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Meta wins a case against that NSO Group in spyware allegations. Netflix is completely revamping its design for the first time in years. Amazon has a new robot that can do 70% of the work in its warehouses. And a big chip breakthrough that can bring about the ChatGPT moment for quantum computing? Sponsors: CornBreadHemp.com/ride and code ride Acorns.com/ride Links: Meta wins $168 million in damages from Israeli cyberintel firm in Whatsapp spyware scandal (Courthouse News Service) Netflix Overhauls Its Home Screen for the First Time in 12 Years (NYTimes) Amazon makes ‘fundamental leap forward in robotics’ with device having sense of touch (The Guardian) Generative AI tops cybersecurity in 2025 tech budget priorities, new AWS study finds (GeekWire) Mistral claims its newest AI model delivers leading performance for the price (TechCrunch) Cisco says its new entanglement chip could speed up practical quantum computing by a decade (Fast Company) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg

OpenAI backtracks in a major way, saying its nonprofit entity will remain in control of business operations. Huge consolidation happening all at once in the food delivery space. New Surface hardware from Microsoft. Huge investment in European defense tech startups. And Shein and Temu turn to Europe to stay afloat. Sponsors: LinkedIn.com/ride Links: OpenAI reverses course, says its nonprofit will remain in control of its business operations (TechCrunch) OpenAI Reaches Agreement to Buy Startup Windsurf for $3 Billion (Bloomberg) DoorDash strikes £2.9bn deal for Deliveroo (FT) Microsoft shrinks its Surface Laptop down to 13 inches, priced at $899 (The Verge) Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro has a 12-inch display and starts at $799 (The Verge) Capital flies into Europe’s defence drone start-ups (FT) Exclusive: Shein, Temu ramp up advertising in UK and France as US tariffs hit (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The whole Telegram use by government officials story gets weirder as a Telegram clone has been hacked. Apple is thinking about REALLY shaking up its iPhone release schedule. Who put AI in my crypto? Deepfakes are being chased from the Internet. And the maker of Cursor closes its big round. Sponsors: Take control of your cellular health today. Go to qualialife.com/ride and save 15% to experience the science of feeling younger. Links: TeleMessage, a modified Signal clone used by US govt. officials, has been hacked (TechCrunch) Apple Plans iPhone Release Schedule Shakeup, New Styles (The Information) Tether CEO says the firm's AI product will enable peer-to-peer network of AI agents (The Block) Senate Democrats' reversal on US stablecoin bill throws future of legislation into doubt (The Block) Leading deepfake porn site is shut down for good (Engadget) Maker of AI ‘vibe coding’ app Cursor hits $9bn valuation (Financial Times) Reports: US losing edge in AI talent pool (Semafor) Learn mor

Omnibus Week Of 04/28 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The big cultural event of maybe the decade is going to take a little while longer to get here. Earnings from Apple and Amazon. More signs of the impending death of the password. More signs of self-driving rapidly becoming reality. And in the longreads, what happens when AI completely changes your field? The AI researchers were the first to experience it. Links: Grand Theft Auto VI release delayed to May 2026 (The Verge) Amazon Says Operating Profits May Decline Amid Economic Uncertainty (NYTimes) Microsoft goes passwordless by default on new accounts (The Verge) Temu Blocks US Shoppers From Seeing Products Shipped From China (Wired) Aurora’s driverless trucks are making deliveries in Texas (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History (Quanta Magazine) The Life of the Most-Used Citi Bike in New York City (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple basically got held in contempt of court in the Epic case. Rumors about Elon staying at Tesla. Meta and Microsoft earnings. Xbox price increases. Would you wear a smart ring that proves you’re not cheating on your significant other? Links: Apple Dealt Stinging Court Defeat on App Store Sales Commissions (Bloomberg) Tesla Board Opened Search for a CEO to Succeed Elon Musk (WSJ) Microsoft is raising prices on Xbox consoles, controllers, and games worldwide (The Verge) Meta tightens privacy policy around Ray-Ban glasses to boost AI training (The Verge) Would you wear a smart ring that proves you’re not a cheater? (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta has launched a standalone competitor to ChatGPT. But is ChatGPT bending too far backwards in an attempt to please you? Even OpenAI thinks so. Waymo and Toyota cut a deal. And concerns about sovereign tech stacks rear their head again. Sponsors: Go to my sponsor https://venice.ai/techmeme and use code techmeme to enjoy private, uncensored AI. Using my code will get you 20% off a pro plan. Links: Meta’s ChatGPT competitor shows how your friends use AI (The Verge) Microsoft CEO says up to 30% of the company’s code was written by AI (TechCrunch) OpenAI rolls back update that made ChatGPT ‘too sycophant-y’ (TechCrunch) Waymo, Toyota strike partnership to bring self-driving tech to personal vehicles (CNBC) Google Play sees 47% decline in apps since start of last year (TechCrunch) EU views break from US as ‘unrealistic’ amid global tech race (Politico) Microsoft vows to protect European operations from Donald Trump (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/

Is Amazon about to start showing tariff prices in listings? Armageddon has finally come for Temu and Shein. Is OpenAI getting into the shopping game because their web search usage is exploding? And Project Kuiper finally gets off the ground in a literal and meaningful way. Links: 042925 (PunchBowl News AM) Kickstarter Introduces ‘Tariff Manager Tool’ to Add Charges to Already Fully Funded Projects (404 Media) Temu adds ‘import charges’ of about 145% after Trump tariffs, more than doubling price of many items (CNBC) Congress passes bill to fight deepfake nudes, revenge porn (Washington Post) Alibaba unveils Qwen3, a family of ‘hybrid’ AI reasoning models (TechCrunch) OpenAI Adds Shopping to ChatGPT in a Challenge to Google (Wired) Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI (The Verge) Amazon launches first Kuiper internet satellites, taking on Starlink (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Apple’s 20th Anniversary iPhone the reason they can’t quit China just yet? That Chinese AI Manus just raised a big round. Is Prompt Engineer the job title that never was? And what really goes on in those powerful, behind the scenes Silicon Valley group chats? Sponsors: Freshbooks.com Links: Apple Begins Breaking Up Its AI Team With Robotics, Siri Changes (Bloomberg) Why Trump can’t build iPhones in the US (FT) The Future of Gadgets: Fewer Updates, More Subscriptions, Bigger Price Tags (WSJ) Google is killing software support for early Nest Thermostats (The Verge) Chinese AI Startup Manus Scores Funding at $500 Million Value (Bloomberg) The Hottest AI Job of 2023 Is Already Obsolete (WSJ) The group chats that changed America (Semafor) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alphabet earnings. Intel earnings. Apple is making moves to make sure all iPhones heading to the US are no longer manufactured in China. Zuck seems bound and determined to revive his original baby. Sexy looking new Motorola Razr phones. And, of course the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Links: Alphabet shares rise on stronger-than-expected revenue growth (CNBC) Intel offers weak forecast amid trade tensions as CEO talks to TSMC (Reuters) Apple aims to source all US iPhones from India in pivot away from China (Financial Times) Publisher of PCMag and Mashable Sues OpenAI (NYTimes) Facebook cracks down on spammy content by cutting reach and monetization (TechCrunch) Mark Zuckerberg once considered deleting all your Facebook friends (TechCrunch) Motorola’s new Razr Ultra brings the wood back panel back (The Verge) Netflix rolls out dialogue-only subtitles (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Apple Watch Just Turned 10. Here’s How Far It’s Come (Wired) The Race to Fix Aging Computer

More fallout from those EU fines yesterday. A whole slew of self driving car news. The AI Coding Wars have officially begun. The back to the office wars continue. Is Chrome worth $50 billion? And let me tell you about the AI app that wants to help you cheat at everything. Links: Apple and Meta Are First to Be Hit by E.U. Digital Competition Law (NYTimes) Uber, Volkswagen pair up to launch robotaxi service in US with self-driving, electric microbuses (TechCrunch) Windsurf slashes prices as competition with Cursor heats up (TechCrunch) Google Chrome Worth ‘Upwards of $50 Billion,’ Browser Rival Says (Bloomberg) Google forcing some remote workers to come back 3 days a week or lose their jobs (CNBC) Columbia student suspended over interview cheating tool raises $5.3M to ‘cheat on everything’ (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That delayed action from the European Commission finally came down on Apple and Meta. Would OpenAI be a logical home for the Chrome web browser? Massive layoffs coming to Intel. Anysphere turned down an acquisition offer from OpenAI. And are the tariff wars coming for Elon Musk’s robots? Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Links: Apple, Meta Fined by EU, Ordered to Comply With Tech Competition Rules (WSJ) OpenAI Would Buy Google’s Chrome Browser, ChatGPT Chief Says (Bloomberg) Intel to Announce Plans This Week to Cut Over 20% of Staff (Bloomberg) A new, open source text-to-speech model called Dia has arrived to challenge ElevenLabs, OpenAI and more (VentureBeat) Why OpenAI wanted to buy Cursor but opted for the fast-growing Windsurf (TechCrunch) Ex-OpenAI staff and top AI experts seek to block proposed for-profit restructure (FT) Tesla Humanoid Robot Plan Hampered by China Rare Earth Curbs (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the US v. Google remedy trial begins, the FTC also sues Uber and makes Airbnb disclose all fees. Looks like tech regulation is still very much a thing. Bluesky begins rolling out verification. Meta is using AI to find if kids are lying about their age on Instagram. And Microsoft is forging ahead with that Recall feature. Sponsors: Udacity.com/ride and code RIDE Links: Justice Dept. asks judge to ‘thaw’ Google’s search monopoly by forcing Chrome sale (Washington Post) FTC sues Uber, says company charged for Uber One without consent (CNBC) Airbnb to Show Fees in Price Display to Comply With FTC Rule (Bloomberg) Bluesky Is Rolling Out Official Verification (Wired) Google Messages Sensitive Content Warnings for nudity rolling out (9to5Google) Meta is ramping up its AI-driven age detection (The Verge) Microsoft Is Dedicated To Building A Dodgy New Database Of Every Windows 11 User’s Online Behaviors (TechDirt) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta and Apple were about to go to the woodshed in Europe, but it looks like Trump’s tariffs have run interference for them. Everyone wants in on stablecoins, example number 23. Beware of phishing emails from Google.com. And are OpenAI’s latest models good, bad, or just “jagged”? Sponsors: QualiaLife.com/ride and code RIDE Links: EU Delayed Punishing Apple, Meta Just Before Trade Talks Started (WSJ) Crypto Knocks on the Door of a Banking World That Shut It Out (WSJ) Phishers abuse Google OAuth to spoof Google in DKIM replay attack (Bleeping Computer) Coinbase in hot water over $12 million ‘content coin’—but exec tells haters to lean in (Fortune Crypto) OpenAI’s new reasoning AI models hallucinate more (TechCrunch) On Jagged AGI: o3, Gemini 2.5, and everything after (Ethan Mollick) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google is ruled an illegal monopoly. Again. But for a different reason this time. Switch 2 pre-orders are back on. Americans are flocking to Temu and Shein alternatives. And in the Weekend Longreads Suggestions, what if I told you 25 percent of community college applicants are now AI bots? And not only that, the bots are now “attending classes” in quotes. Sponsors: FactorMeals.com/ride50off and code ride50off Links: Google Broke the Law to Keep Its Advertising Monopoly, a Judge Rules (NYTimes) Google loses online advertising monopoly case (Axios) Google Found GUILTY of Monopolization Again (The Big Newsletter) Nintendo Switch 2 preorders start April 24th and the price is still $449.99 (The Verge) The latest viral ChatGPT trend is doing ‘reverse location search’ from photos (TechCrunch) Chinese shopping app Taobao joins DHgate in Top 5 on US App Store (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: As ‘Bot’ Students Continue to Flood In, Community Colleges Struggle to Respond (Voice Of San Diego

OpenAI has a new reasoning model, and more lower cost models as well. Is OpenAI about to acquire a coding startup? Is Perplexity turning to Samsung for distribution and branding? A Neuralink rival gets FDA approval. And why is Jensen Huang on a code-red mission to China at the moment? Sponsors: 1Password.com/ride Links: OpenAI's new o3 and o4-mini models are all about 'thinking with images' (Engadget) OpenAI debuts Codex CLI, an open source coding tool for terminals (TechCrunch) Vibe Check: o3 Is Here—And It’s Great (Every) OpenAI In Talks to Buy Windsurf for About $3 Billion (Bloomberg) Perplexity AI in Talks to Integrate Assistant Into Samsung, Motorola Phones (Bloomberg) Neuralink Rival Gets FDA Clearance in Path to Less Invasive Brain Implants (Bloomberg) Nvidia chief Jensen Huang flies to Beijing for talks (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, it looks like DOGE has finally come for cybersecurity. It sounds like the tariff stuff is already biting Nvidia to the tune of $5 billion. Why is OpenAI building a social network? The government would have settled the antitrust case with Meta to the tune of $30 billion. And why did Mark Zuckerberg consider spinning off Instagram voluntarily? Sponsors: SelectQuote.com/ride Links: Uncle Sam abruptly turns off funding for CVE program. Yes, that CVE program (The Register) Nvidia says it will record $5.5 billion charge tied to H20 processors exported to China (CNBC) OpenAI is building a social network (The Verge) Figma confidentially files for IPO more than a year after ditching Adobe deal (CNBC) Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case (WSJ) Zuckerberg Says He Considered Spinning Off Instagram in 2018 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OpenAI releases its latest next gen models but you wouldn’t know it by the nomenclature because the numbers are going backwards. What’s up with that? Apple is tying itself in a pretzel to train on user data but still stick to privacy. And a big rundown of the first day of the big Meta antitrust trial. Sponsors: MackWeldon.com promocode BRIAN Links: OpenAI’s new GPT-4.1 AI models focus on coding (TechCrunch) OpenAI launches another model before GPT 5 — here’s what this one can do (Tom's Guide) Nvidia says it plans to manufacture some AI chips in the US (TechCrunch) Apple to Analyze User Data on Devices to Bolster AI Technology (Bloomberg) Zuckerberg testifies as FTC, Meta trade opening salvos in antitrust trial (Politico) Mark Zuckerberg Takes Stand to Defend Meta Against Antitrust Suit (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know that meme of Ebenezer Scrooge shouting out the window? “Hey boy, what tariff regime is it today?” Sam Altman again implies ChatGPT usage has exploded. If you’re coding with AI, a big new vulnerability you need to know about. And is Apple pivoting the Vision Pro to the type of product I thought they should have done all along? Sponsor: Freshbooks.com Links: Apple, Nvidia Score Relief From US Tariffs With Exemptions (Bloomberg) Sony raises PlayStation 5 prices in Europe citing ‘challenging’ economic environment (CNBC) ChatGPT Hits 1 Billion Users? ‘Doubled In Just Weeks’ Says OpenAI CEO (Forbes) LLMs can't stop making up software dependencies and sabotaging everything (The Register) AI-hallucinated code dependencies become new supply chain risk (Bleeping Computer) Apple Readies Pair of Headsets While Still Looking Ahead to Glasses (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Europe says it could tax social media ads if the tariff wars get really nasty. Why COULDN’T Apple make an iPhone in the US as President Trump wants? Is OpenAI cutting corners on safety in order to stay ahead in the AI race? And as always, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Oracle.com/techmeme Links: EU could tax Big Tech if Trump trade talks fail, says von der Leyen (Financial Times) Why Trump’s Dream of Made-in-the-USA iPhones Isn’t Going to Happen (Bloomberg) OpenAI updates ChatGPT to reference your past chats (TechCrunch) OpenAI slashes AI model safety testing time (Financial Times) Mira Murati doubled the fundraising target for her new AI startup to $2 billion. It could be the largest seed round in history. (Business Insider) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: 12 Graphs That Explain the State of AI in 2025 (IEEE Spectrum) Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military (MIT Technology Review) How Apple Fumbled Siri’s AI Makeover (The Information) Learn more about you