- The letter from Meta to Chairman Jim Jordan addresses the company's past interactions with the U.S. government concerning content moderation on its platforms. Meta acknowledges that it faced pressure from senior officials during the Biden Administration to censor certain content related to COVID-19 and political matters, decisions which Meta now views as a mistake. Meta is now moving forward with independent decision-making in content moderation.
- Reflect Orbital, led by CEO Ben Nowack and CTO Tristan Semmelhack, aims to extend solar power availability by using small, mirror-equipped satellites to reflect sunlight onto solar farms after sunset. They successfully tested the concept with a mylar mirror on a hot air balloon paving the way for a planned prototype satellite launch next year.
- San Francisco’s AI startup boom is so big that founders from all across the world are relocating to help their companies grow. The region still remains the largest share of all tech employees, with 49% of all Big Tech engineers and 27% of startup engineers.
- Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, a messaging app was arrested in Paris, France on August 25. Authorities claim it was due to Telegram’s lack of content moderation and reluctance to adhere to law enforcement.
- Apple, on August 26, announced that Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Luca Maestri will step down and move to the Corporate Services teams. This component of Apple includes information systems and technology, information security, and real estate and development.
- Meta abandoning efforts to make custom chips for its upcoming AR glasses amid mass layoffs and cost-cutting efforts. The work on such custom chips was classified as too expensive, according to the tech giant. Meta currently sells its signature Ray-Ban smart glasses which incorporate a camera and ability to connect to a person’s phone, but not AR capabilities. However, with AR capabilities, smart glasses would enable digital information overlay on the lens.
- Apple and Nvidia are in talks to invest in OpenAI in a funding round led by Thrive Capital, potentially valuing the AI company over $100 billion. This move would deepen their ties with OpenAI. Microsoft, already a major investor in OpenAI, is also expected to join the round. Apple has recently announced a partnership with OpenAI to integrate AI features like an enhanced Siri and text editing into its operating system. Meanwhile, Nvidia, a key supplier of AI chips for OpenAI, has increased its investments in various AI-focused companies. This investment strategy by Apple is atypical as the company usually does not invest in startups but has made exceptions to secure strategic technologies.
