Elon Musk’s involvement in the war in Ukraine is confounding, even to him
The man who’s ruled by Twitter. | Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge Apparently, the US Department of Defense had a $145 million check “ready to hand to me, literally,” SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told Walter Isaacson, according to CNN. “Then Elon succumbed to the bullshit on Twitter.” Elon
Read moreIs the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership on the rocks? Analysts weigh in
On Tuesday, Microsoft and OpenAI were named as defendants in yet another class action lawsuit for allegedly breaking several privacy laws. This is the second class action lawsuit that the two companies have faced since the beginning of the year, which was marked by the start of their multi-billion dollar
Read moreSoundCloud’s TikTok-styled discovery feed is rolling out to everyone
SoundCloud said today it is rolling out a TikTok-styled discovery feed with vertical scrolling and short clips from songs. The music streaming company started testing the feature in March, and now it will be available to all users on iOS and Android in the coming days. The updated app will
Read moreeBay rolls out a tool that generates product listings from photos
eBay is rolling out a new AI tool for marketplace sellers that can generate a product listing from a single photo. Available in the eBay app for iOS to start, with the Android app to follow in the coming weeks, the tool can automatically write a title and description based
Read moreAstranis wants to bring internet connectivity to up to 5 million in Mexico
Astranis, a venture-backed startup that builds and operates small broadband satellites in a far-off orbit, released more details today about its plans to provide internet access to Mexico. As part of the deal, Astranis will launch two satellites next year for Mexican internet service provider Apco Networks. Those two satellites
Read moreMeta’s Michel Protti will talk privacy and more at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
Privacy regulation and a growing awareness among consumers and businesses of what “data protection” could and should mean have created a tricky landscape in the tech world. Data really is the new oil: It’s a precious resource, and both companies and users need to be aware of how and where
Read moreSoftbank Group backs former Argo AI founders on new self-driving trucks startup
There’s a new self-driving trucks startup in town. And the faces are familiar. Bryan Salesky, Peter Rander and Brett Browning — the trio behind the now defunct Ford and VW-backed autonomous vehicle startup Argo AI — have formed a new company called Stack AV that’s focused on commercializing self-driving trucks.
Read moreExpectant Mothers in Rural Nigeria No Longer Give Birth in Darkness
600 health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa use solar-powered lights and energy systems to stay open for longer and are now able to provide care and treatment to patients beyond daylight hours. This was made possible with the off-grid energy systems provided by d.light, a global provider of transformational household products
Read moreSama to Empower 2000 Youth and Women in AI Innovation
In an effort to bridge the digital divide, Sama has announced plans to hire and train 2000 youth and women to work on progressive AI projects outsourced to Sama by several Fortune 500 companies. By retaining the workforce, Sama is actively working to position Kenya as an ideal investment destination for
Read moreVirtual Agents Will Free SA BPOs to Cash in On Local EQ
Advanced Intelligent Automation (IA) virtual agents shift the burden of repetitive, rules-based queries and work away from human agents. This should not be seen as a threat to South Africa’s call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, but rather as today’s “business as usual”. They will free up human
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