With its emphasis on user privacy, Apple is one of the few tech companies that can develop new AI data usage paradigms, setting much-needed industry standards (Joan Westenberg)

Joan Westenberg:
With its emphasis on user privacy, Apple is one of the few tech companies that can develop new AI data usage paradigms, setting much-needed industry standards  —  Apple has carved out a prestigious position in the consumer tech market through sleek designs, user-friendly interfaces, and a robust ecosystem.

People's Bank of China lists Ant Group's Alipay as having no controller, as Ant finished removing controlling stakeholders almost a year after Jack Ma's promise (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
People's Bank of China lists Ant Group's Alipay as having no controller, as Ant finished removing controlling stakeholders almost a year after Jack Ma's promise  —  The bank now lists Ant's Alipay as a firm without an actual controller.  —  Ma, co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. …

How Figma is adding AI into its products, including launching FigJam AI in public beta in November to help improve meetings with summaries, next steps, and more (Ryan McCarthy/Fast Company)

Ryan McCarthy / Fast Company:
How Figma is adding AI into its products, including launching FigJam AI in public beta in November to help improve meetings with summaries, next steps, and more  —  By now, we've all heard the worries about artificial intelligence replacing workers and laying siege to entire industries (if not the world at large).

A look at Australia's maturing tech sector, which faces challenges like a shortage of late-stage capital and a scarcity of executives with scaling experience (Rebecca Bellan/TechCrunch)

Rebecca Bellan / TechCrunch:
A look at Australia's maturing tech sector, which faces challenges like a shortage of late-stage capital and a scarcity of executives with scaling experience  —  The country has punched above its weight on a global scale for years.  Can it attract the funding and talent, and become inclusive enough, to play at the top?

IVC: Israeli startups raised ~$1.5B in Q4 2023, down 15% QoQ, despite increased foreign investor participation, and ~$7B in all of 2023, vs. nearly $16B in 2022 (Steven Scheer/Reuters)

Steven Scheer / Reuters:
IVC: Israeli startups raised ~$1.5B in Q4 2023, down 15% QoQ, despite increased foreign investor participation, and ~$7B in all of 2023, vs. nearly $16B in 2022  —  Israeli high tech firms raised $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, preliminary data showed on Thursday …

Huawei says its full-year sales for 2023 would be more than $99B, up 9% YoY but down 20% from 2020 peak; Chairman Ken Hu says "we're pretty much back on track" (Edward White/Financial Times)

Edward White / Financial Times:
Huawei says its full-year sales for 2023 would be more than $99B, up 9% YoY but down 20% from 2020 peak; Chairman Ken Hu says “we're pretty much back on track”  —  Sanctions-hit telecoms group records highest revenues in three years but still below 2020 levels