Follow the Money: These Tech Investors are Hosting a Fundraiser for Trump
Just a week after becoming a convicted felon, former President Trump will be attending a fundraiser hosted by two well-known venture capitalists in San Francisco.
50 Cent’s Diddy Docuseries Sold to Netflix
After an intense bidding war, Netflix has secured the rights to a Diddy docuseries, executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Even before CNN revealed a horrific video of Sean “P.Diddy” Combs beating and dragging Cassie (his former partner and recording artist) inside a hotel hallway; 50 Cent hinted at a “Diddy Do it?” titled documentary (via Instagram).
Google Launches “Umoja” Cable: Linking Africa and Australia
As part of its Africa Connect initiative, Google has announced the construction of a new fiber optic cable system linking Australia and Africa. The project, known as “Umoja” is the first-ever fiber optic cable to directly boost internet services between the two continents.
Europe Might Ban TikTok Next
Aside from the “ban-or-sell” law recently issued in the United States, TikTok could soon be facing a complete ban in Europe. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Union’s president considers the social media app a “danger.”
Apple Removes Fake Password App from Store
This week, popular password management app LastPass issued a security warning; a fake app with a similar logo and name was live on the Apple Store. Aside from collecting user information and acting as a data decoy, “The LassPass Password Manger” was poised to take cash.
Google Gives its AI Chatbot a Makeover
Google has announced that Bard (its AI chatbot) is now officially known as “Gemini.” The rebrand includes a new app available on all Androids. You can use the Gemini app to replace Google Assistant as the the main AI tool on your phone.
Prada to Design New Astronaut Suits
For their upcoming lunar mission, NASA has enlisted the help of Italian fashion house Prada and Axiom Space—architects behind the world’s first commercial space station. Both entities will collaborate on tech to design a brand new spacesuit.
NASA is Launching a New Streaming Platform
Later this year NASA will introduce NASA+, a new streaming service. The platform will be free to access and feature no ads. You can watch live events (like rocket launches), original video space content, and documentaries.
Tech Leaders Spend $800M to Build a New City
A group of Silicon Valley tycoons have been quietly buying land near San Francisco’s Bay Area. Their goal is to create a brand new city, complete with residential neighborhoods, a performing arts center, and orchards with over a million trees planted. Key investors include Reid Hoffman (the CEO of LinkedIn), Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. The development project is being carried out by Flannery Associates, led by Jan Sramek a former finance whiz kid and Goldman Sachs trader. Over the past five years, the firm (created by the investor group) has been purchasing land near San Francisco and Silicon Valley in Solano County.
After Backlash, Zoom Revamps its AI Policy
After publicizing new AI standards, Zoom has scrambled to updated its Terms of Service (TOS) twice. In late July, the video conferencing company added Artificial Intelligence terms that would require access to “Customer Content” (transcript data from video and audio calls). At first, Zoom didn’t give users the opportunity to option out.