Thu. 05/09 – The Weird Apple Ad Backlash

All the headlines from WWDC. All the AI goodness, even if Apple spent half the time not even mentioning the words Artificial Intelligence. Also, what if the audio quality of cell phones didn’t have to suck? And what if AI could actually make every stoplight in the country more intelligent in real time?Sponsors:Miro.comShopify.com/rideSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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As we prep for WWDC on Monday, word of a completely new Passwords app from Apple. Also, it’s a day of backlashes. The backlash against Adobe’s terms of service. The backlash against Windows Recall. The new social media app that is riding the backlash against AI. And, of course, the Weekend Longread Suggestions.Sponsors:get.StoryBlok.com/ridehomeLinks:Here’s Everything Apple Plans to Show at Its AI-Focused WWDC Event (Bloomberg)Apple to Debut Passwords App in Challenge to 1Password, LastPass (Bloomberg)Adobe responds to vocal uproar over new Terms of Service language (VentureBeat)Adobe terms clarified: Will never own your work, or use it for AI training (9to5Mac)A PR disaster: Microsoft has lost trust with its users, and Windows Recall is the straw that broke the camel's back (WindowsCentral)A social app for creatives, Cara grew from 40k to 650k users in a week because artists are fed up with Meta’s AI policies (TechCrunch)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:Behind ‘Suicide Squad,’ the Year’s Biggest Video-Game Flop (Bloomberg)The Unistellar Odyssey smart telescope made me question what stargazing means (ArsTechnica)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nvidia hits $3T. US regulators aren’t sleeping on the AI market, including Nvidia itself. Humane tells users of the AI Pin to stop using the charging case “immediately.” Google is gonna store your Maps data on device. And would you take a job at Ikea... but in the Metaverse?Sponsors:get.StoryBlok.com/ridehomeKolide.com/rideLinks:U.S. Clears Way for Antitrust Inquiries of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI (NYTimes)FTC Opens Antitrust Probe of Microsoft AI Deal (WSJ)US antitrust enforcer says ‘urgent’ scrutiny needed over Big Tech’s control of AI (Financial Times)Humane warns AI Pin owners to ‘immediately’ stop using its charging case (The Verge)‘This Is Going to Be Painful’: How a Bold A.I. Device Flopped (NYTimes)Google Maps is making a big privacy change to protect your location history (The Verge)Stability AI releases a sound generator (TechCrunch)Ikea Is Hiring Roblox Players To Run Its Virtual Store (The Gamer)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As I said on that bonus episode with Alex Kantrowitz, the research side of OpenAI isn’t happy, and they’re starting to speak out. More details on AI at WWDC next week. More price hikes in digital media. Palmer Luckey can’t stop; won’t stop. And how CoreWeave became one of the biggest winners of the AI era.Links:OpenAI Insiders Warn of a ‘Reckless’ Race for Dominance (NYTimes)Apple Made Once-Unlikely Deal With Sam Altman to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg)Twitch is raising US subscription prices for the first time (Engadget)Quest v66 Update "Significantly" Reduces Quest 3 Passthrough Distortion & Warping (UploadVR)How an upstart is using its Nvidia ties to challenge cloud computing giants (Financial Times)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More headlines from Computex. More layoffs at Microsoft, but why? Instagram is copying YouTube’s unskippable ads. Why Samsung is pre-emptively suing Oura. And Palmer Lucky is personally bankrolling a modern-day Gameboy.Sponsors:CrunchLabs.com/rideLinks:Intel CEO Takes Aim at Nvidia in Fight for AI Chip Dominance (Bloomberg)E*Trade Considers Kicking Meme-Stock Leader Keith Gill Off Platform (WSJ)Microsoft is laying off hundreds in its Azure cloud business, sources say (BusinessInsider)Microsoft cuts jobs in Azure, HoloLens, and other units in latest move to control costs (GeekWire)Instagram confirms test of ‘unskippable’ ads (TechCrunch)Samsung sues Oura preemptively to block smart ring patent claims (The Verge)Palmer Luckey is now selling pixel-perfect ultrabright magnesium Game Boys for $199 (The Verge)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Computex brings a slew of announcements from AMD and Nvidia, including an AI bot to help you with your gaming. Another price hike from Spotify. Perplexity launches Pages. X is now officially NSFW. And a look at Sam Altman’s investment portfolio.Sponsors:WashingtonPost.com/rideMackWeldon.com code: BRIANLinks:Nvidia’s G-Assist is an AI chatbot that guides you through games and optimizes your PC (The Verge)Spotify is increasing US prices again (The Verge)Perplexity will research and write reports (The Verge)X tweaks rules to formally allow adult content (TechCrunch)The Opaque Investment Empire Making OpenAI’s Sam Altman Rich (WSJ)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI Teases GPT-5, Musk Raises $6B for xAI, Loneliness in Remote Work Era.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

OpenAI has a new “affordable” version of ChatGPT for universities and schools. They also are planning to get back into robotics in a big way. Behind the scenes, TikTok is forking its algorithm just in case. Why doesn’t Apple just euthanize the Siri brand? And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.Links:OpenAI has a has a new version of ChatGPT just for universities (Engadget)OpenAI Is Rebooting Its Robotics Team (Forbes)OpenAI finds Russian and Chinese groups used its tech for propaganda campaigns (Washington Post)Apple Plans AI-Based Siri Overhaul to Control Individual App Functions (Bloomberg)Exclusive: TikTok preparing a US copy of the app’s core algorithm, sources say (Reuters)Spotify offers Car Thing refunds as it faces lawsuit over bricking the streaming device (TechCrunch)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:Disney Is Banking On Sequels to Help Get Pixar Back on Track (Bloomberg Businessweek)They Built a $100 Million Watch Empire. Then the Market Tanked. (WSJ)The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong (Defector)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Global authorities take down what they say is the biggest botnet of all time. More big AI deals for big media. More on the delicate dance between OpenAI and Microsoft. Why aren’t there more smartwatches for tweens? And the AR laptop that might give the Apple Vision Pro a run for its money.Links:US dismantles 911 S5 botnet used for cyberattacks, arrests admin (BleepingComputer)Exclusive: The Atlantic, Vox Media ink licensing, product deals with OpenAI (Axios)OpenAI CEO Cements Control as He Secures Apple Deal (The Information)Internal divisions linger at OpenAI after November’s attempted coup (Financial Times)Amazon to Expand US Drone Service After Getting Regulator’s Nod (Bloomberg)Apple Signals That It’s Working on TV+ App for Android Phones (Bloomberg)Google announces Fitbit Ace LTE for kids with Wear OS, Pixel Watch 2 specs (9to5Google)The Spacetop G1 Arrives This Fall. We Try the AR Laptop With No Screen (Wired)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.