Tech Meme

The Information: Sources: Meta is merging Facebook’s and Messenger’s teams into one unit and shuffling its generative AI group, as it prepares for company-wide layoffs next week  —  Meta Platforms is merging the teams behind Facebook and Messenger into one unit as the company prepares for layoffs across the business next week. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Todd Spangler / Variety: Alphabet reports YouTube Q4 ad revenue up 14% YoY to $10.47B, vs. $10.23B est.; together, Google Cloud and YouTube ended 2024 at a $110B annual revenue run rate  —  YouTube, the internet’s biggest streaming video platform, delivered a healthy 13.8% increase in global ad revenue … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Washington Post: Google drops language from its AI Principles that said it would not pursue AI applications “likely to cause overall harm”, such as for weapons and surveillance  —  In 2018 the company updated its policies to explicitly exclude applying AI to weapons.  Now that promise is gone. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Arasu Kannagi Basil / Reuters: Austin-based SailPoint, which sells identity management tools, and parent Thoma Bravo aim to raise up to $1B in SailPoint’s US IPO, targeting a $11.5B valuation  —  SailPoint said on Tuesday it was targeting a valuation of up to $11.5 billion in its New York flotation, as the cybersecurity firm looks … Lees verder op Tech Meme

New York Times: Sources: the US SEC is moving to scale back a special unit of 50+ lawyers and staff members that had been dedicated to bringing crypto enforcement actions  —  Some in a special unit of 50 lawyers and staff members that had been assigned to regulate cryptocurrency are being reassigned in the agency. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters: The EC releases its guidelines on prohibited AI practices under the EU’s AI Act, such as using AI to track employees’ emotions or manipulate website users  —  Employers will be banned from using artificial intelligence to track their staff’s emotions and websites will not be allowed to use … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: Sources: the head of the US AI Safety Institute, Elizabeth Kelly, is set to leave by the end of the week; Kelly was appointed to the position in February 2024  —  – Biden-appointee Elizabeth Kelly helped shape US policy  — Trump seeks to shed rules to boost US dominance in AI Lees verder op Tech Meme

Samantha Subin / CNBC: Sundar Pichai says Alphabet plans to invest “approximately $75B” in capex in 2025, vs. $59.73B est.; GOOG drops 7%+ after hours after its Q4 revenue missed est.  —  Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is planning another big year of spending as it continues to build … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Ian King / Bloomberg: AMD reports Q4 revenue up 24% YoY to $7.66B, Data Center revenue up 69% to $3.86B, vs. $4.09B est., and forecasts Q1 sales of $6.8B to $7.4B, vs. $7.04B est.  —  – Results suggest the chipmaker is still lagging behind Nvidia  — Company fares better in PC market, making gains on Intel Lees verder op Tech Meme

Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: Match Group reports Q4 revenue down 1% YoY to $860M, forecasts Q1 revenue below est., names Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff as CEO; MTCH drops 7%+ after hours  —  – Dating company’s first-quarter sales outlook missed estimates  — Bernard Kim steps down as CEO after less than 3 years on job Lees verder op Tech Meme