Apple Interface Revamp:
- Apple is planning a major interface overhaul for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, aiming for a consistent design inspired by visionOS and simpler navigation. 👉 bloomberg.com$
- The redesign will include changes to apps, icons, windows, buttons, and system navigation. 👉 macrumors.com
AI Integration in Tech Jobs:
- Nearly one in four U.S. tech jobs now require AI skills, with companies integrating AI into existing roles across various sectors. 👉 wsj.com$
- The information sector leads with 36% of IT jobs seeking AI expertise.
X Cyberattack:
- Elon Musk attributes a "massive cyberattack" with "IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area" for a series of outages on X. 👉 bloomberg.com$
- The company has enabled DDoS protections from Cloudflare. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
Market Sell-Off:
- Tech stocks led a broad sell-off, with the Nasdaq falling 4%, its sharpest one-day decline since Sept. 2022, as "Magnificent Seven" stocks face pressure. 👉 finance.yahoo.com
- NVDA, AAPL, META, and GOOG experienced significant declines.
Microsoft and Gaming Handheld:
- Microsoft plans to launch an Xbox-branded gaming handheld later in 2025 through partnership with a PC gaming manufacturer. 👉 windowscentral.com
- The device, codenamed "Keenan," will run full Windows with Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass integration.
Software Developer Sabotage:
- A 55-year-old software developer was convicted for intentionally damaging his former employer's network, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. 👉 arstechnica.com
- The developer created a "kill switch" named "IsDLEnabledinAD" that automatically activated upon his termination, disrupting Eaton's global operations.
EU Fines for Apple and Meta:
- Apple and Meta are set to face modest fines for allegedly breaching the EU's DMA, which allows fines of up to 10% of companies' global annual sales. 👉 reuters.com
Asana CEO Retirement:
- Asana announces CEO Dustin Moskovitz is retiring. 👉 cnbc.com
- Reports Q4 sales rose 10% YoY to $188.3M, in line with estimates; ASAN drops 25%+ after hours.
OpenAI and CoreWeave Contract:
- CoreWeave signs a five-year $11.9B contract with OpenAI and will issue shares worth $350M to OpenAI through a private placement at the time of CoreWeave's IPO. 👉 reuters.com
AI and Scientific Discovery:
- Cambridge-based Lila Sciences emerges from stealth with a $200M seed to build AI to accelerate scientific discovery. 👉 nytimes.com$
Sony AI PlayStation Characters:
- Sony is working on a prototype AI-powered version of at least one its PlayStation game character that can interact with players through voice prompts. 👉 theverge.com
iPad Air M3 Review:
- iPad Air M3 review: powerful M3 chip, improved keyboard, better screen, performance, and multitasking than the base iPad, but no Face ID and can get expensive. 👉 engadget.com
- The new iPad Air remains a great tablet, albeit one that's extremely similar to the last few models.
Hinge Health IPO:
- Virtual physical therapy service Hinge Health files for a US IPO, and reports revenue of $390M in 2024, up from $293M in 2023, and a net loss of $11.9M. 👉 bloomberg.com$
Eric Schmidt CEO of Relativity Space:
- Eric Schmidt becomes CEO of Relativity Space; sources: he made a significant investment in the rocket-building startup to take a controlling stake. 👉 nytimes.com$
Voice Cloning Programs:
- Consumer Reports: many voice cloning programs, including ElevenLabs, Speechify, PlayHT, and Lovo, have flimsy barriers to prevent nonconsensual impersonations. 👉 nbcnews.com
BMC vs IBM Supreme Court:
- SCOTUS refuses to hear BMC's appeal and revive a $1.6B award against IBM, which was accused by BMC of poaching a client in violation of a licensing agreement. 👉 bloomberg.com$
DeepSeek Investor Concerns:
- DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng told associates he isn't in a hurry to get investment, including from government entities, fearing outside influence. 👉 wsj.com$
Nirvana Funding Round:
- Nirvana, which uses real-time driving telematics to build insurance policies for truckers, raised an $80M Series C at an $830M valuation, up from $350M in 2023. 👉 techcrunch.com
Ex-Facebook Employee Harassment:
- Memoir: ex-Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams, who was fired in 2017, says Joel Kaplan sexually harassed her, among other claims; Meta cleared Kaplan in 2017. 👉 nbcnews.com
Rocket Acquires Redfin:
- Real estate platform Rocket plans to buy Redfin, a home search service and adtech brokerage, for $1.75B, or $12.50/share, closing as soon as Q2; RKT drops 15%+. 👉 bloomberg.com$
AI Excels at Instruction but Lacks Innovation:
- AI excels at following instructions but isn't pushing the boundaries of knowledge, producing overly compliant helpers rather than revolutionaries. 👉 businessinsider.com$
Volkswagen Reintroduces Physical Buttons:
- Volkswagen will bring back physical buttons in all its vehicles for the five most important functions, acknowledging that removing them was a mistake. 👉 pcmag.com
LastPass Breach Leads to Crypto Heist:
- Federal agents link a $150 million cryptocurrency heist to the 2022 LastPass hacks, confirming that thieves cracked master passwords stolen from the password manager service. 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
Malvertising Campaign on GitHub:
- Microsoft has spotted a malvertising campaign that downloaded malware hosted on GitHub, exposing nearly a million devices to information thieves. 👉 theregister.com
Sony Removes AI Deepfake Songs:
- Sony has removed more than 75,000 AI-generated deepfake songs mimicking artists, saying it causes direct commercial harm to legitimate recording artists. 👉 gizmodo.com
US Climate Crisis Role:
- The president of the next UN climate summit says the US will be "central" to solving the climate crisis despite Donald Trump's withdrawal of government support and cash. 👉 theguardian.com
Plastics in Human Tissues:
- Researchers are urging more rigorous standards in studies examining plastics in human tissues, citing small sample sizes and contamination issues. 👉 nature.com
Internet Shutdowns in Africa:
- Internet shutdowns in Africa hit a record high in 2024, with 21 shutdowns across 15 countries, often imposed in response to conflicts, protests, and political instability. 👉 theguardian.com
Framework Mono 6.14 Release:
- Framework Mono 6.14, the first major Mono release in five years, includes native macOS ARM64 support, enhancements to System.Windows.Forms for X11, and improved COM interface support. 👉 phoronix.com
HP Firmware Update Bricks Printers:
- HP is accused of issuing a firmware update that broke customers' laser printers, making them unable to use even HP-brand toner, resulting in Error Code 11. 👉 arstechnica.com
Cybercriminals Sell Access to Chinese Surveillance Cameras:
- Cybercriminals are selling access to Chinese surveillance cameras, exploiting a critical, 11-month-old CVE in tens of thousands of cameras. 👉 threatpost.com
US Seizes Crypto from LastPass Breach:
- U.S. authorities have seized over $23 million in cryptocurrency linked to the theft of $150 million from a Ripple crypto wallet in January 2024. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
YouTubers Extorted for Malware Distribution:
- Cybercriminals are sending bogus copyright claims to YouTubers to coerce them into promoting malware and cryptocurrency miners on their videos. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
Edimax IP Camera Flaw Exploited:
- A critical command injection vulnerability impacting the Edimax IC-7100 IP camera is actively being exploited by botnet malware. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
X hit by ‘massive cyberattack’ amid Dark Storm’s DDoS claims: