Sources: Walmart, Amazon, and Expedia have recently explored issuing or using stablecoins in the US to potentially save fees from cash and card transactions — Corporate coins could take payments activity away from banks and the traditional financial system
SAG-AFTRA ends the 300+ day video game actors strike after reaching a tentative deal for a new Interactive Media Agreement with the major video game companies — The union had taken a stand on artificial intelligence, among other concerns, as it looked to advocate for voice and performance capture workers.
A profile of Twitch streamer and YouTuber Ross Minor, blind since age 8, who is an advocate and consultant for blind-accessible video games like Sea of Thieves — Ross Minor lost his eyesight at 8 years old. Today, he's a hardcore gamer who runs YouTube and Twitch channels and consults for big studios.
macOS Tahoe 26 hands-on: Liquid Glass is slick but slightly overwrought, and the new Spotlight search features are nifty and useful, but fall short of Raycast — Tahoe is all about power users and theme options borrowed from the iPhone. … At WWDC, Apple announced its new Liquid Glass design language …
UK retailer M&S begins accepting online orders again, seven weeks after disclosing a sustained cyberattack that cost it up to £300M in this financial year — Retailer says it will take ‘weeks’ to restore some online services as fashion ranges return
Protesters against immigration raids in LA damaged and set several Waymo autonomous taxis on fire on Sunday; Waymo says it is working with law enforcement — As police struggled with another day of unrest in downtown L.A., several Waymo autonomous taxis were set on fire, sending thick plumes of black smoke billowing high into the air.
Maryland-based quantum computing company IonQ agrees to acquire Oxford Ionics, which spun out of Oxford University, in a $1.07B all-stock deal, closing in 2025 — Acquisition of Oxford Ionics for $1.1bn shows advances in processing are kick-starting dealmaking
Treefera, which uses satellite imagery, drone imagery, and AI to provide real-time insights into supply chains, raised a $30M Series B led by Notion Capital — Treefera delivers real-time, first-mile traceability using adaptive AI, satellite imagery and financial-grade risk modelling.
A look at the intensifying race for super apps in the Gulf, as Careem, Talabat, Amazon, Botim, and Noon consolidate various services into single platforms — From Dubai to Riyadh, apps are consolidating ride-hailing, payments, and delivery into single platforms. — The race for super-apps is intensifying in the Middle East.
Skyral, a London-based modeling and simulation startup developing AI-based digital twin tech for defense, healthcare, and other sectors, raised a $20M Series A — Global demand for predictive simulation and digital twin technology has accelerated in recent years, driven by geopolitical instability and climate risk.
Sources: ByteDance replaced some TikTok Shop's US staff in Seattle with China-based managers after 2024 revenue hit $9B, far short of its $17.5B goal — TikTok Shop initially set a goal to increase its US e-commerce business tenfold last year to $17.5 billion in transaction volume …
Microsoft plans to add a “safety” category to its AI leaderboard on Azure Foundry, with a safety metric based on its ToxiGen and CAIS's WMD Proxy benchmarks — Tech group's corporate clients use its ‘leaderboard’ to assess rival offerings by likes of OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI
YouTube rolls out a tool to let some creators upload different thumbnails for each video dubbed into a different language, to help expand their global audience — - YouTube is adding a new tool to let creators change thumbnails for videos in different languages.
A profile of Panos Panay, head of devices and services at Amazon, who has scaled back new releases to focus on perfecting products like Alexa+ before rollout — Panos Panay needs the more advanced Alexa+ assistant to be a hit. For 10 years, the product has struggled to evolve.
The UK FCA says it will lift its ban on offering crypto exchange traded notes to retail investors “to support UK growth and competitiveness” — The move is to support U.K. growth and competitiveness, the FCA said. — What to know: … U.K. financial regulator …
The Information : Sources: after five Thinking Machines staff left, investors are rattled, potentially impacting fundraising; two researc...
