Zuck goes all-in on AI

Welcome, Tech enthusiasts.

When he isn’t building his secret Hawaiian bunker or tending to his macadamia nut-fed beef ranch, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly laser-focused on AI.

But with a lack of consumer-focused AI success and employees struggling with his constant pivots, is Zuck’s wandering eye hurting the company’s focus? Let’s investigate…

In today’s tech rundown:

• Zuckerberg all-in on AI amid metaverse struggles

• Google shakes up devices unit with layoffs, exits

• 9 new products

• Microsoft overtakes Apple for Most Valuable Company

• Discord cuts 17% of workforce

• U.S. government announces $600M in clean vehicle grants

Read time: 3 minutes

TODAY’S HEADLINES

META

🔮 Zuckerberg all-in on AI amid metaverse struggles

The Rundown: Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly put AI at the center of Meta's innovation efforts after disappointing results from his metaverse push.

The details:

• Meta's AI advancements, initially intended to support the metaverse, are now more focused on generative AI following the success of ChatGPT.

• Despite achievements like LLaMA-2, PyTorch, and AudioBox, the company has thus far struggled to produce consumer-facing AI products.

• Zuckerberg’s quickly changing priorities and close involvement have irked employees, hurting morale as teams vie for attention and resources.

• The company sees AI as a way to get users to interact with Meta apps longer to aid business rather than selling consumer-focused AI products.

Why it matters: While mocked for his metaverse and VR pivot (including cartoon avatars that didn’t resonate with anyone) — an AI focus is a smart one, in our humble opinion. Meta’s breakthroughs and open-source commitment have made them a serious player despite a lack of consumer products.

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GOOGLE

🤢 Google shakes up devices unit with layoffs, exits

The Rundown: Google just announced a series of layoffs and restructuring across its product and engineering teams, in addition to executive exits and broader shakeups.

The details:

• Google laid off hundreds from its Google Assistant team, as AI advances and a shift to integrate Bard change workforce needs.

• The team that oversees the Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit is also being reorganized, with Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman leaving the company.

• The layoffs build on cuts of 12,000 employees last January, with additional decreases still expected in the advertising sales department.

Why it matters: Whether it's corporate bloat, AI-driven efficiency increases, or cost-cutting measures — remaining Google employees have to be feeling the heat. But with tech shakeups left and right in major companies, the pressure is only likely to grow as AI innovation and fierce market competition surges.

NEW PRODUCTS

📖 LittleStory.io- AI-generated bedtime stories with life lessons (link)

🎥 Robomotion Video Dubber- Global content multilingual dubbing (link)

🏪 GPT Store- Discover custom ChatGPT variants (link)

🤫 Prompt Whisperer- Streamline AI engagement (link)

🏋️ FlowFinitee- Achieve endless productivity through work-life balance (link)

❤️ Olly- AI-powered in-browser social engagement metrics (link)

🤖 GPT Auth- GPT marketplace authentication (link)

🐦 Postwise- Craft viral Tweets in seconds (link)

🦿 My AskAI- Create your own ChatGPT from your content (link)

Browse the most popular tools ever featured with our tool database.

SNIPPETS

Discord is cutting 17 percent of its workforce to streamline operations and increase organizational agility.

Microsoft has reclaimed the title of the world's most valuable public company as its stock rises on AI announcements, while Apple faces downgraded stock due to iPhone sales concerns.

eBay has agreed to a $3 million settlement over criminal charges stemming from a harassment campaign against a couple critical of the company.

Swarovski debuts smart binoculars at CES 2024 that can identify birds using a database and offer additional features like a camera and expandable databases for other objects.

Australia's eSafety commissioner criticized social media platform X for reinstating over 6,000 previously banned accounts, raising safety concerns.

The U.S. federal government has announced $632 million in grants for clean vehicle infrastructure.

A hired actor apologized for his role in a HyperVerse cryptocurrency scam, denying profiting from the $1.3 billion investors lost.

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THAT’S A WRAP

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