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☆ So, that's the end of OpenAI's ChatGPT moat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the fast-changing world of AI, OpenAI appeared to have created a powerful moat through ChatGPT. But Meta rolling out its own powerful language model, Llama 2, with few restrictions puts ChatGPT at risk. And unlike OpenAI's ChatGPT, Llama 2 doesn't come with an easy-to-use consumer interface. As the first popular entrant into the generative AI space, OpenAI's chatbot had the advantage of capturing the imaginations of millions before Google, Meta and the rest. But open models were always the threat.

Persons: OpenAI, chatbot, Mark Zuckerberg, Erin Scott, Warren Buffett, ChatGPT, Kali Hays, Rosalie Chan, Nathan Lambert, Lambert, It's Organizations: Meta, Google, Microsoft, ChatGPT, Stanford University, UC Berkeley

This spreadsheet, viewed by Insider, shows base salaries, equity, and bonuses employees reported. The table shows the minimum and maximum base salaries, equity, and bonuses for each role. In addition, Insider created bar graphs that show the highest base salaries each role can make, as well as the roles at Google that have the highest base salaries, equity, and bonuses. These graphs are based on the maximum base salary, equity, and bonus values that were submitted for each role. Not all employees submitted equity and bonus data, but we've included it where they have.

Persons: Googlers, Tamani Jayasinghe Organizations: Google Locations: Alphabet's

☆ Meta's new 'open source' AI isn't so open after all
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Kali Hays | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Open Source Initiative is concerned by Meta's improper labeling. These standards are maintained by the nonprofit Open Source Initiative (OSI), which also reviews whether software licenses can be approved as open source. Open source in AIThe OSI is currently leading a series of meetings and debates and accepting proposals to formally define what open source means when it comes to AI and the machine learning it uses. According to the OSI's Open Source Definition, an open source software license "shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources." Companies like MongoDB, Redis, Confluent, and Elastic, which have long maintained open source software, changed their software licenses to restrict companies like Amazon from selling their software (which would be possible with a true open source license).

Persons: Meta, Stefano Maffulli, Maffulli, it's, Kali Hays, Rosalie Chan Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Initiative, OSI, Apple, Twitter Locations: US, China, Meta, khays

☆ Broadcom threatened to cut off chips to a Samsung unit unless it uses them to exclusively supply BMW, lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Broadcom sent Harman a letter in May saying that all chips Broadcom supplied to Harman must be used exclusively for BMW components. The lawsuit accused Broadcom of approaching two Harman customers BMW and GM, "likely deliberately squeezing supply to win concessions from both." Broadcom and BMW then formed an exclusive chip partnership, which cut out Harman from the supply chain, according to the suit. After discussions with Broadcom, Harman wrote to Broadcom saying that it did not agree to this. Broadcom and BMW also entered an agreement where Broadcom would sell chips to BMW directly while only allowing Harman to have chips incorporated into BMW products.

Persons: Harman Becker, Harman Organizations: Samsung, Broadcom, BMW, Federal Trade Commission, Harman Becker Automotive Systems, Harman International Industries, General Motors, Audi, Porsche, GM, Apple, VMware

☆ Leaked org chart reveals the 58 top leaders and engineers at Google DeepMind as it races to surpass OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In April, Google made a dramatic move to face down the threat from Microsoft and OpenAI: it combined its AI research team, Brain, with DeepMind. By fusing it with its central AI unit, Google sent an unambiguous message that it was pulling out all the stops to supercharge its work in AI. Insider obtained internal org charts that reveal the new power structure of Google DeepMind. Hassabis oversees around 2,450 full-time employees, the majority of which are Google DeepMind employees. Dean, who previously oversaw all of Google's AI unit, has moved from his management position into the new role of Chief Scientist, reporting directly to CEO Sundar Pichai.

Persons: DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, There's, Hassabis, Eli Collins, Bard chatbot, Zoubin Ghahramani, Jeff Dean, Koray, Google's, Dean, Sundar Pichai, Emanuel Taropa Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Brain, Research, Technology, Gemini, General Intelligence

Google invested in generative AI startup Runway as part of a $100 million round, sources say. Google and Runway also signed a $75 million cloud computing project, leaked documents show. Google has invested in generative AI startup Runway as part of a $100 million deal, as the Alphabet-owned company leverages its cloud advantage to cozy up to other artificial intelligence players. In addition, Runway has signed a cloud deal with Google worth $75 million over three years, according to internal documents reviewed by Insider. It previously raised $100 million from Amplify Partners, Lux Capital, Coatue, and Felicis Ventures.

Persons: Oscar, Anthropic Organizations: Google, Runway, Lux, Felicis Ventures, Financial Times, Microsoft's, MIT Technology Locations: New York, OpenAI

☆ VMware employees in end-user computing and security believe Broadcom may divest their units after it closes its $61 billion deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Broadcom plans to acquire VMware for $61 billion, and they're preparing to close the deal this year. Workers in end-user computing and Carbon Black security think their units could be spun out or sold. Broadcom's upcoming $61 billion acquisition of VMware has led employees in two units — end-user computing and Carbon Black security — to speculate that their units could be spun out or sold. The EUC unit builds products such as Horizon and Workspace One that allow users to access their enterprise applications from anywhere over the cloud. After Carbon Black was acquired, it was supposed to take a year or two to get integrated with VMware.

Persons: Thoma, they'd, Rob Ruelas, John Ryan, Sarah Swatman, Angus McGeachie, Chris Rottner Organizations: Broadcom, VMware, Workers, Symantec, Securities, Exchange Commission, CA Technologies, Thoma Bravo, Cyber Security Services, Accenture, HCL Technologies, EUC Employees, Carbon, Symantec's Locations: EUC, Europe, Africa

Google and the generative AI startup Runway have a huge new cloud computing contract. Google and Runway have a major new contract that provides the generative AI startup will millions of dollars in cloud services and related credits. Recently, Runway raised $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation from a top cloud provider, Insider reported. Cloud giants like Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft have also run startup programs for years that provide free cloud credits. Previously, Google Cloud salespeople even expressed concern they wouldn't be able to match AWS's offer of free cloud credits to startups.

Persons: there's, Airbnb, Pinterest Organizations: Google, Runway, Lux Capital, Web Services, Microsoft, AWS Locations: OpenAI

☆ VMware employees are increasingly concerned over Broadcom's pending $61 billion acquisition, predicting spinouts of business units, layoffs, and lost customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Broadcom and VMware announced the $61 billion deal last year and recently pushed back the deadline as it undergoes regulatory scrutiny. Insider spoke with one former and four current VMware employees about the changes they expect to face once they are owned by the chipmaker Broadcom. A VMware spokesperson said in a statement that after the deal closes, VMware customers will obtain "more choice and flexibility" in managing their IT needs, especially across multiple cloud-computing services. Executives leaving VMwareVMware has lost several key executives since the Broadcom deal was announced (including several defecting to VMware's archrival Nutanix). "Nonetheless, I've continued to see questions in press reports about whether we intend to raise prices on VMware products.

Persons: —, Sanjay Poonen, Patrick Morley, haven't, Robert Ruelas, EUC, Kit Colbert, hasn't, Zane Rowe, Tom Gillis, Mark Lohmeyer, Ajay Patel, Kal, Karen Egan, Tom Kellermann, Raghu Raghuram, Hock Tan, Colbert, Tan, Hock E, Lucas Jackson, I've Organizations: VMware, Employees, Broadcom, SEC, Carbon, Symantec, Workers, Tech, VMware hasn't, VMware Employees, VMware VMware, Nutanix, Raghuram, Reuters

☆ We identified the 109 most important people at Google Cloud as it doubles down on AI to beat Microsoft and Amazon. Explore our exclusive org chart.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Internal Google data obtained by Insider shows the 109 most powerful people within Google Cloud. We built an interactive org chart of the top execs and staff helping Kurian lead the division. When Insider last mapped out the Google Cloud org chart at the start of 2022, it had around 40,000 employees. The Cloud unit has seen some notable departures and reshuffles in recent months. It's been almost a year since Javier Soltero, the head of Google Workspace, departed and was replaced by Aparna Pappu.

☆ Google employees bombard leaders with questions about the company's strategy, asking if it's become too AI-focused
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Top of mind for employees was AI, including the company's recent showcase of generative AI products at its I/O developer conference on May 10. But staffers have concerns about the impacts of Google's aggressive push to build generative AI into all of its products. These OKRs were written to "rally" teams to incorporate AI into Google's products, Pichai said. 'People don't want to just hear AI-generated content'Another submitted question read: "LLMs are inundating the internet with AI-generated content, such as websites, books, images, music, and videos. This AI-generated content may eventually lead to a decline in internet quality, which may directly affect the quality of Google's search results.

☆ Even Google employees want their company to make smaller smartphones
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google just launched two new Pixel phones. In a town hall held last week, employees asked whether the company would make smaller phones. A Google exec said the company would — if enough users ask for it. Google just announced two new Pixel smartphones — the Pixel 7a and the Pixel Fold — to pretty good early reviews. Apparently, some Google employees feel the same way.

☆ Google tells staff it's rebooting its annual 'Googlegeist' employee survey, which has been delayed due to 'layoffs' and an 'urgency around AI'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Google's annual employee survey has been delayed. The company told staff this week that it's rebooting the survey to make it more regular. It hopes to have the new Googlegeist ready to go in a couple of months. Google's annual "Googlegeist" employee survey has always been a good way to read how employees feel about the company. Are you a Google employee with a tip?

☆ As generative AI dominates Google's product lineup, employees ask leaders: What's going on with Assistant and Nest?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generative AI was undoubtedly the star of Google's I/O developer conference. Google also recently reshuffled its Assistant team to focus more on Bard, CNBC previously reported. CEO Sundar Pichai said there was "a reason" the Assistant team was also working on Bard, before handing it to Sissie Hsiao, Google's head of Assistant and Bard. Google's voice concierge wasn't the only product MIA from I/O – Nest, the company's brand of smart home speakers. Google's Nest manager Sameer Bansal said in response that Nest is a "core part" of the device strategy.

☆ Googlers are poking fun at the company's I/O conference with memes about expensive phones, layoffs, and a new mascot named 'Lip Duck'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google held its annual I/O conference last week, and employees are celebrating and lampooning the event via the time-honored tradition of memes. Google announced a series of updates to Bard at the event, including integrations with Google products and the ability to analyze images. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceOf course, Google focused this year's I/O almost entirely on new generative AI products. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceWe also regret to inform you that Google has a new mascot. Anonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceAnonymous Google sourceOf course, it wasn't all snark.

☆ Tech giants aren't just cutting thousands of jobs — they're making them extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That has far-reaching implications for tech workers and those seeking to work in the industry. By some estimates, more than 250,000 tech workers have been laid off since the start of 2022. Site-reliability engineers manage the operations of Google's systems and keep them running, while software engineers work on developing Google's infrastructure and products. This trend has significant implications for tech workers and those hoping to work in the industry. As Insider's Ito has reported, tech workers and software engineers have often been thought of as impervious to the march of automation.

☆ Late Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh devised a '10X' scheme to spend his wealth in the last weeks of his life. Here's how those close to him took advantage of it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh died in 2020 following injuries he sustained in a house fire. Hsieh devised a scheme called "10X" that demanded achievement in multiples of ten, Forbes reported. In the last weeks of his life, the former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh spent much of his wealth in a scheme he devised called 10X. The LLC had $10 million to fund documentary film projects, which entitled Grande to a $1 million commission. The 10X scheme sometimes caused disputes.

☆ Leaked memos show Google is closing some of its cafes 'until further notice' as it cuts back on employee perks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is closing some of its cafes "until further notice," according to memos sent on Wednesday. As part of its plan to cut costs this year, Google is closing some of its cafes "until further notice." Cafes at Google's campuses are one of the search giant's most famous employee perks as workers have access to free meals. The cafes called Steam, Costa, Go!, Slice, and Deja Brew Hub, and some lunchtime food trucks, will be "closed until further notice." The cafes called Till Cafe, Java Corner, Share, Fresh Market, Cornerstone, and lunchtime food trucks, will be "closed until further notice."

☆ Some laid-off staff at Google's Irish office could be given severance packages worth $320,000, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google could offer severance packages worth $320,000 to some workers being laid off in Ireland. That's according to the Sunday Times, which says employees are being offered six weeks severance per year worked. The tech giant is laying off 240 employees in Ireland across sales, tech, and support services. Those being laid off are being offered severance packages that constitute six weeks of wages for every year worked at the firm, per the newspaper. Staff who are part of the redundancies will be put on paid leave for 90 days, the Sunday Times reported.

☆ Leaked email shows Google engineering head Urs Hölzle's plan for increased efficiency, starting with rebalancing the different types of engineers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google will be focusing on efficiency this year "given the economic environment," engineering senior vice president Urs Hölzle told technical infrastructure teams. Additionally, the team will aim to use automation to reduce the ratio of site reliability engineers to software engineers to less than 5%. Site reliability engineers manage the operations of Google's systems and keep them running, while software engineers work on developing Google's infrastructure and products. Besides efficiency, Google's technical infrastructure teams plan to focus on reliability, infrastructure innovation, security of infrastructure and data, climate and sustainability, and effectiveness. Below are more details on what Google's technical infrastructure teams plan to focus on:Theme #1: EfficiencyHölzle said that the team should focus on technical efficiency.

☆ Students of BloomTech, formerly known as Lambda School, filed a class action lawsuit against the coding bootcamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Students of the Bloom Institute of Technology have filed a class action lawsuit against the school. They say the coding bootcamp, formerly known as Lambda School, advertised false job placement rates. While students have previously taken legal action against BloomTech, this is the first class action lawsuit against it. Former BloomTech students said that the school fell short of its promise with under-qualified instructors and an incomplete curriculum, Insider first reported. Leaked documents also showed that BloomTech's job placement rates were much lower than advertised, Insider previously reported.

☆ Google wasted its pandemic opportunity. Now, it's scrambling to catch up.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This Amazon worker similarly enjoys office life. The company is currently also lagging in the AI space (thanks to the buzzy AI chatbot ChatGPT). Now, the company is going all in on AI instead. Check out his experiences with the AI tools here. It remains the only Big Tech company to avoid widespread layoffs.

☆ Google got a pandemic boost for its Workspace software but blew it, insiders say. Now it plans to attack Microsoft with a new push in AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian spent much of his time at a partner meeting talking about Workspace, tweeted Tony Safoian, CEO of Google Cloud partner SADA Systems. "Around the globe, more than nine million paying organizations, and more than three billion users rely on Google Workspace for communication and collaboration. Other major customers like Deutsche Bank use Google Cloud for cloud infrastructure, but Microsoft Office for collaboration software. Forty-four percent of software procurers whose organization plans to or currently uses Microsoft's collaboration software also use Google Workspace, according to the 2022 Forrester study. While Google Cloud is still unprofitable, it has decreased losses to $480 million, down from $890 million last year.

☆ Google Workspace, its office software suite, hits 9 million paying organizations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, now has over 9 million paying organizations. Workspace announced Tuesday that it will start rolling out more generative AI features. Now, it's also rolling out new AI features across the Workspace suite. Workspace's biggest competitor is Microsoft Office, whose Office 365 product has 345 million paid commercial seats as of last year and has a stronghold among large enterprise customers. Workspace's latest push into generative AI, as well as its cloud-first products, could help give it an edge.

☆ Google just told laid off workers that it miscalculated the amount of stock they'll get in their severance. And some employees will get less than expected.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google emailed laid off workers that it miscalculated the amount of stock they get in their severance. For some employees, this means they will be getting less stock than they initially expected. Some laid off employees at Google found late Thursday that they will be getting fewer stock units than they initially expected because of an "inaccurate calculation". It informed laid off employees that it had miscalculated the amount of stock they would receive in their severance packages, two laid off employees told Insider. At Google, laid off employees are eligible to receive stock and salary for their notice period of over 60 days.

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