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☆ There are growing calls for Google CEO Sundar Pichai to step down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The slip-up was so bad it sent the company's stock tumbling, and had CEO Sundar Pichai address the troops, calling the situation "completely unacceptable." The debacle has strengthened the narrative that Google is suddenly behind in the AI race, and now there's a growing chorus of voices calling for CEO Sundar Pichai to be replaced. Pichai, who was appointed CEO of Google in 2015, and Alphabet in 2019, has proven a strong peace-time CEO for the company. He's been an effective and steady hand who protects Google's prized search business and deals diplomatically with regulators. Responding to a tweet by Color Health CEO Othman Laraki, who said Google as facing an "unsolvable problem," Mayer defended Google somewhat.

Persons: —, Sundar Pichai, Ben Thompson, Googlers, Mark Shmulik, chatbot, He's, Pichai, Aravind Srinivas, Sundar, Srinivas, Marissa, Marissa Mayer, Othman Laraki, Mayer, They've, Hugh Langley Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Color, Gartner Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Here's what tech giants are betting on next — from robot dogs to smartphones you can wear on your wrist
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Arjun Kharpal | CNBCThe Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile show, is a place where device makers show off some of their latest innovations. Arjun Kharpal | CNBCTecno showed off an augmented reality glasses product with a video game controller attached. Arjun Kharpal | CNBCXiaomi has spent years talking up its smartphones' camera capabilities. Arjun Kharpal | CNBCChinese firm Tecno showed off a robot dog. Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Persons: Arjun Kharpal, It's, There's, Oppo Oppo, Kharpal, CNBC Tecno, CNBC Xiaomi, German Shepherd, Tecno Organizations: Mobile, CNBC, Congress, Motorola, China's Lenovo, CNBC Lenovo, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung, CNBC Samsung Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Korean, German

☆ Inside The New York Times' big plans for its Cooking app
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

She joined the Times in 2007 as a web producer and later helped launch the Cooking app in 2014. Rachel Vanni via The New York TimesWhile many media companies have struggled recently, The New York Times has been a big digital success story. The Cooking app, along with Games, The Athletic, and Wirecutter, have bolstered the company's subscription business by providing different entry points. The "All Access" bundle strategy also lets the Times leverage upticks in demand for different types of content depending on the time of year (such as the winter holidays, which are peak cooking times) or news cycles. Cooking has learned that newer users perceive Times recipes as taking longer than they say.

Persons: foodies, Emily Weinstein, weren't, Rachel Vanni, Camilla Velasquez, Cooking's, Weinstein, Eric Kim, Melissa Clark, Clark, Matthew Tom, Wolverton, Adam Nagourney, Meredith Levien, Los Angeles Times haven't, they're, It's, Wirecutter, Condé, Bon Appétit, Carla Lalli, Molly Baz, Alison Roman, David Lebovitz's Organizations: The New York Times, Times, Business, New York Times, Games, The Athletic, Food, NYT, YouTube, longtime, Journalism, Athletic, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times Locations: America, TikTok

☆ As AI takes hold of your smartphone, the end of the app era could be in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Smartphone makers flooded Mobile World Congress to show off new AI features. More AI tools are moving on to devices, which would make them faster and cheaper to run. Now, as the industry looks to capitalize on the AI boom and galvanize a stagnating mobile market, phone makers want the AI tools to run locally on the phone itself. The company attended MWC to tout how it's helping phone makers such as Samsung and Honor run more AI tools on their phones. Samsung was also there, previewing some of the AI tools it's begun to roll out on its phones, including a nifty live-translation feature.

Persons: —, chipmakers, it's, Morgan Stanley, Francisco Cheng, Hugh Langley, Cheng, Siri, Francisco Jeronimo, Jeronimo Organizations: Congress, Service, Mobile, Companies, Qualcomm, Samsung, Hugh Langley Qualcomm, MWC, Google, Motorola, IDC, Insider, Deutsche Telekom, Brain.ai Locations: Barcelona

We demo the new $3,500 Apple Vision Pro. Here's why these tech goggles could be the future of computing — but may not be worth the price.

Organizations: Apple Vision

☆ Elon Musk says the long-delayed Roadster is a Tesla-SpaceX collab and could be 'mind-blowing'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk says Tesla's revived Roadster has had a design revamp. Elon Musk says the much-delayed Tesla Roadster has had a design overhaul. "Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster," Musk said. Back in 2018 Musk posted this tweet:SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car. The original Tesla Roadster.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, … — Elon, Tesla Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Tesla Roadster, Business

☆ Elon Musk again promises next-generation Roadster, six years after first hyping it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Six years ago, Elon Musk hyped a next-generation Roadster, the name of Tesla's debut car from 2008. A refreshed version was never produced, but Musk is once again promising a new Roadster is on the way. "Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster," Musk wrote on X as part of a series of posts Tuesday night. Musk first promoted the next-generation Roadster concept in June 2018 in a series of tweets. He said at that time, "SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car."

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla, Musk's, BYD, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Tesla, SpaceX, Ferrari, China Passenger Car Locations: U.S, China

☆ How Overtime is turning high school sports leagues into a $100 million business
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lucia Moses | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This year, Overtime is on track to make $100 million based on deals that are locked in, a 30% year-over-year increase. Amazon pays Overtime to stream its Overtime Elite basketball league, which pays its teen players upwards of $100,000 annually plus bonuses. Advertisement"We have three-year sponsorship deals with major brands," Porter said, referring to Overtime's league deals. For example, GMC and C4 Energy drink pay Overtime to sponsor its Overtime Elite practice courts and Overtime Boxing ring, respectively. Its young audience also poses some limitations.

Persons: —, Dan Porter, CRO Rich Calacci, Porter, it's, that's, Megan Marks, Zack Weiner, It's, Breanna Stewart who's Organizations: Service, GMC, State, Adidas, Amazon Prime, Elite, Business, NBA, C4 Energy, Dentsu Media, millennials, NFL, Endeavor, Liberty Media Corp, Netflix Locations: America

☆ Meta aims to reveal and demo Orion, its first true AR glasses, during its fall developer conference
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta plans to show off years of work on new augmented reality glasses during its developer conference this year. While the AR glasses will not be for sale to the public after the reveal, a handful of employees are already experimenting with advanced prototypes, one of the people noted. The AR glasses are a separate product from Meta's better-known Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest headsets. He posted a photo to Threads earlier this month showing several versions of Meta glasses on his desk. So far, Meta's AR glasses are costly to produce, much less sell at retail.

Persons: what's, Ray, Andrew Bosworth, Mark Zuckerberg, Bosworth, Kali Hays Organizations: Orion, Reality Labs Locations: khays@insider.com

☆ Huawei spin-off Honor shows off tech to control a car with your eyes and chatbot based on Meta's AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Honor demonstrated how its smartphone eye-tracking technology could be used to control a car. One demo involved an app to control a car. As part of its press conference, Honor demonstrated eye-tracking technology in the smartphone. BARCELONA — Chinese firm Honor on Sunday showed off technology that allows a user to control a car just by using their eyes. In a video about the feature, Honor showed how a person could stare at one of the commands and the car would carry out the function such as moving forward.

Organizations: Mobile, Huawei, MWC Locations: Barcelona, Spain, BARCELONA, China

☆ Odysseus lunar lander is sideways on the moon after historic touchdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Odysseus lunar lander is sideways on the moon, Intuitive Machines, the company that built the vehicle, said during a news conference Friday. Steve Altemus, chief executive officer and cofounder of Intuitive Machines, uses a model to represent how the Odysseus spacecraft landed on the moon. ‘A punch in the stomach’Notably, Intuitive Machines realized prior to descent that Odysseus had a faulty piece of navigation equipment. The hack ultimately worked, and the spacecraft made it to the lunar surface in operational condition. All told, Odysseus will likely be able to spend about nine days operating on the lunar surface, according to Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines’ chief technology officer.

Persons: Odysseus, Odie ”, Steve Altemus, NASA “, ” Altemus, Altemus, Joel Kearns, ” Kearns, “, Tim Crain, Odie, ”, ” Crain Organizations: CNN, Machines, NASA, NASA’s Langley Research Center, Apollo

☆ NASA is back on the moon — with the first commercial lunar landing ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The IM-1 mission's landing helps catapult the US into a 21st-century space race to the moon's south pole. AdvertisementAn American moon lander touched down on the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years on Thursday. For its last lunar landing attempt in January, NASA partnered with the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic Technology to send its Peregrine spacecraft to the moon. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beamed back its first images from space earlier this month. So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

Persons: —, Astrobotic, Odysseus, Tim Crain, Japan's, Trent Martin, NASA hitches, they're Organizations: NASA, Service, Houston, SpaceX, US, Spaceflight, Payload, Pittsburgh, Technology, Machines Locations: Russia, India, Japan, China

☆ Intuitive Machines snags the first commercial moon landing ever. Its Odysseus lander returns NASA to the moon after 52 years.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Intuitive Machines mission control reported that it was receiving pings from the lander, which means it touched down at about 6:24 p.m. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beamed back its first images from space earlier this month. Intuitive MachinesNASA has several CLPS missions scheduled over the next two years, including two more with Intuitive Machines. AdvertisementEven later this year, a different Intuitive Machines spacecraft is scheduled to head to the western edge of the moon's near side. So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

Persons: Astrobotic, Odysseus, Tim Crain, —, Japan's, Trent Martin, NASA hitches, they're Organizations: Houston, NASA, SpaceX, US, Spaceflight, Payload, Pittsburgh, Technology, Machines Locations: Russia, India, Japan, China

☆ Google halts AI tool’s ability to produce images of people after backlash over historically inaccurate depictions of race
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The embarrassing blunder shows how AI tools still struggle with the concept of race. Google’s attempt to overcome this, however, appears to have backfired and made it difficult for the AI chatbot to generate images of White people. Gemini, like other AI tools such as ChatGPT, is trained on vast troves of online data. Experts have long warned that AI tools therefore have the potential to replicate the racial and gender biases baked into that information. This screen grab shows CNN asking Google Gemini to create an AI-generated image of a "White farmer in the South" and the tool's response.

Persons: OpenAI’s Dall, Gemini, Clare Duffy, ”, “, Jack Krawczyk, Bard, James Webb Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, CNN, White, Tech, Gemini, James Webb Space Telescope Locations: New York, White, Dublin ”

☆ Five moves Walmart is making to overhaul its business for the future
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart, the global mega-retailer that began in Arkansas in 1962, is making huge moves in 2024. It’s making investments in technology and inventory that move it into new businesses and which will alter the Walmart experience of many customers. Stock splitThe mega-retailer announced a 3-for-1 stock split that takes effect this week. A stock split means a single share gets split into multiple shares. Under the plan Walmart announced, people who own shares by close of business on February 22 will get two additional new shares of Walmart for every share they own.

Persons: Doug McMillon, Jeffries, “, ”, McMillon, Burt Flickinger, Blake Droesch, CNN’s Parija Kavilanz, Nathaniel Meyersohn, Elisabeth Buchwald, Alicia Wallace Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, ”, Labor, Consumer, Microsoft, Strategic Resource, CNN, Costco, Telsey Group, Target, Intelligence, FactSet Locations: New York, Arkansas, Las Vegas

☆ 5 Vision Pro party tricks that'll show friends what Apple's new gadget can do
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewI've had Apple's Vision Pro for over a week now, and it's been the topic of conversation among my friends. And it turns out, with the right party tricks, the Vision Pro can be something that's fun for everyone, even people who are waiting their turn to try it out. My FaceTime PersonaMy Persona earned laughs from my loved ones when I called them in the Vision Pro. While FaceTime looks normal for me while I'm wearing the Vision Pro, the person on the other end of the line isn't seeing my real face with the Vision Pro covering my eyes. The Encounter Dinosaurs appAn image of "Encountering Dinosaurs" on the Vision Pro.

Persons: —, it's, I've, they've, Jordan Hart, It's, Apple Apple, haven't Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Vision, Disney

☆ Here's what it's like to watch a movie in the Apple Vision Pro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Apple Vision Pro transformed how I watch movies in my first week of using it. With the Vision Pro, the places you can watch a movie are endless as long as you have WiFi. Doing so while wearing the Vision Pro would require me to reposition my window to keep it in my line of sight. AdvertisementBut after some time, the coziness wore off, and the weight of the Vision Pro started to make laying down feel awkward. The Vision Pro can project a jumbotron-like big screen onto my ceiling, so of course I had to do just that.

Persons: —, I'm, it's, Peacock, Jordan Hart Organizations: Apple, Service, Vision, Vision Pro, Disney

☆ The short trips Taylor Swift's jet takes are getting mocked on social media. Some of the flights might not be what you think.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewTaylor Swift is getting roasted for her private jet trips — and some of them might not even be hers. Jack Sweeney, the college student known for tracking Swift and other celebrities' aircraft on social media, posted on X via the account dedicated to tracking Swift's jet: "These short flights are likely maintenance or demo flights." AdvertisementA private jet linked to Taylor Swift took two short flights on January 30. Courtesy of JetSpySwift still owns another private jet, a Dassault 7X. AdvertisementSwift has tried to mask her private jet travelsIt's far from the first time Swift has faced criticism for her jet travel.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Stogna, Swift, Jack Sweeney, JetSpy Swift, Louis, Van, Bob Hope, Travis Kelce, Charles B, Swift's, She's, Sweeney Organizations: Service, Business, Dassault Falcon, Federal Aviation Administration, Google, Dassault, Nashville, Bob Hope Airport, BI, Chiefs, Wheeler, Airport, PIA Locations: Stogna Bologna, @1000waystoRy, Illinois, Missouri, St, Las Vegas, Burbank , California, Nashville, Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Kansas City, Kansas

☆ Surgery in space: Tiny remotely operated robot completes first simulated procedure at the space station
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A tiny surgical robot in residence at the International Space Station completed its first surgery demo in zero gravity on Saturday, developers of the technology exclusively told CNN. A robotic tool built for spaceThe robot is only 2 pounds (0.9 kilogram), and its compact microwave-size design makes it a lightweight instrument fit for space travel. SpaceMIRA hitched a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 30 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and arrived at the space station on February 1. One of the challenges when attempting to control a robot in space from Earth is latency, or the time delay between when the command is sent and the robot receives it. “Five seconds would be an eternity in surgery, and a split second or a half a second is going to be significant.

Persons: —, Shane Farritor, ” Farritor, SpaceMIRA, Farritor, Michael Jobst, ”, Jobst, ” Jobst, “, that’s Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force, University of Nebraska Locations: Lincoln , Nebraska, Florida’s, Mississippi, MIRA

☆ Liquidity is pulling back from the demo who needs it most, warns Current CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | 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 EmailLiquidity is pulling back from the demo who needs it most, warns Current CEOStuart Sopp, Current CEO & Co-Founder, joins 'Fast Money' to talk the latest CPI report, the impact of inflation on consumers, teh FinTech space and more.

Persons: Stuart Sopp

☆ Consumers are stressed. It could be showing in how we bought toys in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Consumers bought fewer toys in all of 2023, including during the key Christmas toy-buying period, showing that households continue to pare back on discretionary products. But toy sales in all of 2023 dropped 8%, both in dollar terms (how much consumers paid for toys) and in unit sales (meaning how many toys consumers bought). This shows that shoppers bought fewer toys but also traded down in prices to cheaper toys. “While 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. toy industry, the four-year compound annual growth rate remains positive,” she said. Among the toys that consumers did buy in 2023, Pokémon, Barbie and Squishmallows were the top three best-selling brands last year, according to Circana.

Persons: pare, Circana, ”, Juli Lennett, Lennett, I’ve, “, ” Lennett, ” Jon Copestake, EY, ” Copestake, ” Robby Pettinato, Joy, ” Pettinato, Toy Joy, “ Anecdotally, “ That’s, it’s, Pettinato, Barbie, Squishmallows, Price, Melissa, Doug, – CNN’s Alicia Wallace, Katie Lobosco Organizations: New, New York CNN — Consumers, Commerce Department, Hasbro, Wild, Inc, CNN, ”, Star, Marvel, Disney Locations: New York, United States, U.S, Austin

“Jimmy” Van Eaton, a pioneering rock ‘n’ roll drummer who played behind the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Billy Lee Riley at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, died Friday at age 86, a family member said. “The one exception was JM Van Eaton.”Van Eaton became a core of musicians that performed at Sun through the 1950s, the newspaper reported. By the early 1980s, Van Eaton began four decades of working in the municipal bond business. He was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and Memphis Music Hall of Fame. In addition to his wife, Van Eaton is survived by a son and daughter.

Persons: —, Jimmy ” Van Eaton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Lee Riley, Van Eaton, Deborah, Lewis, Riley, Bill Justis, Charlie Rich, James Mack Van Eaton, ” Van Eaton, Sam Phillips, Jerry Lee, ” Phillips, Elvis Presley Organizations: Sun Records, Appeal, Sun, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Memphis Music Hall of Fame Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis , Tennessee, Memphis, Alabama, Tennessee

☆ I've been using Vision Pro for 48 hours. It feels like Apple is onto something.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementLife in the Apple Vision Pro is hard to put into words, but something tells me it has the potential to usher in a new normal. Assembling the Apple Vision Pro, which attaches to a battery pack. Jordan Hart/Business InsiderWhile on a FaceTime call with my mom, I was able to share what I saw through the Vision Pro. Jordan Hart/Business InsiderThe immersion capabilities of the Vision Pro have blown me away since I first put it on. AdvertisementApple has my attentionAfter my first couple of days in the headset, the Apple Vision Pro feels promising, and I'm still learning all it has to offer.

Persons: It's, —, I've, Jordan Hart Organizations: Service, Apple, Apple Vision, Vision, Disney, Business, Netflix, YouTube

Tim McGraw — his name also the title of one of Swift's early breakout hits — delivered the game ball. Swift joined other Philly luminaries Patti LaBelle and John Oates as 2008 World Series anthem singers. Hackash said the team mostly worked through Swift’s family, including her parents Scott and Andrea, to snag an appearance. Her first Reading game was kind of a stepping stone to get something on tape to send to the Sixers. Former Sixers manager of game operations Kathy Drysdale said in 2002 that Swift’s voice caught her attention immediately on a tape submitted by Scott Swift.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Francis Scott Key, Travis Kelce, belting, ”, Stone, “, ” Swift, —, Tim McGraw —, Patti LaBelle, John Oates, Bucky, askew, Rob Hackash, Hackash, Scott, Andrea, ” Hackash, Allen Iverson, Kathy Drysdale, Scott Swift, ” Drysdale, Matt Cord, ” Cord, ‘, Jeremy Carroll, Tim McGraw, Kelce, ___ Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, The U.S, NASCAR, Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies, Philly, Reading Phillies, Baseball, Reading, Swifts, Sixers, 76ers, Reading Eagle, Wyomissing High, Former Sixers, Wells, Center, ”, Lincoln Financial, Philadelphia Eagles, Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs Locations: , Pennsylvania, The, Wyomissing , Pennsylvania, Nashville, Texas, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Philly

☆ Conversational AI startup Vocode entered Y Combinator without a business plan. Now, it's raised $3.25 million without a pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vocode, a conversational AI startup, has raised $3.25 million in seed funding. Founded in 2023, by Ajay Raj and Kian Hooshmand, Vocode raised funding at Y Combinator without a formal pitch deck. Vocode's founders are friends from high school who made it into Y Combinator despite opting against pitching their original business plan. With 10 weeks until demo day, the team began interviewing teams across fintech, healthcare, and climate, searching for ideas before landing on conversational AI. The company began making waves in online hacker communities before its demo day pitch session in front of investors.

Persons: Ajay Raj, Kian, Vocode, PrankGPT, Hooshmand, Y Organizations: Business Locations: San Francisco, fintech

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