Damir Yalalov / Metaverse Post: VALL-E: Microsoft’s new zero-shot text-to-speech model can duplicate everyone’s voice in three seconds — Since the release of the first text-to-speech (TTS) model, researchers have been looking for ways to improve the way these systems generate speech. The latest model from Microsoft … Lees verder op Tech Meme
Juro Osawa / The Information: Sources: Douyin e-commerce spending in China grew 76% YoY to ~$208B in 2022; TikTok users in Southeast Asia more than quadrupled their spending to $4.4B in 2022 — TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is making inroads in e-commerce. Consumers in China last year spent 1.41 trillion yuan … Lees verder op Tech Meme
Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal: Southwest Airlines’ recent meltdown exposed an over-reliance on aging crew-assignment software SkySolver, forcing the company to return to manual scheduling — The airline industry is long overdue for a tech overhaul that takes full advantage of the cloud and data integration, analysts say Lees verder op Tech Meme
Clive Thompson / MIT Technology Review: A profile of blockchain auditing service CertiK, which inspects smart contracts to help clients like Yuga Labs avoid critical bugs that can lead to lost crypto — Programming errors on the blockchain can mean $100 million lost in the blink of an eye. Ronghui Gu and his company CertiK are trying to help. Lees verder op Tech Meme
Daniel Gilbert / Washington Post: A look at the wave of US doctors and telehealth startups prescribing ketamine online, aided by looser pandemic-inspired federal rules for controlled substances — People can take the drug at home, thanks to federal action during the pandemic. Some experts worry it’s now too easy to get. Lees verder op Tech Meme
Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times: Berlin-based Flink, one of the last independent grocery delivery startups, hit €400M in 2022 sales and expects to be profitable in 2023; Flink has raised $700M+ — Berlin-based start-up aims for profits next year as rivals struggle for cash — Flink, one of Europe’s … Lees verder op Tech Meme
Debby Wu / Bloomberg: Chinese media: Foxconn says its Zhengzhou plant is operating with ~200,000 workers, or ~90% capacity, back to around reported normal levels, after disruptions — Foxconn Technology Group has brought the world’s largest iPhone plant to about 90% of anticipated peak capacity … Lees verder op Tech Meme
Christopher Grimes / Financial Times: United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer argues the creative talent behind shows on Netflix’s ad-supported tier should earn more money if their shows are popular — United Talent Agency chief Jeremy Zimmer says ad-supported service ‘changes the game’ for creators Lees verder op Tech Meme
Lora Kolodny / CNBC: Email: SpaceX is raising $750M in a round likely led by a16z at a $137B valuation; the company raised $2B+ in 2022 and was valued at $127B in May — – SpaceX is raising $750 million in a new round of funding that values the company at $137 billion, according to correspondence viewed by CNBC. Lees verder op Tech Meme
Deena Kamel / The National: Riyadh-based Manafa, which offers SMBs debt and equity financing based on a crowdfunding model, raised a ~$28.2M Series A led by STV and Aramco’s Wa’ed Ventures — The series A round was led by STV and Aramco’s venture capital arm — Listen In English Listen in Arabic Lees verder op Tech Meme