| |
Welcome to the Inside Tech newsletter! Here are our top stories: - Cruise and Waymo approved for 24/7 paid robotaxi rides in San Francisco.
- Apple planning more stock buybacks.
- Google considering Apple-like Continuity capabilities for Android.
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you. Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Google's Waymo and GM's Cruise gained approval to charge fares for fully driverless rides across San Francisco at all hours. The California Public Utilities Commission voted 3-1 in favor of the move, allowing the companies to offer citywide paid taxi services 24/7. More: - The approval is the last hurdle for both companies to provide fully autonomous paid rides across San Francisco.
- In the city, Waymo currently operates 250 vehicles, while Cruise operates 300 at night and 100 during the day, with plans to gradually expands those numbers.
- Waymo now claims over 100,000 signs-ups on its waitlist. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana described the new permit as "the true beginning" of the company's commercial operations in the city.
- San Francisco is a crucial testing ground for self-driving technology as the companies plan to expand statewide and into other U.S. cities.
Zoom out: - Even so, numerous complaints have arisen about driverless vehicles causing disruptions in the city, including stopping suddenly and blocking emergency responders.
- Since spring 2022, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has documented almost 600 incidents involving autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, which it described as only "a fraction" of the believed total.
Q: Would you take a ride in a self-driving vehicle? Let us know here. |     | |
| 2 | | Apple has spent over $500B on stock buybacks over the last 10 years, surpassing the individual market caps of Visa, JPMorgan, and Exxon Mobil, according to a Markets Insider analysis. 
What the numbers say: From 2012 through 2022, Apple spent over $572B on share repurchases, the highest of any company. That number has been growing in recent years. Since 2018, Apple has spent at least $50B a year buying its own stock, with the figure rising gradually to almost $90B last fiscal year. Recently, Apple's board approved another $90B for repurchases this year, which is higher than the market values of Citigroup and Uber. Why it matters: Stock buybacks reduce outstanding shares, boosting stock price through scarcity. For Apple, investors view the buybacks as a sign of confidence in the company's profitability and stability through cash reserves. Apple plans to continue its aggressive buyback strategy as it works to achieve "net neutral cash" status or aligning its cash holdings with debt, according to CFO Luca Maestri. | | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Interview Kickstart. |  | | Get & nail top tech interviews with Interview Kickstart NOISE: Everyone’s laying off. REALITY: 190000+ job openings for SDEs alone (Source: LinkedIn May 2023) Top tech companies are ALWAYS making critical hires by picking the best-prepared candidates. This is where Interview Kickstart makes a difference. - They've trained 15000+ SDEs, EMs, TPMs, and Analysts to ace tech interviews
- IK Alumni consistently land jobs at Amazon, Google, and top-tier companies (avg. salary hike: 66.5%)
- What sets them apart? Courses are taught by real Hiring Managers from top-tier companies like Google, Microsoft & Amazon
Join their next interview prep webinar (FREE) and learn how to effectively prepare for interviews in the current job market. Register Now | |
|
| 3 | | Google is working on a feature for Android users to link their devices together, similar to Apple's Continuity features. Android devices signed into the same Google account would be able to communicate with one another, according to Android expert Mishaal Rahman. More: - Possible features involve "Call Switching" for device-switching during calls and "Internet Sharing" for easier hotspot setup across connected devices.
- The move is a likely response to Apple's seamless device ecosystem.
- Details are not confirmed until an official announcement by Google.
| | | |
| 4 | Microsoft has officially discontinued the Cortana app for Windows 11, three years after it shut down the apps for iOS and Android. Attempts to launch Cortana on the operating system prompt a notice of deprecation with a link to a support article. More: - Support for Cortana also ends this fall for Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams Display, and Microsoft Teams Rooms.
- Cortana will remain available within Outlook mobile.
- In its place, Microsoft is developing Windows Copilot, its Bing Chat-powered sidebar for Windows 11.
Zoom out: - Cortana began as a Windows Phone digital assistant before coming to Windows 10 in 2015.
- Despite deep integration into the Windows 10 taskbar and significant improvements to its mobile apps, Cortana never achieved the popularity of competitors Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Revelry. |  | | Revelry ships gold every week, one brick at a time. Building software can be hard. This is why Revelry optimized product development workflows into a process it calls Lean Agile. The company has also built an arsenal of tools to de-risk various delivery tasks. The combination of Revelry’s process and stack allows for incredible efficiency - helping engineering teams ship gold every week, one brick at a time. According to Revelry, its Lean Agile approach positions product teams to form and deliver 30-40% faster than industry averages. To learn more, download its Lean Agile guide. Download Now | |
|
| 5 | Amtrak and Texas Central are exploring a new partnership to construct a high-speed bullet train linking Houston and Dallas. The proposed 240-mile route would connect the cities in under 90 minutes. More: - The trains, based on Japan's advanced N700S Series Shinkansen "bullet train" technology, would approach speeds of 205 mph.
- In addition to alleviating traffic, Amtrak estimates the project would reduce emissions by more than 100,000 tons annually and save up to 65 million gallons of fuel a year.
- The project's current plans include stations in Houston, the Brazos Valley, and south of downtown Dallas.
What's next: - The Texas Supreme Court has already granted Texas Central the right to seize land for the $30B railway via eminent domain.
- Amtrak and Texas Central have jointly applied for federal grants to support research and design.
| | | |
| 6 | | The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has moved closer to potentially regulating AI-generated content in political ads. After voting to open a petition for public comment, the process could lead to new rules on AI use in campaigns by year-end. More: - With the 2024 elections approaching, efforts are focused on creating guidelines before political campaigns further incorporate AI into their efforts.
- Public Citizen filed the petition, a consumer advocacy group that described an urgent need to regulate deepfakes and other "deceptive" AI uses in election ads.
- After the petition reaches the federal register, there will be a 60-day period for public comments.
Zoom out: - In April, the Republican National Committee aired an AI-generated video ad, attacking President Biden.
- The 30-second ad depicted a dystopian future with a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and economic collapse if Biden were re-elected.
| | | |
| 7 | | QUICK HITS - Wiz surveyed security orgs at hyper-scaling enterprises to uncover how they're adapting in 2023 and beyond. Cloud Security Workflow Handbook.*
- The first purported image of the rumored PlayStation 5 Slim has surfaced, showing it as 5cm lower than the current PS5.
- Intel patched a security hole in CPUs from 2015 to 2019, preventing data theft between users sharing a computer.
- Amazon is introducing an AI tool for its marketplace sellers to automatically generate copy for their product listings.
- The rebooted animated science fiction show "Futurama" has handled crypto as the main topic in its latest episode titled "How the West Was 101001."
- Join over 5,000 fast-growing companies around the world that trust Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time. Inside readers get $1,000 off.*
*This is a sponsored post. | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | AUG
5 | | Learn about streamlining SOC 2 compliance with Vanta and AWS. Join the webinar on Aug 17.* | | | | | | | OCT
16 | | Meet Our Fund 5, Building and Investing in AI | | | | | | | NOV
7 | | Join 300+ CCOs and senior leaders from Amex, Verizon, Hilton, Wells Fargo and more at Reuters Events: Customer Service & Experience East 2023.* | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Bridge financing: Bridge financing rounds are defined as interim financing that a startup raises between two rounds of financing. 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 Christopher Hachey | |
| |
 | Don’t get left behind. Make the switch today to an exciting ML career with Interview Kickstart. | |
|
| |
|
| |
