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Techmeme
January 15, 2025, 1:55 AM
Mediagazer memeorandum WeSmirch
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Top News

Nicola M White / Bloomberg:
The SEC sues Elon Musk, claiming he failed to timely disclose a major purchase of Twitter shares ahead of his takeover of the social media platform in 2022  —  - Agency alleges billionaire ignored disclosure deadline in 2022  — Musk's lawyer says he did ‘nothing wrong’ and SEC has no case
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Sources and docs: Meta has dismantled its system that identified viral hoaxes and limited their reach, and told content-ranking teams to stop penalizing misinfo  —  The company built effective systems to reduce the reach of fake news.  Last week, it shut them down  —  I.
Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg:
Tether plans to relocate its corporate entity and subsidiaries to El Salvador after obtaining a digital asset service provider license in the country  —  - Company and all subsidiaries will relocate to El Salvador  — Stablecoin firm incorporated in the British Virgin Islands
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Decentralized Instagram alternative Pixelfed debuts iOS and Android apps; its Android app is the top Social app on Google Play in some markets, including the US  —  Pixelfed, a decentralized alternative to Instagram, has launched its official mobile apps.  The service today runs …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Email: Sonos CPO Maxime Bouvat-Merlin is leaving; some employees say he shares a significant amount of blame for the brand damage after the botched app revamp  —  A day after Sonos announced a CEO transition, the company is making more moves.  Chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin will also be leaving his position.
Sean Hollister / The Verge:
DJI removes its geofence around US “No-Fly Zones”, replacing it with a warning, saying the update “aligns” with FAA rules and follows similar changes in the EU  —  For over a decade, you couldn't easily fly a DJI drone over restricted areas in the United States.
Elliptic:
Huione Guarantee, a Telegram marketplace that facilitates “pig butchering” and other scams, recently launched several crypto products, including a stablecoin  —  - Huione Guarantee is a Telegram-based marketplace serving fraudsters in South East Asia, including those responsible for so-called “pig butchering” scams.
The Information:
Sources: TikTok plans to block access to its app for US users on Jan. 19 unless SCOTUS stops the ban; one source says a pop-up message will give users more info  —  TikTok plans to shut off its app for U.S. users on Sunday, the day a federal law will ban the app, unless the Supreme Court intervenes …
Kylie Robison / The Verge:
OpenAI launches Tasks, rolling out in beta to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers, to let users schedule reminders, with up to ten active at any given time  —  OpenAI is launching a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks that lets users schedule future actions and reminders.
Riley Griffin / Bloomberg:
Internal memo: Meta is cutting roughly 5% of its staff through performance-based terminations and plans to hire new people to fill their roles this year  —  Meta Platforms Inc. is planning to cut about 5% of its lowest performers with the intent of backfilling their roles this year, according to an internal memo sent to employees.
Carly Page / TechCrunch:
The US says the FBI hacked ~4.2K devices in the US to delete PlugX, malware used by China-backed hackers since 2014, after obtaining warrants in August 2024  —  U.S. authorities have confirmed that they disrupted the operations of a Chinese state-backing hacking group, which infiltrated millions …
Dan Primack / Axios:
Intel Capital plans to split off from its parent into a standalone fund with a new name in H2 2025; Intel Capital has invested $20B+ into over 1,800 companies  —  - It was founded in 1991, and has invested more than $20 billion into over 1,800 companies.
Justine Calma / The Verge:
Biden signs an EO that directs the DOD and DOE to lease land to companies building gigawatt-scale AI data centers and clean power facilities, and more  —  President Biden issued an executive order today aimed at speeding the development of AI data centers in the US.
Bloomberg:
The Biden admin finalizes a rule banning the import or sale of connected vehicles with hardware or software that have a “sufficient nexus” to China or Russia
Nikkei Asia:
Analysis: the ten leading chip companies cut their fiscal 2024 capex by a combined $9.5B from initial plans due to a weakening demand for smartphones and EVs  —  TOKYO/SEOUL — The 10 leading global semiconductor companies are cutting capital spending from initial plans in the face …
Reuters:
Apple and Amazon fight off a UK lawsuit filed on behalf of ~36M consumers alleging they colluded to bar most resellers of Apple and Beats products on Amazon  —  Apple (AAPL.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) have successfully fought off a mass lawsuit in Britain over alleged collusion between the tech giants …
More: PYMNTS.com
CyberScoop:
Experts say Donald Trump and others pushing for stronger US cyber offense must clarify if escalation is a proper response to recent Chinese cyber breaches  —  Learn more.  —  In recent months, incoming Trump administration national security adviser Mike Waltz and some lawmakers have suggested …

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From Mediagazer

Minho Kim / New York Times:
A Trump administration letter to Congress outlines a plan to restructure VOA that would shrink the agency to 18 employees, down from roughly 1,400 in March

Liam Scott / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with Tamara Bralo, the head of journalist safety at Radio Free Asia, on Trump's cuts, the future of at-risk visa holders, jailed staffers abroad, and more

Peter White / Deadline:
Sources: WBD initiates a round of layoffs in its cable TV divisions, affecting well under 100 employees and largely impacting the Discovery side of the company

More News

Steven Vaughan-Nichols / ZDNET:
Red Hat acquires Neural Magic, which has built tools to boost generative AI inference workloads and raised $50M from a16z and others, for an undisclosed sum
Josh Russell / Courthouse News Service:
In federal court, lawyers for Microsoft and OpenAI defended the scraping of news stories to train LLMs and urged the dismissal of news outlets' copyright claims
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:
Sources and business records detail how Barcelona has emerged as an unlikely hub for spyware companies, raising concerns from digital rights groups

Earlier Picks

Hannah Miller / Bloomberg:
DirecTV launches MySports, a sports streamer featuring games from NFL and other major leagues, and access to 40 channels, in 24 US metro areas for $70/month
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
The UK CMA opens an investigation into whether Google has “strategic market status” in search and how it impacts consumers, advertisers, publishers, and rivals
Reece Rogers / Wired:
How Cleo AI and Bright, personalized AI chatbots offering financial advice, often function as a way to sell high-interest loans and cash advances to young users
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