A16Z, Russian Bot Farm, Spotify, ngl
đ§ đ¤ Chip Hoard! a16z Stocks Up on AI Hardware! Investment firm a16z has been on a buying spree, securing thousands of cutting-edge AI chips including powerful Nvidia H100 GPUs. But they're not keeping them all to themselves! The plan is to rent these AI chips out to their portfolio companies, with the ambitious goal of reaching a staggering 20,000+ GPUs in their arsenal. This move suggests a16z is bullish on the future of AI and is actively supporting its portfolio companies in this rapidly growing field. [link]
đēđ¸đˇđē US Takes Down Russian Disinformation Bot Farm! The US Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with international partners, has shut down a disinformation bot farm operated by Russian actors. The operation seized two domain names and suspended 968 accounts on the social media platform X.
This bot farm allegedly used AI to create fake social media profiles posing as American users. These profiles then spread content favourable to the Russian government. [link]
đđēī¸ Google Maps Finally Gets Speedometers on iOS! ī¸Google Maps for iOS users can finally ditch the guesswork! After being available on Android for over five years, Google has begun rolling out speedometers globally for iPhones and CarPlay.
This feature displays your driving speed in the lower left corner of the app, along with the distance unit you prefer (miles per hour or kilometres per hour). It even changes colours to subtly nudge you towards staying within the speed limit. [link]
đđĻ Evolve Bank Data Breach: Millions Affected. Evolve Bank & Trust has confirmed a data breach impacting at least 7.6 million people. The bank says unauthorised access to customer data occurred in February 2024 due to a ransomware attack by the LockBit gang. Evolve is currently investigating the incident and is notifying those affected. [link]
đŖī¸đī¸ Spotify Gets Conversational with Podcast Comments! Spotify is upping the ante for podcasts with listener comments! Similar to existing polls and Q&As, this lets users engage directly with episodes. Comments are private by default, and creators can choose to opt out entirely. This could spark a new wave of interaction within Spotify podcasts! [link]
đĢđŦ Teen Chat App NGL Banned for Under-18s in FTC First! The FTC has slammed the brakes on teen messaging app NGL. In a first for the commission, they've banned anyone under 18 from using the app. The FTC accused NGL of failing to protect users from cyberbullying and misleading them with fake messages.
To settle the lawsuit, NGL agreed to pay a hefty $5 million and stop marketing to children and teenagers altogether. This decision sends a clear message to social media platforms: prioritise user safety, especially for young people. [link]
đŽđ¸ Xbox Game Pass Price Jump: New Tiers and Higher Costs
Microsoft is revamping Xbox Game Pass. Here's the breakdown:
Price hike: New subscribers to Game Pass Ultimate will pay $3 more per month, bringing the price to $20.
New tier: A cheaper Standard tier is coming for $14.99/month, but it won't include new releases on day one.
Existing subscribers will be unaffected for now, but this move suggests changes to how Microsoft offers its popular gaming service. [link]
