Business
Hide and Seek
The One Part of Apple Vision Pro That Apple Doesn’t Want You to See
Apple’s latest series of Vision Pro demos carefully obscures one important hardware feature.
Lauren Goode
lobby hobby
Cable Firms to FTC: We Shouldn’t Have to Let Users Cancel Service With a Click
Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica
This Tech Exec Quit His Job to Fight Generative AI's Original Sin
Ed Newton-Rex quit his job at startup Stability AI over ethical concerns about its collection of training data. His nonprofit Fairly Trained aims to deter startups from scraping the web.
Kate Knibbs
Google Search Is a Mess. Can Mobile AI Make It Better?
Two new enhancements coming to Google’s search tools on phones use machine intelligence to make the search experience more efficient.
Lauren Goode
How to Launch a Custom Chatbot on OpenAI’s GPT Store
You can now publish a bespoke version of ChatGPT that you’ve trained yourself. The marketplace for these custom GPTs is open to the public and works in a way that's similar to Apple’s App Store.
Reece Rogers
Toyota's Robots Are Learning to Do Housework—By Copying Humans
Carmaker Toyota is developing robots capable of learning to do household chores by observing how humans take on the tasks. The project is an example of robotics getting a boost from generative AI.
Will Knight
Startups and Tech Culture
Why Tech Workers Are Ditching Big Cities for Boise
Idaho’s capital city is seeing an influx of young people as they apply for tech jobs away from big coastal cities amid massive layoffs and a disillusion with Big Tech.
Amanda Hoover
Your Medical Data Is Code Blue
Medical data companies aren’t doing all they can to protect your most private information. When they get hacked and patient data is stolen, it’s the patients who suffer.
Steven Levy
No, the Great Tech Layoffs of 2023 Aren’t Happening Again
Amazon, Discord, Duolingo, and Google all started 2024 with layoffs. But the tech job market isn’t facing the same trouble it did last year.
Amanda Hoover
The Fight to Unite iPhone and Android Users Is Far From Over
Apple crushed Beeper Mini, an app that let Android users into Apple’s iMessage service. Beeper cofounder Eric Migicovsky says interoperability between Big Tech’s walled gardens is urgently needed.
Lauren Goode
Why Crypto Idealogues Won’t Touch Bitcoin ETFs
The arrival of spot bitcoin ETFs in the US offers easy access to the masses. Purists will steer clear.
Joel Khalili
Child Abusers Are Getting Better at Using Crypto to Cover Their Tracks
Crypto tracing firm Chainalysis found that sellers of child sexual abuse materials are successfully using “mixers” and “privacy coins” like Monero to launder their profits and evade law enforcement.
Andy Greenberg
Bitcoin ETFs Have Arrived. Here’s Who Stands to Get Rich
The US approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, a new way to track the price of bitcoin, could trigger a gold rush for investors. But an exclusive cast of middlemen will earn big in the background, too.
Joel Khalili
Lawmakers Are Out for Blood After a Hack of the SEC’s X Account Causes Bitcoin Chaos
The US Securities and Exchange Commission is under pressure to explain itself after its X account was compromised, leading to wild swings in the bitcoin market.
Joel Khalili
Apple’s Tight Grip on iMessage Spurs Fresh Calls for an Antitrust Probe
More than a dozen organizations called on the Department of Justice and the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate Apple for anticompetitive behavior in how it controls messaging, apps, and more.
Lauren Goode
The Obscure Google Deal That Defines America’s Broken Privacy Protections
Google’s doomed social network Buzz led US regulators to force Google and Meta to monitor their own data use. Insiders say the results were mixed, as pressure mounts for a federal privacy law.
Paresh Dave
Innovation-Killing Noncompete Agreements Are Finally Dying
More US states are moving to bar companies from binding workers with noncompete agreements. Research shows the move could boost wages and innovation.
Caitlin Harrington
Norway’s Privacy Battle With Meta Is Just Getting Started
The Norwegian data regulator has already fined Meta $7 million. Now it says it’s investigating the company’s new ad-free subscription services.
Morgan Meaker
Apple Turned Its Epic Defeat Into Another App Store Victory
Despite expensive legal battles and regulatory pressure, Apple’s and Google’s mobile app stores are mostly unchanged. This week, Apple introduced a new fee on developers to protect its business.
Paresh Dave
The Holy Grail of Quantum Computing Is Finally Here. Or Is It?
Google and startup Quantinuum performed breakthrough experiments in quantum computing. Conflicting views of the results’ significance show the challenges of making quantum computers practical.
Sophia Chen
Google’s App Store Ruled an Illegal Monopoly, as a Jury Sides With Epic Games
A jury in San Francisco unanimously found that Google stifled competition for its app store. A judge will now decide on what fixes to require at the company, but appeals could delay the impact of the case for years.
Paresh Dave
The Rise of AI in Alternative Browsers—and What’s Next
Developers at smaller companies have been adding new ways to experience the internet with AI assistance. Their visions for the future radically differ.
Reece Rogers
The Boeing 737 Max Crisis Reignites Arguments Over Infant Safety on Planes
A midair blowout on a Boeing 737 Max 9 showed seatbelts matter, but infants under two still aren’t required to have their own seats. Experts say changing the rules would make flying safer for children—but would result in more deaths.
Nicole Kobie
The Real Problem With the Boeing 737 Max
Two tragic crashes over the past six years, then a third plane with loose bodywork—the aircraft designed to send Boeing’s reputation soaring has sent it into a tailspin.
Chris Stokel-Walker
The White House Just Announced a $623 Million EV-Charging Bonanza
Electric vehicle charging stations are still scarce in many parts of the US. The White House announced grants totaling $623 million to top up electric cars, bikes, and scooters.
Aarian Marshall and Matt Simon
Cruise Was Asked to Ground Robotaxis on Halloween to Keep Kids Safe
The city of Austin asked Cruise to idle its robotaxis on Halloween due to safety concerns. The request shows how cities barred by state law from regulating driverless cars must resort to diplomacy.
Aarian Marshall
Social Media
A US-Sanctioned Oligarch Ran Pro-Kremlin Ads on Facebook—Again
David Gilbert
Rumble Is Part of an ‘Active and Ongoing’ SEC Investigation
William Turton
Meet Flip, the Viral Video App Giving Away Free Stuff
Elana Klein
EU Investigates Elon Musk’s X for Spreading Illegal Content
Morgan Meaker