Techmeme
March 1, 2025, 9:15 PM

Top News

Natalie Alms / Nextgov/FCW:
The US GSA eliminates 18F, a government tech consultancy that helps other agencies with their tech, including the IRS' Direct File, impacting about 90 employees  —  USA.  —  The latest workforce action at the General Services Administration includes the elimination of an entire tech team of around 90 employees.
Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
DeepSeek says its V3 and R1 models' cost of inferencing relative to sales during a 24-hour-period on February 28 put “theoretical” profit margins at 545%  —  Chinese artificial intelligence phenomenon DeepSeek revealed some financial numbers on Saturday, saying its “theoretical” …
Axios:
President Trump plans to speak at the first-ever White House Crypto Summit on March 7, to be chaired by David Sacks, amid a global sell-off in cryptocurrencies  —  - The Trump family launched the Official Trump (TRUMP) and Melania Meme (MELANIA) coins Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 …
Om Malik / On my Om:
Skype was an early harbinger of technology as culture, and its demise is a good lesson in how ineffective middle management can destroy good acquisitions  —  Microsoft is shutting down Skype.  It will go offline in May 2025. … It makes me incredibly sad, but I am not surprised.
Paul Sawers / TechCrunch:
Microsoft says it will shut down Skype on May 5, 2025, and directs users to migrate their contacts and chat data to Teams; Skype had 36M+ DAUs in February 2023  —  After kickstarting the market for making calls over the internet 23 years ago, Skype is closing down.
More: The Verge, Microsoft 365 Blog, Ars Technica, CNBC, CNN, PCMag, BBC, The Verge, Bloomberg, AppleInsider, Reuters, Gizmodo, Toronto Star, The Daily Wire, TidBITS, Daring Fireball, BleepingComputer, Tech in Asia, Washington Examiner, Cord Cutters News, RetailWire, MakeUseOf, Engadget, 9to5Mac, XDA Developers, New York Daily News, NPR, Inc, iPhone in Canada Blog, Consequence, UPI, Pureinfotech, Redmond Pie, Mashable, PC Gamer, SlashGear, The Shortcut, Newser, Liliputing, Wall Street Journal, The Register, The Wrap, Entrepreneur, CyberInsider, Financial Express, MobileSyrup, On my Om, Game Rant, Neowin, Deadline, MacRumors, iClarified, Global News, KBMT, BetaNews, 9to5Google, The Post Millennial, GeekWire, Forbes, Baltimore Sun, Metro.co.uk, WPXI-TV, Dexerto, IGN, USA Today, TechSpot, Semafor, Tom's Hardware, en.ain.ua, Windows Latest, and Android Police
Yoko Kubota / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: China instructs its top AI leaders to avoid visiting the US over fears they could divulge confidential info or be detained and used as bargaining chips  —  Beijing increasingly views cutting-edge technology through national-security lens, putting executives on tighter leash
Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who leads the UAE's AI fund MGX, which has backed Stargate and sources say is set to be infused with over $50B  —  Abu Dhabi's Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan has more than $1.5 trillion to spend and he's in a hurry; grappling with Mark Zuckerberg
The Information:
Source: SoftBank plans to borrow $16B to invest in AI, and might borrow another $8B in early 2026, which could strain its already debt-heavy balance sheet  —  The biggest risk-taker in tech investing is back to his old playbook, loading up on debt to fund his latest obsession: artificial intelligence.
Tom Dotan / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Larry Ellison's Sensei Ag, a venture backed by his $500M+ investment to change farming with AI, robotics, and software, has mostly been a bust, so far  —  His Sensei Ag company hasn't succeeded in boosting output and nutrition in its greenhouses with AI, robotics and software

Sponsor Posts

TELUS Digital:
Are you ready for the era of agentic AI?  —  Tech leaders are always talking about what's next, and right now, agentic AI is dominating the discourse.  Equip yourself with the info you need in this recorded webinar.
Tribe AI:
State of AI: Adoption, Challenges and Recommendations  —  Examining the current state of AI, the key challenges organizations face, and practical recommendations for utilizing AI integration alongside other best practices.
Zoho:
AI agents: Smart ways to manage work  —  Artificial intelligence is a buzzword you'll hear everywhere today—regardless of the vertical, companies are looking to incorporate it.  At Zoho Cliq, we made AI a part of our platform long before it became a trend.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:
Mooooaaar Models!
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
How Trump's tariffs actually work on the ground
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Great Chat:
Imposter syndrome is due for a rebrand
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
How to make money in Washington, with Punchbowl's Jake Sherman
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Spotlight On:
*RSA Preview* 1Password's Jeff Shiner on balancing B2B and B2C customers in a rapidly evolving tech landscape
A podcast from Accel about how companies are built, from the people doing the building.
Subscribe to Spotlight On.
Invest Like the Best:
Neil Mehta - Finding Future S&P 500 Companies
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 9:15 PM ET, March 1, 2025.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch: