Network Support Blog

Hideaki Ryugen / Nikkei Asia: MediaTek reports Q4 revenue up 19.7% YoY to $4.1B and net profit up 38.9% YoY to $820M, posting its first YoY increases in revenue and profit in five quarters  —  CEO says generative AI is creating a bigger market for high-end phones  —  MediaTek designs chips for smartphone manufacturers such as China's Xiaomi and Oppo. http://www.techmeme.com/240201/p2?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240201p2

Christine Hall / TechCrunch: Owner.com, which offers an all-in-one platform for independent restaurants that includes online ordering and a website builder, raised a $33M Series B  —  Independent restaurant owners used to heavily rely on foot traffic as their way of marketing.  In 2020, the global pandemic changed all that. http://www.techmeme.com/240201/p1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240201p1

Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: Metronome, which offers APIs to help SaaS companies charge customers on a usage basis, raised a $43M Series B led by NEA, bringing its total funding to $78M+  —  Metronome, a startup that helps software companies offer usage-based billing, has raised $43 million in a Series B funding round led by NEA. http://www.techmeme.com/240131/p39?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240131p39

Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch: Microsoft and X say they support the Kids Online Safety Act; Meta, Discord, and TikTok demur, citing criticism from groups or supporting only some parts of KOSA  —  On the eve of Wednesday's big tech hearing (both big tech and a big hearing — five CEOs are testifying as we speak) … http://www.techmeme.com/240131/p35?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240131p35

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Israel-based Oasis Security, which offers tools for “non-human” identity management, emerges from stealth and raised a $5M seed and $35M Series A led by Sequoia  —  When people hear the term “identity management” in an enterprise context, they typically think of apps … http://www.techmeme.com/240131/p25?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240131p25

The Information: Sources: TikTok plans to open studios in several cities, including LA, where creators can livestream and sell products, a strategy that worked for Douyin  —  When TikTok creators start a livestream to chat about their new favorite hairbrush, dog toy or cleaning product, they're usually doing so from a setup in their own home. http://www.techmeme.com/240131/p1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240131p1

Financial Times: Bernstein estimates PDD spent ~$3B on marketing Temu in the US in 2023; the Chinese group says Temu has 70M MAUs in the US, versus an estimated 13M in Jan. 2023  —  High-spending marketing push by PDD Holdings-owned internet marketplace leads to doubts over growth strategy http://www.techmeme.com/240130/p44?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240130p44

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: OpenAI launches the ability for paying ChatGPT users to invoke GPTs directly in chats by typing “@” and selecting a GPT from a list  —  OpenAI is pushing adoption of GPTs, third-party apps powered by its AI models, by enabling ChatGPT users to invoke them in any chat. http://www.techmeme.com/240130/p36?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240130p36

Alphabet: Alphabet reports Q4 revenue rose 13% YoY to $86B, net income rose 52% to $20.7B, Google Cloud revenue rose 26% to $9.2B, and headcount dropped 4%+ to 182,502  —  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - January 30, 2024 - Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. http://www.techmeme.com/240130/p26?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240130p26

Naomi Nix / Washington Post: Sources: by the end of 2022, http://www.techmeme.com/240130/p12?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240130p12

Financial Times: PitchBook: VCs in the US have $311B in unspent cash, as they shy away from risky bets and focus on dividends, after raising a record $435B between 2020 and 2022  —  US venture capitalists are sitting on a record amount of ‘dry powder’ as they avoid risky bets on fledgling companies http://www.techmeme.com/240130/p1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240130p1

Theo Francis / Wall Street Journal: Reed Hastings donates $1.1B worth of his Netflix shares, or ~40% of his stake, to Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a popular charity among tech founders  —  Reed Hastings donates to foundation with $10 billion in assets after gifts from Mark Zuckerberg and other tech founders http://www.techmeme.com/240129/p36?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240129p36

Wall Street Journal: X has lifted its ban on Taylor Swift searches, and says it “will continue to be vigilant”, following the spread of explicit AI-generated images of the singer  —  Social-media site restricted queries for the singer's name after the digitally altered images hit the platform http://www.techmeme.com/240129/p35?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240129p35

Alex Barinka / Bloomberg: TikTok is testing a feature that could make all posts shoppable, by identifying objects in videos and prompting users to “find similar items on TikTok Shop”  —  - Feature links products to any posts, not just influencers  —  TikTok is testing a feature that could make all posts shoppable … http://www.techmeme.com/240129/p22?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240129p22

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: AR glasses maker Xreal raised $60M from an unidentified supply chain partner at a $1B+ valuation, for $300M+ in funding, and expects $100M-$150M in 2024 revenue  —  - Xreal CEO says company is aiming to go public within two years  — Startup owns about half of still-nascent AR devices market http://www.techmeme.com/240129/p12?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240129p12

Josh Ye / Reuters: China has approved more than 40 large language models for public use since authorities began the approval process in August 2023; 14 were approved last week  —  China has approved more than 40 artificial intelligence (AI) models for public use in the first six months since authorities began … http://www.techmeme.com/240129/p1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240129p1

David Pierce / The Verge: The Browser Company releases Arc Search, an iOS browser with a feature that takes a user's query, browses the web, and builds a custom webpage to answer it  —  A few minutes ago, I opened the new Arc Search app and typed, “What happened in the Chiefs game.”  That game, the AFC Championship, had just wrapped up. http://www.techmeme.com/240128/p9?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240128p9

Jennifer Maas / Variety: A look at Warner Bros. Discovery's push to expand its gaming division with live services and mobile games, by leveraging its franchises like Game of Thrones  —  David Zaslav's most critical mission is leading Warner Bros. Discovery through the streaming wars. http://www.techmeme.com/240128/p8?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240128p8

Thomas Claburn / The Register: Q&A with Simon Willison, Django co-creator and an influential observer of AI software, on copyright concerns over AI, open-source AI models, LLMs, and more  —  Code assistance is like having a weird intern who memorized the docs  —  AI SOFTWARE WEEK Simon Willison … http://www.techmeme.com/240128/p7?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240128p7

Michael Msika / Bloomberg: Europe's blue-chip stocks index Euro Stoxx 50 hits its highest level since 2001, with ASML and SAP, the region's two biggest tech stocks, powering the surge  —  - Rally in megacaps SAP, ASML and LVMH boosts Euro Stoxx 50  — Diversification by sector and geography seen as tailwinds http://www.techmeme.com/240128/p4?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240128p4

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: X plans to build a new “Trust and Safety center of excellence” in Austin, TX, aiming to hire 100 full-time moderators to fight child sexual exploitation content  —  - Employees will be full-time, primarily focused on CSE content  — X CEO Yaccarino to testify before Senate committee next week http://www.techmeme.com/240127/p15?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240127p15

Wall Street Journal: X blocks searches about Taylor Swift as a “temporary action and done with an abundance of caution”, days after explicit AI-generated images of her flooded X  —  Singer's name yielded error messages Saturday, days after her fans swarmed the social-media platform vowing to ‘protect Taylor Swift’ http://www.techmeme.com/240127/p14?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240127p14

Tim Harford / Financial Times: With high-stakes elections in 2024, some experts are worried that a piece of disinformation potentially involving a deepfake might soon have a calamitous impact  —  It's only a matter of time before disinformation leads to disaster  —  Not long after Eric Hebborn was murdered … http://www.techmeme.com/240127/p12?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240127p12

Joel Khalili / Wired: In his new book, a16z VC Chris Dixon argues blockchain is a morally neutral tech that regulators must differentiate from the crypto industry's casino culture  —  In his new book Read Write Own, investor Chris Dixon mounts a defense of blockchain, arguing it can save society from the monopoly power of tech giants. http://www.techmeme.com/240127/p11?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240127p11

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: While App Store changes apply to all of Apple's platforms, iPadOS, which doesn't meet DMA thresholds, won't get third-party app stores, browser engines, more  —  Yesterday, Apple announced some major changes to the App Store and the broader iPhone platform in the European Union, including support for alternative app marketplaces. http://www.techmeme.com/240127/p1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240127p1

Ana Paula Pereira / Cointelegraph: Neobank Dave has reached an agreement to pay $71M to FTX liquidators to buy back a $100M convertible promissory note it issued to FTX Ventures in 2022  —  Fintech firm Dave will purchase a convertible promissory note worth $100 million at a discounted rate, paying $71 million to FTX liquidators. http://www.techmeme.com/240106/p14?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240106p14

Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer: Google downplays reports of malware abusing an undocumented Chrome API to generate new authentication cookies, saying such token theft attacks “are not new”  —  Google is downplaying reports of malware abusing an undocumented Google Chrome API to generate new authentication cookies when previously stolen ones have expired. http://www.techmeme.com/240106/p13?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240106p13

Xinmei Shen / South China Morning Post: China's newly created National Data Administration unveils a three-year action plan to boost the country's economy by growing its data sector by 20% every year  —  China's newly established data administration, an agency created by Beijing to make data an effective production factor … http://www.techmeme.com/240106/p4?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240106p4

Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal: Data from the Department of Labor shows the US IT sector grew by only 700 jobs over 2023, down from 267,000 jobs added in 2022, despite the AI boom  —  Despite business and investor hype around generative AI last year, information-technology hiring slumped as companies laid off workers and sought to cut costs http://www.techmeme.com/240106/p3?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240106p3

Matthias Bastian / The Decoder: A survey of 2,778 AI researchers: 38.4% support faster development and 34.7% support slower development, AI development's pace will keep accelerating, and more  —  The “2023 Expert Survey on Progress in AI” shows that the scientific community has no consensus on the risks and opportunities of AI … http://www.techmeme.com/240105/p19?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240105p19

Alex Ebert / Bloomberg Law: Merck settles its cyberattack insurance dispute with insurers over denying coverage for NotPetya losses due to “Warlike Action”; the amount was not disclosed  —  Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. struck an 11th-hour settlement with insurers Wednesday, evading … http://www.techmeme.com/240105/p14?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240105p14

Ryan Browne / CNBC: Coinbase and other cryptocurrency exchanges introduce risk assessments and finance tests for UK users ahead of strict new rules for digital asset products in UK  —  - Coinbase, Crypto.com and Gemini are among cryptocurrency exchanges that are asking U.K. users to fill out risk assessments … http://www.techmeme.com/240105/p13?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240105p13

Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal: Netflix is considering ways to make money from video games, including via IAPs and ads; Apptopia: as of October 2023, http://www.techmeme.com/240105/p4?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240105p4

Ezra Reguerra / Cointelegraph: CertiK: over $1.8B were lost across 751 crypto hacks in 2023, down 51% YoY from $3.7B in 2022; Q3 recorded the most losses at over $686M  —  CertiK co-founder Ronghui Gu told Cointelegraph that, all things considered, 2023 was a “positive development” for blockchain security.  —  Total views http://www.techmeme.com/240105/p3?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240105p3

PYMNTS.com: Adobe: US online holiday sales between November 1 and December 31, 2023, reached a record $222.1B, up 4.9% YoY; BNPL contributed a record $16.6B, up 14% YoY  —  Online sales reached a new record in 2023, thanks in part to buy now, pay later options.  —  New data from Adobe, released Thursday … http://www.techmeme.com/240104/p31?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240104p31

Inbar Preiss / DL News: The European Central Bank plans to award €1.3B in contracts to help develop a digital euro; Amazon was selected in the past to help design the CBDC prototype  —  In a move that wasn't expected so soon in 2024, the European Central Bank said Wednesday it is ready to pay €1.3 billion … http://www.techmeme.com/240104/p28?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240104p28

Brendan McCord / Cosmos Institute: A look at the current AI philosophy landscape of existential pessimism vs. accelerationism, and the need for a balanced, enterprising optimism as the third way  —  We need a balanced, enterprising optimism—an ambitious and clear vision for what constitutes the good in technology, coupled with the awareness of its dangers http://www.techmeme.com/240104/p27?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240104p27

The Information: Sources: OpenAI offered some media companies $1M to $5M per year to license their news articles for AI model training, a tiny amount even for small publishers  —  OpenAI has offered some media firms as little as between $1 million and $5 million annually to license their news articles for use … http://www.techmeme.com/240104/p18?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240104p18

Allison Johnson / The Verge: Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2, an update to the XR2 Gen 2 used in Meta's Quest 3, offering 4.3K resolution at 90fps per eye, up from 3K per eye  —  The new chipset is designed as a step up from the XR2 Gen 2 in the Meta Quest 3, capable of rendering high-resolution visuals like the ones promised by Apple's Vision Pro. http://www.techmeme.com/240104/p17?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240104p17

The Information: TikTok plans to raise TikTok Shop's US seller fees from 2% to 8% over the next few months; a source says TikTok has started reducing some merchant subsidies  —  TikTok powered early growth in its U.S. shopping service by offering low sellers' fees and footing the bill for deep discounts. http://www.techmeme.com/240103/p21?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240103p21

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: Roku plans to launch its first high-end TVs in spring 2024, including the 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch Pro Series for up to $1,500  —  Roku Inc., the maker of TV streaming boxes and software, is debuting its first high-end televisions in a bid to continue sales momentum for the company's devices. http://www.techmeme.com/240103/p14?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240103p14

Fred Wilson / AVC: 2024 predictions: AI will help make Web3 usable in mainstream applications and Web3 will help us trust AI, Web3 regulatory clarity, flat VC investing, and more  —  As we enter 2024, the capital markets have found their footing and are moving higher.  The Fed has taken interest rates as far … http://www.techmeme.com/240103/p13?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240103p13

Hannah Devlin / The Guardian: A UK study of 7,000 people aged 16 to 18: 48% agreed with the statement “I think I am addicted to social media”; 57% of girls agreed, compared to 37% of boys  —  Exclusive: Millennium Cohort's finding raises questions about why a large proportion has a difficult relationship with social media http://www.techmeme.com/240103/p12?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240103p12

Ava Benny-Morrison / Bloomberg: US federal prosecutors charge Tingo Group founder Mmobuosi Odogwu Banye with securities fraud in New York for allegedly inflating Tingo's financial statements  —  - Criminal charges follow SEC lawsuit against Dozy Mmobuosi  — Mmobuosi is still ‘at large,’ federal prosecutors in NY said http://www.techmeme.com/240103/p11?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240103p11

Oliver Knight / CoinDesk: Orbit Chain, which facilitates cross-blockchain transactions, loses ~$81M after an attack on its cross-chain bridge protocol, reminiscent of Lazarus Group hacks  —  The hacked funds remain “unmoved” according to Orbit Chain.  —  Register Now  —  Orbit Chain, a platform that communicates … http://www.techmeme.com/240102/p16?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240102p16

BBC: After UK regulators approved Microsoft's Activision deal in October, Brad Smith rows back on criticism of the UK, saying the CMA has been “tough and fair”  —  Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, has rowed back on criticism he made last year that the UK was “bad for business”. http://www.techmeme.com/240102/p9?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240102p9

Thomas Seal / Bloomberg: BT says 99% of its UK “core traffic is now being served by non-Huawei kit”, missing the UK deadline to move data flows off Huawei's equipment after the 2020 ban  —  - EE-owner BT says remaining 1% is on 2G and 3G networks  — The UK cracked down on Huawei telecoms equipment in 2020 http://www.techmeme.com/240102/p8?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240102p8

Hartley Charlton / MacRumors: Apple released no new iPads in 2023, the first year without a new tablet since the iPad's launch in 2010; rumors suggest all iPad models will get a 2024 update  —  Apple has broken a tradition it maintained for 12 years, releasing no new iPads in 2023 - the first time that the company … http://www.techmeme.com/240102/p7?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240102p7

Reuters: Bitcoin rises above $45K for the first time since April 2022, after gaining 156% in 2023, its best yearly performance since 2020, but far off its $69K peak  —  Bitcoin stormed above $45,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022 as the world's biggest cryptocurrency started the New Year … http://www.techmeme.com/240102/p6?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240102p6

Bloomberg: Sources: ASML canceled shipments of some of its machines to China at the US' request, weeks before export bans on the high-end chipmaking equipment took effect  —  - ASML canceled shipments of a liminted number of devices  — Biden is cracking down on Beijing's semiconductor industry http://www.techmeme.com/240101/p5?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger#a240101p5