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TikTok parent ByteDance reportedly values itself at $300 billion

Anthony Ha — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 17:26:40 +0000

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, valued itself at $300 billion in a recent share buyback offer, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. That number might sound familiar, as the WSJ previously reported on a ByteDance buyback offer at a $300 billion valuation back in September 2022. But a year […]

Unlike X, Bluesky says it won’t train AI on your posts

Aisha Malik — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 21:26:11 +0000

Bluesky, a social network that’s experiencing a surge in users this week as users abandon X, says it has “no intention” of using user content to train generative AI tools. The social network made the announcement on the same day that X (formerly Twitter) is implementing its new terms of service that allow the platform […]

What is Bluesky? Everything to know about the X competitor

Amanda Silberling, Cody Corrall, Alyssa Stringer — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Is the grass greener on the other side? We’re not sure, but the sky is most certainly bluer. It’s been two years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, leading people to set up shop on alternative platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations) and Spill have been presented as potential […]

As Bluesky surges, Threads begins testing custom feeds

Sarah Perez — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:44:52 +0000

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday announced the company’s X competitor, Threads, would begin testing custom feeds for specific topics and profiles, making it easier for users to find communities and conversations that interest them. The news follows the rapid growth of the social networking startup and X rival, Bluesky, which prioritizes tools that allow […]

JobGet, a ‘LinkedIn’ for hourly workers, acquires rival Snagajob

Ingrid Lunden — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:51:18 +0000

If you’re an hourly worker, the number of go-to options you have for finding new jobs is shrinking a little. JobGet, a Boston-based startup that operates an hourly job-hunting site with social features built in, à la LinkedIn, is acquiring Snagajob, one of its rivals in the U.S. market. JobGet claims this will make it […]

Sam Altman and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive AI Health assistant has a bare-bones demo

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:54:13 +0000

In a splashy op-ed in Time published this summer, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Thrive AI Health, a venture with the goal of building an AI-powered assistant to promote healthier lifestyles. Backed by Huffington’s mental wellness firm Thrive Global and the OpenAI Startup Fund, Thrive AI Health would seek to […]

How to use Bluesky, the Twitter-like app that’s taking on Elon Musk’s X

Sarah Perez — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:53:05 +0000

Bluesky is continuing to blow up. The Twitter-like service and alternative to Elon Musk’s X, has now surpassed 16 million users after seeing rapid growth in the days following the U.S. presidential election. While many are leaving X over the service’s increasing right-wing leanings and Musk’s campaigning for Trump, others are unhappy with other changes […]

‘Hawk Tuah’ girl launches Pookie Tools, an AI-powered dating advice app, and it’s fine?

Lauren Forristal — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:57:08 +0000

Haliey Welch, the 22-year-old who went viral for her “Hawk Tuah” video, has managed to turn her brief moment of fame into a full-fledged career. In just a few months, Welch has rapidly risen to fame, amassing around 5 million followers across various social media platforms. After recently releasing her own podcast titled “Talk Tuah,” […]

YouTube chases TikTok with new gifting feature for vertical livestreams

Aisha Malik — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 17:50:02 +0000

YouTube is launching a new way for creators to earn money during vertical livestreams, the company announced on Thursday. Viewers can now buy “Jewels,” a digital currency, to send “gifts” to creators. Gifts are animations that appear on screen during vertical livestreams. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s similar to TikTok’s live gifting feature […]

Amazon’s telehealth platform adds low-cost plans for hair loss, skin care, and more

Aisha Malik — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 15:17:17 +0000

Amazon One Medical is expanding its telehealth services with the launch of upfront and low-cost treatment plans and medication delivery for several beauty and lifestyle concerns. Customers can get treatment plans and medication for men’s hair loss for as low as $16 per month, anti-aging skin care for $10 per month, and erectile disfunction care […]

Mobile browser Arc Search is now generally available on Android

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Following an October beta release for Android, mobile browser Arc Search hit general availability Thursday. Its developer, The Browser Company, is known for its desktop browser Arc. To reach more users and employ AI-based search, the company launched Arc Search for iOS earlier this year. The new version will possibly open up Arc Search’s reach […]

Google launches Gemini app for iOS worldwide

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:37:01 +0000

On Thursday Google launched a dedicated app for its AI-powered assistant, Gemini, on iOS globally. Until now, iOS users either had to use the Google app or mobile web to chat with the AI technology. The new Gemini iOS app supports text-based prompts in 35 languages. Plus, users can have a conversation with Gemini through […]

Snapchat will soon be able to alert parents when their teen leaves or arrives at certain locations

Aisha Malik — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Snapchat is bringing enhanced location sharing to Family Center, its parental controls hub, the company announced Thursday. Users have been able to share their location with others on Snapchat for quite some time now, but the new addition allows parents to get an alert from within the app’s Family Center when their teen departs from […]

Tiger Global-backed InVideo launches GenAI-based video creation

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Indian video editing platform InVideo is launching a generative AI-powered video creation feature that lets you use prompts to create video clips.

PayPal once again lets you pool money from others to pay for things together

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:00:00 +0000

PayPal is launching a few features that let users in groups pool money with friends or family, to collectively pay for trips, travels, gifts, and anything else. The company is launching this feature in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., Italy, and Spain ahead of the holiday season. “Re-launching” might be the more appropriate verb here: […]

Apple faces UK ‘iCloud monopoly’ compensation claim worth $3.8B

Natasha Lomas — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:01:00 +0000

U.K. consumer rights group ‘Which?’ is filing a legal claim against Apple under competition law on behalf of some 40 million users of iCloud, its cloud storage service. The collective proceeding lawsuit, which is seeking £3 billion in compensation damages (around $3.8 billion at current exchange rates), alleges that Apple has broken competition rules by […]

Apple’s AI-powered Final Cut Pro 11 is now available

Brian Heater — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

It’s been 13 years since Apple released Final Cut X. That’s just over half of the video-editing software’s entire lifespan, having celebrated its 25th birthday this April. It’s several lifetimes in the world of consumer software, leading some to wonder whether the company had quietly washed its hands of the offering. After 13 years of […]

Spotify will start paying video podcast hosts based on how well their videos perform

Aisha Malik — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 21:11:08 +0000

Spotify announced on Wednesday that it will start paying podcast hosts who make popular videos on its streaming platform, as the company looks to take on YouTube’s dominance in the video podcast space. The company announced a new “Partner Program” that lets creators monetizes their content beyond ad revenue. Although creators can already monetize their […]

Spotify teases a ‘super premium’ tier for superfans and upcoming video expansion in Q3 earnings call

Sarah Perez — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:12:39 +0000

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has once again teased the company’s long-delayed HiFi or “super premium” tier, a higher-qualify subscription offering the streaming service first announced in 2021 and then failed to roll out. In the company’s third-quarter earnings call with investors on Wednesday, the exec suggested that such a product was still on the way, […]

Apple now lets app developers apply to be featured on the App Store

Sarah Perez — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 16:09:17 +0000

App developers now have a new way to promote their app launches, updates, and other new features on Apple’s App Store. First announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple this week introduced a “Featuring Nominations” option in App Store Connect, which is the service developers use to submit their apps, games, and […]