Spotify has introduced a new payment policy where artists with fewer than 1,000 streams annually will receive no royalties, aiming to reduce fraud and redistribute funds to more popular artists. This decision excludes small artists and certain “noise” content from earnings. Despite claiming the changes will redirect $1 billion to artists over five years, details of the distribution remain vague. Concurrently, Spotify is exiting Uruguay following legislation requiring fair artist pay, which the company claims would double royalty costs, rendering their business model unsustainable.
Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI who was fired, may be reinstated after board discussions following company upheaval and staff threats to leave. Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott has offered OpenAI staff comparable roles at Microsoft, aligning with CEO Satya Nadella’s desire to maintain a partnership with OpenAI or absorb its talent. Altman and Brockman’s governance debates continue amidst the board’s search for transparency on Altman’s firing.
Google Maps’ recent update featuring a new color palette has sparked frustration among users, with complaints on Reddit and Twitter about the less distinct roads, fainter water bodies, and more vivid route indicators causing readability issues. There’s a call for a return to the old color scheme as the new one is perceived as a needless and unwelcome change.
Sam Altman was ousted as CEO of OpenAI by its board, attributed to a lack of candor. Board member Helen Toner, noted for her work in AI safety and effective altruism, is now in the spotlight amid tensions over the direction of the company and its AI developments. The remaining board focuses on AI safety in the face of potential risks and commercial pressures.
President Joe Biden has joined Mark Zuckerberg’s social media platform, Threads, in the wake of Elon Musk’s recent endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Following criticism from the White House, Biden’s move coincides with advertisers leaving Musk’s platform and challenges facing Biden’s presidential election campaign, particularly regarding his stance on Israel and Gaza. The President’s Threads debut quickly garnered responses calling for a Palestinian ceasefire.
Sunbird, the iMessage app for Android, has shut down temporarily due to major privacy concerns. The app failed to deliver on its promise of end-to-end encryption and allowed access to user data. Sunbird’s collaboration with Nothing for the “Nothing Chats” app also faced privacy issues. The company has paused the usage of both apps while it investigates the concerns. Sunbird has not made a public statement regarding the shutdown.
Apple is anticipated to release a new Apple TV model in the first half of 2024 with a faster processor, which could be the A16 or A17 Bionic chip. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests it may have a more competitive sub-$100 price point. No significant design changes are expected, continuing the compact design enabled by the fanless A15 Bionic chip. Exact pricing and release date are yet to be confirmed.
Investors of OpenAI are considering legal action against its board after CEO Sam Altman was fired, risking a significant loss of their investment and prompting over 700 employees to threaten resignation. The legal path for investors appears challenging due to OpenAI’s unique structure, which emphasizes its nonprofit mission over investor control, diluting investors’ influence and potentially their ability to sue.
YouTube users report a mysterious five-second delay when loading videos on Firefox and Edge browsers, which does not occur on Chrome. Evidence suggests the presence of JavaScript code on YouTube’s desktop site that may intentionally slow down the loading process. The reason behind the code, whether it is an ad-related measure or a browser-specific issue, remains unconfirmed.
Four OpenAI board members, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever, Quora founder Adam D’Angelo, GeoSim’s ex-CEO Tasha McCauley, and strategy director Helen Toner, have ousted CEO Sam Altman, sparking employee protests and instability at the company.