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Sun, Mar 15, 2026, 7:21 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • Apple is making waves with the MacBook Neo, lauded as its most repairable model in years, alongside potential pricing adjustments for its Chinese App Store.
  • Meta is reportedly contemplating significant layoffs, potentially impacting 20% of its workforce, amidst ongoing shifts in its social media and AI development.
  • The U.S. Army has secured a substantial contract with Anduril worth up to $20 billion, signaling a major push in defense technology and AI integration.
  • The integration of AI continues to expand, with applications like ChatGPT now offering direct integrations with services such as DoorDash and Uber, while companies like Nyne focus on adding human context to AI agents.
  • Honda is exiting the EV market, discontinuing planned models, which raises questions about its future competitiveness in the automotive sector.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • ByteDance has reportedly suspended the global rollout of its new AI video generator 14 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    A month after Seedance 2.0's launch in China sparked cease-and-desist letters from Disney and Paramount Skydance over its use of copyrighted materials, its developer ByteDance has reportedly hit pause on the release of the AI video tool in other regions. According to The Information, which spoke to two anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter, ByteDance has suspended Seedance 2.0's global rollout. Engadget has reached out to ByteDance for comment and will update this story if we hear back with more information.  Seedance 2.0 caught heat from Hollywood studios almost immediately upon its release, after user-generated videos including a viral AI

  • Spotify’s new Taste Profile feature lets users fine-tune their algorithm’s recommendations 16 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Media, Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    You're responsible for your own Spotify algorithm now. On stage at SXSW, Spotify's co-CEO, Gustav Söderström, announced the Taste Profile feature, which allows users to personally customize exactly what they want to listen to, whether it's music, audiobooks or podcasts. This AI-powered feature is still in beta, and it will be available to Premium users in New Zealand in the coming weeks. From its short video demo, Spotify's Taste Profile feature will show you a summary of your listening habits and offer a "Tell us more" prompt at the bottom. With the new prompt, users can inform the AI what they

  • Trump administration will reportedly get $10 billion for brokering the TikTok deal 17 hours 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 18 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 19 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


The Verge

  • The $100,000 fee for H-1Bs is causing all sorts of problems 32 minutes ago by Gaby Del Valle
    Policy, Politics, Report, Tech

    Last fall, President Donald Trump's executive order raising the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 - like many of his immigration policies - led to near-immediate chaos. Thousands of workers who had flown overseas to renew their visas ended up stranded abroad. Details about who would be affected only emerged after the fact. Six months later, the disorder from the initial announcement has mostly subsided. The H-1B registration season for the next fiscal year has just begun. With H-1B applications open until March 19th, it's unclear what effect, if any, the new rules will have on hiring, immigration, and the

  • Trump administration is allegedly collecting $10 billion on the TikTok deal 14 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Business, Creators, News, Policy, Politics, Tech, TikTok

    In September, Donald Trump claimed that "the United States is getting a tremendous fee" for brokering the TikTok deal. Now sources tell the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times that fee is expected to be in the range of $10 billion. The money is supposedly being paid by new investors, including Oracle and Silver Lake. Reports are that $2.5 billion was already paid to the Treasury when the deal closed on January 22nd. The rest will be paid out in installments. This is the latest example of the Trump administration inserting itself into private business in unprecedented ways, including

  • Meta is reportedly laying off up to 20 percent of its staff 17 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Business, Meta, News, Tech

    According to Reuters, Meta is looking to offset spending on AI and data centers with a massive round of layoffs. Sources familiar with the matter say the company could lay off as much as 20 percent of its staff, eliminating roughly 15,800 positions. That would be the largest series of layoffs at the company since it terminated 22,000 workers over just a few months between November 2022 and early 2023. Word of the potential downsizing comes after Meta signaled that it was all but giving up on VR and the Metaverse, slashing budgets and closing studios. Instead, the company has been

  • Hulu, Disney Plus, and the Pixel Watch 4 are among this week’s best deals 20 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 20 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


Wired


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