Wed. 11/13 – Amazon Haul

Buckle up cause it’s going to be a regulation heavy day. Meta is served up its first big EU fine. The FBI is investigating Polymarket? The CFPB might require regular inspections of Google? A new AI agent from OpenAI in about a month? And forget the streaming wars, are we entering the age of the puzzle wars?Sponsors:Notion.com/rideLinks:Meta fined nearly €800mn for breaking EU law over classified ads practices (FT)Polymarket Investigated by DOJ for Allegedly Letting US Users Bet on Platform (Bloomberg)CFPB looks to place Google under federal supervision, setting up clash (WashingtonPost)OpenAI Nears Launch of AI Agent Tool to Automate Tasks for Users (Bloomberg)Live Scam Detection in calls rolling out to Pixel 6-9 Phone app (9to5Google)Apple Releases Updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the Mac and iPad (MacStories)Meta to Launch Ads on Threads in Early 2025 (The Information)Words With Friends takes on Wordle with new single-player daily puzzles (The Verge)AI Avatar YouTube ExperimentSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The guessing game on who the new tech regulators will be for the new administration. What is Amazon Haul? Why has Bluesky suddenly seen a flurry of activity? More on Apple’s smarthome ambitions. And more on why AI seems to be hitting a wall lately? Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.Sponsors:Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RIDEHOME at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: Incogni.com/ridehomeLinks:Donald Trump’s potential antitrust enforcers may keep Big Tech in their sights (Financial Times)Amazon debuts discount store with everything under $20 to take on Temu and Shein (CNBC)With Surge in New Users, Bluesky Emerges as X Alternative (NYTimes)Apple’s Next Device Is an AI Wall Tablet for Home Control, Siri and Video Calls (Bloomberg)OpenAI, Google and Anthropic Are Struggling to Build More Advanced AI (Bloomberg)Bluesky Techmeme Starter PackSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Looks like Apple wants to get serious about smarthome tech. The EU gets Meta to change, but has another requested change from Apple. Signal has some new features. Netflix’s ad-tier continues to win. And a deeper dive into how AI can leap this scaling wall it seems to have run into. Here’s what you missed today in the world of tech.Sponsors:Shopify.com/rideLinks:Kuo: Apple to release its own smart home camera in 2026, with AI features (9to5Mac)In Europe, Instagram Ads Are About to Get Less Personal (WSJ)Apple Gets EU Warning to Stop Geo-Blocking on App, ITunes Stores (Bloomberg)Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta (The Verge)Signal calls now work a lot more like Meet and Zoom (The Verge)Netflix Says Ad Tier Reaches 70 Million Users Globally (Variety)OpenAI and others seek new path to smarter AI as current methods hit limitations (Reuters)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FTX is suing basically anybody you can think of. Why will your iPhone now reboot itself if you don’t log into it for several days? Is OpenAI’s next flagship model underperforming what they were expecting? And I’ve found the one company most disrupted by AI. At least, so far.Sponsors:1Password.com/rideLinks:FTX Sues Binance, Ex-CEO Zhao Seeking $1.8 Billion Clawback (Bloomberg)FTX Sues Scaramucci to Recoup Money for Creditors (Bloomberg)Apple Quietly Introduced iPhone Reboot Code Which is Locking Out Cops (404Media)OpenAI Shifts Strategy as Rate of ‘GPT’ AI Improvements Slows (The Information)How ChatGPT Brought Down an Online Education Giant (WSJ)Painting by A.I.-Powered Robot Sells for $1.1 Million (NYTimes)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Middle Mile is the next evolution of the gig economy. Make use of your spare garage/basement space to provide fullfillment for ecommerce brands. More here: GetMiddleMile.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some interesting moves over at Block. Share to TikTok could be something major for the music industry. Amazon’s offer to invest again in Anthropic comes with some interesting strings attached. More signs that the smartglasses category is coming now. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.Sponsors:LegalZoom.com promocode TechmemeLinks:Block reports revenue miss but a slight beat on earnings (CNBC)Jack Dorsey's Square to Invest More in Bitcoin Mining and Shut Decentralized 'Web5' Venture (CoinDesk)TikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple Music (TechCrunch)Amazon Discussing New Multibillion-Dollar Investment in Anthropic (The Information)Baidu Readies AI Smart Glasses to Rival Meta’s Ray-Bans (Bloomberg)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:Your TV set has become a digital billboard. And it’s only getting worse. (ArsTechnica)What I Learned From Destroying Myself at the NYC Marathon (Intelligencer)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More in depth analysis of what the Trump victory might mean for Silicon Valley, and Elon Musk’s companies in particular. Canadian regulators going after TikTok. Australia wants to make sure no one uses social media until they’re sixteen. France is “aware” of Polymarket. And the reviews of all the new Macs.Sponsors:Promevo.com/techmemeLinks:Elon Musk Helped Elect Trump. What Does He Expect in Return? (NYTimes)Canada orders shutdown of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue (Reuters)Labor backs 16 as the minimum age to use social media ahead of national cabinet meeting (ABCNews)French Regulator Examines Polymarket After Bets on Trump (Bloomberg)Apple Mac mini review (M4 Pro, 2024): Shockingly small, incredibly powerful (Engadget)Apple MacBook Pro M4 review: the Pro for everyone (The Verge)Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch review (2024): Brace yourself for M4 speed (Engadget)Apple iMac M4 review: More power, same great looks (Tom's Guide)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The tech angle to the election news yesterday, and interestingly a lot of it is crypto related. The EU Commission looks like it will fine Apple and has opened a case against Corning? Perplexity is raising another massive new round. And a pretty definitive piece about how drone tech has changed warfare.Sponsors:Head to Lumen.me/RIDE for 15% off your purchase.WashingtonPost.com/rideLinks:Polymarket, Prediction Betting Markets Vindicated by Trump's Strong Showing (Coindesk)Apple to Face First EU Fine Under Bloc’s Digital Markets Act (Bloomberg)Corning Faces EU Probe Into Smartphone ‘Gorilla Glass’ (Bloomberg)How Lina Khan Became an Election Hot Topic (NYTimes)Mozilla Foundation lays off 30% staff, drops advocacy division (TechCrunch)AI Startup Perplexity to Triple Valuation to $9 Billion in New Funding Round (WSJ)Battles of Precise Mass (Foreign Affairs)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Big hacking arrest in Canada. More evidence Apple is thinking: “You know, maybe smartglasses are the way to go…” More signs OpenAI is focusing on hardware. More signs they’re about to go for-profit. And what it’s actually like to use GPT Search? Is it a Google killer or no?Links:Canada Arrests Man Suspected of Hacks of Snowflake Customers (Bloomberg)Apple Explores Push Into Smart Glasses With ‘Atlas’ User Study (Bloomberg)Meta’s former hardware lead for Orion is joining OpenAI (TechCrunch)OpenAI in Regulator Talks to Become For-Profit Company (Bloomberg)Anthropic hikes the price of its Haiku model (TechCrunch)Uber’s Real Threat Isn’t From Robots (WSJ)ChatGPT Search is not OpenAI’s ‘Google killer’ yet (TechCrunch)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple is investing more in Satellite technology, and also acquires Pixelmator. What does this all mean for them? Is the high end Vision Pro getting abandoned? What does it mean that Google Cloud is now growing faster than AWS? And how Coreweave and other “neocloud” startups are financing their crazy growth in a totally new way. Here’s what you missed today in the world of Tech.Sponsors:Miro.comMackWeldon.com promocode BRIANLinks:Apple expands iPhone satellite services deal, commits $1.1bn to expand capacity (9to5Mac)Apple is acquiring the popular image editing app Pixelmator (The Verge)Apple Finally Finds Its Gaming Console With the New Mac Mini (Bloomberg)Apple Vision Pro rumored to get M5 in 2025, but lower cost model is delayed (Apple Insider)X updates block feature, letting blocked users see your public posts (TechCrunch)Google’s cloud outpaces rivals in third quarter as AI battle heats up (CNBC)Early Apple M4 Pro and M4 Max benchmarks hint at a massive performance boost (Neowin)Wall Street frenzy creates $11bn debt market for AI groups buying Nvidia chips (Financial Times)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.