American billionaire Bill Ackman faces backlash for his plan for a “New Gaza”
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American billionaire Bill Ackman faces backlash for his plan for a “New Gaza”
William Albert Ackman is an American billionaire and the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management. Bill Ackman posted a plan for a “new Gaza” solution for the ongoing war via his account on X. The plan was promptly met with backlash from the public, who viewed it as degrading to the Palestinians.
Ackman’s proposed plan and subsequent comments displayed an obvious disregard for Palestinian sovereignty, which angered the public. He suggested that civilians be moved to a “safe zone” and stated that the initial mistake leading to the conflict was allowing Gaza's self-governance in the first place. This completely disregards the fact that “moving civilians” is the definition of ethnic cleansing, that civilians have been deemed collateral damage as per a recent investigation by The Guardian, and that the latest “safe zone” Gazans were urged to move to, Rafah in the south, is now facing daily bombing.
Ackman’s solutions were ridiculed by the public, as his plans seemed inconsistent with the real-life atrocities the world has witnessed since October 7th.
ChatGPT's enterprise user base has surged to 600,000 in less than a year
According to Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's COO, the enterprise user base of ChatGPT has grown to 600,000 in less than a year, marking a substantial increase from 150,000 in January 2024. Lightcap characterized 2024 as the "year of AI adoption in business" and expressed optimism about maintaining their current momentum.
The pricing for OpenAI's enterprise version of ChatGPT is not publicly disclosed; interested parties are advised to contact their sales team. However, a Reddit user claims that the quoted price for the enterprise version is $60 per seat per month. In contrast, the ChatGPT Team tier, which is one level below enterprise, is priced at $25 per user per month.
While specific organizations using ChatGPT Enterprise are not publicly disclosed by OpenAI, they did mention some users in a blog post introducing the service, including Block, Canva, Carlyle, The Estée Lauder Companies, PwC, and Zapier. OpenAI also stated that teams from over 80% of Fortune 500 companies had adopted ChatGPT Enterprise at the time of the announcement.
OpenAI has formed partnerships with several media organizations to enhance journalism quality and reader experiences, including French newspaper Le Monde, Spanish media company Prisa, and German mass media company Axel Springer.
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Egypt’s Edtech platform Almentor eyes international IPO this year
Egyptian educational technology platform Almentor is gearing up for an international Initial Public Offering (IPO) this year. CEO Ihab Fikry disclosed plans to list the company's shares on a major stock exchange, likely Nasdaq, before the year concludes, as reported by Al Mal. Although specifics regarding fundraising targets and the share offering are not yet publicized.
Established in 2016 by Abdelrahman Fahmy, Ibrahim Kamel, Ihab Fikry, Hesham Heikal, and Husni Khuffash, Almentor operates as an online learning hub providing educational content through concise video clips in both Arabic and English. Its services span a wide array of subjects, including sports nutrition, machine learning, and more. Operating primarily in Egypt and the UAE, the company is headquartered in Dubai.
Almentor is actively engaging with investment funds with the aim of securing $10 million. This capital infusion is intended to support various initiatives, including the integration of artificial intelligence into its platform and the launch of extensive marketing campaigns.
In March 2023, Almentor concluded a pre-Series C funding round, raising $10 million. Leading the investment was Etisalat's venture capital arm, with continued support from Sawari Ventures and Egypt Ventures, backed by the Ministry of International Cooperation. Additionally, new investments were secured from Partech, Sango Capital, and Endure Capital.
Spotify unveils personalized AI playlists customizable via prompts
Spotify reveals personalized AI-generated playlists customizable through prompts. Building upon the success of its acclaimed AI DJ functionality, Spotify now incorporates AI into playlist curation.
The company launched beta AI playlists, allowing users to generate playlists based on prompts. Initially accessible on Android and iOS devices in the U.K. and Australia, further updates are anticipated.
Spotify asserts that its AI empowers users to request a diverse array of customized playlists, such as "songs for serenading my cat" or "beats for a zombie apocalypse," surpassing traditional genre or time-based selections. Prompts encompass various categories including locations, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, and emojis.
The company emphasizes that the most compelling playlists arise from prompts blending genres, moods, artists, and decades.
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