Wall Street Journal: Sources: in recent weeks, Meta executives including Mark Zuckerberg have pressed US trade officials to oppose an impending EU fine and cease-and-desist order  —  Facebook owner presses trade officials to push back against European law that could undermine its ad business Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: Sources: SoftBank is seeking a bridge loan of as much as $16.5B to help fund AI investments in the US; the loan may help SoftBank lead a $40B round in OpenAI  —  The bridge loan under discussion has a tenor of about 12 months, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Financial Times: Current and former Google DeepMind scientists say a tougher vetting process and more bureaucracy at Google’s AI arm have made it harder to publish AI research  —  Google’s AI arm led by Demis Hassabis makes it harder for its researchers to publish studies in major change in approach Lees verder op Tech Meme

Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: Tinder unveils “The Game Game”, a free in-app voice-based game that invites users to flirt with AI chatbots powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini models  —  Match Group Inc.’s Tinder unveiled an in-app game that invites users to flirt with artificially intelligent chatbots … Lees verder op Tech Meme

The Economic Times: Industry executives say Rapido has a 20% share in India’s four-wheeler ride-hailing segment; Uber has a ~50% share, while Ola holds most of the remaining 30%  —  Happy Tuesday!  India’s ride-hailing sector is experiencing significant disruption, with newer challengers entering the fray. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Kathrin Hille / Financial Times: Sources: TSMC’s recent $100B US investment pledge was merely an estimated price tag for existing long-term plans and reflects an intention rather than a promise  —  Taiwanese chipmaker has said little about its plans and extent of reprieve from Washington’s pressure is unclear Lees verder op Tech Meme

Wency Chen / South China Morning Post: Microsoft has closed its IoT & AI Insider Lab in Shanghai, reflecting a broader pullback from China amid geopolitical tensions; the lab was opened in May 2019  —  The IoT & AI Insider Lab in the Zhangjiang hi-tech zone likely closed in January or February, nearby workers say Lees verder op Tech Meme

Dan Primack / Axios: Sources: CaaStle, a clothing inventory monetization platform that had raised $530M+, is almost broke and is accusing its founder of financial misconduct  —  Fashion technology company CaaStle is almost broke and is accusing its founder and former CEO Christine Hunsicker of financial misconduct, Axios has learned from multiple sources. Lees verder op Tech Meme