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Tech

AI Summary

  • AI continues its aggressive expansion across sectors, from personalized social media algorithms and enterprise tools to defense and financial modeling, even as leading firms like xAI face significant talent departures and regulatory bodies push for stricter controls on synthetic media.
  • Social media platforms are doubling down on user-controlled content feeds and location-based experiences, highlighted by features like Threads' "Dear Algo" and TikTok's Local Feed, while simultaneously grappling with growing pressures to enhance content moderation and youth safety measures.
  • Venture capital is pouring into ambitious deep tech projects in space and robotics, funding everything from fusion energy startups and autonomous agricultural robots to advanced humanoid development, signaling a bold push into next-generation hardware and infrastructure.
  • Tech giants are refining their core ecosystems with continuous software updates like Android 17 and expanding services such as Amazon Pharmacy's same-day delivery, all while navigating increasing regulatory scrutiny over app store practices and data privacy concerns.
  • The startup landscape remains dynamic, with significant fundraising rounds supporting AI-native solutions in sales and compliance, as well as innovations in climate tech like robotics for sustainable farming, indicating a robust appetite for transformative technologies.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Meta turned Threads algorithm complaints into an official feature 19 minutes ago by Karissa Bell
    Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell

    Threads users have been complaining about its recommendation algorithm pretty much since the beginning of the platform. At some point, this turned into a meme, with users writing posts jokingly addressed to the algorithm in which they requested to see more posts about the topics they're actually interested in. Now, Meta is turning those "Dear algorithm" posts into an official feature that it says will allow Threads users to tune their recommendations in real time. With the change, users can write a post that begins with "dear algo" to adjust their preferences. For example, you could write "dear algo, show me

  • NordVPN deal: Get two years of the Complete plan for 70 percent off an hour ago by Rob Webb
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Rob Webb

    NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 78 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months. NordVPN regularly appears on Engadget’s list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPN’s latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions. The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPN’s core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks

  • TikTok US launches a local feed that leverages a user's exact location an hour ago by Lawrence Bonk
    Software, Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk

    TikTok US just launched a local feed for users to "get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events." This is done by leveraging the exact location of people that are using the app and comes after a change in the platform's terms of service that says the app can do just that. The platform's terms of service used to note that it could collect approximate locations, but the sale to US investors looks to have changed that to precise locations. This is an opt-in feature, despite the app potentially collecting this data whether the feed is activated or

  • Netflix is reportedly filming the Stranger Things Broadway show this week an hour ago by Kris Holt
    Movies, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt

    Though the original series is very much done, Netflix is going to squeeze as much juice out of Stranger Things as it can. The company is said to be filming the Broadway production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow so it can offer up a recording on its streaming service. Several public performances were canceled this week to accommodate filming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They'll recommence on February 15. Filming is taking place before the original Broadway cast leaves the production next month.  Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened in New York City last year after debuting in London in 2023.

  • The best VPN service for 2026 2 hours ago by Sam Chapman
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Chapman

    As frustrating as it is that governments and businesses are running roughshod over our online freedoms, at least we have plenty of good VPNs to keep us protected online. There are so many fast, intelligently designed, full-featured and affordable services on the market that the biggest problem is picking one. For any use case, you can bet at least two providers will be neck-and-neck for first place. On the other hand, the VPN world is still the Wild West in some ways. It's easy enough to slap a cheap VPN together that the market is flooded with low-quality apps that put


The Verge

  • Microsoft fixes Notepad flaw that could trick users into clicking malicious Markdown links 13 minutes ago by Emma Roth
    Apps, Microsoft, Security, Tech

    Microsoft has fixed a serious security vulnerability affecting Markdown files in Notepad. In the company's Tuesday patch notes, Microsoft says a bad actor could carry out a remote code execution attack by tricking users "into clicking a malicious link inside a Markdown file opened in Notepad," as reported earlier by The Register. Clicking the link would "launch unverified protocols," allowing attackers to remotely load and execute malicious files on a victim's computer, according to the patch notes. Microsoft says there isn't any evidence of attackers exploiting the Notepad vulnerability (CVE-2026-20841) in the wild, but it issued a fix for … Read the

  • Here are the 40 best Presidents Day deals you can already shop 18 minutes ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Deals have been admittedly pretty dry since the holidays, but now that February is in full swing, we’re starting to see strong discounts return across a range of categories. In fact, thanks to Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, and — as of this week — Presidents Day, retailers are once again offering a slew of notable tech deals, making now a great time to shop if you’ve been holding off on making a larger purchase. Although the Super Bowl has technically come and gone, plenty of game-day discounts are still around. A few have been rebranded for Presidents Day — including

  • Why ‘deleted’ doesn’t mean gone: How police recovered Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell footage 19 minutes ago by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Analysis, Report, Smart Home, Tech

    Video footage from Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera was recovered by Google and released by the FBI. | Image: The Verge, FBI FBI Director Kash Patel said yesterday that investigators recovered footage from Savannah Guthrie's mother's doorbell camera using "residual data located in backend systems." This claim has many home security camera users asking an uncomfortable question: Is your data really gone when you hit delete? When Nancy Guthrie went missing, officials said she had a doorbell camera, but that it had been forcibly removed, and she did not have a subscription. This meant there were no videos stored in the cloud. Ten

  • Threads’ new ‘Dear Algo’ feature lets you tell the algorithm what you want to see 19 minutes ago by Jay Peters
    Meta, News, Social Media, Tech, Threads

    Threads now lets users in the US adjust what is recommended in their feed by writing "Dear Algo" in a post and explaining what they're looking for. The feature is part of a bigger push across Meta's platforms to give users more control over the types of posts that are recommended to them. Dear Algo was inspired by users making posts with the phrase to try to influence what they see before Meta made an official version. The feature has already been available in testing in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and now that test is launching in

  • Ableton Live is adding audio streaming for real-time musical collaboration 30 minutes ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Entertainment, Music, News, Tech

    Link Audio means you can send audio from the Ableton Note app to Ableton Live with no additional hardware. | Image: Ableton Ableton is rolling out the Live 12.4 Beta with a number of new features, but the headliner is Link Audio, which enables real-time collaboration between devices on a local network. Having to be on the same network is a serious limitation and, as the name implies, Link Audio only supports streaming audio. That means your buddy can't tweak MIDI or take over automation in your Live session from another device. But it does streamline cross-device collaboration, which normally requires


Wired


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