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Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 10:21 PM EST

Tech

AI Summary

  • Jack Dorsey's Block is undergoing significant layoffs, cutting nearly half its workforce, a move he suggests other companies should consider.
  • The smartphone market is bracing for a substantial decline in shipments, largely attributed to a persistent memory shortage affecting production.
  • Anthropic is reportedly standing firm against Pentagon demands concerning lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance, potentially impacting their collaboration.
  • Netflix has withdrawn from the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery assets, with Paramount reportedly securing the deal.
  • Google's new Nano Banana 2 AI model is set to accelerate image generation capabilities, signaling further advancements in generative AI.

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Engadget

  • Netflix backs out of Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war 4 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    For anyone who has been following the soap opera unfolding between Netflix and Paramount Skydance over the past few months in their financial brinksmanship to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the saga may be nearing its end. Today, WBD said its board of directors have determined that the latest offer from Paramount Skydance amounted to the better proposal. The media outfit gave Netflix four business days to match Paramount's terms, but the streamer didn't waste any time in declining to raise its own bid.  "We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.' iconic brands, and that our deal would

  • iFi's new GO Link 2 DAC is a cheap way to reap the lossless benefits of your Spotify plan 4 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Audio Technology, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Audio company iFi just introduced a new DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) that's both smaller and lighter than its previous model, and only costs $59. The iFi GO Link 2 connects to a smartphone or other audio-playing device over USB-C and can instantly improve the listening experience on wired headphones. Wireless earbuds and music streaming services have normalized listening to your favorite songs at a lower quality. For anyone who doesn't consider themselves an audiophile, that might not matter, but now that several streaming services offer higher sample rates and lossless audio, you might consider other ways of listening. In order to experience

  • Block, the parent of Square and Cash App, is laying off over 4,000 people 5 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Block is the latest business to announce layoffs, with the operator of payment platforms Square and Cash App opting to cut jobs in favor of using more AI tools. The financial tech company, helmed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, is slashing its current staff of 10,000 to "just under 6,000." CNBC highlighted a letter Block sent to shareholders announcing the decision to nearly halve its workforce. According to the message from Dorsey:  "The core thesis is simple. Intelligence tools have changed what it means to build and run a company. We're already seeing it internally. A significantly smaller team, using the

  • Guitar Hero vets RedOctane reveal their new music game 6 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Media, Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    RedOctane Games, a relaunched version of one of the studios behind the very first Guitar Hero, has shared a first trailer for its new music game, Stage Tour. The original RedOctane was shut down by Activision in 2010, and only recently reformed under Embracer Freemode to create a new music game franchise in August 2025. Stage Tour is playable solo or with other players in a band, according to RedOctane, and supports inputs from a keyboard and mouse on top of the expected guitar, drums and microphone accessories. The studio plans to primarily offer the game digitally, but hopes to also

  • Meta sues advertisers in Brazil and China over 'celeb bait' scams 6 hours ago by Karissa Bell
    Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell

    Meta has sued the people and groups behind three scam operations that used images and deepfakes of celebrities to lure users to scam websites. According to the company, the three entities were based in China and Brazil and targeted people in the US, Japan and other countries. The ads promoted fraudulent investment schemes and fake health products. Meta said that it had filed lawsuits against several people in Brazil who promoted fake or unapproved healthcare products and online courses promoting them. The company also sued a China-based entity it says used ads featuring celebrities "as part of a larger fraud scheme


The Verge

  • Anthropic refuses Pentagon’s new terms, standing firm on lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance 4 hours ago by Hayden Field
    AI, Anthropic, News

    Less than 24 hours before the deadline in an ultimatum issued by the Pentagon, Anthropic has refused the Department of Defense's demands for unrestricted access to its AI. It's the culmination of a dramatic exchange of public statements, social media posts, and behind-the-scenes negotiations, coming down to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's desire to renegotiate all AI labs' current contracts with the military. But Anthropic, so far, has refused to back down from its two current red lines: no mass surveillance of Americans, and no lethal autonomous weapons (or weapons with license to kill targets with no human oversight whatsoever). OpenAI … Read

  • Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offer 5 hours ago by Emma Roth
    HBO, Netflix, News, Streaming

    Netflix has dropped its $83 billion deal to acquire the Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and its streaming service HBO Max. In an announcement on Thursday, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters say the streamer is "declining to match" the new bid made by Paramount: > The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid. > > We believe we would have been

  • Microsoft’s Copilot Tasks AI uses its own computer to get things done 5 hours ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Microsoft, News, Tech

    Microsoft is previewing a new AI system, Copilot Tasks, that it says is designed to take care of busywork for you in the background, the company announced on Thursday. The feature takes the load off your device using its own cloud-based computer and browser, allowing it to handle a variety of jobs ranging from scheduling appointments to generating study plans while you do something else. As noted by Microsoft, you can describe what you need to Copilot Tasks using natural language, and assign Copilot Tasks to complete jobs on a recurring, scheduled, or one-time basis. Copilot Tasks will provide a report

  • Jack Dorsey’s Block cuts nearly half of its staff in AI gamble 6 hours ago by Jay Peters
    AI, News, Tech

    Jack Dorsey's Block, the financial tech company that runs Square and the Cash app, is cutting its workforce by "nearly half" and axing more than 4,000 jobs. The company will shrink from more than 10,000 people to less than 6,000, Dorsey says in a post on X. And the reason why? AI. "We're not making this decision because we're in trouble," Dorsey says. "Our business is strong. Gross profit continues to grow, we continue to serve more and more customers, and profitability is improving. But something has changed. We're already seeing that the intelligence tools we're creating and using, paired with

  • Lenovo leak reveals a foldable gaming handheld that’s also a Windows laptop 6 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Gadgets, Gaming, Laptops, Lenovo, News, PC Gaming, Tech

    Image: WindowsLatest Lenovo's next gaming laptop could be a shapeshifting foldable called the Legion Go Fold, which can be used as a laptop or a handheld gaming PC with two different display sizes, as WindowsLatest reports. Leaked images of the device show it attached to both a keyboard and controllers, with a hinge in the middle of the POLED display, allowing it to unfold from 7.7 inches to 11.6 inches. Users can attach the controllers with the display folded or unfolded, use the display in a vertical split screen mode, or attach it to the keyboard for laptop mode, for a total


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