DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ I tried out Meta's Orion computer glasses. I'd buy them in a heartbeat — if they were actually for sale.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. More important: Unlike other face-computing tech I've tried over the years — Google's Glass, Apple's Vision Pro, Meta's own line of Quest goggles — this is one I can actually imagine buying, and using, in real life. Meta's Orion glasses can serve many of the same purposes as a smartphone. Meta's Orion glasses are connected to a wristband that reads muscle movements. If Orion, or any other device Meta makes, becomes the future of computing, then Zuckerberg can operate his business on his devices.

Persons: —, Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Heath, I've, Orion, who's, Meta Orion, It's, Zuckerberg, Meta, he's Organizations: Service, Orion, Business, Meta, Apple, Google

☆ Meta has a curious addiction to celebrities
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewMeta is reportedly set to introduce AI chatbots voiced by celebrities like John Cena, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, Kristen Bell, and Dame Judi Dench. (I assume that's the name of the Judi Dench stan-dom) who haven't yet found the right reason to experiment with an AI voice chatbot. Around this time last year, Meta introduced a different round of celebrity AI assistants as part of Messenger. So why is Meta using the celebrity AI playbook again if it apparently crashed and burned last time? AdvertisementHow celebrities can help MetaSo, Meta relying on celebrity voices for its AI products feels a little odd to me.

Persons: —, John Cena, Awkwafina, Keegan, Michael Key, Kristen Bell, Dame Judi Dench, Judi Dench stan, Meta, chatbots, Kendall Jenner, Tom Brady, Snoop Dogg, Billie, playbook, It's, Taylor Swift, Mark Zuckerberg, Swift, Kamala Harris, Peter Kafka, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Judi Dench, Yann LeCun Organizations: Service, Business, Meta, Super, Facebook, Dame

☆ Behind the scenes at the Murdoch family's secret court fight
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The biggest story in media right now has nothing to do with sexting. But recently, Rupert Murdoch has been trying to change those plans, and pass along full control to Lachlan Murdoch, who now has the CEO title at both News Corp and Fox. AdvertisementElisabeth Murdoch and her father, Rupert Murdoch, pictured in 2010. I think Lachlan would hope to figure out ways to keep on keeping on. Related storiesThroughout his career, Rupert Murdoch was always willing to sell assets he'd spent time and money acquiring.

Persons: Rupert Murodoch's, Murdoch, haven't, Rupert Murdoch's, Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, Prudence —, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, David Folkenflik, Elisabeth Murdoch, Samir Hussein, he'd, didn't, I've, Rupert, Prudence Murdoch, Prudence MacLeod, Evan Agostini, It's, He's, it's, NPR's David Folkenflik, Gabriel Sherman, you've, Suzanne Scott, who've Organizations: Service, Fox News, Business, — News Corp, New York Post, Street Journal, Fox Corp, Fox, News Corp, HBO, Trump . Fox News, Disney, Sky News, Capitol, NPR, Nevada Supreme, Court, Corp, Old Media, Fair, NBC, Street Locations: Reno , Nevada, Nevada, Rupert's, Australia, Reno

☆ The self-driving future will look unremarkable. That's the point.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The view of the Waymo depot from Sophia Tung's apartment. To be clear, Waymo's cars are impressive. AdvertisementA surveillance company reached out to Sophia Tung to upgrade her Waymo livestream equipment. Sophia TungSince it went up on YouTube, Tung's livestream has received a few upgrades. Every hour, a digital goose will also pop up somewhere on the screen — an homage to the once-honking cars, the engineer said.

Persons: —, Sophia Tung, Tung, Sophia Tung's, Tung's, ennui, Waymo, BI's Peter Kafka, livestream, It's, Christine, John Carpenter's, Stephen King, Christine doesn't Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, Logitech, Radio, San, PACE, Plymouth, NBC Bay Area Locations: Waymos, Market, San Francisco, Tung, Sophia, German

☆ Scientists store entire human genome on ‘memory crystal’ that could survive billions of years
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Scientists in the United Kingdom have stored the entire human genome on a “5D memory crystal,” in the hope that it could be used in the future as a blueprint to bring humanity back from extinction. The crystal is stored in the Memory of Mankind archive in Hallstatt, Austria. “The visual key inscribed on the crystal gives the finder knowledge of what data is stored inside and how it could be used,” said Kazansky. In 2018, Kazansky and his team used the memory crystal technology to store Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” trilogy of science fiction books, which were then launched into space aboard a Tesla Roadster. The technology has also been used to store major documents from human history, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Magna Carta.

Persons: ”, Peter Kazansky, optoelectronics, “, Thomas Heinis, Kazansky, Isaac Asimov’s “ Organizations: London CNN —, University of Southampton’s, Research, University of Southampton, Guinness, Southampton, Imperial College London, Tesla, Human Rights, Magna Carta Locations: London, United Kingdom, Austria

☆ 'I agonized over it': Behind the scenes with the reporter who uncovered the RFK Jr./Olivia Nuzzi story
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After you put out your story and New York magazine put out a statement, Nuzzi put out her own statement, which might change the way people perceive the story. And as New York magazine said, I think they're taking this pretty seriously. Since we're having a media business conversation now: I was surprised when you launched that you made this a subscription product. There is lots of media journalism out there that is for free. So this stuff is expensive, and if you want to support good journalism, I think you should pay for it.

Persons: —, Olivia Nuzzi, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump, Nuzzi, Oliver Darcy, Darcy, Olivia, Joe Biden, It's, She's, CNN's Donie O'Sullivan, Tasos Katopodis, it's, I've, there's Organizations: Service, RFK Jr, Business, CNN, Vox Media, New York, RFK, White, York, Getty Images Locations: Olivia Nuzzi , New York, Donald Trump ., York, New York, America

☆ YouTube's CEO on hefty creator payouts, election deniers, and the NBA: Q&A
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Why do you think that's the case? Have you thought about how you're going to handle people saying that the election was fraudulent? Related storiesIt's not what gets talked a lot about, but that's actually what users experience. But there's going to be people who go, "What happened to so-and-so conspiracy theorist? I'd heard, and I think there's been some reporting out that you guys made an offer for that package.

Persons: We've, Neal Mohan, Mohan, —, Snapchat, they're, we've, They're, it's, Donald Trump, that's, Rudy Giuliani, what's, I've, I'd, there's Organizations: Service, YouTube, Google, CNN, New York Times, Fox News, ABC, Elon Musk, Twitter, NBA, Warriors Locations: India

☆ It took Larry Ellison just a single day to make enough money to buy Paramount
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Oracle stock is surging because of AI. That means Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison's net worth is surging. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Even though investors are starting to wonder about all the money companies like Google are spending on AI, they are excited about what all that spending means for Oracle's cloud and database revenue.

Persons: Larry Ellison's, Ellison, David ., — Organizations: Paramount, Service, Google

☆ I'm running out of things to say about Elon Musk and his terrible tweets
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewDid Elon Musk just tweet something terrible on Twitter? Did Elon Musk then realize it was so terrible — even by his standards — that he needed to delete that tweet? "Elon Musk says he's learned a lesson," as my colleagues at Business Insider put it. But, as always, it doesn't matter who Elon Musk has working on his Twitter ads business as long as Elon Musk keeps tweeting. AdvertisementAlso: A reminder that in addition to owning Twitter and using it to tweet terrible things, Elon Musk is the world's richest man and has enormous power.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, hadn't, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Tucker Carlson, Hitler, Musk, you've, Elon, he's, He's, it's, Angela Zepeda, Linda Yaccarino, José Garza Organizations: Service, Business, Twitter, Hyundai, Elon Locations: Travis County , Texas, Travis County

☆ UK has had 'constructive' talks with X, tech minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | 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 EmailUK has had 'constructive' talks with X, tech minister saysPeter Kyle, technology secretary for the U.K., told CNBC he has spoken with senior managers and executives for all the major social media companies about misinformation and the role their platforms have in propagating harmful content.

Persons: Peter Kyle Organizations: CNBC

☆ British government had 'constructive' talks with Musk's X over disinformation, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Musk is the owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as X. Aytug Can Sencar | Anadolu | Getty ImagesLONDON — The U.K. government has had "constructive" talks with Elon Musk's social media site X over the spread of misinformation and other harmful content, technology minister Peter Kyle told CNBC Friday. Multiple social media users at the time spread false information about the alleged perpetrator, who has since been charged with murder and attempted murder, claiming he was an asylum seeker. The minister also told CNBC he is assessing whether he needs additional powers to regulate social media companies over the dissemination of harmful content online. A government spokesperson told CNBC earlier this year that its "immediate focus is getting the Online Safety Act implemented quickly and effectively." However, this spokesperson added, "our message to social media companies remains clear: There is no need to wait — you can and should take immediate action to protect your users."

Persons: Elon Musk, Peter Kyle, Kyle, CNBC's, hasn't, Musk, Taylor Swift, Keir Starmer, Keir, Dawn Butler, Chi Onwurah, Labour's Kyle Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Elon, CNBC, Citizens, Financial Times, Labour, SpaceX, Ofcom, OSA Locations: United Kingdom, England

☆ Britain labels data centers critical infrastructure to boost cyber defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Data centers today are crucial computing infrastructure that power the modern-day internet. Granting data centers critical infrastructure status will enable the government to coordinate better against hackers and unexpected cyber events, Kyle said. Data center operators will effectively be given a direct line to the government to prepare for and respond to data threats, the government said. Data centers are a key part of the modern internet as it exists today. When they go offline, it can cause massive outages for internet users, with sometimes critical services going down.

Persons: Andrew Aitchison, Peter Kyle, Kyle Organizations: Pictures, Corbis, Getty, British Technology, Amazon, U.S, Security Locations: Hertfordshire, England, Europe

☆ WBD scored a crucial cable deal — by making HBO free for millions of people
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Peter Kafka | James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementCharter will end up paying WBD for the right to give away Max with ads (as well as Discovery+, WBD's much-less-popular streamer), which sells for $10 a month. So WBD isn't exactly giving Max away. But by making a version of Max free to millions of Charter subscribers, WBD is basically inviting existing Charter/Max subscribers to trade down. But this time around, LightShed analyst Rich Greenfield calls the deal a "victory" for WBD, given the weakened position of its cable channels. Related stories"Nobody had faith in Zaslav/WBD to get a Charter deal done, especially a deal that was not even up for an entire year," he writes.

Persons: —, WBD, Max, there's, Warner, Rich Greenfield, Nobody, Greenfield, John Malone, Malone, David Zaslav, Goldman Sachs, He'll Organizations: Service, Warner, TNT, NBA, Business, HBO, Charter, Disney, ESPN, Analysts, Comcast, DirecTV Locations: Zaslav, DirectTV's

☆ Taylor Swift used only Instagram to endorse Kamala Harris. There's a reason for that.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In 2020, when Taylor Swift endorsed Joe Biden, she used Instagram and Twitter to make her announcement. This week, when she endorsed Kamala Harris, she only used Instagram. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! AdvertisementLet's say you're one of the most popular people in the world, and you have something important to say. If it's 2024, and you're Taylor Swift, this a no-brainer: Of course you use Instagram, which is where she endorsed Kamala Harris Tuesday night.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Elon Musk, — Organizations: Twitter, Service

☆ Einstein's 1939 letter, warning of atomic weapons, just sold at auction for $3.9 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Now, a copy of that letter, also signed by Einstein, has sold at a Christie's auction for $3.9 million. Though Einstein didn't write the letter, his worldwide esteem meant his signature added significance and credibility to the letter. Einstein's influence on the Manhattan ProjectEinstein's letter to Roosevelt sold for nearly $3.9 million at auction. Related storiesFor Szilard and Einstein, the possibility of the Germans creating a nuclear weapon was reason enough to write President Roosevelt. AdvertisementOnce Germany surrendered, however, Szilard and Einstein no longer felt the use of nuclear weapons was justified.

Persons: —, Albert Einstein, Franklin Roosevelt, Einstein, Roosevelt, Franklin, Peter Klarnet, Christie's, Einstein didn't, Paul Allen, Allen, Malcolm Forbes, Leo Szilard's, Szilard, Adolf Hitler's, Bertrand Russell, Russell Organizations: Service, Business, Manhattan Project, Microsoft, Guardian, Manhattan, US Army Intelligence, Einstein Locations: New York, Christie's, Germany, Hungarian, Europe, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Japan

☆ TikTok could be banned from the US in months. TikTok doesn't seem worried.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

TikTok faces a January 19, 2025, deadline to find a new US owner or shut down. Despite the looming deadline, TikTok employees and ad buyers act as if nothing will change. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But inside the company, The Information reports, most US TikTok employees are behaving as if nothing is going to happen at all.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business

☆ OnlyFans figured out the best porn business on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OnlyFans is an astonishingly big, and astonishingly profitable business. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You may also know that OnlyFans is a big business. But you may still be shocked to see just how big a business OnlyFans has become: Last year, the company posted operating profits of $650 million, on revenue of $1.3 billion. Maybe I'm missing something, but from what I can see, that makes OnlyFans the biggest and most profitable (mostly) porn operation in the world.

Persons: —, OnlyFans Organizations: Service

☆ The NFL is here to save TV, again. But it's going to get harder every year.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

We can't stress this enough — increasingly, the chief reason for some TV networks to exist is to transmit NFL games. And at Fox, NFL games and "shoulder programming" accounted for an astonishing 63% of the time viewers spent with the network. MoffettNathansonBut those trends should still worry both the NFL and the TV networks that pay it many billions of dollars every year. But to state the obvious: TV networks pay the NFL many billions of dollars because the NFL delivers TV eyeballs, not because it delivers Instagram eyeballs. And if younger viewers are starting to tune out of the NFL — again, like they have tuned out of everything else on TV — that's going to be a problem for the league and the TV guys.

Persons: —, Robert Fishman, Per Fishman, NFL — Organizations: Service, NFL, Kansas City, Baltimore, Business, MoffettNathanson, CBS, Fox

☆ Cable TV's collapse deepens: 'It is becoming increasingly clear that there is no longer any floor'
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-03 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) 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. Pay-TV distributors — that's conventional cable guys like Comcast, satellite-TV outfits like DirecTV, and digital alternatives like YouTube TV — lost 1.6 million subscribers in the second quarter of 2024, according to analysts at MoffettNathanson. But not as bad as other Q2s, like in 2023, when the industry lost 1.7 million subscribers, or in 2022, when it lost 1.8 million subs. And in other good news for the TV industry … well, that's about it. That's why YouTube TV lost subscribers for the first time in the first quarter, and added only 50,000 subscribers in the second.

Persons: —, MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett, Michael Nathanson, we've, Nathanson, Venu, Warner, Fox —, Moffett, James Faris, Jimmy Pitaro Organizations: Service, Comcast, DirecTV, YouTube, Business, Hulu, Moffett, Warner Bros, Disney, Fox, ESPN, ABC

☆ Why did people think Beyoncé would play at the DNC? Because TMZ said so.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ET on Friday, TMZ fessed up: BEYONCE NOT AT DNC AFTER ALL, it acknowledged. "To quote the great Beyoncé: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down ... we got this one wrong." It's that in 2024, for much of the modern media world, a TMZ report is pretty close to accepted fact. To me, TMZ's big breakthrough as a Real News Source was when it broke the news of Michael Jackson's death in 2009. And if you still aren't convinced, see this tweet from CNN's Abby Phillip, who declared that "TMZ lost a lot of credibility tonight."

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Harris, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, TMZ, I'd, I've, Time Warner, Harvey Levin, Michael Jackson's, doesn't, TMZ's, Donald Trump, Abby Phillip Organizations: Service, Democratic, Convention, Business, DNC, TMZ, Reuters, Street, Hollywood, United, National Enquirer, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Time, Facebook, Twitter, Washington Post, Trump Locations: Chicago

☆ At the DNC, Harris and Democrats took back the American flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Though Republicans have branded themselves as the party of capital-P patriotism since the Nixon years, Democrats sought to reclaim American pride this week. A striking number of this year's speakers focused on military might and distinctly American values, from Harris herself to Iraq war veterans. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. For the past decade, Loge said that Democrats have been "shy" or "embarrassed" about embracing classic American patriotism, but that Harris and Walz are attempting to reframe the association with the flag. "Democrats serve too," Kauffman told Business Insider.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Nixon, Harris, MAGA, Peter Loge, Obama, Loge, Trump, Peter Kauffman, Hillary Clinton, Tim Walz, Wes Moore, Trump's, Ronald Reagan, it's, Moore, I'm, Ruben Gallego, you'll, Gallego, Leon Panetta, Osama bin Laden, George Lt, Gov, Geoff Duncan, Walz, they're, Kauffman Organizations: Service, United Center, Republicans, Business, Democratic, School of Media, Public Affairs, George Washington University, America, Navy, Gov, US Army National Guard, National Guard, Maryland Gov, Senate, Army, Republican, DNC Locations: Iraq, America, Ruben Gallego of Arizona

☆ Nate Silver on the 2024 race: 'It's no longer Trump's election to lose.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election, after Silver gave her a 71% chance of winning, he became the subject of much (misplaced) scorn. But the rest of the world wants to know who Silver thinks is going to win the 2024 election. It's no longer Trump's election to lose. And so if it's Harris 80/20 and Trump wins, or Trump 80/20 and Harris wins on election day, then that's running some career risk. With hindsight, do you make sense at a big company, or do you think you're better as a solo act?

Persons: —, Nate, Hillary Clinton, Silver, Sam Bankman, Sam Altman —, I'm, Harris, Kamala Harris, You've, it's, we've, She's, Tim Walz, she'd, Biden, It's someone's, Hilary Clinton, Trump, Clinton, It's, it's Harris, you've, … Organizations: Service, NBA, Business, Biden, Trump, Libertarian, Party, New York Times, Disney — Locations: It's

☆ Why Apple's Vision Pro is stuck in neutral
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Apple Vision Pro has been out for six months. We're still waiting for a killer app for the $3,500 headset. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementDid you know that Apple Vision Pro has been on sale for more than six months?

Persons: We're, — Organizations: Apple, Service, Apple Vision, Business

Thierry Breton, France's European Union commissioner for internal market and consumer protection, industry, research and energy. Billed as an unscripted conversation by Musk, the Spaces session will be one of the few campaign events Trump does this week. Breton warned Musk that the EU was prepared to "make full use of our toolbox" to protect EU citizens from "serious harm." Getty Images | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesSince then, Musk has made a series of incendiary comments about the situation in the U.K. on X. Riot police officers push back anti-migration protesters outside on Aug. 4, 2024 in Rotherham, U.K. Christopher Furlong | Getty Images

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Apu Gomes, Linda Yaccarino, Thierry Breton, Yaccarino, Donald Trump, Musk, Kamala Harris, Keir Starmer, Ashlea Simon, Peter Kyle, Christopher Furlong Organizations: SpaceX, X Holdings Corp, Milken Institute's Global, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Getty, European, X Corp, Union, Trump, Republican, Democratic, EU's Digital Services, Digital Services, Riot, British, Britain, Times Locations: Beverly Hills , California, Europe, United Kingdom, EU, Breton, Southport , England, Southport, England, Northern Ireland, Falkland Islands, Rotherham, U.K

☆ Trump is suddenly back on Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Twitter barred Donald Trump in 2021. Elon Musk reinstated him in 2022. Trump is now running a Twitter ad that looks like it comes from his account. Of note: Musk is scheduled to conduct an interview Monday night with Trump on Twitter/X. AdvertisementWelcome back to Twitter, Donald Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, he's, Trump, — Organizations: Trump, Twitter, Service

Search resuls for: "Peter K"

25 mentions found