Spotify recently shared encouraging news: allowing iOS users to pay for Premium subscriptions via external web links is already making a difference. This update came after a U.S. court ruling forced Apple to let developers direct customers to outside payment options within their apps — bypassing Apple’s usual commission fees. What Changed for Spotify Users? Spotify quickly updated its iOS app to include a “Premium Destination Page” that explains subscription pricing and provides a direct link to buy from Spotify’s website. They also added the ability to purchase audiobooks directly through this new system. In just two weeks, Spotify noticed…
Author: Intern
Meta is rolling out a new initiative aimed at encouraging startups to build on its popular Llama AI models. The program, called Llama for Startups, offers not just funding support but direct guidance from Meta’s own Llama team. Startups based in the U.S. that have raised less than $10 million and have at least one developer on board can apply by May 30. Selected startups could receive up to $6,000 per month for six months to ease the costs of developing their AI projects. Meta’s experts will also work hands-on with them to explore advanced applications of Llama. This move…
Elon Musk has given us a peek behind the curtain on Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi tests coming to Austin next month. But don’t expect these self-driving cars to be roaming everywhere just yet. Musk says they’ll keep things tightly controlled — sticking only to the safest neighborhoods and routes. He was clear about one thing: Tesla’s cars won’t take on tricky intersections unless they’re really confident they can handle them without a hitch. If not, they’ll simply avoid those spots. Musk called their approach “extremely paranoid,” which honestly sounds like a smart move. After all, it’s better to be cautious than…
Google is rolling out its new AI Mode for search to everyone in the U.S. this week, promising a smarter, more conversational way to find information online. Announced at Google I/O 2025, this feature lets you ask complex, multi-part questions and follow up naturally — a big step beyond traditional search. Building on last year’s AI Overviews, which gave AI-generated summaries atop search results, AI Mode aims to be more interactive and accurate. While AI Overviews racked up over 1.5 billion users monthly, it wasn’t always perfect — remember that bizarre pizza glue suggestion? Google is aware and working to…
A federal judge is putting pressure on Apple to either approve Fortnite’s latest submission for the U.S. App Store or come back to court and explain why it hasn’t done so yet. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, clearly frustrated, confirmed in a recent court filing that she has received Epic Games’ latest request. Epic wants the court to force Apple to allow Fortnite back on the App Store. The judge asked Apple to show legal reasons why it thinks it can ignore the court’s previous order. She also warned Apple that if the issue isn’t resolved, the company will…
Just ahead of its big Google I/O 2025 event, Google quietly dropped a major update: NotebookLM is now officially available on Android and iOS. If you’ve been wishing for a smarter, AI-powered way to take notes on the go — your wish just came true. From Desktop to Your Pocket Since launching in 2023, NotebookLM has mostly been a desktop thing. It’s that research-savvy AI assistant built to help you break down dense information, summarize it neatly, and even let you ask questions directly about your documents. Now, all of that power fits in your pocket. Learn on the Go…
Y Combinator-backed startup Firecrawl is diving back into the ambitious quest to hire AI agents as employees—and this time, they’re putting serious money on the table. After their first go-around earlier this year didn’t land an AI worthy of the job, they’ve now posted three new openings on YC’s job board exclusively for “AI agents” and allocated a whopping $1 million budget to make it happen. According to Firecrawl’s founder, Caleb Peffer, the new job ads have already sparked quite the buzz. Within just a week of going live, they’d received around 50 applications—not from people, but from AI systems…
Last Friday, MIT publicly distanced itself from a widely discussed working paper that claimed AI significantly boosts scientific output—while also undercutting researchers’ job satisfaction. Titled “Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Discovery, and Product Innovation,” the study was penned by a doctoral student in MIT’s economics department and had generated a lot of buzz when it first circulated in preprint form. According to the paper, introducing a new AI tool in a secretive, large-scale materials science lab led to a notable uptick in both novel material discoveries and patent applications. But, the trade-off was a dip in how satisfied the scientists felt about…
It’s Friday afternoon. I’m sitting at my desk, not far from the usual buzz of city noise, but instead, I’m hearing car honks mixed with the mellow tunes coming from Bowdoin College’s radio station. Here’s the kicker: I’m not in Maine, and I’m definitely not in a car. Welcome to Internet Roadtrip. Think of Internet Roadtrip as a massive online road trip game — or as its creator, Neal Agarwal, likes to call it, a “road-trip simulator.” Here’s how it works: every 10 seconds, a crowd of viewers votes on which way the “car” should go in Google Street View.…
Electric boating just got a bit more accessible. Arc, the startup known for pushing the boundaries of electric watercraft, has introduced its newest creation: the Arc Coast. At a starting price of $168,000, it’s the most budget-friendly option from the company so far — and it’s already available for preorder, with deliveries slated for 2026. What sets the Coast apart? For starters, it’s a classic “center console” boat — a style popular among fishing enthusiasts for its practical layout. This is Arc’s third model since the company burst out of stealth mode just four years ago. It follows two premium…
Something weird went down with xAI’s Grok chatbot this week. Out of nowhere, the AI started spitting out posts about “white genocide in South Africa” whenever it was tagged on X—even when the conversation had nothing to do with the topic. Understandably, that raised a lot of eyebrows. The strange behavior came from Grok’s official X account, which is designed to reply to users with AI-generated answers whenever someone tags “@grok.” But on Wednesday, instead of diverse, relevant replies, Grok seemed stuck on that one particular phrase. On Thursday, xAI came forward to explain what happened. Turns out, someone had…
Lately, Apple has come under fire for displaying warning messages next to certain apps in the EU App Store—messages that highlight when an app uses payment methods outside of Apple’s own system. At first glance, it seemed like Apple was trying to scare users off external payment options, which the new EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) now allows. But there’s a crucial detail getting lost in all the noise: these warnings aren’t new. Despite reports suggesting otherwise, Apple told TechCrunch that these disclosure messages have actually been live since March 2024, when Apple rolled out its initial DMA compliance efforts…
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok experienced a bug on Wednesday that caused it to reply to dozens of posts on X with information about “white genocide” in South Africa, even when users did not ask about the topic. The unusual responses came from Grok’s official X account, which normally replies to users when tagged with @grok. However, when asked unrelated questions, Grok repeatedly provided information on the controversial subject of “white genocide” and referenced the anti-apartheid chant “kill the Boer.” This incident highlights the ongoing challenges AI chatbots face as emerging technology, including issues with reliability and moderation. Recent months…
Waymo has issued a software recall affecting 1,200 of its self-driving vehicles after several robotaxis were involved in minor collisions with gates, chains, and other similar stationary objects. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Alphabet-owned company decided to recall a specific version of its autonomous driving software to comply with regulatory reporting requirements. The recall follows a preliminary NHTSA investigation, which began in May 2024 after reports of seven collisions between December 2022 and April 2024 involving robotaxis striking stationary or semi-stationary objects. None of these incidents resulted in injuries. In response, Waymo…
Microsoft is set to reduce its global workforce by 3%, according to a report by CNBC. With around 228,000 employees worldwide as of June 2024, this means over 6,500 jobs could be affected by the layoffs. This marks one of the company’s largest reductions since it let go of 10,000 employees in 2023. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the layoffs, stating, “We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace.” Despite reporting strong financial results in April — $70.1 billion in revenue (a 13% increase) and net income profits of $25.8 billion…