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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Sat, Mar 14, 2026, 2:21 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • Meta is reportedly contemplating significant layoffs, potentially impacting up to 20% of its workforce, signaling a period of belt-tightening within the social media giant.
  • The integration of AI into everyday applications is accelerating, with ChatGPT now offering features like DoorDash, Spotify, and Uber, alongside new AI assistants being developed for dating apps and productivity tools.
  • Honda has decided to discontinue several of its electric vehicle models, reflecting challenges in the competitive EV market and potentially impacting its future automotive strategy.
  • The tech industry is grappling with AI's growing influence, from OpenAI's reported plans to integrate Sora video generation into ChatGPT to discussions about AI's role in warfare and its potential risks, as warned by a lawyer involved in AI psychosis cases.
  • Apple is making strategic adjustments in China, reducing its App Store commission rates, while other hardware news includes the release of the highly repairable MacBook Neo and continued advancements in PC components like RAM.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal an hour ago by Jackson Chen
    Politics & Government, Investment & Company Information, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    There may have been some extra incentive for the Trump administration to get the TikTok US deal done. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is set to receive a total of $10 billion in the deal that allowed TikTok to remain in the US. The new investors who acquired stakes in the US entity of TikTok already paid a $2.5 billion fee to the administration when the deal closed in January, but WSJ's latest report noted that the group of investors would continue to make payments until the total hits $10 billion. After a group

  • What to read this weekend: Locked in with The Iron Garden Sutra 2 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Books & Publishing, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    Need something new for your reading list? This week, we recommend A.D. Sui's The Iron Garden Sutra, a meditative horror sci-fi/fantasy and murder mystery. ---------------------------------------- I don't typically gravitate toward locked room mysteries, but the description of this book ticked all the right boxes to win me over: "a death monk and a team of researchers trapped onboard a spaceship of the dead encounter something beyond human understanding." It has all the makings of a compelling murder mystery, which is fine on its own, but thanks to the philosophical musings of its main character, Vessel Iris, and a setting that almost demands

  • Meta is reportedly planning to cut up to 20 percent of its staff in upcoming layoffs 3 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Meta could be preparing for one of the largest layoffs in its history, according to a Reuters report. The tech giant is planning to cut about 20 percent of its workforce, according to the outlet's sources. According to the report, neither a date nor the exact number of layoffs has been finalized yet. However, Reuters reported that Meta's top executives have told "other senior leaders" to start "planning how to pare back." In its latest financial report, the company's employee headcount was 78,865 as of December 31, 2025, while revenue reached nearly $60 billion for the fourth quarter and more than

  • Digg shuts down for a 'hard reset' because it was flooded with bots 3 hours ago by Mariella Moon
    Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon

    Digg has shut down, for now, just a few months after its open beta launched. Justin Mezzell, the company’s CEO, has explained on the home page that it noticed hours after the beta launched that it was already being targeted by SEO spammers. “The internet is now populated, in meaningful part, by sophisticated AI agents and automated accounts,” he wrote. Apparently, the Digg team wasn’t ready for the scale and the speed at which bots found and started flooding the website. Mezzell said Digg banned thousands of accounts and deployed both internal tools and external solutions, but they weren’t enough. He

  • Ball x Pit on mobile, Piece by Piece x2 and other new indie games worth checking out 8 hours ago by Kris Holt
    Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt

    Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. A bunch of intriguing games arrived this week, including a mobile port of one of the most absorbing things I’ve played in years and two completely different titles with the same name. Let’s get things started with a look at a few projects that were featured in the latest edition of the Future Games Show. Hyperwired (from SidralGames and publisher SelectaPlay) is a 2D roguelike shooter with an interesting resource-management twist. To recharge your weapons and systems, you have to plug a cable that trails behind your


The Verge

  • Hulu, Disney Plus, and the Pixel Watch 4 are among this week’s best deals 3 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Streaming, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Happy Saturday, all! This week, we found a number of deals that should help you unwind and relax over the next few days (and beyond). If you’re planning to stream the Oscars on Sunday, there’s still time to take advantage of a great deal on Hulu and Disney Plus, as well as Google’s latest 4K streaming device. Speaking of Google, you can also currently save $60 on the Pixel Watch 4; there are also savings to be had on microSD Express cards, ice cream makers, and a host of other great tech this weekend. So, without further ado, let’s get

  • Prediction markets want the Oscars to be your gateway drug to betting on everything 3 hours ago by Charles Pulliam-Moore
    Entertainment, Film

    Though it was weird to see the Golden Globes partner with Polymarket for its most recent awards show, the collaboration wasn't shocking given the way that people have begun using prediction markets to gamble on basically anything. Prediction markets are being used to bet on everything from when wars might break out to who will win the Nobel Peace Prize, so why wouldn't people also be interested in placing wagers on more entertaining and less consequential things, like celebrities' chances of winning industry accolades? But this "everything is gambling" culture has given prediction market firms an opportunity to insert themselves into

  • MacBook Air M5 review: a small update for the ‘just right’ Mac 4 hours ago by Antonio G. Di Benedetto
    Apple, Gadgets, Laptop Reviews, Laptops, Reviews, Tech

    Neo to the left of me. Pros are to the right. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Not much has changed in the new MacBook Air for 2026: It now has the M5 chip, Wi-Fi 7, and faster storage starting at 512GB instead of 256GB. It's just as outstanding a computer as last year's model, even if it's a shame it's $100 more expensive. The bigger change has happened to the Air. The MacBook Neo now exists, and it's an awesome little computer for $500 less than the base 13-inch Air. The Neo's existence doesn't invalidate the Air or

  • A Scavengers Reign artist explores contemplative sci-fi in new comics 5 hours ago by Andrew Webster
    Design, Entertainment, Interview, Report

    You may recognize Jonathan Djob Nkondo's work from animated projects like the surreal sci-fi series Scavengers Reign or the recent Gorillaz short film The Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God. But before that the French artist and animator made self-published comics that depicted strange alien worlds and future societies. Now he's revisiting that work with a lush release of two graphic novels. "I think most of the people who follow my work don't necessarily know that I published comics," Nkondo tells The Verge. "I am mainly known for my work in animations, so revisiting those books and promoting

  • Asus’ new open earbuds are a wonderful companion for handheld gaming 6 hours ago by Cameron Faulkner
    Asus, Deals, Gadgets, Gaming, Hands-on, Headphones, PC Gaming, Reviews, Tech, Verge Shopping

    They look like your average open earbuds, but with optional RGB LED effects. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge The Cetra Open Wireless aren’t like most other gaming earbuds. They’re large, with an open-style design that rests just outside of your ears, letting game audio mix with sounds in your environment. These allow for immersion, but only if your environment is quiet enough. And turning them up might let those nearby hear what you’re listening to. Even if you love open-style headphones as much as I do, you will probably agree that they are not the best choice for every


Wired


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