August 09, 2024 | Listen Online | Read Online

Brought to you by:

0. Data and calendar

All values as of 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT, other than S&P500 and NASDAQ close (4 PM ET / 1 PM PT).

All times are ET.

1. Advertising non-profit coalition GARM shuts down following X, Rumble lawsuits

X: Linda Yaccarino.

Parent World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) said GARM lacks financial resources.
WFA claims no wrongdoing and will challenge X's lawsuit.
WFA and other companies were the suit's named defendants, not GARM itself.
GARM allegedly encouraged advertisers to boycott X after Musk's buyout.

2. Apple planning smallest Mac mini ever with M4 chip

Mac sales may get revived with the new model:

Bloomberg.

First major design change since 2010 revamp.
2 versions in development, one may have yet-to-be-announced M4 Pro chip.
Apple TV set-top box-like size.
3 USB-C ports, HDMI port likely.

3. Save up to 80% on Your Next Top Hire!*

Athyna.

We have been using Athyna to hire our global team.
Engineers, Designers, Bookkeepers, Product Managers, and more…
Pay nothing until you find the perfect match.
Get $1,000 OFF on your next offshore employee by mentioning us.

Try Athyna today!

*Disclaimer: Athyna is a partner of the Bay Area Times.

4. OpenAI discloses GPT-4o safety testing Scorecard

OpenAI.

"Medium" risk level given to the model launched in May.
User voice cloning can happen in rare instances.
Inappropriate "nonverbal vocalizations" risk involved.
Anthropomorphic voice may make users emotionally attached to chatbot.
Connectedly, Democrats are pushing OpenAI on handling whistleblowers, safety reviews.

The OpenAI board is also adding Carnegie Mellon Professor Zico Kolter to its board

X: Zico Kolter.

5. DeepMind Robotics demos "solidly amateur" table tennis robot

Google DeepMind.

Tested under competitive matches against 29 varying skill level players.
Inaccurate reactions to fast balls is biggest shortcoming as of now.
Advanced control algorithms, hardware optimizations proposed to cut latency.
High-low balls, backhand, and spin reading, among other exploitable issues.

The robot won 55% of matches vs. intermediate players, but lost all versus advanced players

Google DeepMind.

6. 30-year mortgage rate drops to 6.47%, lowest levels in 15 months

NYT.

30-year fixed-rate mortgage down from 6.73% a week prior.
15-year rate at 5.63%, down from 5.99%.

7. Apple announces new rules, fee structure to comply with DMA

Apple.

2 new fees introduced for App Store link-outs.
"Unacceptable": Spotify and Epic Games demand revision, arguing the revised fees still penalize those migrating to competing app stores.

8. Interesting videos, posts, and memes

#59: Google: Can it Outrun Regulation?

Navigating startup funding market trends with Becki DeGraw | Wilson Sonsini Startup Legal Basics

Ep14. Public Market Volatility, AI Air Pocket, $GOOG Ruling | BG2 w/ Bill Gurley & Brad Gerstner

#53 - Elad Gil: Blank Slates, Investing vs Operating, and the Future of AI

9. Other headlines

AI

Perplexity AI answered 250M queries in Jul, $35M ARR.
Glean, enterprise AI startup, nears $250M round at $4.5B.
Microsoft, Palantir partner to sell AI tools to U.S. defense, intel agencies.
Hugging Face acquires XetHub, founded by ex-Apple employees.
ChatGPT free users can now create up to 2 images daily using DALL-E 3.
Flyr, AI-powered software for travel companies, raises $225M at $900M.
SoundHound buys AI agent startup Amelia AI for $80M.
Rabbit r1 gets conversational AI updates but nothing on LAM demoed earlier.

Athyna: hire incredible global talent with up to 80% savings vs. U.S. hires.*
Join Swissnex for AI in Journalism on Aug 15 at SF Chronicle. Free entry!*

*Sponsored.

Tech

Amazon to let shoppers buy directly from in-app ads on TikTok, Pinterest.
TikTok brings in-app hubs for videos about movies, TV shows.
TSMC's sales +45% to $7.9B in July.

Rippling: maximize HR impact and hire global teams in one unified system.*
Sidebar is a personal board of advisors for the next generation of leaders.*
Pipedrive helps you drive more deals from day one.*
Mercury simplifies your financial workflows.*

*Sponsored. Clicking on ad links may share your email with Mercury for remarketing purposes.

Tech & law

UK regulator launches probe into Amazon's $4B Anthropic deal.
Elon's riot comments may lead UK to revisit Online Safety Act.

Biotech

Eli Lilly faces phase 2 failure of tau-targeting Alzheimer's med.
Merck ends phase 3 TIGIT trial in lung cancer.
Noah Lyles wins bronze medal in 200m even with Covid.

Business

Non-voting FOMC member: "not quite there" in cooling inflation.
S&P 500 +2.3% on Thu in best day since 2023.
Temu founder becomes China's richest with $48.6B net worth.
Trend Micro, Japanese cybersecurity company, exploring sale.
Paramount laying off 2K employees ahead of Skydance Media merger.

Crypto

Putin signs law to legalize crypto mining in Russia.
WazirX, Indian crypto exchange, to undo all trades following withdrawal freeze.

tea Protocol: click to subscribe to tea's newsletter and learn more about how to get rewards for your open-source contributions.*

*Sponsored.

U.S. politics

Trump, Harris agree to debate on ABC on Sep. 10.
Trump open to debate Harris 3 times in Sep.
Fed independence criticized by Trump, saying he has better instincts.
Walz's military record: Rep. Banks's letter demands answers from Pentagon.
Harris isn't giving interviews: pros and cons.

World

U.S. warns Iran of "serious risk" if Israel is attacked.
Biden, Egypt, Qatar leaders urge Gaza cease-fire negotiation on Aug. 15.

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here. Liked it? Forward it to friends and get rewards (see below).

Share Bay Area Times

Share our newsletter with your friends and get free Bay Area Times rewards!

You currently have 0 referrals, only 1 away from receiving our Generative AI Unicorns Database.

Click to Share

Or copy and paste this link to others: https://www.bayareatimes.com/subscribe?ref=UbEAXR818y

What did you think of today's newsletter?

Advertise on the Bay Area Times

Disclaimer: The Bay Area Times is a news publisher. All statements and expressions herein are the sole opinions of the authors or paid advertisers. The information, tools, and material presented are provided for informational purposes only, are not financial advice, and are not to be used or considered as an offer to buy or sell securities; and the publisher does not guarantee their accuracy or reliability. You should do your own research and consult an independent financial adviser before making any investments. Neither the publisher nor any of its affiliates accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of the information contained herein. Assets mentioned may be owned by members of the Bay Area Times team.

Please read our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy before using Our Service.