Mike Isaac / New York Times: Analysis: tech layoffs in 2024, totaling 25,000 across ~100 companies so far, according to Layoffs.fyi, are more strategic than mass layoffs in 2023  —  Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other tech companies have been on a layoff spree this month, with the latest cuts differing from last year’s mass reductions. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer: Ransomware negotiation firm Coveware: the number of ransomware victims paying ransom demands dropped to a record low of 29% in Q4 2023, down from 85% in Q1 2019  —  The number of ransomware victims paying ransom demands has dropped to a record low of 29% in the final quarter of 2023, according to ransomware negotiation firm Coveware. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Financial Times: Bain: as of September 2023, autonomous vehicles in China had driven a cumulative total of 70M kilometers, on par with the US, despite Beijing’s safety concerns  —  Experts believe carmakers and tech companies are closing gap with US rivals despite Beijing’s safety concerns Lees verder op Tech Meme

Financial Times: Bernstein estimates PDD spent ~$3B on marketing Temu in the US in 2023; the Chinese group says Temu has 70M MAUs in the US, versus an estimated 13M in Jan. 2023  —  High-spending marketing push by PDD Holdings-owned internet marketplace leads to doubts over growth strategy Lees verder op Tech Meme

The Information: Sources: TikTok plans to open studios in several cities, including LA, where creators can livestream and sell products, a strategy that worked for Douyin  —  When TikTok creators start a livestream to chat about their new favorite hairbrush, dog toy or cleaning product, they’re usually doing so from a setup in their own home. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: Ofcom: 22% of search results around basic self-injury terms on Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and AOL produced single-click links to more harmful content  —  Move over, TikTok.  Ofcom, the U.K. regulator enforcing the now official Online Safety Act, is gearing up to size up an even bigger target … Lees verder op Tech Meme