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Tech

AI Summary

  • Mode Mobile has acquired the anonymous messaging app NGL, raising questions about growth tactics given NGL's controversial history.
  • Cisco has reported that a new hacking campaign linked to Chinese government actors has left hundreds of its customers vulnerable due to a zero-day exploit.
  • Yann LeCun has confirmed the launch of his AI startup, aiming for a valuation of over $5 billion, though he will not serve as CEO.
  • Netflix has made significant moves in podcasting and gaming, acquiring the avatar company Ready Player Me to enhance its interactive experiences.
  • OpenAI is responding to safety and policy concerns around teens using ChatGPT, introducing new guidelines and an app store to expand user experience.

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Engadget

  • Mark Zuckerberg's nonprofit cuts ties with the immigration advocacy group he co-founded an hour ago by Will Shanklin
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Behold Mark Zuckerberg: man of principle. Witness the Meta CEO's dedication to the most high-minded of causes: "currying favor with whoever's in charge." In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, Zuckerberg co-founded FWD.us, a pro-immigration advocacy group. For years, he vocally supported providing paths to citizenship for "the most talented and hardest-working people, no matter where they were born." Now, in 2025, with Donald Trump back in power and pushing draconian immigration policies, Zuckerberg's philanthropy organization has officially cut ties with the group. Who says Big Tech executives don't stand for anything? On Friday, Bloomberg reported on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

  • Netflix is acquiring game avatar maker Ready Player Me 2 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Netflix is acquiring Estonian startup Ready Player Me, a company creating "cross-game avatar tech" that allows players to bring their digital personas with them to different games, the company's CEO Timmu Tõke shared in a LinkedIn post. The acquisition is part of Netflix's new games strategy, which puts an emphasis on approachable multiplayer titles and adaptations of the streaming service's IP. Ready Player Me's team of around 20 employees will be incorporated into Netflix's staff, TechCrunch writes, though Tõke is the only one of the startup's four founders who will continue on after the acquisition. Neither company has shared when the

  • Get up to 78 percent off ExpressVPN two-year plans for the holidays 3 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    It looks like the holidays aren't a bad time to shop for a VPN subscription. ExpressVPN, Engadget's pick for the best premium provider, currently has a less premium price. This deal gives you two years of the Advanced plan (with a bonus of four free months) for only $101. When it isn't on sale, the same subscription would cost $392. Engadget's VPN guru, Sam Chapman, praised ExpressVPN's service. He described it as "high-performing" and having "very few flaws." The service received high marks for its speeds, easy-to-use interface and global network availability. The only significant mark against it was its relatively

  • The best iPad deals this week include the iPad mini for $100 off 3 hours ago by Valentina Palladino,Amy Skorheim,Jeff Dunn
    Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, Information Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino

    The iPad, of course, isn't the only tablet computer out there — it wasn't even the first — but Apple's version redefined the category. In our opinion, it's the best tablet you can buy and these slates consistently earn high scores in our reviews. That doesn't mean you should have to pay full price for your next iPad. We are continually on the hunt for good deals on iPads (and other Apple gear while we're at it) and each week, we round them up right there. Current discounts include the iPad mini and the 11-inch iPad Pro, each for $100 off

  • Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse is back on sale for $68 5 hours ago by Lawrence Bonk
    Computing, Technology & Electronics, Electronics Accessories, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk

    Amazon is selling Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse for $68, which is a discount of 14 percent. This isn't a record-low price, but it's darned close. The mouse typically sells for $79, though today's sale only applies to the white model. It's rare for official Apple accessories to go on sale, and the USB-C Magic Mouse is pretty much a must-have for those working on desktop computers. It's also fairly handy when combined with a laptop, letting folks avoid the trackpad. As the name suggests, this mouse charges via USB-C. Apple stuck with replaceable AA batteries for way too long, so this change


The Verge

  • ChatGPT will now let you pick how nice it is an hour ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Apps, News, OpenAI, Tech

    OpenAI will now give you the ability to dial up - or down - ChatGPT's warmth and enthusiasm. An update rolling out on Friday gives you the option to choose whether you want "more" or "less" of these personality traits, or stick with the default. There are also options to tweak how often ChatGPT uses emoji, headers, and lists. You can find these settings by tapping the menu at the top left corner of the ChatGPT app, selecting your profile, heading to Personalization, and choosing Add Characteristics. Alongside these options, you can pick a "personality" for the AI chatbot, including whether

  • Google sues web scraper for sucking up search results ‘at an astonishing scale’ 2 hours ago by Emma Roth
    AI, Google, News, Tech, Web

    Google has filed a lawsuit against SerpApi, a company that offers tools to scrape content on the web, including Google's search results. SerpApi is accused of violating the Copyright Act by using "deceptive means" to automatically access and take Google's search results "at an astonishing scale" before selling the data to customers. Reddit also sued SerpApi, along with two other data scrapers, in October, accusing "at least one" of ripping content from its site for the AI startup Perplexity. Though Google's complaint briefly mentions Reddit's lawsuit against SerpApi, it doesn't directly say anything about Perplexity or AI bots. Google's la … Read the

  • Netflix is acquiring an avatar company as it moves into party games 4 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Entertainment, Gaming, Netflix, News, Streaming

    As Netflix continues to build out its gaming strategy, which has recently included a new era of TV party games, it's going to let people build avatars - with the help of a new acquisition. The company is acquiring avatar company Ready Player Me and its "cross-game avatar tech" to let players "carry their identities and fandom across games," according to Ready Player Me CEO Timmu Tõke. Netflix "doesn't have an estimate of how long it will be until avatars launch" or which games will get them first, TechCrunch reports. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed. Ready Player Me's team of

  • Don’t expect Trump Media’s nuclear fusion power plant to generate electricity soon 5 hours ago by Justine Calma
    Analysis, Energy, Environment, Policy, Report, Science

    TAE Technologies’ fusion research reactor ‘Norm.’ | Photo: TAE Technologies Trump Media - yup, the parent company of Truth Social - is the latest entrant in the near century-long race to develop a nuclear fusion power plant. It announced a merger agreement with fusion company TAE Technologies on Thursday and a bold plan to break ground on the first utility-scale fusion plant some time in 2026. TAE doesn't plan to start generating power from its first plant until 2031, which is still an incredibly ambitious timeline. There will likely be a myriad of financial and regulatory issues to contend with along the

  • The best Christmas gifts for gamers and movie lovers 5 hours ago by Brandt Ranj
    Gadgets, Gift Guides, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Most of us in the Northern Hemisphere spend the holidays indoors, but you can only watch so many TikToks about cute cats and cooking hacks before the need for something a little more substantive kicks in. Choosing the right game or movie to gift is tough, though, especially if you don't have an exact read on what your friends and family like. And if you choose poorly, remember that you might also be on the hook to play or watch it with them. That's why, this year, we made it our mission to find gifts that appeal to people with diverse


Wired


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