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April 1, 2025, 1:55 PM
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memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| CNBC: |
OpenAI closes a $40B round, the most raised by a private tech company, at a $300B post-money valuation; SoftBank led with $30B; source: ~$18B is for Stargate — OpenAI on Monday announced it had closed what amounts to the largest private tech funding round on record.
More: OpenAI, The Verge, Investor's Business Daily, Neowin, Financial Times, InfoRiskToday.com, Cautious Optimism, GZERO, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Laptop Mag, VentureBeat, Nairametrics, Digital Trends, Sherwood News, Fortune, Maginative, TechSpot, StrictlyVC, YourStory.com, Cryptopolitan, Axios, Forbes, Tech in Asia, Benzinga, Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch, Tech Xplore, SiliconANGLE, Decrypt, PYMNTS.com, San Francisco Business Times, Thurrott, The Wrap, AIN, and Nikkei Asia
Bluesky: @carnage4life, @edzitron.com, @andrewparker, @edsbs, and @edzitron.com
X: @sama, @mikeisaac, @kyliebytes, @mikebutcher, @apompliano, @danprimack, @garymarcus, @rogoswami, @edzitron, and @gavinpurcell
LinkedIn: LinkedIn, Hayden Field, and Geoff Lewis
Forums: Hacker News, r/OpenAI, r/singularity, and r/technology
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: SoftBank is seeking a bridge loan of as much as $16.5B to help fund AI investments in the US, its largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in USD — The bridge loan under discussion has a tenor of about 12 months, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.
More: PYMNTS.com, Sherwood News, Benzinga, Global Corporate Venturing, Fortune, Tech in Asia, and Analytics India Magazine. LinkedIn: Kari Lindberg
| Shirin Ghaffary / Bloomberg: |
More: Nikkei Asia, Crunchbase News, Entrepreneur, DatacenterDynamics, MarketWatch, Reuters, New York Post, Digital Music News, Barron's Online, WinBuzzer, New York Times, PitchBook, CNBC, Global Corporate Venturing, The Decoder, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, Silicon Republic, Business Today, Proactive, Tech Funding News, Blockonomi, Washington Post, TNGlobal, Pulse 2.0, Arabian Business, Interesting Engineering, Euronews, Benzinga, YourStory.com, Yahoo Finance, Verdict, Hindustan Times, Financial Express, The Crypto Times, Neowin, Times of India, The Information, Australian Financial Review, CRN, Sherwood News, The Japan Times, VC News Daily, and DigiTimes
Forums: r/Economics and Beehaw
| Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: |
Google rolls out a new Gmail encryption model for enterprises in beta that doesn't require senders or recipients to use custom software or exchange certificates — The beta feature for enterprise accounts allows Gmail users to simply toggle encryption for external emails.
More: Google Workspace Blog, The New Stack, BleepingComputer, SC Media, How-To Geek, WebProNews, Forbes, PCMag, 9to5Google, CyberInsider, ComputerWeekly.com, Infosecurity, WinBuzzer, SiliconANGLE, and TechRepublic. Forums: Slashdot
| Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: in recent weeks, Meta executives including Mark Zuckerberg have pressed US trade officials to oppose an impending EU fine and cease-and-desist order — Facebook owner presses trade officials to push back against European law that could undermine its ad business
More: The Verge, PYMNTS.com, Fresno Bee, Cryptopolitan, Newsmax, Hindustan Times, The Independent, and WinBuzzer
| Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
OpenAI's new GPT-4o-powered image generator is now available to all users; Sam Altman last week mentioned a limit of three images per day for free-tier users — OpenAI's new image generator, powered by its GPT-4o model, is now available to all users, CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X …
More: The Information, Livemint, Thurrott, ZDNET, CNET, The Independent, Digit, InfoQ, Mashable, Tom's Guide, Forbes, Android Authority, Engadget, Digital Trends, Windows Central, KnowTechie, The Crypto Times, Business Today, Times of India, The Verge, Moneycontrol, Blockchain.News, GSMArena.com, Livemint, Axios, and The Verge
| Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: |
More: OpenAI, Reuters, Tech Monitor, Android Headlines, The Decoder, Tom's Guide, Business Standard, Silicon UK, Cointelegraph, WinBuzzer, The Indian Express, Analytics India Magazine, Digit, The Crypto Times, Benzinga, CoinGape, SiliconANGLE, VentureBeat, Neowin, CNET, Business Insider, Decrypt, The Information, and Wired
X: @sama, @joheidecke, @clementdelangue, @dorialexander, @thexeophon, @garrytan, @gdb, @altcap, @levie, @joheidecke, and @sama
LinkedIn: Jake Saper and Romain Huet
Forums: r/LocalLLaMA and Slashdot
| Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Meta VP of AI Research Joelle Pineau says she plans to leave in May 2025 after nearly eight years; she has led the FAIR group since early 2023 — Joelle Pineau, the VP running Meta's FAIR group, to depart company in May — Meta Platforms Inc.'s head of artificial intelligence research plans … | Kendra Barnett / Adweek: |
Google is bringing its immersive Rewarded Video ads to Roblox, letting users watch ads in exchange for in-game benefits like virtual currency or power-ups — Advertisers can buy Rewarded Video ads on Roblox via Google Ad Manager, the company announced Tuesday| Sean Endicott / Windows Central: |
Microsoft expands Copilot+ PC features exclusive to Snapdragon, like Live Captions, Cocreator, Restyle Image, and Image Creator, to PCs with AMD or Intel chips — Staggered feature releases make me ask “what even is a Copilot+ PC?” — Microsoft has a big update for Copilot+ PCs powered by Intel or AMD processors.
More: Windows Experience Blog, HotHardware, Business Standard, MobileSyrup, Tom's Hardware, The Verge, PCWorld, Guru3D, BetaNews, Ghacks, TechRadar, Cryptopolitan, WinBuzzer, Beebom, Digital Trends, TechPowerUp, MakeUseOf, Liliputing, CRN, VideoCardz.com, XDA Developers, Neowin, and Thurrott
X: @dylanonchips, @windowsblog, @yusuf_i_mehdi, @dylanonchips, @pavandavuluri, @sasamarinkovic, @amdryzen, and @zacbowden. LinkedIn: Mark Linton
| Bloomberg: |
With the Switch 2, Nintendo must do what it has rarely done before: follow one hit console with another; Nintendo sold 150M+ Switch units since its 2017 launch — The Japanese gaming giant is about to release its latest console. The stakes have never been higher to end the boom-bust cycle that's plagued the company for years.
More: Digital Trends, Forbes, Gameranx, The Indian Express, Tech4Gamers, Tom's Guide, Comic Book, Laptop Mag, T3, and Engadget
| The Information: |
OpenAI says ChatGPT has hit 20M paid subscribers, up from 15.5M at the end of 2024, suggesting the company is making at least $415M in monthly revenue — Before today's main column about the AI attention war between OpenAI and Google, there's OpenAI news from my colleague Natasha … | Financial Times: |
Current and former Google DeepMind scientists say a tougher vetting process and more bureaucracy at the Google AI arm have made it harder to publish AI research — Google's AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach
More: Sherwood News and TipRanks Financial
X: @clementdelangue, @tanarrowz, and @aiamblichus
Forums: Slashdot and Ars OpenForum
| Financial Times: |
TTP: Apple's and Google's app stores host popular “private browsing” apps operated by Shanghai-listed Qihoo 360, sanctioned by the US in 2020 for military ties — New findings reveal free ‘private browsing’ apps popular with US users have ties to blacklisted Qihoo 360| Bloomberg: |
Sources: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick signals withholding promised CHIPS Act grants as he pushes companies to substantially expand their US projects — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has signaled he could withhold promised Chips Act grants as he pushes companies in line … | Aisha Malik / TechCrunch: |
TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8, directing users to Lemon8, a similar ByteDance-owned app — TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year.| Yoolim Lee / Bloomberg: |
Samsung says TM Roh, who oversees mobile, will temporarily step into a broader role overseeing its consumer electronics, after the death of co-CEO Han Jong-Hee — Roh will fill the vacancy at the top of Samsung's Device Experience group until the company's board approves a formal successor to Han …
More: Samsung Newsroom, Thurrott, GSMArena.com, and SamMobile
| New York Times: |
Xiaomi says it is cooperating with a Chinese police probe into a fatal crash by a car using its autonomous features; its stock is down 10%+ over the past week — A popular electric vehicle made by the Chinese consumer electronics giant Xiaomi crashed into a concrete guardrail while deploying its autonomous driving feature.| Ian King / Bloomberg: |
Intel Vision conference: CEO Lip-Bu Tan says that Intel plans to spin off non-core assets, create new products including custom chips, hire engineers, and more — Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan said the chipmaker will spin off assets that aren't central to its mission …
More: TechRadar, XDA Developers, Investor's Business Daily, Benzinga, Inc, TechSpot, TechCrunch, PC Guide, Intel, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Financial Times, Intel on YouTube, PC Gamer, Cryptopolitan, Capacity Media, Business Insider, Tech in Asia, TrendForce News, Oregonian, MarketWatch, Nikkei Asia, Wall Street Journal, CRN, PCWorld, Barron's Online, Portland startups …, Yahoo Finance, and Thurrott
Threads: @sung.kim.mw. X: @iancutress, @intelnews, @iancutress, @iancutress, @underfox3, @iancutress, @iancutress, @greengart, @intelnews, @greengart, @firstadopter, @underfox3, @intelnews, and @intelnews. Forums: r/intel
| Zoë Schiffer / Wired: |
The USPTO suspends xAI's Grok trademark application, saying the name could be confused with companies Groq and Grokstream; startup Bizly claims it owns “Grok” — Elon Musk said he borrowed the name from a 1960s science fiction novel, but another AI startup applied to trademark it before xAI launched its chatbot.
More: WinBuzzer and eWeek
Bluesky: @elleisanisland, @destroyer267, @mikewilsoninoz, and @paleofuture
Forums: r/NewsOfTheStupid and r/inthenews
| Financial Times: |
The Alan Turing Institute, the UK's flagship AI agency, plans to focus on defense, environment, and health, after staff criticized its leadership in December — Agency responds to criticism and rapidly evolving technology by cutting back initiatives — Britain's flagship artificial intelligence agency … | Ufonobong Umanah / Bloomberg Law: |
A US judge rules Arkansas' Social Media Safety Act, which requires minors have parental permission before creating social media accounts, infringes on 1A rights — Arkansas' youth-focused Social Media Safety Act infringes on the First Amendment rights of internet users and is unconstitutionally vague …
More: MLex and Western District of Arkansas
Bluesky: @rahaeli and @paultaske
X: @senatorshoshana, @swiftstories, and @netchoice
| Nicole Sperling / New York Times: |
In a new strategy, Amazon plans to release 14 to 16 movies per year in theaters, rivaling other major studios, with most running for 45 days before streaming — The streaming giant is planning to release at least 14 movies a year in theaters around the country, rivaling other major studios.Sponsor Posts
TELUS Digital:
See how your customer experience priorities compare — TELUS Digital surveyed leaders about the tech they're investing in, the KPIs they're tracking and their plans for outsourcing. Get the results. No form fill required!
See how your customer experience priorities compare — TELUS Digital surveyed leaders about the tech they're investing in, the KPIs they're tracking and their plans for outsourcing. Get the results. No form fill required!
Intel:
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking — With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs. Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking — With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs. Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Zoho:
The rise of AI in recruitment — Note: This is a guest post by our integration partner Ringover.AI has already begun transforming recruitment, but in the coming years, it will reach new heights.
The rise of AI in recruitment — Note: This is a guest post by our integration partner Ringover.AI has already begun transforming recruitment, but in the coming years, it will reach new heights.
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.
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
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Hard Fork:
Tech Stock Shock + Solving the Mystery of OpenAI's "Blip" + Tinder's Flirt-Off
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
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BG2 Pod:
Liberation Day, Tariffs, US v China Open Source, OpenAI Fundraise, $CRWV, TikTok
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley.
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Decoder with Nilay Patel:
What AI anime memes tell us about the future of art and humanity
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
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Great Chat:
Battle of the startup cities
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The Logan Bartlett Show:
Zach Weinberg (Co-Founder & CEO, Curie.Bio) on The Tariff Trap, Self-Inflicted Recession Risk, and Open AI's Fundraise
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
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