Meta Join 2024 was this week, showcasing new {hardware} and software program to assist two of the corporate’s huge ambitions: AI and the metaverse. CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced new Quest headsets, updates to Meta’s Llama AI mannequin, and real-time video capabilities of Ray-Ban Meta good glasses. The largest reveal, although, was Orion, a true AR glasses prototype touted as “essentially the most superior glasses the world has ever seen.”
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati introduced this week that she is leaving the corporate after greater than six years. Hours after the announcement, OpenAI’s chief analysis officer, Bob McGrew, and a analysis VP, Barret Zoph, additionally left the corporate. The high-level departures come lower than every week earlier than the beginning of OpenAI’s annual developer convention.
One in all CloudKitchens’ earliest staff is suing the corporate. Within the lawsuit, Isabella Vincenza alleges wrongful termination, intercourse discrimination, and a hostile work atmosphere, together with an intense “bro tradition” on the firm. Vincenza additionally claims that she was “retaliated in opposition to for standing up for herself” following her being pregnant and subsequent maternity go away.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
Information
Discuss to me, ChatGPT: OpenAI rolled out Superior Voice Mode following some delays and controversy. The function has an up to date blue spherical look, 5 new voices, and improved accent capabilities for patrons in ChatGPT’s Plus and Groups tiers. Learn extra
YC Demo Day: Y Combinator kicked off its two-day “Demo Day” occasion showcasing what the newest YC batch firms are constructing. Listed here are the businesses value taking note of out of the occasion. (Spoiler alert: They beautiful a lot all use AI.) Learn extra
Amazon staff vs. RTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy introduced that staff shall be anticipated to work from the workplace 5 days every week beginning in 2025. However an nameless survey created by staff reveals that many who’ve grown accustomed to a hybrid work construction are “strongly dissatisfied.” Learn extra
How a lot can a telephone wallpaper price? Marques Brownlee, recognized on YouTube as MKBHD, launched the wallpaper app Panels, the place he’s curating high-quality digital wallpapers from artists. However as a way to entry high-resolution wallpapers with out adverts, customers must cough up about $50 per yr. Learn extra
WordPress vs. WP Engine: A heated authorized battle is brewing between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine — which hosts web sites constructed on WordPress — after Mullenweg wrote a weblog put up calling WP Engine a “most cancers to WordPress.” Learn extra
X switches up the block function: X will quickly change how its block function works in order that accounts you’ve got blocked will nonetheless be capable of see your public posts. Elon Musk clarified that blocked accounts nonetheless gained’t be capable of interact with customers who’ve blocked them. Learn extra
RevenueCat turns up the warmth: Subscription administration platform RevenueCat acquired Dipsea, an app providing subscriptions to “spicy” audiobooks. The concept is to deliver a subscription-based app in-house to function a testing floor for RevenueCat’s new options. Learn extra
RIP, TikTok Music: ByteDance is shuttering its music streaming service, TikTok Music, in November. TikTok Music was rooted in a ByteDance product referred to as Resso, and the service was later out there in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Mexico. Learn extra
Meta will get hit with one other privateness penalty: Meta has been reprimanded and fined $101.5 million (at present alternate charges) by Eire’s Knowledge Safety Fee for a 2019 breach that uncovered lots of of tens of millions of Fb passwords. Learn extra
Fingers-on with Plaud’s NotePin: TechCrunch’s Brian Heater has been testing Plaud’s $169 ChatGPT-powered NotePin to transcribe conferences and take notes. In contrast to different AI pins, Plaud’s product seems like an answer to actual points, he argues. Learn extra
Evaluation
Sam Altman goes “god mode”: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has traditionally pitched AI as the answer to the world’s issues, regardless of its vital impression on the atmosphere. In a brand new rose-colored-glasses weblog put up, Altman presents an extremely optimistic replace on the state of AI, hyping its world-changing potential. However, as TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez notes, a lot of what he writes is seemingly meant to make skeptics see how a lot AI issues and will nicely have the other end result. Learn extra
