Tech Meme

Bloomberg: Source: the DOJ is preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit to block Adobe’s $20B Figma acquisition as soon as March; Adobe expects to close the deal in 2023  —  The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Adobe Inc.’s $20 billion acquisition of startup Figma Inc., people familiar with the matter said. Lees verder op Tech Meme

RT Watson / The Block: Document: NFT startup Dapper Labs, which raised over $600M, lays off 20% of its staff, after laying off ~134, or ~22% of its workforce, in November 2022  —  – Dapper Labs lays off another 20% of staff.  — CEO says company is restructuring and has a “strong cash position.” Lees verder op Tech Meme

Alex Pasternack / Fast Company: Experts say combining deepfake audio and video, virtual avatars, and large language models like GPT could turbocharge the work of scammers and propagandists  —  Dozens of startups are using generative AI to make shiny happy virtual people for fun and profit.  Chatbots add a complicated new dimension. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Ron Miller / TechCrunch: London-based Metomic, which uses AI to detect data leaks in SaaS apps like Slack and Jira, raised a $20M Series A led by Evolution Equity Partners  —  As more companies shift to work-from-home or hybrid environments, it becomes increasingly important to make sure that employees … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Chris Metinko / Crunchbase News: Lincoln, Nebraska-based Spreetail, which offers logistics, customer support, and content services to e-commerce brands, raised $208M  —  Nebraska is not known for large funding announcements, but that did not hinder Spreetail from securing some serious funding. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: The US says the focus of its $39B chip making fund, a part of the $52B CHIPS Act, is on strengthening national security, not subsidizing struggling companies  —  As President Joe Biden’s administration prepares to accept requests for $39 billion in funding to jumpstart US production of microchips … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Joseph Cox / VICE: A reporter says he used an AI-generated replica of a voice to get past the voice verification system of UK’s Lloyds bank and accessed an account’s information  —  Banks in the U.S. and Europe tout voice ID as a secure way to log into your account.  I proved it’s possible to trick such systems with free or cheap AI-generated voices. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: Source: the DOJ is preparing to file an antitrust suit to block Adobe’s Figma acquisition as soon as next month; Adobe says it expects to close the deal in 2023  —  The Justice Department is preparing an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Adobe Inc.’s $20 billion acquisition of startup Figma Inc., people familiar with the matter said. Lees verder op Tech Meme

MacKenzie Sigalos / CNBC: Block reports Q4 revenue up 15% YoY to $4.65B, vs. $4.61B est., Square gross profit up 22% YoY to $801M, and Cash App gross profit up 64% YoY to $848M  —  – Block stock rose slightly in extended trading after the payments company reported fourth-quarter revenue and gross profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations. Lees verder op Tech Meme

RT Watson / The Block: Doc: NFT startup Dapper Labs, which raised $600M+, lays off 20% of staff, after laying off ~134 staff, or ~22% of it’s workforce, in November 2022  —  – Dapper Labs lays off another 20% of staff.  — CEO says company is restructuring and has a “strong cash position.” Lees verder op Tech Meme