Congress doesn’t seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law
Congress doesn't seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law TikTok finally closed a deal meant to bring it into compliance with the law that should have banned it a year ago, and the lawmakers who passed that law still don’t seem to know what’s going on. The company announced Tuesday that […]
What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed
What TikTok's new owners mean for your feed TikTok is officially under new ownership in the US, and that could spell big changes for the video-sharing app. On January 22nd, ByteDance – TikTok’s Chinese parent company – and a group of investors closed a $14 billion deal to spin off the platform’s US operations, introducing […]
Hang on, there’s a Trump Phone Ultra coming too?
Hang on, there's a Trump Phone Ultra coming too? Where’s the Trump Phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump Phone’s whereabouts. As usual, we’re still waiting for a response. In the meantime, it turns out we might have two Trump Phones to […]
The TikTok deal is done, finally
The TikTok deal is done, finally Just over a year after it briefly disappeared from app stores, TikTok in the US is now part of a new entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. With approval from both the US and China closing on the schedule laid out in December, ByteDance’s ownership of the new joint […]
Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal
Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal A judge is questioning whether Epic Games and Google are settling their long-running antitrust fight partly because of a previously unannounced partnership involving the Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and Android. In a hearing in San Francisco today, the court revealed that Epic and […]
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI about ‘deceptive advertising’ in ChatGPT
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI about 'deceptive advertising' in ChatGPT Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is pressing OpenAI about its move to bring ads to ChatGPT, and is asking several other companies whether they have similar plans. In letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap, and xAI, Markey writes that embedding ads into […]
Is this the end of Epic and Google’s feud?
Is this the end of Epic and Google's feud? Today, I am sitting in the courtroom that may decide the fate of Android. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is here. Google Android boss Sameer Samat is here. Together, they’ll try to convince Judge James Donato that they’re no longer enemies – that Google’s illegal monopoly on […]
Why nobody’s stopping Grok
Why nobody's stopping Grok Today’s episode of Decoder is about X, Grok, and Elon Musk. By now we’re several weeks into one of the worst, most upsetting, and most stupidly irresponsible AI controversies in the short history of generative AI. Grok, the chatbot made by Elon Musk’s xAI, is able to make all manner of […]
Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future
Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians signed on to a new campaign against what they call “theft at a grand scale” by AI companies. The signatories of the campaign – called “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” – include authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, actors Cate Blanchett […]
Verizon’s prepaid services add a 365-day wait to unlock phones
Verizon's prepaid services add a 365-day wait to unlock phones It’s been just one week since Verizon got permission to lift its 60-day phone unlocking period, and the carrier is already making changes to its policy. Now, Verizon says customers who activate a phone on one of its sub-brands, including Visible, TracFone, Straight Talk, and […]