| |
| Welcome to today's Inside Tech! Here are today's top headlines: - Apple has reversed course to support California's Right to Repair Act.
- TikTok plans to ban links to Amazon to promote TikTok Shop.
- CNN is launching a live news service on Max.
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Apple, previously a vocal opponent of Right to Repair, has now given its full support to California's Right to Repair Act. In a surprise reversal, the company sent a letter to state Sen. Susan Eggman endorsing the bill, which would give Californians the right to repair their own devices. More: - If passed, SB 244 would require manufacturers to provide consumers and independent repair shops with tools, parts, and information for electronic and appliance repairs.
- As currently written, tools, parts, and documents would need to be available for three years for products costing between $50 and $99.99, and for seven years for products over $99.99.
- Sen. Eggman first introduced the bill in 2018. This past May, it received a unanimous 38-0 vote in the California State Senate and now heads to a final hearing next week in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
- If approved by the Assembly, it would go to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature
Zoom out: - Despite years of opposition, Apple has gradually embraced the right to repair, launching its own Self Service Repair program for iPhones and Macs starting in 2021.
- Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, remarked that Apple's support for the Right to Repair Bill in California is a "watershed moment" for consumer rights, adding that the "Berlin Wall of tech repair monopolies is starting to crumble, brick by brick."
|     | |
| 2 | | TikTok plans to block external e-commerce links, including Amazon, in a bid to steer users solely to its rival TikTok Shop, as reported by The Information. The move comes as TikTok Shop is on track to lose $500M in the U.S. this year, attributed to its substantial investments in hiring, delivery networks, and merchant support. More: - Similar to Amazon's "Sold by Amazon" program, TikTok's marketplace ships various products from Chinese sellers, including clothing, kitchen gadgets, and electronics.
- The ban will prevent creators from promoting items available on their Amazon storefronts, cutting their commission earnings.
- The strategy aims to bolster TikTok Shop's relatively modest U.S. sales.
- In the U.S., daily spending on the platform has risen from between $500,000 and $1M in June to between $3M and $4M now, with forecasts to exceed $10M by year-end.
- In Southeast Asia, TikTok Shop has experienced higher success, with daily gross merchandise volume reaching $50M to $60M, aiming for $90M by year-end.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Optimizely. |  | | Optimizely’s annual conference, Opticon, is coming back to San Diego on Oct. 10-12, 2023! Join us to experience the magic that happens when art and science collide. From cutting-edge technologies to cheat sheets for success, our diverse community of industry leaders will showcase the latest trends and best practices that blend creativity with analytics to drive growth. Experts from Zoom, Tapestry, Indeed, New Era, and other industry-leading brands will be joining us to discuss their digital journeys. With 35+ breakout sessions featuring exclusive guest speakers, practical tutorials, innovative strategies and everything in between, you’re empowered to curate a custom agenda that fits your personal learning objectives. Plus, we’ve arranged a special offer just for Inside.com readers: use the code InsideDeal at registration to completely waive your conference fee! Learn More | |
|
| 3 | | Warner Bros. Discovery is introducing "CNN Max," a live news streaming channel on its Max platform, following the shutdown of CNN+. The 24/7 streaming service could help Warner Bros. Discovery attract and retain subscribers following a loss of nearly 2 million last quarter during Max's rebranding from HBO Max. Its number of subscribers across streaming brands now stands at 95.8 million, far below Netflix's 238.4 million. 
Details: The CNN Originals hub is being rebranded as CNN Max, launching to all U.S. Max subscribers on Sept. 27 with 24/7 live-streaming news in beta. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, viewers will be able to access live content from CNN US, CNN International, and original programming, along with new experimental product features and content. The lineup will include shows like "CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta" and "Amanpour." The bigger picture: The launch comes after the shutdown of CNN+ last year, a standalone streaming news service that closed just a month after its debut due to low viewership. At the time, the decision stemmed from new management following the merger of CNN's former parent, WarnerMedia, and Discovery to create Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav, the new head of Warner Bros. Discovery, recently rebranded Max by removing the well-known "HBO" from its name. In its most recent earnings report, Warner Bros. Discovery reported a loss of 1.8 million subscribers during the rebrand, partially due to customers with overlapping Max and Discovery+ accounts canceling their subscriptions. Despite the losses, the company has said it projects streaming profitability sometime this year. Q: Would you consider watching the new CNN Max streaming service? Let us know here. | | | |
| 4 | | A recent study found that Facebook users who spotted the platform's "state-controlled media" labels were less likely to interact with content originating from Chinese and Russian government-run outlets. However, the study was unable to confirm whether the results were linked to the labels themselves, or Facebook's algorithms that downrank the tagged posts. More: - The study, from Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, and the University of Texas at Austin researchers, assessed the impact of the labels on user engagement with Facebook posts.
- The labels led to a 34% reduction in the sharing of labeled posts and a 46% decrease in likes on the posts, they found.
- The research also discovered that the labels boosted user favorability toward Canadian state media posts, suggesting that perceptions of a country influence the tags' effectiveness.
- The researchers recommend that companies clearly inform users of labeling policy changes, explain their meaning, and display the labels in a way that's noticeable.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, MindsDB. |  | | Build, deploy and automate Generative AI workflows for data-intensive application MindsDB’s game-changing AI database empowers world’s developers to build, manage and automate Generative AI models for data-intensive applications. MindsDB offers three primary benefits to its users: - First, it makes the creation of the next wave of AI-centered applications readily available and accessible for all developers, by programming and managing AI models through an “enhanced SQL” abstraction.
- The second, MindsDB brings the AI development process much closer to the data, streamlining production of generative AI while bridging the gap between AI and the data needed to power its potential.
- Lastly, MindsDB removes the complexity or need for managing multiple AI frameworks - in a single platform, organizations can run and automate multiple AI frameworks through the platform’s hundreds of integrations with databases.
Find out how | |
|
| 5 | Nvidia reported revenue of $13.5B in the second quarter of fiscal 2024, more than double the previous year's figures, primarily driven by increased demand for its AI chips. Quarterly profit surged to $6.2B, an 843% year-over-year increase. More: - Datacenter chip sales, primarily for AI training, reached a record-breaking $10.3B, more than doubling in a single quarter.
- The company anticipates Q3 sales of $16B, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations and nearly tripling the previous year's figures.
- Nvidia is increasing its production capacity to meet the surging demand for AI chips, but shortages of high-end GPUs like the H100 are expected to last into 2024.
- Nvidia currently accounts for approximately 70% of AI chip sales, although competition is on the rise from rivals like AMD and Intel.
| | | |
| 6 | | New York-based AI startup, Hugging Face, has attracted $235M in funding at a $4.5B valuation, with major contributions from tech giants including Google, Amazon, Nvidia, and Salesforce. The funds will mainly be used to attract top talent and further build the platform and open-source AI, according to Hugging Face CEO Clement Delangue. More: - Hugging Face offers an open platform, similar to GitHub, where AI/ML developers can freely share code, models, and datasets.
- The company currently boasts a repository of 500,000 AI models and 250,000 datasets serving 10,000 paying customers.
- It also provides developer tools for easier deployment of open-source AI models.
Funding: - According to Delangue, companies are seeking to develop AI programs on their own, which requires open-source AI.
- In a LinkedIn post, he listed the participants in Hugging Face's $235M Series D round, including Salesforce Ventures, Google, Amazon, NVIDIA, AMD, Intel Corporation, Qualcomm Ventures, IBM, and Sound Ventures.
- These partners have collectively contributed more than 1,000 open models and datasets, with over 10,000 users already on Hugging Face, he noted
| | | |
| 7 | | QUICK HITS - Toptal's no-risk trial offers flexible engagements with world-class talent, letting you confidently scale your teams.*
- The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against SpaceX, accusing the company of discriminatory hiring practices toward refugees and asylum seekers.
- The web version of Meta's Threads app, a Twitter/X competitor, is live for all users as of today.
- Google is adding new security enhancements for Google Workspace, including AI-driven features. They are expected to roll out in late 2023 and early 2024.
- Start your Babbel journey today and set the stage for an autumn filled with discovery, connection, and unforgettable memories. Get 55% off when you join.*
*This is a sponsored post. | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | OCT
10 | | Optimizely is bringing back its annual conference, Opticon, to San Diego! Inside readers get a discount by using the code InsideDeal.* | | | | | | | OCT
16 | | Meet Our Fund 5, Building and Investing in AI | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Search engine optimization: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website for search engine visibility. Question of the Week Do you share details about your salary with your coworkers? Join the conversation |
INSIDE TECH LEADERBOARD (7 DAYS) |
 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is the curator and writer of the AI and Tech newsletters at Inside. With a career in journalism and editing that began in 2007, she has written for publications including USA Today, The Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette, and more. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by NO ACCOUNT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EDITOR | |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
