Meta Join 2024 was this week, showcasing new {hardware} and software program to help two of the corporate’s large ambitions: AI and the metaverse. CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced new Quest headsets, updates to Meta’s Llama AI mannequin, and real-time video capabilities of Ray-Ban Meta good glasses. The largest reveal, although, was Orion, a true AR glasses prototype touted as “probably the most superior glasses the world has ever seen.”
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati introduced this week that she is leaving the corporate after greater than six years. Hours after the announcement, OpenAI’s chief analysis officer, Bob McGrew, and a analysis VP, Barret Zoph, additionally left the corporate. The high-level departures come lower than every week earlier than the beginning of OpenAI’s annual developer convention.
One in all CloudKitchens’ earliest staff is suing the corporate. Within the lawsuit, Isabella Vincenza alleges wrongful termination, intercourse discrimination, and a hostile work surroundings, together with an intense “bro tradition” on the firm. Vincenza additionally claims that she was “retaliated towards for standing up for herself” following her being pregnant and subsequent maternity go away.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
Information
Speak to me, ChatGPT: OpenAI rolled out Superior Voice Mode following some delays and controversy. The function has an up to date blue spherical look, 5 new voices, and improved accent capabilities for patrons in ChatGPT’s Plus and Groups tiers. Learn extra
YC Demo Day: Y Combinator kicked off its two-day “Demo Day” occasion showcasing what the latest YC batch corporations are constructing. Listed below are the businesses value being attentive to out of the occasion. (Spoiler alert: They stunning a lot all use AI.) Learn extra
Amazon staff vs. RTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy introduced that staff will probably be anticipated to work from the workplace 5 days every week beginning in 2025. However an nameless survey created by staff reveals that many who’ve grown accustomed to a hybrid work construction are “strongly dissatisfied.” Learn extra
How a lot can a telephone wallpaper price? Marques Brownlee, identified on YouTube as MKBHD, launched the wallpaper app Panels, the place he’s curating high-quality digital wallpapers from artists. However to be able to entry high-resolution wallpapers with out adverts, customers must cough up about $50 per yr. Learn extra
WordPress vs. WP Engine: A heated authorized battle is brewing between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine — which hosts web sites constructed on WordPress — after Mullenweg wrote a weblog submit calling WP Engine a “most cancers to WordPress.” Learn extra
X switches up the block function: X will quickly change how its block function works in order that accounts you have got blocked will nonetheless be capable of see your public posts. Elon Musk clarified that blocked accounts nonetheless gained’t be capable of interact with customers who’ve blocked them. Learn extra
RevenueCat turns up the warmth: Subscription administration platform RevenueCat acquired Dipsea, an app providing subscriptions to “spicy” audiobooks. The thought is to convey a subscription-based app in-house to function a testing floor for RevenueCat’s new options. Learn extra
RIP, TikTok Music: ByteDance is shuttering its music streaming service, TikTok Music, in November. TikTok Music was rooted in a ByteDance product referred to as Resso, and the service was later obtainable in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, and Mexico. Learn extra
Meta will get hit with one other privateness penalty: Meta has been reprimanded and fined $101.5 million (at present change charges) by Eire’s Information Safety Fee for a 2019 breach that uncovered lots of of hundreds of thousands of Fb passwords. Learn extra
Arms-on with Plaud’s NotePin: TechCrunch’s Brian Heater has been testing Plaud’s $169 ChatGPT-powered NotePin to transcribe conferences and take notes. In contrast to different AI pins, Plaud’s product appears like an answer to actual points, he argues. Learn extra
Evaluation
Sam Altman goes “god mode”: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has traditionally pitched AI as the answer to the world’s issues, regardless of its important affect on the surroundings. In a brand new rose-colored-glasses weblog submit, Altman presents an extremely constructive replace on the state of AI, hyping its world-changing potential. However, as TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez notes, a lot of what he writes is seemingly meant to make skeptics see how a lot AI issues and will effectively have the other outcome. Learn extra
