THE LATEST - GGD NEWS

Apple Abandons Budget Smartphone Market With the iPhone 16e

Last week, Apple introduced the long-awaited successor to the iPhone SE: the iPhone 16e. In doing so, it all but abandoned the budget smartphone market. Also: The company prepares to launch the M4 MacBook Air and confirms that Apple Intelligence is coming to the Vision Pro. Plus, startup Humane sells itself to HP and shuts down the Ai Pin, and we have an inside look at Apple’s plan to merge its new modem component with the main chips in its devices.

Bangladesh Leader Invites Musk to Visit, Launch Starlink Service

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, invited SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk to visit the country and launch his Starlink satellite internet service there.

WiseTech Board Quits as Founder Wins Power Struggle

WiseTech Global Ltd.’s founder and largest shareholder Richard White appears to have triumphed in a high-level power dispute after almost every board member quit in a disagreement over the billionaire’s role at the company. The shares slumped.

Go Figure: After Almost Half a Century, Leonard Peltier is Free

After nearly five decades behind bars, Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been released from prison following a commutation by President Joe Biden in January, before leaving office. Convicted in 1977 for the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 incident on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation—a conviction long contested by Peltier and his supporters—Peltier, now 80, has consistently maintained his innocence.

Ahimsa Acquires Vegan Brand Blackbird Foods

Ahimsa Companies, a plant-based investment firm, has announced its acquisition of Blackbird Foods, a New York-based vegan brand known for its artisanal frozen pizzas and seitan products available at retailers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target.

The Honda-Nissan Merger Is Dead—Or Is It?

For months, rumors of a potential Honda-Nissan merger fueled speculation about a major shift in the Japanese auto industry. If successful, the deal would have created the third-largest carmaker in the world, helping both companies strengthen their positions in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous driving industries.

GGD Startup: PopCom

PopCom turns traditional vending machines and kiosks into smart retail spaces. Using biotech integration, automated retail software and artificial intelligence, PopCom manufactures vending machines; able to sell everything from digital NFT artwork to beauty products. Founder Dawn Dickson, established the company after realizing many vending outlets or self-serving kiosks were not providing owners with critical consumer data (like sales or traffic analytics).

GGD Startup: Eventbrite

Eventbrite has definitely used technology to expand how independent creatives make a living. The event management and ticketing platform is one of few; a women-led (and founded) tech company, publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

GGD Startup: Pavegen Pavements

Just by walking on a Pavegen block, you generate human kinetic energy which then gets converted into clean, off-grid electricity. The founder, Laurence Kemball-Cook came up with the idea after noticing the large number of commuters passing through Victoria Station in London.

GGD Startup: Fanbase

Unlike most social media apps, Fanbase is geared to make you money ASAP. The network serves as a platform for multiple types of content; video, podcasts, movies, and more.