A pill... that vibrates? MIT scientists innovate with new obesity drug

Quick Hits

Wanted: ‘New collar’ workers with tech skills.

Mouse meme: Mickey enters public domain.

Good vibes: MIT engineers weight-loss pill.

Enemy lines: Copilot joins iOS.

Copyright clash: NYT sues OpenAI.

Crypto kits: Puma backs web3.

Scoot skid: Bird files bankruptcy.

Fortnite lite: Epic embraces cozy gaming.

Lunar lift: NASA tests SpaceX elevator.

Remote rule: Atlassian hires by time zone.

Judicial AI: Supreme Court mulls tech’s role.

‘Reversible glue’: Adhesive innovates recycling.

Brit bots: U.K. readies for self-driving.

Priming the pump: Bezos bets on hydrogen.

Clean cabs: California pushes electric trucks.

Cyber crime: Police probe VR assault.

Rental rubble: Frontdesk lays off staff.

Content creators raid copyright vaults

Mickey Mouse is 2024’s first viral meme. Developers released "Mickey-1928," an AI model that churns out new cartoons based on the newly public domain version of Steamboat Willie. It’s a sign of things to come as content creators raid copyright vaults to reimagine old icons. They’ll have to wait another year to regenerate Popeye for modern audiences.

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The year of climate tech?

Many across the climate tech world believe 2024 will continue to see a flood of investment, excitement, and innovation. Generative AI, IoT sensors, and advancing hardware are expected to advance everything from curbing emissions and waste to clean energy to carbon removal and fusion.

Report: AI widens pay gap between tech and non-tech

Companies are expected to create more than 131k AI-related jobs in the U.S. alone this year, according to research from Bizreport. AI is boosting salaries across the U.S., leading to a 36% widening in the pay gap between tech and non-tech workers. “The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the American job market,” the report notes.

Poll results - the holiday rush...for new jobs

Recently funded companies

• Formless Raises $2.2M in Pre-Seed Funding Intrinsic Raises $3.1M in Seed Funding
• Energy optimization startup Lumian raises $3.2M in pre-seed funding round
• Skyline Robotics Secures $9.8M Funding to Transform Global Window Cleaning with AI
• PaintJet Raises $10M in Series A Funding
• Robotic homebuilding startup BotBuilt raises $12.4M
• Heranova Raises $13.5M in Seed and Seed+ Funding
• Medallion, a platform for artists to connect directly with fans, raises $13.7M
• ImpriMed Raises $23M in Series A Funding
• Unnatural Products Raises $32M in Series A Funding

Post of the week

What we're reading?

• Spying on Beavers From Space Could Help Save California (Wired)
• How AI alters middle managers' work (Phys.org)
• Nintendo’s design guru Shigeru Miyamoto: ‘I wanted to make something weird’ (The Guardian)
• AI expert warns against telling your secrets to chatbots such as ChatGPT (The Guardian)
• Why 2024 will be the year of ‘augmented mentality’ (VentureBeat)
• A New Year’s resolution for tech companies: knock it off with the CAPTCHAs (The Verge)

Podcast of the Week

Code Story - The Creation Story of Descope

Startups Hiring Now

• Netskope: Redefining cloud, network, and data security | A lot of open roles
• Turo: Book unforgettable cars from trusted hosts around the world | 30 open roles
• Classy.org: Gives you the power to raise more money online | 31 open roles