Snap is turning its smart glasses team into its own company
Snap is turning its smart glasses team into its own company A consumer version of Specs (unlike the developer preview pictured here) are still expected to get a public launch sometime this year. Snap is launching a separate business for its upcoming Specs augmented reality glasses in a bid to lure new investors to the […]
Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement
Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement Recently released documents show the big business opportunity that social media companies saw in recruiting teens to their platforms and how they discussed risks that heavy digital engagement could pose. The documents were released last week as part of a major set of trials brought […]
2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning
2026 is the year of social media's legal reckoning Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, […]
Snapchat’s new Quick Cut stitches a video together for you
Snapchat's new Quick Cut stitches a video together for you Snap just launched a new Quick Cut video editing tool right inside Snapchat that “helps Snapchatters turn their favorite Memories into beat-synced, ready-to-share videos in seconds.” With Quick Cut, you can select multiple photos or clips and then “instantly preview a rendered video,” and the […]
Snapchat is letting subscribers revive their 2D Bitmojis
Snapchat is letting subscribers revive their 2D Bitmojis The real 2D Bitmoji’s aren’t coming back, but the new Comic filter option is a close enough resemblance. Snapchat is bringing its 2D Bitmoji user avatars back for paying subscribers. Over the coming days, users with a Snapchat Plus subscription (which starts at $2.25 per month for […]
FTC orders AI companies to hand over info about chatbots’ impact on kids
FTC orders AI companies to hand over info about chatbots' impact on kids The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is ordering seven AI chatbot companies to provide information about how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on kids and teens. OpenAI, Meta, its subsidiary Instagram, Snap, xAI, Google parent company Alphabet, and the maker […]
Inside the AI startup frenzy: ‘Everyone’s pivoting, then pivoting again’
Inside the AI startup frenzy: 'Everyone's pivoting, then pivoting again' Inside the AI startup frenzy: ‘Everyone’s pivoting, then pivoting again’ Welcome to Decoder! I’m Alex Heath, Deputy Editor at The Verge and author of the Command Line newsletter. This is the first in a series of Thursday Decoder episodes that I’ll be hosting while Nilay […]
Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree
Inside Mark Zuckerberg's AI hiring spree Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree AI researchers have recently been asking themselves a version of the question, “Is that really Zuck?“ As first reported by Bloomberg, the Meta CEO has been personally asking top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab and reboot Llama. His recruiting […]
Snapchat’s latest subscription tier will get you ‘hundreds’ of lenses
Snapchat's latest subscription tier will get you 'hundreds' of lenses Snapchat’s latest subscription tier will get you ‘hundreds’ of lenses Snapchat has launched a new subscription tier that offers access to a wider selection of lenses and augmented-reality experiences. The Lens Plus subscription costs $8.99 per month and will include lenses made by Snapchat and […]
Snapchat is now on the Apple Watch
Snapchat is now on the Apple Watch Snapchat’s Apple Watch app offers basic messaging functionality. | Image: Snapchat What’s Snapchat without the ability to snap and send photos to your friends? It’s the social platform’s new Apple Watch app that instead provides a quick way to preview messages and reply right from your wrist. Joining […]