Plus: Voodoo acquires social media app BeReal for €500M.
| For June 11, 2024 |  |
| Here’s a look at today's tech briefing: - Raspberry Pi stock soars after London IPO.
- Four more states join U.S. antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
- Elon Musk threatens to ban Apple devices due to ChatGPT integration.
- Voodoo acquires social media app BeReal for €500M.
- GM invests $850M to support Cruise operations.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Low-cost computer maker Raspberry Pi went public on the London Stock Exchange today, with its shares initially priced at £2.80 and rising 32% to £3.70. The IPO generated £166M ($211M), making it the second-largest in Britain this year. More: - The public listing valued the British microcomputer maker at nearly £542M ($689M).
- Founded in 2012, the Cambridge-based company began as a Raspberry Pi Foundation subsidiary and is now known for making single-board computers.
- Raspberry Pi has sold over 60 million computers to date, with 70% bought by tech companies and manufacturers and the rest by educators and enthusiasts.
Zoom out: - Raspberry Pi's debut boosts London's struggling stock market, which has seen several companies, including Arm, choose New York for IPOs.
- Raspberry Pi is the first tech company to raise over $100M in London since Devolver Digital's 2021 IPO.
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| 2 | | Four additional states have joined the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Apple. The DOJ sued Apple in March, alleging the company holds an illegal monopoly on smartphones. More: - Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington have now joined the civil suit.
- This brings the number of states involved to 19, plus the District of Columbia.
- The suit accuses Apple of building a dominant iPhone ecosystem and restricting its App Store instead of lowering prices or improving terms.
- It charges Apple with fostering iPhone loyalty through anticompetitive actions, such as downgrading third-party messaging apps to favor its own.
- Apple plans to ask a federal judge to dismiss the case, claiming it "threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets."
Zoom out: - U.S. regulators have also filed lawsuits against other Google, Meta, and Amazon.
- In January 2023, the DOJ sued Google over its alleged dominance in the digital advertising market. Its other suit accuses Google of suppressing competition in the online search market.
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| 3 | | Elon Musk threatened to ban Apple devices at his companies if Apple integrates OpenAI into its operating systems. Musk, who cited privacy and security concerns, made the threat shortly after Apple said it's integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT across experiences in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. More: - Musk called the OpenAI integration with Apple "an unacceptable security violation."
- He said that visitors to his companies would have to hand over Apple devices at the door, where they would be stored in a Faraday cage, which blocks electromagnetic fields.
- The Tesla CEO also criticized Apple's generative AI efforts, writing "It's patently absurd that Apple isn't smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!"
- Musk's AI startup, xAI, competes with OpenAI.
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| 4 | | French video game developer Voodoo acquired social media app BeReal for €500M ($537M). Despite its fading buzz, BeReal's user base has grown to 40 million active users. More: - The acquisition, a mix of cash and stock, was finalized on Tuesday.
- BeReal, known for its "spontaneous authenticity" feature, won Apple's 2022 iPhone App of the Year.
- The app prompts users once a day with a push notification to take a photo of their surroundings to post.
- Despite the initial success, BeReal struggled to expand its user base and sought a buyer due to dwindling funds.
Zoom out: - In a press release, Voodoo co-founder and CEO Alexandre Yazdi said "BeReal achieved incredible user loyalty and growth, showing there is a universal need to share real, unfiltered experiences with close friends."
- Voodoo said it plans to leverage its mobile product experience to help BeReal grow by building new features and focusing on organic and paid marketing.
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| 5 | | General Motors is investing $850M into Cruise to support its operations after safety incidents led to the grounding of its autonomous vehicle fleet. In an Oct. 2 incident, a pedestrian was hit by another vehicle in San Francisco, leading a Cruise self-driving car to stop and attempt a pullover maneuver while the pedestrian was beneath it. More: - After the incident, California's DMV suspended Cruise's permits and GM issued a recall for Cruise's entire 950-robotaxi fleet.
- GM's investment will help cover Cruise's operational expenses as it gradually resumes testing of its self-driving vehicles across various U.S. cities.
- The capital infusion will support Cruise until the company finds a long-term funding strategy, including potential partnerships and external funding, a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
- GM CEO Mary Barra has stressed a need to rebuild trust with regulators, shareholders, and communities where Cruise operates.
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| 6 | | Nintendo Switch users can no longer upload media directly to X, following Sony and Microsoft in discontinuing native screen-sharing on the platform. The Switch's 18.1.0 update removed the integration, preventing users from linking their X account with the console. More: - As of Monday, Switch users can no longer post screenshots and videos from the console's album to X.
- They can no longer send friend requests through the Friend Suggestions feature.
- Nintendo has not specified why it's ending X integration, though reports attributed the moves to X's high fees to access its API.
- According to Wired, X's most affordable Enterprise API plan starts at $42,000 a month.
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| 7 | | Quick Hits: *This is sponsored content. | | | |
 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Beth Duckett | |
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