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☆ Leaked email shows Adobe banning employee use of personal email accounts and corporate credit cards for generative AI apps
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Adobe recently shared a do's and don'ts list for the use of generative AI apps at the company. It bans the use of personal email accounts and corporate credit cards when signing up for the apps. Adobe employees can't use personal email accounts or corporate credit cards when signing up for AI tools, like ChatGPT. Apple, Alphabet, and Samsung have also restricted employee use of generative AI tools. Stoddard said in the internal email that generative AI can "augment human creativity, not replace it."

Persons: Cindy Stoddard, Stoddard, Don'ts, Eugene Kim Organizations: Adobe, Apple, Samsung

☆ Inside Reddit's path to an IPO, where employees see 'thrash' from constant pivots and say more managers may leave amid a flattening
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Reddit employees say the company has a bloated leadership structure with too many managers. They described some leadership moves and road-map changes that caused what one employee described as "thrash." Managers who attended the summit told employees that leadership suggested the company would in the second half of the year consolidate teams with managers overseeing fewer than six employees, two employees said. Leadership shake-upsReddit had some leadership changes earlier this year. Three employees described Lobez's departure as a surprise, as he was well liked within the data-science organization.

Persons: Reddit, Mark Zuckerberg, Shopify, Reddit hasn't, Steve Huffman, Jack Hanlon, Hanlon, Reddit's, Jose Lobez, Tyler Otto, who'd, Huffman, —, Lopez Organizations: Employees, Meta, Reddit Locations: New York City, Hipmunk

☆ Reddit vice president Jack Hanlon left earlier this year after overseeing major AI investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Reddit vice president, Jack Hanlon, left the company earlier this year after nearly four years. Hanlon led a team investing in artificial intelligence for both users and advertisers. A vice president of Reddit overseeing the integration of artificial intelligence into the company's products left earlier this year with the social-media company preparing to go public. Jack Hanlon, who was vice president of feeds, AI, search, and data, spent nearly four years at Reddit and led the purchase of AI companies meant to help Reddit improve its experience for users and ad targeting for brands. Reddit increased its investments in the field to grow its ad business in particular, as well as to automate content moderation.

Persons: Jack Hanlon, Hanlon, Reddit, Steve Huffman Organizations: Employees, Reddit, New York Times Locations: Reddit

☆ Zuck aims a killer blow at Musk outside the cage with Meta's new Threads Twitter clone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Aside from surreal cage fight plans, Zuckerberg wants to displace Twitter with a clone called Threads. The timing is perfect: Twitter is in disarray and the Meta chief is ready to capitalize on the chaos. Zuckerberg is set to bring his Twitter killer, Threads, out into the wild this week, with pre-orders for the "text-based-conversation" service going live on Monday. What the new Threads app looks like. If Musk doesn't get Twitter back into shape soon, he'll be a loser in the virtual arena too.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Zuckerberg, Elon, Sydney Bradley, Nick Bilton, Musk, He's, he'll Organizations: Elon, Twitter, Sydney, New York Times, mojo

☆ Some Redditors say they're walking away after Apollo app shuts down
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Jyoti Mann | Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Redditors said they'll no longer use the site after third-party app Apollo shut down. A popular third-party Reddit app shut down Friday – and some of the social network's users are pledging to walk away as a result. The app, which let Redditors access the platform through its own interface, had more than 1.5 million monthly users in June, Selig said, citing data from analytics firm Mixpanel. The Canadian developer previously said Reddit's demands for compensation were unreasonable compared with how much money Apollo made from paid subscriptions. Are you a Reddit user or employee with insight to share?

Persons: they'll, Reddit, Christian Selig, he's, Selig, I'm, It's, Apollo, I've, Jyoti Mann, Thomas Maxwell Organizations: Reddit Locations: jmann

☆ Twitter now needs users to sign in to view tweets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Twitter will now require users to have an account on the social media platform to view tweets, a move that owner Elon Musk on Friday called a "temporary emergency measure". Users who try to view content on the platform will be asked to sign up for an account or log into an exiting account to see their favorite tweets. "We were getting data pillaged so much that it was degrading service for normal users!" Earlier in the month, Twitter had announced plans to focus on video, creator and commerce partnerships to revitalize the social media company's business beyond digital advertising. Twitter has also begun charging users to access its application programming interface (API), used by third-party apps and researchers.

Persons: Elon Musk, Khushi Mandowara, Akash Sriram, Maju Samuel Organizations: Twitter, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Minecraft developers quit Reddit after company's controversial changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In the latest blow to Reddit after its controversial billing changes, the makers of Minecraft — one of the best-selling video games of all time — have quit the platform. "Reddit management introduced changes recently that have led to rule and moderation changes across many subreddits," a tech lead at Mojang Studios, the Microsoft-owned company behind Minecraft, posted on the r/Minecraft Reddit community Tuesday. "Because of these changes, we no longer feel that Reddit is an appropriate place to post official content or refer our players to." An update to the post clarified that it is not an official policy for all of Mojang Studios, Xbox or Microsoft. The protests included the wildly popular r/Funny, with more than 40 million members, along with r/Music and r/Science, each boasting more than 30 million users.

Persons: Minecraft, —, Reddit Organizations: Mojang Studios, Microsoft, Java, Xbox, Reddit, Guinness World Records, CNBC

☆ Meta releases clues and tools on how AI is used on Facebook, Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —As demand for greater transparency in artificial intelligence mounts, Meta released tools and information Thursday aimed at helping users understand how AI influences what they see on its apps. These describe how Meta selects what content to recommend to users. Meta’s so-called “system cards” cover how the company determines which accounts to present to users as recommended follows on Facebook and Instagram, how the company’s search tools function and how notifications work. Previously, Meta had only offered the ability for users to tell Instagram to show less, not more, Clegg wrote. On both Facebook and Instagram, he added, users will now be able to customize their feeds further by accessing a menu from individual posts.

Persons: Nick Clegg, ” Clegg, “, Instagram, Clegg Organizations: Washington CNN, Meta, Facebook

NEW YORK, June 28 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2% on Wednesday as a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. crude stockpiles offset worries that further interest rate hikes could slow economic growth and reduce global oil demand. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said crude inventories dropped by 9.6 million barrels in the week ended June 23, putting stockpiles down for a second week in a row. That was much bigger than the 1.8 million barrel draw analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compares with a decline of 2.8 million barrels in the same week last year and a five-year (2018-2022) average decrease of 7.8 million barrels. This report could be a bottom (for oil prices)," Flynn said. Oil prices rose despite worries about interest rate hikes that could slow economic growth and reduce oil demand.

Persons: Brent, Phil Flynn, Flynn, Christine Lagarde, Shariq Khan, Alex Lawler, Mohi Narayan, Emma Rumney, Mark Potter Organizations: YORK, U.S, West Texas, U.S . Energy Information Administration, American Petroleum Institute, Price Futures, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, London, New Delhi

☆ Oil pares gains as rate hike fears offset US inventory drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Benchmark Brent crude prices are down more than 15% this year as rising interest rates hit investor appetite, while China's economic recovery has faltered after several months of softer-than-expected consumption and other data. "For now, the market remains stuck with demand concerns weighing," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank. "Overall, the commodity sector, including crude oil, is suffering from risk adversity amid China growth worries and U.S. data strength pointing to higher rates," he said. The Energy Information Administration's official supply report is due out at 1430 GMT. Higher interest rates can weigh on economic activity and oil demand.

Persons: Brent, Ole Hansen, Oil, Christine Lagarde, Tamas Varga, Mohi Narayan, Jason Neely, David Evans Organizations: Oil, Brent, U.S, West Texas, Saxo Bank, American Petroleum Institute, Energy, European Central Bank, ECB, PVM, Saudi, Thomson Locations: contango, China

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Airbnb's Montana smackdown, Microsoft whining, Salesforce worrying, and Reddit rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I'm Insider's global tech editor Alistair Barr, and I've been missing people a lot lately. Airbnb Montana smackdown: Life in the town of Bozeman is harder thanks to short-term rentals. That sparked a boom in Airbnb and Vrbo properties in the town, causing rents and property prices to surge. They are concerned about retaining talented colleagues, their future at Salesforce, and how leadership decisions adhere to the company's core values. Submit your nomination for Insider's 5th annual list recognizing first-time and newly named top marketers at consumer brands.

Persons: Alistair Barr, I've, I'd, we're, let's, Brian Chesky Mike Segar, Airbnb Montana, Dan Latu, Justin Sullivan, Read, Nassim Taleb, SoftBank, it's, that's, Bowties, India Narendra Modi, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Kevin Dietsch, Dana White, Lisa Ryan, Jack Sommers Organizations: Bozeman Tenants United, Getty, Microsoft, Silicon Valley titans, White House, UFC, Insider's Locations: Bozeman, Airbnb, Seattle, Washington, Salesforce, Silicon, India, China, Silicon Valley, New York, London

☆ Reddit still has to contend with a 'simmering rage' as users return back to the platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Reddit moderator told The New York Times there is still a "simmering rage" as users return. Reddit moderators shut down hundreds of forums last week to protest changes to how Reddit prices its API. The moderator called Reddit's changes "really demoralizing." Reddit is returning to a new normal this week following a sitewide blackout to protest the platform's changes to its API pricing policy. Reddit's changes to its API are set to take effect on July 1.

Persons: Bucky, Reddit, Steve Huffman Organizations: New York Times, Google Locations: Reddit

☆ Twitter has started paying its Google Cloud bills again under its new CEO after Elon Musk halted payments, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has restored the company's relationship with Google Cloud, reports say. Google Cloud was just one of the many companies Twitter had allegedly stopped paying. Twitter has restarted paying its Google Cloud bills under new CEO Linda Yaccarino after Elon Musk halted payments, according to reports by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. Platformer first reported earlier this month that Twitter had stopped paying its Google Cloud invoices as part of Musk's drastic cost-cutting spree. Google Cloud isn't the only company Twitter had owed money to.

Persons: Linda Yaccarino, She's, Elon Musk, Twitter, Musk, Yaccarino, Thomas Kurian, he's Organizations: Google, Elon, Bloomberg, Twitter, Morning, Street, SpaceX, Google Cloud, Cloud Locations: Boulder , Colorado

☆ Hackers who say they stole Reddit data demand the platform reverses its API pricing policy and pay $4.5 million ransom it previously asked for
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Hackers are demanding Reddit policy changes amid an ongoing battle over its API pricing. As well as the funds, they are now demanding Reddit reverses its API pricing plans, per The Verge. Hackers are threatening to publicly release 80 GB of Reddit data they say they have stolen. Last week, the hackers followed up by continuing to demand the money and additionally asking Reddit to reverse its planned API pricing changes, per The Verge. The planned API pricing changes have proved controversial, sparking protests and blackouts across the site.

Persons: Reddit, Dominic Alvieri, Steve Huffman Organizations: Twitter, NBC

☆ Hackers threaten to leak stolen Reddit data if company doesn’t pay $4.5 million and change controversial pricing policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In their post, the hackers claim they first demanded a $4.5 million payout “for the deletion of the data and our silence” in April. Reddit CTO Chris Slowe previously posted about a security incident that took place in early February. A Reddit spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Monday that BlackCat’s post relates to the February incident. The spokesperson reiterated that no user data was accessed, but declined to comment beyond that. “We are very confident that Reddit will not pay for its data,” the group wrote in the post on the dark web.

Persons: CNN —, Chris Slowe, Slowe, “, ALPHV, ”, Brett Callow, Emsisoft Organizations: CNN

☆ A NSFW Reddit community is now a 'Christian Minecraft server' as moderators attack the site's 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful' monetization moves
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A popular NSFW Reddit community has been transformed into a "Christian Minecraft server." An adult content community on Reddit says it's turned into a "Christian Minecraft server" in protest over the platform's "treacherous" pricing policy. Its moderators said it's "bidding farewell" to its NSFW content and is attempting to become an "amusing" place instead. "The important takeaway here is Reddit does not care about this community and Reddit does not care about you," they wrote. Another moderator for the community r/IndianSkincareAddicts said it's making its subreddit private "indefinitely" from June 23 and called the company's actions "disgraceful, disrespectful and downright disgusting."

Persons: subreddit, it's, subreddits, Reddit, Steve Huffman, VinlandSaga, IndianSkincareAddicts, Reddit didn't Organizations: Financial Times Locations: Reddit

☆ People are starting to place bets on Reddit's civil war
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Hundreds of punters have placed a bet on whether Reddit will reverse its API pricing move. BetUS told Insider that people are "undecided" about the site walking back that decision. Almost all bets think Steve Huffman will still be CEO of Reddit by the end of the year. Hundreds of people are putting money on whether the company will back-track on its new API pricing policy or oust its CEO Steve Huffman, BetUS told Insider. Almost all bets have been on Huffman still being CEO by December 31, BetUS added.

Persons: BetUS, Steve Huffman, Huffman, Christian Selig, Reddit, Reddit didn't Organizations: Financial Times

☆ One of Reddit's largest communities is protesting changes to the platform by posting only photos of John Oliver 'looking sexy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

r/Pics now only allows photos of British comedian John Oliver "looking sexy." Users of one of Reddit's largest communities are protesting statements from the social media site's CEO and changes to its API by only allowing posts of photos of "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver "looking sexy." A moderator for r/Pics on Friday posted a message telling the site's users that they would vote between letting the subreddit continue operating normally or only allowing images of "John Oliver looking sexy." Users voted 37,331 to 2,329 in favor of sexy John Oliver. Representatives for John Oliver did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Saturday.

Persons: Steve Huffman, John Oliver, Huffman, didn't, subreddits, they've Organizations: NBC Locations: British, Reddit

☆ Reddit sent messages to its protesting mods threatening to boot them if they don't get in line and end their virtual protest, The Verge reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Verge reported that Reddit admins reached out to protesting mods to urge them to work or be removed. Critics argue the move is punishing users for protesting changes to the platform. Reddit administrators sent messages to protesting moderators threatening to kick them out of their roles if they don't get in line and end their virtual blackout, The Verge reported. Rathschmidt told Insider that mods currently being removed from their posts were being removed for violating the code of conduct, not for protesting. As if the mod code of conduct is some kind of moral or legally binding document.

Persons: Reddit, Tim Rathschmidt, That's, Redditors, Rathschmidt, Reddit's, Casey Newton, Newton

☆ Reddit CEO says app founders who are shutting down in protest over API charges made millions: 'These aren't like side projects or charities'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told The Verge that popular third-party app developers have made millions. They've made millions," Huffman said. In an interview with The Verge, Steve Huffman, Reddit's CEO, has doubled down on the policy change, which could cost popular third-party apps millions. Additionally, he emphasized that apps like Apollo and RIF, another popular third-party app that gives users access to Reddit, aren't "side projects or charities." Apollo's Selig did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment regarding the "millions" Huffman claims he has made.

Persons: Steve Huffman, They've, Huffman, Christian Selig, Apollo's Selig, Selig, Andrew Shu Organizations: Morning, Reddit's, Ars Technica, Apollo Locations: Reddit

Budrul Chukrut | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesAt midnight on Tuesday, the moderators of the Reddit community r/Gaming decided to go dark. "We're talking hundreds of thousands of volunteers putting in hours a day to keep the site safe, entertaining and enjoyable for community members. As a private company, Reddit doesn't have to disclose its financials or provide revenue and profit projections. "You have a lot of people, both professionals and general community members, who are running the numbers on this," Croach said. Jacqueline Sheeran, known as "MCHammerCurls," is the head moderator of r/Fitness, which has more than 10 million members.

Persons: Budrul, Dacvak, Slack, weren't, Croach, Reddit, Christian Selig, Selig, Steve Huffman, Huffman, Horacio Villalobos, subreddits, they're, –, David DeWald, subreddit, Shane McCarthy, McCarthy, Meepster23, ModCoord, Omar, Jacqueline Sheeran, Sarah Gilbert, Gilbert, Huffman's, RamsesThePigeon, that's, there's Organizations: Lightrocket, Reddit, CNBC, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Microsoft, Corbis, NBC, Wall, NBC News, Cornell University, school's Citizens, Technology Locations: U.S, Lisbon, Portugal

☆ Reddit CEO says the mods leading a punishing blackout are too powerful and he will change the site's rules to weaken them
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman thinks the site's mods are too powerful. So a politician needs to be elected, and a business owner can be fired by its shareholders," he told NBC. Reddit mods hold a lot of power, and many believe it has been earned due to the amount of unpaid labor they put into the site. He told NBC it was "really important" to ensure "protests, now or in the future, are actually representative of their communities." Huffman told NBC there was no set timeline for his proposed changes.

Persons: Steve Huffman, subreddits, Reddit, Christian Selig, Huffman, We've Organizations: NBC, Ars Technica, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Northwestern University Locations: Reddit

Then, a deep dive into MrBeast and what his YouTube empire says about the future of the internet. Reddit came along and said, oh, we need to protect Reddit from the rise of these large language models. So I don’t think they’re totally out of the woods. But I don’t think people would say it was a golden age for how safe the platforms fell to use. But I want to challenge you on this, because I don’t necessarily think that it’s a bad thing if we have past peak trust and safety.

Persons: kevin roose, you’ve, casey newton, casey newton Yes, I’ve, there’s, kevin roose I’m, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, Casey, Reddit, casey newton Right, roose, Steve Huffman, you’re, Kevin, It’s, They’re, casey newton Well, they’ve, we’re, Huffman, “, Redditors, We’ve, Everyone’s, we’ve, I’m, let’s, Sam Walton, Max, kevin roose Hey, kevin roose Oh, kevin roose Max Read, MrBeast, it’s, Jimmy Donaldson, He’s, Willy Wonka, he’s, somethings, haven’t, kevin roose We’ll, We’ll, kevin roose She’s, she’s, kevin roose MrBeast, Jeremiah, jeremiah howard, Jeremiah Howard who’s, Jimmy, Burger, You’re, Stefan Molyneux, PewDiePie, Paul, Let’s, Raman, kevin roose It’s, MrBeast financials, doesn’t, Logan Paul, they’re, Vincent Miller, Jon Hamm’s, Matthew Weiner’s, kevin roose Max, Will, Max Read, ” kevin roose, casey newton Max, Robert F Kennedy, COVID, Kennedy, Instagram, Connor Roy, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Elon, Donald Trump, We’re, Jim Jordan, kevin roose Totally, Alex Jones, casey newton Totally, Kate Kalanick, Trump, Tucker Carlson, aren’t, — casey newton, hasn’t, Rachel Cohn, Jen Poyante, Caitlin Love, Alyssa Moxley, Dan Powell, Elisheba Ittoop, Marion Lozano, Sofia Lanman, Rowan Niemisto, Paula Szuchman, Tam, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresi, Jeffrey Miranda Organizations: The New York Times, Twitter, YouTube, Lamborghini, Netflix, Walmart, News, Producers, Meta, Instagram, COVID, Democratic, Washington Post, Apple, Republicans, Facebook, 4chan, Republican Party, Trump, Fox News, Stanford, Davis Locations: Hawaii, Reddit, Greenville , North Carolina, hysterics, New Jersey, New York, Greenville, North Carolina, Central, United States, Bay, San Francisco, Stanford

☆ Reddit’s fight with its most powerful users enters new phase as blackout continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —After nearly a week of mass protests on Reddit directed at its management, the company’s strategy appears to be simple: power through. That approach was reflected Thursday in a series of media interviews conducted by Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman. In response, some moderators have vowed to put pressure on Reddit’s advertisers and investors. Some 100,000 forums remain open, the company said in a blog post, including 80% of its 5,000 most actively engaged subreddits. In addition, one company administrator said Thursday, Reddit may soon view communities that remain private as an indicator that the moderators of those communities no longer wish to moderate.

Persons: Reddit, Steve Huffman, Huffman, ”, ” Huffman, they’re, Greg Doherty, Omar, ” Omar, “, “ Reddit, They’ve Organizations: CNN, Reddit, Variety, Wynn Las, NPR, NBC News Locations: Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ What’s Going On With Reddit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you tried to find information on Reddit over the last week, you might have had a hard time. The platform recently announced it would begin charging other companies that want to access its content using an API (Application Programming Interface). Reddit announced the changes earlier this spring after the rise of generative artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI, which used Reddit’s rich trove of human conversations to train ChatGPT for free. Once Reddit starts charging at the end of the month, Apollo has said it will close down rather than pay an estimated bill of $20 million per year. Reddit has long been bolstered and operated by a network of unpaid moderators who keep subreddits from disintegrating into chaos.

Persons: Reddit

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