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The Hyperloop dream is dead. The attempt to bridge the iMessage divide is dead. China’s gaming industry isn’t dead, but it’s pretty wounded. The crazy story of that teenage hacker who leaked the GTA VI stuff. The weekend longreads suggestions, and at the very end, a unique look back at the evolution of the AI moment. Sponsors: Nutrafol.com/men code ridehome Links: The hyperloop is dead for real this time (The Verge) Beeper is giving up on its iMessage dream (The Verge) Apple’s Newest Headache: An App That Upended Its Control Over Messaging (NYTimes) Tencent Leads $80 Billion Rout as China Rekindles Crackdown Fear (Bloomberg) Lapsus$: GTA 6 hacker handed indefinite hospital order (BBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Race to Fill Crypto’s FTX-Shaped Hole (Wired) As the AI era begins, Reddit is leaning into its humanity (Fast Company) Tolkien Estate Wins Court Order to Destroy Fan’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Sequel (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic

The Galaxy S24 lineup had a big spec leak. So what do the new phones have and what is Galaxy AI? Get ready cause the Apple Vision Pro hype tsunami is about to wash over us. A big merger might happen soon to confirm the consolidation phase of the Streaming Wars is upon us. Waymo has data that says its robot drivers are safer. And Apple doesn’t do the little things anymore? How about making a version of Car Play just for two specific car brands? Links: Leaked Samsung S24 spec sheet offers complete picture of the upcoming lineup (The Verge) Apple Ramps Up Vision Pro Production, Aiming for Launch by February (Bloomberg) Apple loses attempt to halt Apple Watch sales ban (The Verge) Scoop: Warner Bros. Discovery in talks to merge with Paramount Global (Axios) Waymo has 7.1 million driverless miles — how does its driving compare to humans? (The Verge) Aston Martin, Porsche Preview Bespoke Apple CarPlay Interfaces (Car And Driver) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rite Aid was apparently doing some crazy stuff with facial recognition software. Sony says the PS5 is killing it. ByteDance is definitely killing it. Microsoft CoPilot can now compose songs. And maybe the real reason OpenAI is making deals with publishers. Links: Rite Aid Banned From AI Facial Recognition by FTC After Misuse (Bloomberg) PlayStation sales and blockbuster games propel console market back to growth (FT) ByteDance’s Sales Break $110 Billion to Pass Tencent This Year (ByteDance) SSH protects the world’s most sensitive networks. It just got a lot weaker (ArsTechnica) Microsoft Copilot gets a music creation feature via Suno integration (TechCrunch) Scooter Company Bird Global Files Bankruptcy to Sell Itself (Bloomberg) What Do AI Companies Want With the Media? (NYMag) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google has settled lawsuits from the states, has agreed to offer new billing tools, and may owe YOU some money as they’ve agreed to pay $700 million dollars in restitution. What happens to adobe and Figma now that they’ve got to go their own ways? Why do hackers love targeting game developers? And game preservationist have uncovered a gold mine. Sponsors: EarIn App (Enter code techmeme to give us credit) Links: Google to Pay $700 Million in Play Store Settlement (WSJ) 102 million people eligible for Google’s $630M lawsuit settlement (Washington Post) Figma Grew Fast Even as Executives Failed to Clinch Adobe Deal (The Information) Adobe Has $6 Billion for AI and Buybacks After Figma Deal Collapses (Bloomberg) TikTok rolls out an enhanced app experience for tablets and foldables (TickTok) Xfinity discloses data breach affecting over 35 million people (Bleeping Computer) OpenAI Says Board Can Overrule CEO on Safety of New AI Releases (Bloomberg) Game preservationists dig for lost apps in TestF

Big news Monday. Adobe and Figma have called off their wedding. Apple might stop selling its top-of-the-line Apple Watches, in the US, this week. I’ll tell you why. The EU has formally opened an investigation into X. And why are all of the Hollywood studios suddenly willing to sell their content to Netflix again? Sponsors: Shipstation.com, code ride Links: Adobe, Figma shelve $20 bln deal after hitting regulatory roadblocks (Reuters) Apple to halt Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 sales in the US this week (9to5Mac) EU opens formal DSA investigation into X in wake of Israel-Hamas war (The Verge) Adam Mosseri spells out Threads’ plans for the fediverse (The Verge) He’s Wanted for Wirecard’s Missing $2 Billion. He’s Now Suspected of Being a Russian Spy. (WSJ) In Search of Cash, Studios Send Old Shows Back to Netflix (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can learn more about AdHawk Microsystems. But especially learn more about the MindLink Air. And the link to the YouTube version of this interview is here if you want to watch the demo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did Google just kill geofence warrants? Intel wants you to know it’s in the AI game. Could we get a foldable iPad before we get a foldable iPhone? Soon, maybe your tv really will be spying on you to deliver ads. The AI stuffed toy that Grimes has partnered with. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Planet Money Podcast Links: Is This the End of Geofence Warrants? (The EFF) Intel unveils new AI chip to compete with Nvidia and AMD (CNBC) Report: Apple has ‘no concrete timeline’ for a foldable iPad, focused on OLED displays instead (9to5Mac) Marketing Company Claims That It Actually Is Listening to Your Phone and Smart Speakers to Target Ads (404Media) Cruise slashes 24% of self-driving car workforce in sweeping layoffs (TechCrunch) Grimes is working on an interactive AI toy for kids. Meet Grok. (Washington Post) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: OpenAI’s Ilya Sutskever Has a Plan for Keeping Super-Intelligent AI in Check (Wired) Tesla Autopilot Recall

The gates have been opened for Europeans on Threads, and it looks like Meta’s serious about tying Threads into to Fediverse. I argue that the release of a new charging case for the AirPods Pro is kinda a big deal. Wait until you hear this wild story about hackers versus a train. And maybe ChatGPT DIDN’T turn students into cheaters afterall. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Links: Meta starts testing Threads integration with ActivityPub (TechCrunch) Threads launches for nearly half a billion more users in Europe (The Verge) Apple now sells the AirPods Pro USB-C case by itself — for $99 (The Verge) Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on Meta’s Quest VR headsets (The Verge) Etsy Cuts 11% of Headcount as Competition From Shein and Temu Mounts (The Information) Polish Hackers Repaired Trains the Manufacturer Artificially Bricked. Now The Train Company Is Threatening Them (404 Media) Cheating Fears Over Chatbots Were Overblown, New Research Suggests (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Apple has a new tool to help you if your iPhone gets stolen. There’s a huge Tesla recall related to Autopilot. More AI tools from Google. How is X doing, you know, financially speaking? And Netflix’s first ever What We Watched report. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Mindbloom.com/techmeme100 and code techmeme100 Links: Apple Makes Security Changes to Protect Users From iPhone Thefts (WSJ) Google Offers Enhanced Generative AI Features for Cloud Customers (Bloomberg) Tesla Recalls 2 Million Cars to Fix Autopilot Safety Flaws (Bloomberg) FCC issues final denial of $885M Starlink subsidy (TechCrunch) Musk’s X 2023 Ad Sales Projected to Slump to About $2.5 Billion (Bloomberg) EU Deal to Force Uber, Deliveroo Treat Some Drivers as Employees (Bloomberg) OpenAI to Pay Politico Parent Axel Springer for Using Its Content (WSJ) Netflix reveals how many hours we spent watching The Night Agent and Queen Charlotte (The Verge) Follow the podcast on TikTok: @techmemeridehomepodcast Learn more about

Epic Games has won its case against Google’s app store, but why was this case different than the one they lost to Apple? The sort of big changes to Apple TV. BeReal is still around and still… being real. But E3 is not. It’s officially over as a conference. Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Miro.com/podcast Links: Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight (The Verge) Google’s Epic Legal Defeat Threatens $200 Billion App Store Industry (Bloomberg) Exclusive: Apple offers to let rivals access tap-and-go tech in EU antitrust case (Reuters) Apple iTunes Will Now Redirect Users to Redesigned Apple TV App for Movies, Series (Variety) BeReal adds private groups and Live Photo-like features; Pew estimates 13% of US teens use app (TechCrunch) E3, once gaming’s biggest expo, is officially dead (Washington Post) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I told you the open-source AI startups were coming, and a big one is making waves today. Apple’s iPad lineup is hella confusing, but Mark Gurman says Apple is working to streamline that in the coming year. And let me give you the background on that whole Effective Accelerationist movement you might have been hearing about online. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast CrashPlan.com/ridehome Links: Mistral, French A.I. Start-Up, Is Valued at $2 Billion in Funding Round (NYTimes) Nvidia Sees Vietnam as Potential Second Home, Reports Say (Bloomberg) Apple Is Working on Cleaning Up Its Confusing iPad Lineup (Bloomberg) China’s cyber army is invading critical U.S. services (Washington Post) This A.I. Subculture’s Motto: Go, Go, Go (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People across the Internet are accusing Google of faking that Gemini AI video demo that everyone was wowed by. Apple seems to be diversifying out of China for manufacturing at pace now. Might the UK’s CMA have an issue with Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: ShopBeam.com/ride Links: Google’s Gemini Looks Remarkable, But It’s Still Behind OpenAI (Bloomberg) Early impressions of Google’s Gemini aren’t great (TechCrunch) Apple to move key iPad engineering resources to Vietnam (NikkeiAsia) Microsoft, OpenAI Are Facing a Potential Antitrust Probe in UK (Bloomberg) Google launches NotebookLM powered by Gemini Pro, drops waitlist (9to5Google) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The real research behind the wild rumors about OpenAI’s Q* project (ArsTechnica) AI and Mass Spying (Schneier On Security) The race to 5G is over — now it’s time to pay the bill (The Verge) In the Hall v. Oates legal feud, fans don’t want to play favorites (NBCNew

Meta has kept a longstanding promise to encrypt Messenger by default. Apple is coming clean about the notifications spying thing. AMD’s answer to Nvidia. We know when the next major version of Windows is coming and, surprise, it’s got AI all over it. And Apple releases its first little AI hint. Sponsor: Dragonball Legends Links: Messenger is finally getting end-to-end encryption by default (The Verge) Federal government is using data from push notifications to track contacts (Washington Post) AMD unveils Instinct MI300X GPU and MI300A APU, claims up to 1.6X lead over Nvidia’s competing GPUs (Tom's Hardware) Meta launches a standalone AI-powered image generator (TechCrunch) PlayStation keeps reminding us why digital ownership sucks (The Verge) EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft readies 'groundbreaking' AI-focused Windows release as new leadership takes the helm (Windows Central) Apple launches MLX machine-learning framework for Apple Silicon (ComputerWorld) Is Elon's AI Copying Me? Learn more about

Say hello to Gemini, Google’s new AI model designed to go head to head with OpenAI. Governments have been spying on your phone’s notifications, but Apple couldn’t tell you about that until now. Why is Twitch shutting down service in what is one of the biggest markets in the world for esports? And another way to hide your green bubbles in iMessage. Sponsors: CrashPlan.com/ridehome The Traceroute Podcast Links: Meet Gemini, the AI That Google Says Is Way, Way Better Than ChatGPT (Gizmodo) Google’s Gemini AI model is coming to the Pixel 8 Pro — and eventually to Android (The Verge) Google announces the Cloud TPU v5p, its most powerful AI accelerator yet (TechCrunch) Governments spying on Apple, Google users through push notifications - US senator (Reuters) Twitch plans to shut down in South Korea on February 27, 2024 (VentureBeat) There’s a new iMessage for Android app — and it actually works (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 23andMe hack just keeps getting worse. A new phone! The OnePlus 12. A new AI Alliance. New, upgraded spam filters. And all you need to know about the big Grand Theft Auto VI news. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Nuts.com/ride Links: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users (TechCrunch) A detailed look at the OnePlus 12 ahead of its global launch (The Verge) Instagram and Facebook Messenger chats are being disconnected this month (9to5Google) Meta, IBM Create Industrywide AI Alliance to Share Technology (Bloomberg) Amazon Fails To Renew Live UK Premier League Rights As Sky & TNT Maintain Grip On Games (Deadline) Gmail’s AI-powered spam detection is its biggest security upgrade in years (ArsTechnica) ChatGPT will no longer comply if you ask it to repeat a word 'forever'— after a recent prompt revealed training data and personal info (Business Insider) ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ Coming in 2025, Rockstar Says After Trailer Leak (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad ch

I guess Spotify missed the memo about the tech turnaround cause they had monster layoffs today. Google has delayed its big OpenAI competitor. Why does AI have a tendency to do evil unless you really tell it not to? And the band Kiss is retiring from touring, but Kiss the band has the potential to tour forever, thanks to digital avatars. Sponsors: Collective.com/ride Kolide.com/ride Links: Spotify cuts 17% jobs amid rising capital costs (TechCrunch) Google Postpones Big AI Launch as OpenAI Zooms Ahead (The Information) OpenAI Agreed to Buy $51 Million of AI Chips From a Startup Backed by CEO Sam Altman (Wired) The Robots Will Insider Trade (Bloomberg) Kiss say farewell to live touring, become first US band to go virtual and become digital avatars (AP) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is how it all went down with the Sam Altman saga, day by day, hour by hour. With @alexkonrad of Forbes. This is the story we talk about toward the end: A Secretive $10 Billion Firm Backed By WhatsApp Billionaire Jan Koum Is Quietly Building A Startup Portfolio (Forbes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The action button is coming to all the iPhones with increased functionality. Reconstituting the cable bundle example #972. Microsoft wants to create a mobile gaming app store sometime soon. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Nutrafol.com/men code ridehome Links: iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup (MacRumors) Apple and Paramount Discuss Bundling Their Streaming Services (WSJ) Apple fixes two new iOS zero-days in emergency updates (Bleeping Computer) US judge blocks Montana from banning TikTok use in state (Reuters) Tiger Global’s Biggest Venture Fund Has 18% Loss After Markdowns (Bloomberg) Xbox Talking to Partners for Mobile Store, CEO Spencer Says (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: ChatGPT is winning the future — but what future is that? (The Verge) This Nvidia Cofounder Could Have Been Worth $70 Billion. Instead He Lives Off The Grid (Forbes) Anduril Builds a Tiny, Reusable Fighter Jet That Blows Up Drones (Blo

Sam Altman is officially back at work as OpenAI CEO. Meta is about to launch Threads in Europe, but their plan to offer ad free subscription tiers for their services has hit a speed bump. You can trick LLMs into revealing their training data. And I warned you before, but if you have any dormant Google accounts, better see to them toot suite. Sponsors: Crashplan.com/ridehome Miro.com/podcast Links: OpenAI Will Add Microsoft as Board Observer, Plans Governance Changes (Bloomberg) Interview: Sam Altman on being fired and rehired by OpenAI (The Verge) Meta’s Threads to Launch in Europe in App’s Biggest Expansion Since Debut (WSJ) Meta Platforms' ad-free service targeted in EU consumer complaint (Reuters) It’s not just electricity — Bitcoin mines burn through a lot of water, too (The Verge) ChatGPT's training data can be exposed via a "divergence attack" (StackDiary) Your Unused Gmail Account May Be Permanently Deleted Friday (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc

Apple and Goldman are ending their partnership, so what does that mean for the Apple Credit Card? Stability AI is so unstable, it might be looking to sell itself. GM is pumping the breaks on its Cruise rollout. All the headlines from the big AWS conference yesterday. And it’s that time of year: what won your Spotify Wrapped listening charts? Sponsors: DragonBall Legends Miro.com/podcast Links: Apple Pulls Plug on Goldman Credit-Card Partnership (WSJ) Unity Software with a ‘company reset’ walks away from film VFX and the Wētā Deal. (FXGuide) Stability AI Has Explored Sale as Investor Urges CEO to Resign (Bloomberg) G.M. to Cut Spending on Cruise Self-Driving Unit (NYTimes) Amazon Introduces Q, an A.I. Chatbot for Companies (NYTimes) Inside Spotify Wrapped, an Annual Song of Ourselves (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices