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| Here's a look at today's Tech briefing: - Google sues scammers over fake Bard malware.
- Tesla limits resales of the Cybertruck for the first year.
- Salesforce appoints a new Slack CEO.
- Reuters reports previously undisclosed injuries at SpaceX facilities.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Google is suing five individuals accused of deceiving users into downloading a harmful version of its Bard AI software. The company claims the alleged scammers, likely based in Vietnam, used social media and ads to promote a phony Bard download, which contained malware instead of the expected chatbot. More: - In the lawsuit filed today in California, Google accused the scammers of exploiting trademarks such as "Google AI" and "AIGoogleBard" to entice users to install the malware.
- This allowed the defendants to steal victims' login credentials for social media platforms, according to the filing.
- In a blog post today, Google general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado said scammers are seizing opportunities to exploit unsuspecting users as excitement grows around new generative AI tools.
- The company's lawsuit is part of Google's efforts to "establish needed legal precedents in emerging fields of innovation," DeLaine Prado wrote.
- Google issued more than 300 takedown requests since April before taking legal action, she noted.
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| 2 | | Buyers of Tesla's upcoming Cybertruck will face restrictions on their resale, according to a clause added to the vehicle's order agreement. The new clause prevents buyers from selling the luxury EV truck within the first year without explicit permission from Tesla. More: - Deliveries of the first Cybertrucks will begin on Nov. 30, with full production slated for next year.
- Tesla has added a "For Cybertruck Only" section to the Motor Vehicle Order Agreement. The clause states that the truck will be released in limited numbers and customers must agree not to sell it within a year after delivery.
- Customers will have the option of selling their Cybertrucks back to Tesla. If Tesla agrees, customers can then request permission to sell to a third party through Tesla.
- If Tesla denies consent and the car is sold, Tesla can pursue legal action or claim up to $50,000 in damages from the customer.
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| 3 | | Salesforce appointed Denise Dresser as the new CEO of Slack, marking the third major leadership change for the company in the past year. Dresser, a 12-year Salesforce veteran, replaces Lidiane Jones, who recently accepted the CEO position at the dating app Bumble. More: - Dresser recently held the position of president of accelerated industries at Salesforce and had prior experience as an EVP for enterprise sales.
- In 2021, Salesforce acquired Slack in a $27.7B deal.
- Since the deal closed, numerous senior Salesforce executives have left the company.
- In December 2022, Slack founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield and Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor both departed within a two-week timeframe.
- Jones, a former Salesforce cloud executive, succeeded Butterfield in January.
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| 4 | | A Reuters investigation revealed over 600 previously undisclosed injuries at SpaceX since 2014. Injury rates at some SpaceX facilities far exceeded the industry average, according to the findings. 
Details: According to Reuters, SpaceX has a history of not submitting injury data to regulators. Its investigation exposed over 600 previously unreported injuries at SpaceX facilities since 2014, with some resulting in severe burns, cuts, fractures, head injuries, crushed limbs, electrocutions, or amputations. The report included one fatality, former U.S. Marine Lonnie LeBlanc, who lost his life when he fell from a truck while transporting materials for SpaceX in Texas. What the numbers show: Some SpaceX facilities reported injury rates far above the industry norm of 0.8 injuries per 100 workers. In 2022, Brownsville, Texas had a rate of 4.8, Hawthorne, California had 1.8, and McGregor, Texas had 2.7. Zoom out: The investigation highlights inadequate training, exhausted staff, and a disregard for safety protocols as employees rushed to meet CEO Elon Musk's demanding space mission deadlines to eventually go to Mars. Workers cited Musk's unconventional behavior, including playing with a flamethrower during visits, and his aversion to bright colors, which led him to discourage workers from wearing safety yellow. | | | |
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| 5 | | Users of Threads, Meta's text-based social media app, can now opt out of having their posts displayed on Instagram and Facebook. Some users had complained about the default sharing setting, which automatically shared Threads posts across other Meta-owned apps. More: - Threads, a rival to X/Twitter, now allows users to turn off the automatic sharing via a privacy toggle.
- Users can access their profile in the mobile app, tap the top-right two lines, and select Privacy > Suggesting posts on other apps.
- The feature was designed to enhance user engagement within Threads, which now claims nearly 100 million monthly active users.
- The app could be on track to hit 1 billion in the next few years, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
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| 6 | | The Beatles' song "Now and Then" reached No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart and U.K. music charts. The first new song by the Beatles since 1995 was created with the help of AI technology. More: - "Now and Then," billed as the "final" Beatles song, was originally recorded as a demo by John Lennon in 1977.
- It was intended for the band's Anthology series in the mid-'90s but was put on hold by band members.
- Recently, advancements in AI technology allowed for the extraction of Lennon's vocals from the demo.
- The song also includes contributions from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the late George Harrison.
- "It's mind-boggling. It's blown my socks off," McCartney said in a statement. "It's also a very emotional moment for me. I love it!"
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| 7 | | Quick Hits: - Elevate your Kubernetes skills with this must-read resource for building cloud native applications. Get your Kubernetes Cookbook today.*
- Michigan-based McLaren Health Care confirmed that 2.2 million patients' sensitive personal and health information was compromised in a cyberattack earlier this year.
- Alphabet, Google's parent company, has completely divested its stake in Robinhood Markets after previously reducing its ownership.
- Chinese tech giant Xiaomi reported record-breaking sales of over $3.1B during the Singles Day shopping festival from Oct. 23 to Nov. 11. The sales included Alibaba's Tmall and Taobao, JD.com, Pinduoduo, and Douyin.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is an editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters, with a career spanning journalism since 2007. She has written for publications including The Arizona Republic and USA Today and authored a book on the solar industry in 2016. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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