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| Welcome to today's Inside Tech! Here are today's top stories: - Google and other tech giants have withdrawn from the Web Summit tech conference.
- FBI says thousands of remote IT workers sent wages to North Korea.
- X/Twitter will introduce two paid subscription tiers.
- Apple TV+ has canceled Jon Stewart's show due to content disagreements.
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p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Google, Intel, and Siemens AG have all withdrawn from the Web Summit, Europe's largest tech conference, due to controversial remarks made by the event's leader about Israel. Stripe, a longtime sponsor of the summit, also announced that its chief product officer and chief marketing officer will no longer attend. More: - The cancellations come after Web Summit CEO Paddy Cosgrave's criticism of Western support for Israel on social media in the wake of the Hamas attacks.
- Cosgrave later apologized, saying that his words and the timing "caused profound hurt to many."
- Ori Goshen, co-founder and co-CEO of AI startup AI21 Labs, still canceled his keynote speech.
- Other venture capitalists and tech leaders have also canceled appearances, including Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan and Sequoia Capital's Ravi Gupta.
- Former PayPal Chief Executive David Marcus vowed never to participate, sponsor, or speak at a Web Summit event again.
Zoom out: - Web Summit organizers have yet to comment on the cancellations.
- The event, with an attendance of 70,000 over a span of three days, is set to take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from Nov. 13 to 16.
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| 2 | | Thousands of IT workers contracted by U.S. companies have covertly sent their wages to North Korea for its ballistic missile program, according to federal prosecutors. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that North Korean nationals have been using fake identities to work remotely for U.S. companies as IT professionals in a scheme to fund weapons of mass destruction programs. More: - The DOJ has since seized 17 website domains linked to the illicit scheme.
- North Korea reportedly deployed thousands of IT workers globally, primarily in China and Russia, to trick global businesses into hiring them as freelancers.
- Using false identities as freelance IT workers based in the U.S., the workers have generated millions for North Korea and at times infiltrated company networks for theft and extortion, per the DOJ.
- As part of the investigation, the FBI also seized about $1.5M in earnings from the workers in October 2022 and January 2023.
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| 3 | | Elon Musk confirmed that X, formerly known as Twitter, will introduce two new subscription tiers for users. Musk revealed that one tier will offer a lower price point but will continue to show ads, while the other will be more expensive but completely ad-free. More: - Musk didn't specify the exact prices for the new tiers.
- Earlier this week, X introduced a $1 yearly fee for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines as part of an anti-spam and bot prevention effort.
- It's uncertain if that annual subscription is among the two tiers cited by Musk.
Zoom out: - The platform already offers an X Premium subscription for $8 per month, granting paid users a verified blue checkmark and other features like post editing.
- A recent study by NewsGuard found that nearly 75% of the viral misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war on X between October 7 and October 14 was promoted by verified X accounts.
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| 4 | | In the third quarter of 2023, global smartphone sales fell by 8%, hitting their lowest Q3 levels in a decade, according to the latest data from Counterpoint Research. Samsung maintained its global leadership with a 20% market share in Q3, while Apple was in second place with 16%. 
What the numbers show: In Q3, the collective market share of the top five smartphone brands fell, as smaller rivals gained ground. Among the top five global brands, Chinese smartphone manufacturers Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo were the only ones that expanded their market share and recorded year-over-year sales growth. Samsung's global market share dropped to 20% (from 21%), with a 13% sales decline, while Apple's share decreased to 16% (down 1%) due to a 9% reduction in sales. Together, the top five brands made up 64% of the market, down from 68% in previous years The bigger picture: According to Counterpoint, sales growth in emerging markets, along with smaller brands gaining ground, suggests shifting dynamics in the global smartphone market. Meanwhile, nine consecutive quarters of falling global smartphone sales were mainly due to a slower-than-expected recovery in consumer demand. Counterpoint expects a sales rebound during Q4, though it still predicts full-year 2023 sales could reach their lowest levels in a decade. | | | |
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| 5 | | Apple TV+ has canceled the third season of "The Problem With Jon Stewart." The decision reportedly stemmed from disagreements over the show's topics, particularly concerning those China and artificial intelligence. More: - Following his departure from The Daily Show in 2020, Jon Stewart signed a multi-year first-look deal with Apple TV+, the company's streaming service,
- His show, which debuted in 2021, featured episodes released weekly or every other week, covering topics like racism, climate change, and gun control.
- According to The New York Times, creative differences between Stewart and Apple have led to the show's cancellation just before the start of its third season.
- Apple executives reportedly expressed concerns about specific topics, such as China and AI, to the production staff.
- When Apple insisted that Stewart be "aligned" on the show's topics and threatened cancellation, Stewart opted to walk away as he wanted to retain full creative control, according to THR.
Q: Do you think it's fair for streaming platforms like Apple TV+ to have a say in the content and topics of their shows? Share your thoughts and join the conversation here. | | | |
| 6 | | Apple may introduce generative AI, the technology behind image creators and chatbots like ChatGPT, to the iPhone and iPad in 2024. Analyst Jeff Pu, who specializes in Apple's supply chain for Haitong International Securities, claims Apple is gearing up to build hundreds of AI servers this year and next, paving the way for generative AI integration in late 2024 at the earliest. More: - According to MacRumors, meeting a target of late 2024 means Apple could potentially introduce generative AI features in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
- Pu believes Apple will offer both cloud-based and edge AI, when data is processed offline directly on the device.
- Apple has already created its own framework called "Ajax" to build large language models, and has used it to develop a chatbot referred to as "Apple GPT" by some engineers.
Zoom out: - In August, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple's progress in generative AI lags behind competitors, and there is no sign that the company will launch AI services or products in 2024.
- The update contradicts Bloomberg, which expects a significant AI announcement from Apple in 2024.
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INSIDE TECH LEADERBOARD (7 DAYS) |
 | 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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