Meta Join 2024 was this week, showcasing new {hardware} and software program to assist two of the corporate’s huge 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 “essentially 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 per week earlier than the beginning of OpenAI’s annual developer convention.
Considered one of CloudKitchens’ earliest workers 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 Evaluate, the place we recap the week’s largest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
Information
Discuss 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 purchasers 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 price listening to out of the occasion. (Spoiler alert: They beautiful a lot all use AI.) Learn extra
Amazon workers vs. RTO: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy introduced that workers will likely be anticipated to work from the workplace 5 days per week beginning in 2025. However an nameless survey created by employees reveals that many who’ve grown accustomed to a hybrid work construction are “strongly dissatisfied.” Learn extra
How a lot can a telephone wallpaper value? Marques Brownlee, identified on YouTube as MKBHD, launched the wallpaper app Panels, the place he’s curating high-quality digital wallpapers from artists. However with a purpose to entry high-resolution wallpapers with out advertisements, customers have to 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 put up 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 may have blocked will nonetheless be capable to see your public posts. Elon Musk clarified that blocked accounts nonetheless received’t be capable to have interaction 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 concept 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 out there 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 trade charges) by Eire’s Information Safety Fee for a 2019 breach that uncovered tons 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. Not like 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 vital affect on the surroundings. In a brand new rose-colored-glasses weblog put up, Altman presents an extremely optimistic 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 alternative consequence. Learn extra
