Google CEO tells employees Gemini AI blunder ‘unacceptable’

The Google CEO said the company is working around the clock on a fix for its AI image generator tool.

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YouTube’s Create app, a competitor to TikTok’s creative tools, expands to 13 more markets

YouTube Create, Google’s standalone mobile app aimed at creators, which helps them produce both Shorts and longer videos, is expanding to a broader set of markets after last fall’s launch into beta testing. The app was initially available on Android in the U.S. and a handful of other select markets, but today will become available […]
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Telegram is launching ad revenue sharing next month using toncoin

Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov announced today that the company is launching its ad platform next month, allowing channel owners to receive financial rewards. The company will pay out rewards using toncoin on the TON blockchain. Channel owners will start receiving 50% of all revenue that the company makes from displaying ads in their […]
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Top Amazon aggregator Thrasio files for bankruptcy

Aggregators like Thrasio raised billions of dollars from investors looking to cash in on the third-party seller rollup craze.

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Biden Issues Executive Order to Restrict Personal Data Sales to China and Russia

In an attempt to limit blackmail and other harm, he will issue an executive order asking the Justice Department to write rules restricting sales to six countries.

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How to Manage Streaming Subscriptions As Service Prices Rise

Canceling is simple. The tough part is remembering to do it.

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Sweanty’s wearable patch for athletes tracks salt loss to help them hydrate

Wearables are coming in an increasing array of shapes, form factors and guises these days as health and fitness tracking proliferates. Here at 4YFN at the MWC tradeshow we spotted a new one: A stick-on patch for tracking athletes’ sweat to monitor salt loss and help them tailor their rehydration strategy. The Spanish startup behind […]
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Fintech giant Stripe’s valuation spikes to $65B in employee stock-sale deal

Payments infrastructure giant Stripe said today it has inked deals with investors to provide liquidity to current and former employees through a tender offer at a $65 billion valuation. Notably, the valuation represents a 30% increase compared to what Stripe was valued at last March when it raised $6.5 billion in Series I funding at […]
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Apple to scrap electric car project, much to Elon Musk’s delight

Apple Inc. plans to wind down its electric car project to shift focus to artificial intelligence (AI), with Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk celebrating the move in his trademark style.
According to Bloomberg, after investing billions of dollars over a decade, Apple scrapped its electric car venture, entitled Project Titan, shocking the nearly 2,000 employees involved.
Originally designed to create a fully autonomous electric vehicle (EV) to compete with Tesla, the project faced multiple challenges since its beginning in 2014. The initiative was hindered by changes in leadership, such as Doug Field’s exit to take up a senior role at Ford Motor Company, and various strategic obstacles.

https://t.co/f5wn0y95gx
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2024

In response, Musk posted a saluting emoji and a cigarette on X, later stating, “The natural state of a car company is dead.”

The natural state of a car company is dead
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2024

Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Vice President Kevin Lynch, who oversaw the project, informed team members that the initiative would be scrapped. They explained that numerous employees from the car team, referred to as the Special Projects Group (SPG), would be transferred to the artificial intelligence division led by executive John Giannandrea.
Bloomberg reported that there could be potential layoffs, as the tech giant’s car team also has several hundred hardware engineers and vehicle designers. 
News of the California-based firm’s decision was welcomed by investors, as Apple shares rose on Tuesday. The stock rose by about 1%, closing at $182.63 in New York.
What does this mean for electric cars?
The cancellation of the electric car project mirrors wider changes in the automotive sector. As the electric vehicle (EV) market sees a deceleration in sales growth, due to high costs and insufficient charging facilities, leading car manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford are shifting their focus to increasing the production of hybrid vehicles. Even Tesla, a pioneer in the EV industry, has predicted a substantial slowdown in its growth rates.
Despite the doom and gloom in the industry, Tesla still plans to build new electric vehicles in mid-2025. Musk’s company reportedly informed suppliers that it wanted to get production going at the mid-way point next year to deliver on a long-held ambition to build a $25,000 car.
It is now vying for dominance in the world’s largest automobile market against Chinese EV manufacturer BYD, employing an aggressive marketing strategy in China.
Featured image: Canva
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WWE 2K24: Post Malone’s soundtrack features Grimes, 100 Gecs and Turnstile

Music icon and all-round pop culture fan Post Malone has created the soundtrack to the upcoming WWE 2K24 title, and fans will be able to hit the ropes with him.
The game’s developer has announced that the music icon will feature in one of the five DLC packs being released across 2024, with the first dropping in May and the last to feature in November of this year. The main game will be hitting online and physical stores on March 5.
Executive Producer Post Malone
Post Malone will also be an executive producer on the game, with the soundtrack featuring the likes of Grimes, 100 Gecs, and Turnstile. Malone took on the task of crafting the music as a fan of wrestling and the 2K games themselves, blending a variety of genres including rock, country, rap, electronic music, and pop.
The WWE 2K24 soundtrack features 12 songs, including:

Post Malone – Chemical
Post Malone – Laugh It Off
100 gecs – Hand Crushed By A Mallet
Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See
Colter Wall – Motorcycle
Grimes – Genesis
Militarie Gun – Do It Faster
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Big Rig
Speed – Not That Nice
Turnstile – Mystery
Tyler Childers – House Fire
Yeat – Bëttr 0ff

“The secret to a great video game soundtrack is a little something for everyone and for every mood. It gets you excited and it gets you pumped up to play,” said Post Malone. “This has been a total blast. We have a lot of cool ideas, so I’m super excited.”
For wrestling fans hoping to pick up the DLC it will be sold separately, be incorporated into the Wrestlemania Edition and Deluxe version of the game. Last month we broke down the announcement trailer of the 40 Years of Wrestlemania release.
Fans have been clamoring for the incorporation of the Best in the World, CM Punk since his return to the scene of his infamous pipebomb interview. They have got their way as the WWE Superstar was part of an announcement on the official 2K24 X:

.@cmpunk is making his #WWE2K24 debut along with a long list of your favorite WWE Superstars! https://t.co/asmBSji7sk pic.twitter.com/8QsA42PbhP
— #WWE2K24 (@WWEgames) February 27, 2024

In other wrestling-related news the WWE and Netflix have signed a $5 billion deal to bring the flagship shows Raw and Smackdown to the streaming platform The partnership also ends the wrestling company’s presence on syndicated television since the original air date of WWE Raw on January 11, 1993.
Malone adds to pop culture legacy
Malone is a huge fan of all things geeky and his appearance in the game marks another cool thing he has done across a spectacular American Music and Billboard Award-winning career.
He was immortalized by Wizards of the Coast for the 30th anniversary of the game in a limited Secret Lair, with his own image “Post, Son of Rich” and hit the headlines for paying $2 million dollars for the One Ring Lord of the Rings card.
Image Credit: WWE.
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