —, Ethan Meyers, Meyers, Morningstar, that's, " Meyers, there's, you've, Kevin Rendino, it's, We're, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Westfield Capital Management, Growth, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia Locations: Westfield

☆ The Paradox at the Heart of Elon Musk’s OpenAI Lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It would be easy to dismiss Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI as a case of sour grapes. Mr. Musk sued OpenAI this week, accusing the company of breaching the terms of its founding agreement and violating its founding principles. In his telling, OpenAI was established as a nonprofit that would build powerful A.I. But Mr. Musk argues that OpenAI broke that promise by starting a for-profit subsidiary that took on billions of dollars in investments from Microsoft. And Mr. Musk’s falling out with Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, has been well documented.

Persons: Elon, Musk, OpenAI, Jason Kwon, Musk’s, “, A.I, haven’t, Sam Altman Organizations: OpenAI, Microsoft

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Google removed the ability to generate images of people from its Gemini chatbot. We talk about why, and about the brewing culture war over artificial intelligence. Then, did Kara Swisher start “Hard Fork”? We clear up some podcast drama and ask about her new book, “Burn Book.” And finally, the legal expert Daphne Keller tells us how the U.S. Supreme Court might rule on the most important First Amendment cases of the internet era, and what Star Trek and soy boys have to do with it. Today’s guests:Kara Swisher, tech journalist and Casey Newton’s former landlordDaphne Keller, director of the program on platform regulation at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy CenterAdditional Reading:

Persons: Kara Swisher, “, Daphne Keller, Casey Newton’s Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Google, Supreme, Stanford Locations: U.S

☆ 'The worry is not the reality': A 36-year market veteran explains why beaten-down micro-cap stocks will enjoy a jaw-dropping rally — and names which 4 companies will be the biggest winners
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The group kept lagging last year as markets braced for a recession that would especially hurt economically sensitive small caps. And although the market isn't on small caps' side, Rendino believes historical precedent is. However, Rendino isn't discouraged by small caps' slow start and is instead pleased that his firm is outperforming. "Small caps were up in the fourth quarter, and we're having a really good year," Rendino said. "And I know why companies aren't in the good graces of investors and why certain investors shy away from companies."

Persons: —, Kevin Rendino, Rendino, Russell, He's, Rendino isn't, he's, we're, we've, Benjamin Graham, David Dodd Organizations: Service, Business, Capita, Federal Reserve, Capital, Federal

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’This week’s episode is a conversation with Demis Hassabis, the head of Google’s artificial intelligence division. We talk about Google’s latest A.I. models, Gemini and Gemma; the existential risks of artificial intelligence; his timelines for artificial general intelligence; and what he thinks the world will look like post-A.G.I. Additional listening and reading:

Persons: Demis Hassabis, Gemma Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

☆ Ruby Franke, sobbing at sentencing, blames child abuse on being 'deceived' into thinking the world was 'evil'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Franke, known for her YouTube channel "8 Passengers," was charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse. She was arrested at 9:33 p.m. on August 30, 2023, in Ivins, Utah, and later charged with six felony counts of child abuse. The arrest followed years of controversy and allegations of child abuse . AdvertisementSince Franke and Hildebrandt's arrest, more details have emerged about the abuse Franke's young children were subjected to. He said Hildebrandt "systematically isolated" Franke "from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke."

Persons: momfluencer Ruby Franke, Franke, Jodi Hildebrandt, Kevin, Shari Franke, We've, " Hildebrandt, Hildebrandt, LaMar Winward, Kevin Franke, of Jesus Christ, Randy Kester, Kester Organizations: YouTube, CPS, Salt Lake Tribune, of Jesus, & Crime Locations: Utah, Ivins , Utah, Salt

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen to and follow ‘Hard Fork’A year ago, a chatbot tried to break up Kevin Roose’s marriage. Ever since, chatbots haven’t been the same. We’ll tell you how. Then, we’ll talk through the latest ways the world is adapting to artificial intelligence. And finally, Aravind Srinivas, the chief executive of Perplexity, will discuss his company’s “answer engine,” a challenger to Google’s search engine that could reshape the web as we know it.

Persons: Kevin Roose’s, chatbots haven’t, Aravind Srinivas, ” Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Perplexity

☆ Can America Turn a Productivity Boomlet Into a Boom?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Talmon Joseph Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Kevin Rezvani came of age in kitchens: spending summers at his grandfather’s bakery in Japan, doing work-study in his college cafeteria and working for years as a line cook at mid-tier restaurants, along with some stints in fast food. Too many ventures, he says, are not profitable enough to justify all the work hours needed from managers and employees to stay afloat, much less grow. In other words, they fall short on productivity. “There’s a very fine line between doing OK, and doing well in this business,” said Mr. Rezvani, now 36. “And if you’re doing OK, it’s not worth your time.”

Persons: Kevin Rezvani, Rezvani, ” Locations: Japan

☆ The Year Chatbots Were Tamed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A year ago, on Valentine’s Day, I said good night to my wife, went to my home office to answer some emails and accidentally had the strangest first date of my life. The date was a two-hour conversation with Sydney, the A.I. alter ego tucked inside Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which I had been assigned to test. I had planned to pepper the chatbot with questions about its capabilities, exploring the limits of its A.I. engine (which we now know was an early version of OpenAI’s GPT-4) and writing up my findings.

Persons: Bing, Kevin Organizations: Sydney Locations: Sydney

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Bluesky, the Twitter spinoff, is now open for public sign-ups. Can its dreams of decentralization fix social media? We talk with the company’s chief executive, Jay Graber. Then, the New York Times reporter Erin Griffith on how Adobe’s failure to acquire Figma has spooked tech companies and upset Silicon Valley’s start-up pipeline. And finally, updates on ancient scrolls and artificial intelligence, Google’s chatbots, and the fight between record companies and TikTok.

Persons: Jay Graber, Erin Griffith, Figma, Google’s chatbots Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, New York Times

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Apple’s Vision Pro headset is now for sale in stores. Will it live up to the hype? Kevin Roose and Casey Newton tried it out to see. Then, in a high-profile congressional hearing on child safety and social media, Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, made an apology to families of victims of online child abuse. And finally, what the collapse of Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company, means for the future of self-driving cars.

Persons: Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube Locations: Cruise

☆ The Apple Vision Pro Is a Marvel. But Who Will Buy It?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last week, I was ushered by an Apple employee through a security gate, past a manicured lawn, down a flight of stairs and into a tastefully decorated faux living room inside the Steve Jobs Theater to get a preview of the company’s new Vision Pro headset. Like other reporters who were given early tours of the Vision Pro, my demo was far from exhaustive. Given how limited my trial was, I can’t in good conscience tell you whether the Vision Pro is worth the $3,500 — yes, three thousand five hundred United States dollars — it costs. I also can’t say if the Vision Pro solves what I call the “six-month problem.” With many V.R. headsets I’ve tried — and I’ve tried a lot — the initial novelty fades, and minor annoyances, like blurry graphics or a lack of compelling apps, start to pile up.

Persons: Steve Jobs, I’ve Organizations: Apple, Steve, Vision, United Locations: United States

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Layoffs are hitting newsrooms and publishers again, as tech platforms, ad markets and artificial intelligence reshape the internet. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton have ideas for solutions. Then, one of the most influential investors in crypto companies lays out where the industry went wrong, and why he still thinks blockchains are the future. And finally, a round of HatGPT with the week’s tech headlines, including a spicy LinkedIn post and an A.I. test that disturbs Kevin and Casey’s sense of reality.

Persons: Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, Kevin Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

☆ How Scrappers Safely Mine Gold From Electronic Waste
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Kevin Reilly | Manuel Silva-Paulus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

One ton of circuit boards from old e-waste can contain 100 times more gold than a ton of mined gold. Now, scrappers like Wade Crawley in Sydney, Australia, are cashing in. He's partnered with Mint Innovation, a company that invented a safer and cleaner way to recover precious metals from electronics. In one day, Mint can salvage up to $85,000 in gold from recycled electronics. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Wade Crawley, He's Organizations: Mint, Business Locations: Sydney, Australia

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’OpenAI has released its plan to fight disinformation in elections in 2024, but will its policies be consequential compared to those of other generative A.I. Then, a watershed moment had crypto fans celebrating for the first time in maybe more than a year. And finally, what one writer’s attempt to sell a used mechanical pencil on TikTok says about how the platform is changing. Today’s guests:David Yaffe-Bellany covers the crypto industry for The New York TimesJohn Herrman covers technology for New York MagazineAdditional Reading:

Persons: OpenAI, David Yaffe, The New York Times John Herrman Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, The New York Times, New York

☆ Trump is building his power at home while global leaders dread his return
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Trump has invigorated an initially lackluster White House bid by leveraging his multiple criminal indictments to create a narrative of political persecution. On Thursday, CNN’s congressional team reported that senators trying to cut an immigration deal with the White House are running into a problem: Trump. The aid measure is being held up by the immigration showdown to which it was linked — perhaps unwisely many Democrats now think — by the White House. It has caused particular consternation in Europe after the transatlantic alliance was constantly rattled by Trump during his White House term. That’s likely to be a pale imitation of what awaits if he gets back to the White House.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Haley, Kevin Roberts –, “, can’t, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s, Biden, he’s, ”, Sen, Kevin Cramer, Trump’s, Vladimir Putin, Mike Quigley of, Jim Sciutto, CNN Max, Putin, Michael McFaul, Obama, ” McFaul, ” Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Alejandro Mayorkas, Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, reverberations, America’s, Christine Lagarde, Heritage’s Roberts, Roberts, that’s, ” Roberts, Jamie Dimon, ” Dimon, Philipp Hildebrand, Emmanuel Macron, ” Macron Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, New Hampshire, Trump, Economic, Business titans, Heritage Foundation, Republicans, Capitol, GOP, Representatives, Republican, North Dakota Republican, Ukraine, Democratic, Congressional Ukraine Caucus, White, Spirit of, Homeland, US, Colorado Supreme, America, tony, European Central Bank, NATO, CNBC, ” BlackRock, Swiss National Bank Locations: Iowa, Washington, Ukraine, New, Davos, Swiss, Mike Quigley of Illinois, Moscow, Russian, Spirit of America, Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Europe, Iran, Paris, Switzerland, it’s, China, United States, France

He ultimately dismissed the juror, identified only as “Juror 186," who acknowledged making the “Gone Girl” comment, the judge said. Troconis, 49, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes on allegations that she helped her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, cover up the killing of his wife, Jennifer Dulos, in 2019. Fotis Dulos denied having anything to do with her disappearance. Jennifer Dulos had moved out of the family home in Farmington, Connecticut, and Fotis Dulos was living there with Troconis and her daughter. Fotis Dulos was a luxury home builder originally from Greece.

Persons: ”, Kevin Randolph, Michelle Troconis, “, ” Randolph, “ Said, ’, Randolph, reconvening, Gillian Flynn, Ben Affleck, Troconis, Fotis, Jennifer Dulos, Fotis Dulos, Jennifer, ” Jennifer Dulos, Hilliard Farber, Liz Claiborne Locations: Connecticut, New Canaan , Connecticut, Farmington , Connecticut, New York, Greece

The nanny, Lauren Almeida, testified in the trial of Michelle Troconis, who was the girlfriend of Dulos’ estranged husband, Fotis Dulos. She never not answered her phone,” Almeida testified in Superior Court in Stamford, Connecticut. Jennifer Dulos had moved out of the family home in Farmington, Connecticut, while Fotis Dulos continued living there with Troconis and her daughter. Almeida testified that she and Jennifer Dulos had become afraid of Fotis Dulos, after Jennifer Dulos in 2017 found out about his affair with Troconis. Police said they later recovered some of the bags and found clothing, zip ties and other items with Jennifer Dulos’ DNA on them.

Persons: Jennifer Dulos, Lauren Almeida, Michelle Troconis, Dulos ’, Fotis, Troconis, Almeida, ” Almeida, Dulos, “, Jennifer, ”, Fotis Dulos, Hilliard Farber, Liz Claiborne, Kevin Randolph, Sean McGuinness, Jon Schoenhorn, Randolph, Gloria Farber, Jennifer Dulos ’ Organizations: ” Police, Canaan police, Police, Prosecutors Locations: Connecticut, Manhattan, Superior Court, Stamford , Connecticut, New Canaan , Connecticut, Farmington , Connecticut, New York, Greece, Farmington, Canaan, New Canaan, Hartford

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’The drama at OpenAI is not over. Kevin and Casey take stock of new information they’ve gathered since last week, and look at how other artificial intelligence companies are trying to capitalize on the debacle. Then, why people are still buying cryptocurrency even after Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, and its founder pleaded guilty to money laundering violations. And finally, three ways A.I. Today’s guest: David Yaffe-Bellany covers crypto for The New York Times.

Persons: Casey, David Yaffe Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, The New York Times

☆ Opinion | A Lot Has Happened in A.I. Let’s Catch Up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A lot has happened since. OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, recently dominated headlines again after the nonprofit board of directors fired C.E.O. But that drama isn’t actually the most important thing going on in the A.I. They’ve been closely tracking developments in the field since well before ChatGPT launched. I invited them on the show to catch up on the state of A.I.

Persons: ChatGPT, C.E.O, Sam Altman, isn’t, hasn’t, “, Ezra Klein, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, Newton, They’ve Organizations: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google, Tech, The Times Locations: A.I

For much of the past year, OpenAI’s board of directors has been criticized as too small and too divided to effectively govern one of the fastest-growing start-ups in Silicon Valley history. On Friday, the board’s dysfunction spilled into public view when four of its members fired Sam Altman, OpenAI’s popular and powerful chief executive. Mr. Altman, 38, returned to the company on Tuesday night, after days of haggling over his job and over the makeup of the board. The board and Mr. Altman’s allies discussed more than a half dozen options for its future. The departing board wanted to be sure the replacements would be independent thinkers and experienced enough to stand up to Mr. Altman.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, Altman, Altman’s, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs, Brian Chesky Organizations: Emerson Locations: Silicon Valley

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Kevin Roose and Daniel Ramirez andIn yet another head-spinning twist at OpenAI, Sam Altman was reinstated as the company’s chief executive on Tuesday night, a mere five days after the OpenAI board had fired him. The board will be overhauled and a new set of directors, including Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers, will join. Today, we discuss how Altman returned to the top seat — and whether the OpenAI news will ever slow down.

Persons: Kevin Roose, Daniel Ramirez, Sam Altman, Bret Taylor, Lawrence Summers, Altman Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

Sam Altman was reinstated late Tuesday as OpenAI’s chief executive, the company said, successfully reversing his ouster by the company’s board last week after a campaign waged by his allies, employees and investors. The board of directors will be overhauled, jettisoning several members who had opposed Mr. Altman. Adam D’Angelo, the chief executive of Quora, will be the only holdover. “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo,” OpenAI said in a post to X. “We are collaborating to figure out the details.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, Adam D’Angelo, Sam, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, ” OpenAI, Greg Brockman, upended Organizations: Quora

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