Investor letter: Reid Hoffman won't be a GP for Greylock's next $1B fund, down from its $1.5B funds in 2020 and 2021; Hoffman made one deal in its 16th fund (Berber Jin/Wall Street Journal)

Berber Jin / Wall Street Journal:
Investor letter: Reid Hoffman won't be a GP for Greylock's next $1B fund, down from its $1.5B funds in 2020 and 2021; Hoffman made one deal in its 16th fund  —  Co-founder of LinkedIn is one of Silicon Valley's most influential AI enthusiasts  —  Reid Hoffman, one of Silicon Valley's …

Lessons from the rapid grocery delivery boom: $10B+ of VC money, used for ads and promos, created the market from nothing, app downloads have cratered, and more (Bryce Elder/Financial Times)

Bryce Elder / Financial Times:
Lessons from the rapid grocery delivery boom: $10B+ of VC money, used for ads and promos, created the market from nothing, app downloads have cratered, and more  —  The failure and folly behind a $10bn bribe to not go to the shops  —  The inflation adjusted price for delivering you a packet …

Elon Musk says X users will be able to make video and audio calls without a phone number, but offers no timeframe, as X "is the effective global address book" (Charlotte Hughes-Morgan/Bloomberg)

Charlotte Hughes-Morgan / Bloomberg:
Elon Musk says X users will be able to make video and audio calls without a phone number, but offers no timeframe, as X “is the effective global address book”  —  Users of X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, will be able to make video and audio calls through …

Free Fire game by Garena to Launch in India on September 5

Singapore-based online games developer and publisher, Garena, is launching Free Fire India, a game with unique content and features to promote safe and fun gameplay. Yotta, a Hiranandani Group company, will provide local cloud hosting and storage for the game. Free Fire India will have features specifically developed for Indian users, including a verification system for parental supervision. Garena is committed to supporting India's esports and startup ecosystems, with plans to host the Free Fire India Esports Championships in the coming months. https://ift.tt/7bXsAfJ

Republican AGs from 16 states write to the SEC over concerns about Shein filing for a US IPO and urge the agency to order an investigation on using forced labor (Jordyn Holman/New York Times)

Jordyn Holman / New York Times:
Republican AGs from 16 states write to the SEC over concerns about Shein filing for a US IPO and urge the agency to order an investigation on using forced labor  —  A group of state attorneys general urged the S.E.C. to make the fast fashion company prove it doesn't use forced labor if it files to go public.

Samsung launches Food, a "personalized" AI-based food and recipe app in eight languages and 104 countries, drawing on a 160K+ recipes from Whisk, bought in 2019 (Steve Dent/Engadget)

Steve Dent / Engadget:
Samsung launches Food, a “personalized” AI-based food and recipe app in eight languages and 104 countries, drawing on a 160K+ recipes from Whisk, bought in 2019  —  It builds on Whisk, an app it acquired a few years back.  —  As it promised last week, Samsung has launched Food …

How to install WhatsApp on Macs

WhatsApp has introduced a new app for Mac, allowing users to make video calls with up to eight people and audio calls with up to 32 people. The app can be downloaded from WhatsApp's website and will soon be available on the Apple App Store. It offers features such as file sharing and a larger chat history view. The article also provides step-by-step instructions on how to install and log into WhatsApp on macOS devices. https://ift.tt/EpaJeMS

A look at the wave of child safety legislation in the US to age gate minors' access to the internet, backed by Republicans and Democrats alike (Makena Kelly/The Verge)

Makena Kelly / The Verge:
A look at the wave of child safety legislation in the US to age gate minors' access to the internet, backed by Republicans and Democrats alike  —  By the end of this month, porn will get a lot harder to watch in Texas.  Instead of clicking a button or entering a date of birth to access Pornhub …

Huawei quietly launches the ~$960 Mate 60 Pro, giving no advance notice and releasing no ads; some investors speculate that Huawei used its own 5G chip (Reuters)

Reuters:
Huawei quietly launches the ~$960 Mate 60 Pro, giving no advance notice and releasing no ads; some investors speculate that Huawei used its own 5G chip  —  Chinese chip stocks rallied on Wednesday following Huawei Technologies' (HWT.UL) launch of its new Mate 60 Pro phone …

Google is testing watermark to identify AI-generated images: Here’s how it works, what it means for users, and more

Google's AI arm, DeepMind, is testing a digital watermark called SynthID to combat disinformation. The watermark is embedded into AI-generated images, allowing for identification purposes. It has three confidence levels: "Digital watermark detected," "Digital watermark not detected," and "Digital watermark possibly detected." SynthID combines watermarking and identification using metadata and deep learning models. Unlike traditional watermarks, SynthID remains detectable even after modifications. The goal is to reduce misinformation by helping users determine if an image is real or fake. https://ift.tt/7kldYDt

Apollo.io, which offers sales and marketing tools used by 500K+ firms, raised $100M led by Bain at a $1.6B valuation, up from ~$900M after raising $110M in 2022 (Katie Roof/Bloomberg)

Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Apollo.io, which offers sales and marketing tools used by 500K+ firms, raised $100M led by Bain at a $1.6B valuation, up from ~$900M after raising $110M in 2022  —  - $100 million investment led by Bain Capital Ventures  — Apollo's clients include Stripe, DocuSign, Utah Jazz

Philips expands local manufacturing in line with ‘Make in India’ initiative

Philips has announced the expansion of its Personal Health product categories in India, in line with the country's 'Make in India' initiative. The consumer electronics brand will now produce 'Mother and Childcare' products in addition to its existing female and male grooming products. The expansion aims to cater to local consumers and tackle product counterfeiting. Philips also unveiled new products including the Beard Trimmer Series 1000 and the Hair Straightening Brush. https://ift.tt/ceJ9PKH

LTIMindtree partners with CAST AI to help businesses optimize cloud investments

LTIMindtree has partnered with CAST AI to help companies save over 60% on cloud costs during the process of modernizing legacy applications for cloud migration. The collaboration combines LTIMindtree's Infinity platform with CAST AI's cloud cost optimization platform, providing enterprises with a comprehensive view of their cloud portfolio. The partnership aims to optimize Kubernetes management and costs in both single and multi-cloud environments, automating 100% of cloud-native infrastructure and reducing costs for customers. https://ift.tt/sgu3Lvb

Philips launches Hair Straightening Brush, Beard Trimmer Series 1000, and Avent Bottle Steriliser

Healthcare technology brand Philips has announced the expansion of its product portfolio in India. The company has launched the Beard Trimmer Series 1000, Hair Straightening Brush, and Avent Bottle Steriliser. These new products are manufactured locally and target India's Gen Z and millennial customers. The Beard Trimmer is priced at Rs 945, the Hair Straightening Brush at Rs 3,199, and the Avent Bottle Steriliser at Rs 4,499. The products are available for purchase on Philips' official website and other e-commerce platforms. Philips aims to support the Indian market by diversifying its offerings. https://ift.tt/ANOIydg

A look at Disney's shifting India strategy, after the unit reported a $41.5M loss on $390M revenue in the year to March 2022, including free cricket on mobile (Reuters)

Reuters:
A look at Disney's shifting India strategy, after the unit reported a $41.5M loss on $390M revenue in the year to March 2022, including free cricket on mobile  —  Walt Disney (DIS.N) is attempting to revive the fortunes of its streaming business in India by offering free cricket on smartphones …

Swedish payments company Trustly acquires French recurring payments service SlimPay, sources say for €70M; Trustly shelved IPO plans in 2021 (Aisha S Gani/Bloomberg)

Aisha S Gani / Bloomberg:
Swedish payments company Trustly acquires French recurring payments service SlimPay, sources say for €70M; Trustly shelved IPO plans in 2021  —  Swedish payments firm Trustly has acquired the French recurring payments platform SlimPay as it continues its Europe-wide expansion.

Samsung partners with LG and Vestel to enable seamless control of smart appliances across brands

Samsung has partnered with LG electronics and Vestel to allow consumers to control third-party smart appliances using their preferred app. This collaboration will enable Cloud-to-Cloud interoperability between home appliances and HVAC systems, bringing benefits such as energy savings. The functionality will be available in eight countries, including the UK, US, and Germany. Users can control their smart appliances through apps like SmartThings, LG's ThinQ, and Vestel's VeeZy by updating their mobile app. Samsung believes this partnership will help the smart home market achieve new levels of scale and provide consumers with enhanced digital services. https://ift.tt/hpqSdeC

UK's National Air Traffic Services is experiencing network-wide computer failure, as hundreds of flights in and out of the country have been delayed (Gwyn Topham/The Guardian)

Gwyn Topham / The Guardian:
UK's National Air Traffic Services is experiencing network-wide computer failure, as hundreds of flights in and out of the country have been delayed  —  Some regional routes operating but few planes took off from Heathrow and inbound flights have been held  —  Hundreds of flights …

Nothing Phone (1) receiving NothingOS 2.0 update: All the details

Nothing is rolling out the Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0.2 update for the Nothing Phone 1. The update includes features like lock screen and home screen widgets, App Lock, Cloned Apps, and an updated home screen customization. Additionally, Nothing has collaborated with Swedish House Mafia to create an exclusive sound pack for both Phone 1 and Phone 2 users, which can be customized using the Glyph Composer app. Users can also download House Mafia custom ringtones for their phones. https://ift.tt/Ckya5i2

Chinese EV giant BYD's electronics unit strikes a deal with US-based Jabil to buy the key Apple supplier's manufacturing business in China for ~$2.2B (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Chinese EV giant BYD's electronics unit strikes a deal with US-based Jabil to buy the key Apple supplier's manufacturing business in China for ~$2.2B  —  - US firm Jabil joins tech companies reducing exposure to China  —  The electronics arm of electric-vehicle maker BYD Co. agreed …

UPS launches its first technology center in India

UPS has opened its first technology centre in Chennai, India, with a focus on innovation to improve customer experience. The centre was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, and is led by Dr. Subramani Ramakrishan. UPS has already hired 100 professionals in Chennai and plans to hire up to 1,000 by 2025 across India. The company aims to leverage advanced technologies such as AI, automation, and robotics to enhance its logistics capabilities in the fast-growing Indian market. https://ift.tt/l2E4MrX

Foxconn founder Terry Gou plans to run in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, after an unsuccessful bid in 2019 (Chun Han Wong/Wall Street Journal)

Chun Han Wong / Wall Street Journal:
Foxconn founder Terry Gou plans to run in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, after an unsuccessful bid in 2019  —  Terry Gou's independent candidacy could split opposition vote and boost the ruling party, which seeks closer U.S. ties amid Chinese pressure

US Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Google’s spam filters of biasses

A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) against Google over allegations of biased spam filters on Gmail. The judge cited Section 230 of US law and stated that the RNC had not provided enough evidence to prove that Google had acted in bad faith. The RNC claimed that Gmail marked Republican emails as spam more often, but the study they referenced was criticized for cherry-picking findings. The court ruled that the RNC could amend the lawsuit to establish a lack of good faith. https://ift.tt/op2YR9i

A look at the US Air Force's efforts to build an AI-based air combat system, including drones for as little as $3M apiece that serve pilots as a "loyal wingman" (Eric Lipton/New York Times)

Eric Lipton / New York Times:
A look at the US Air Force's efforts to build an AI-based air combat system, including drones for as little as $3M apiece that serve pilots as a “loyal wingman”  —  An Air Force program shows how the Pentagon is starting to embrace the potential of a rapidly emerging technology …

Laptop import restrictions: US has a 'problem' with licence mandate

The Indian government has added laptops, tablets, and personal computers to the list of restricted imports, requiring a license from the DGFT. The US trade chief, Katherine Tai, has expressed concerns over the new rule, fearing it could impact exports from companies like Apple and Dell. The Indian government stated that the restrictions are in place to safeguard citizen security and will only allow imports from trusted sources. Exemptions have been provided for personal baggage, personal imports through online platforms, and limited items for research purposes. The new licensing regime will take effect on November 1. https://ift.tt/QPgdx2F

Didi says it has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng, one of China's largest EV makers, for ~$744M (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Didi says it has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng, one of China's largest EV makers, for ~$744M  —  Didi Global Inc. has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng Inc. for HK$5.84 billion ($744 million), exiting a promising business in the world's largest electric vehicle market.

How LLMs are transforming computational humor, an AI subfield that uses computers to create jokes, as some artists begin using AI chatbots for improv comedy (Gillian Tett/Financial Times)

Gillian Tett / Financial Times:
How LLMs are transforming computational humor, an AI subfield that uses computers to create jokes, as some artists begin using AI chatbots for improv comedy  —  Machines are getting better at making us laugh — and challenging our notions of humanity in the process

A look at the ethical and legal issues around generative AI, as it makes practical at a massive scale things that were previously only possible on a small scale (Benedict Evans)

Benedict Evans:
A look at the ethical and legal issues around generative AI, as it makes practical at a massive scale things that were previously only possible on a small scale  —  We've been talking about intellectual property in one way or another for at least the last five hundred years …

Sources: Apple's new iPad Pro, due in 2024, will get its first major overhaul since 2018, including an M3 chip, OLED displays, and a revamped Magic Keyboard (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple's new iPad Pro, due in 2024, will get its first major overhaul since 2018, including an M3 chip, OLED displays, and a revamped Magic Keyboard  —  Apple is working on a revamped iPad Pro for next year, aiming to shake up a tablet market that's deep in the doldrums.

A look at Smart Answers, an AI chatbot trained only on Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, and TechHive content, and offered to the outlets' readers on August 1 (Mia Sato/The Verge)

Mia Sato / The Verge:
A look at Smart Answers, an AI chatbot trained only on Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, and TechHive content, and offered to the outlets' readers on August 1  —  By and large, the goal has been: can we make more pages for ads without paying more writers?  —  Now, a group of tech outlets …

A look at the UK's new DARPA-inspired Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which has a four-year £800M budget to invest in breakthrough tech like AI (Clive Cookson/Financial Times)

Clive Cookson / Financial Times:
A look at the UK's new DARPA-inspired Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which has a four-year £800M budget to invest in breakthrough tech like AI  —  Head of Advanced Research and Invention Agency tells FT it has appointed directors charged with selecting projects

New technology developed to transport of radio frequency (RF) through optical methods

A new prototype in the NG-PADC project could revolutionize various sectors by enabling faster digital communication, improved satellite communication, better medical imaging, and photonic radars. The prototype, developed by IIT Madras with support from the IMPRINT program, features a time-stretched photonic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with an effective bandwidth 12 times higher than electronic ADCs. This allows for the sampling of higher bandwidth signals with lower bandwidth ADCs. The scientists behind the project have partnered with Lightmotif Automation to bring the technology to the market. https://ift.tt/eVuPqa5

Income tax department website revamped, here's all that's new

The Income Tax Department has launched a revamped website with a new user interface and additional features. The website aims to serve as a comprehensive repository of tax information and provides access to Direct Tax laws, rules, circulars, and notifications. It also includes a 'Taxpayer Services Module' with various tools to assist taxpayers in filing their returns. The website has been redesigned with a mobile-responsive layout and includes virtual tours and guided explanations of new features. The revamped website is part of the department's efforts to enhance taxpayer services and facilitate tax compliance. https://ift.tt/i1urfYZ

Government warns of action against carrying advertisements on online betting platform

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India has instructed media entities, online advertisement intermediaries, and social media platforms to stop showing advertisements for betting and gambling. The ministry warns that failure to comply may result in action from the Indian government under various laws. The ministry highlights the financial and socio-economic risks associated with gambling platforms and their connection to money laundering networks. It also notes that black money is often used to pay for such advertisements. The ministry has previously issued advisories on this matter in 2022 and 2023. https://ift.tt/8z59Ggm

Edtech company Cuemath cuts jobs, read what CEO's mail to employees said

Cuemath, an online math learning platform, has laid off 100 more employees, marking its second round of job cuts this year. The company cited divergent revenue and cost trajectories, as well as the challenging macro situation around capital availability for edtech, as reasons for the layoffs. Cuemath's revenue for the fiscal year ending March 2022 grew by 63.1%, but its losses increased by 66%. The company is backed by Peak XV Partners and provides an after-school online math program for students in grades K-12. https://ift.tt/0bP3Yhw

WordPress.com debuts a 100-year domain name registration for $38K, offering managed hosting and 24/7 customer service; domains are typically capped at 10 years (Roger Montti/Search Engine Journal)

Roger Montti / Search Engine Journal:
WordPress.com debuts a 100-year domain name registration for $38K, offering managed hosting and 24/7 customer service; domains are typically capped at 10 years  —  WordPress announces the availability of 100-year domain name registrations that include 24/7 assistance and managed web hosting

A look at Smallville, a virtual village populated by AI chatbots, built by Stanford and Google researchers to create a society with "believable human behavior" (Oliver Roeder/Financial Times)

Oliver Roeder / Financial Times:
A look at Smallville, a virtual village populated by AI chatbots, built by Stanford and Google researchers to create a society with “believable human behavior”  —  Giving digital agents ‘memory streams’ produced surprising results  —  John Lin is a small-town pharmacist who takes great pride in his work.

Despite cheating and misinformation fears, some US schools that once raced to block AI chatbot access are now encouraging teachers and students to use them (Natasha Singer/New York Times)

Natasha Singer / New York Times:
Despite cheating and misinformation fears, some US schools that once raced to block AI chatbot access are now encouraging teachers and students to use them  —  Some districts that once raced to block A.I. chatbots are now trying to embrace them.  —  For decades, Walla Walla High School …

VMware unveils enhanced VMware Cloud suite with advanced features for modernization and security

VMware has announced a major upgrade to its VMware Cloud offerings, aimed at helping organizations modernize and secure their operations. The enhanced VMware Cloud integrates on-premises and public cloud software, providing a consistent environment across different cloud platforms. It is available in five editions, offering flexibility to organizations at different stages of their cloud transformation journey. Additionally, VMware has introduced NSX+, a cloud-managed service for networking, security, and developer services in multi-cloud environments, and VMware vSAN Max, a scalable and cost-effective storage solution. The company also unveiled VMware Ransomware Recovery, a cloud service for recovering from fileless ransomware attacks. https://ift.tt/dkxFMSJ

CoinGecko: Worldcoin's WLD fell 9.1% in the past 24 hours to ~$1.33, down 43.6% since its launch a month ago, after scrutiny over data collection and privacy (Timmy Shen/The Block)

Timmy Shen / The Block:
CoinGecko: Worldcoin's WLD fell 9.1% in the past 24 hours to ~$1.33, down 43.6% since its launch a month ago, after scrutiny over data collection and privacy  —  - The controversial crypto project co-created by Sam Altman saw its WLD token drop 9.1% over the past 24 hours and 43.6% over the past 30 days.

Amazon sues pirate sites for selling DVDs of the most expensive TV show ever

Amazon has filed a criminal case against 'pirates' who were selling the TV show, The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power, online. The company is seeking financial damages and wants to take over the websites involved. Amazon has named seven websites and a Chinese man as defendants in the case. The company is also seeking a permanent injunction and wants domain registrars to transfer the domain names associated with the piracy websites to Amazon's name. Additionally, Amazon wants financial institutions to transfer any amounts arising from the defendants' unlawful activities. https://ift.tt/9w7LokU

Source: Tencent Music, Cloud Music, and more scrap their virtual lucky draws and other features at a hefty cost, as China cracks down on online gambling (Josh Ye/Reuters)

Josh Ye / Reuters:
Source: Tencent Music, Cloud Music, and more scrap their virtual lucky draws and other features at a hefty cost, as China cracks down on online gambling  —  Chinese online content platforms including Tencent Music (1698.HK) and NetEase's Cloud Music (9899.HK) have removed live streaming features …