Anika Begay
OpenAI co-founder John Schulman has passed away the company for rival AI startup Anthropic. Additionally, OpenAI co-founder and chairman Greg Brockman is taking an extended break after nine years at the company to “relax and recharge.” Schulman said his decision was born out of a desire to deepen his focus on AI alignment, the science that ensures AI behaves as intended, and to engage in more hands-on technical work.
Google has been found to have acted illegally to maintain a monopoly on online search. The U.S. District Court’s decision, if upheld, is a major defeat for Google that could change the face of the Internet as we know it. The ruling argues that Google abused its monopoly power over the search business in part by paying companies like Apple to feature its search engine as the default on their devices and web browsers. Google, of course, says it will appeal.
X filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). X CEO Linda Yaccarino accused the organizations of a “systematic illegal boycott” of the platform. GARM was founded to “help the industry address the challenge of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and their monetization through advertising.” Following the lawsuit, the WFA said it was “disrupting” GARM’s operations.
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News
RIP, Chromecast: Google has unveiled its latest streaming set-top box, the Google TV Streamer, which will mark the end of its Chromecast line. Chromecast has sold more than 100 million units over an 11-year period. Learn more
OpenAI goes on a journey: OpenAI is bringing DevDay to San Francisco, London, and Singapore this fall as part of a series of developer engagement sessions on the road. But don’t expect a GPT-5 announcement. Learn more
Rivian lost $1.46 billion in revenue: Rivian said it lost $1.46 billion in Q2 2024, up from a loss of $1.45 billion in Q1. The loss was nearly $300 million less than in the second quarter of last year. Learn more
Instagram enthusiastically welcomes photo dump: Get ready to see more mood boards and meme dumps on Instagram. The social media app is launching a feature that lets you add up to 20 photos or videos to your carousel posts. Learn more
Lyft Addresses Price Gouging Problem: The ride-share app will test a feature that lets passengers cap the price of a ride at a specific time with a subscription. It’s part of Lyft’s larger plan to “open a can of bullshit” on peak pricing. Learn more
OpenAI Could Catch Cheaters: OpenAI claims to have a tool that could potentially catch students who cheat using ChatGPT, but the company is reportedly considering making it public. Learn more
This robot can play ping pong decently: As part of a just published article, Google DeepMind is demonstrating a robot that is “solidly amateur” at table tennis when pitted against human opponents. Learn more
You can only scroll on Thursday: Thursday wants to shake up online dating. The catch? You can only use the dating app on Thursdays. The company has now launched in San Francisco to combat what people call “swiping fatigue.” Learn more
The figure reveals Figure 02: Figure has announced the successor to its Figure 01 humanoid robot, equipped with new natural language capabilities thanks to a long-standing partnership with OpenAI. Learn more
Airbnb Wants to Go Beyond Short-Term Rentals: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has hinted that the company will soon expand into co-hosting, relaunching Airbnb “experiences,” offering guest services, and more. Learn more
Analyses
What would the Internet be like without Google? An internet without Google Search, Chrome, Gmail, and Maps would be a very different place. While there are alternatives to Google’s popular freemium products, it’s hard to imagine what that would look like given how deeply embedded Google is in the web. Natasha Lomas explores how Google’s split could provide an opportunity to reshape the web as we know it. Learn more
Amazon is tinkering in India: Express commerce is increasingly gaining traction in India, giving customers access to a range of categories, from groceries to electronics, that they can have delivered in minutes. So why does Amazon seem to be ignoring this growing market altogether? By missing a huge opportunity in express service, Amazon is fumbling into a key overseas market for U.S. tech giants, Manish Singh reports. Learn more
