Welcome again to Week in Evaluation. This week, we’re diving into OpenAI’s shock 12 days of reveals, an underwhelming Spotify Wrapped, and an app that tells you if you’ll die. 😰 Let’s get into it.
OpenAI is stepping into the vacation spirit. In a shock “12 Days of OpenAI” occasion, the corporate will livestream updates and new options each weekday by December 23. The largest reveals to date embody a $200 monthly subscription tier for energy customers of ChatGPT and the discharge of the complete model of its “reasoning” o1 mannequin. You’ll be able to comply with together with the entire product bulletins over the subsequent few weeks by staying updated with our reside weblog.
Spotify Wrapped was this week, however many customers are feeling underwhelmed by the music streamer’s customized year-in-review function. The largest complaints stem from the inclusion of an AI podcast over different, intelligent and artistic information tales that it sometimes gives (keep in mind Burlington, Vermont?). Customers are additionally upset over the dearth of extra detailed stats and the exclusion of knowledge they’ve come to anticipate, like high music genres.
A Delaware Chancery court docket decide denied Tesla’s request to revise her resolution to strike down CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay bundle — regardless of shareholders voting on the firm’s annual assembly this yr to “re-ratify” the deal. Her resolution, specified by a 103-page opinion piece, says that Tesla’s authorized crew has “no procedural floor for flipping the end result” and that the try to alter her thoughts contained a number of deadly flaws.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s largest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Join right here.
Information
Google loses three key leaders: Three members of Google’s NotebookLM crew are leaving for a brand new stealth startup. It’s unclear if the startup will concentrate on issues that NotebookLM went viral for, corresponding to AI-generated podcasts or if it is going to do one thing completely completely different. Learn extra
SpaceX mulls an enormous tender supply: SpaceX’s valuation continues to rise at an eye-popping tempo, with the corporate reportedly in talks to promote insider shares at a value that might worth it at round $350 billion. Learn extra
Electrical popemobile: Mercedes-Benz has delivered the primary all-electric popemobile to the Vatican. The modified model of the G-Class SUV encompasses a devoted height-adjustable swiveling seat so the pope can tackle extra of his viewers. Learn extra
Intel’s CEO retires: Intel introduced that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the corporate’s board of administrators. Per a submitting with the SEC, Gelsinger may very well be strolling away with simply over $10 million in severance pay. Learn extra
Howdy, Dia: The Browser Firm teased its subsequent product to comply with its in style Arc Browser — a brand new internet browser known as Dia. In accordance with an advert from the corporate, Dia will focus closely on AI instruments and is ready to launch in early 2025. Learn extra
Might adverts come to Bluesky? At our StrictlyVC occasion, we requested Bluesky CEO Jay Graber if adverts had been off the desk for the social community. Graber instructed us that Bluesky might finally experiment with adverts — however in a method that doesn’t compromise the core consumer expertise. Learn extra
All eyes on David Mayer: ChatGPT customers found asking questions on a “David Mayer” induced the chatbot to freeze. Whereas the unusual conduct spawned conspiracy theories, a way more abnormal purpose is on the coronary heart of it — digital privateness requests. Learn extra
Get your Mac into the vacation spirit: A cute new macOS app known as Festivitas might help you beautify your Mac pc display with twinkling, vacation lights which might be strung up out of your menu bar and illuminate your dock. Learn extra
Tesla will get into the fart prank market: Tesla revealed plans for an Apple Watch app that may do a lot of what the smartphone app does, however maybe the silliest replace is the power to prank your buddy within the passenger seat with a whoopie cushion sound impact. Learn extra
Khloé Kardashian, VC: Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner wish to elevate $10 million for a brand new enterprise known as Khloud, in keeping with an SEC submitting. Emblems affiliated with Khloud had been filed to cowl popcorn, granola, and different sorts of snacks. Learn extra
Do you wish to know when you’ll die? A brand new app known as Dying Clock claims to foretell the date of its customers’ deaths and gives recommendations on the way to push that date again. My colleague Anthony Ha, who is much braver than I, tried it out for himself. Learn extra
Evaluation
The abject weirdness of AI adverts.
“Intelligence so large, you’d swear it was from Texas.”
“Adapt your workforce on the velocity of AI.”
“AI that talks to vehicles and talks to wildlife.”
These are examples of latest adverts for AI merchandise and corporations, however what do they even imply? As Maxwell Zeff writes, most adverts for AI imply nothing in any respect. Corporations are resorting to portray AI as this amorphous, magical kids’s guide character with no particular use case, whereas additionally implying that it may well do nearly something. We’re in a bizarre place with AI, and the banal tapestry of ads speaks to a bigger rut we’re in. Most firms don’t actually know what AI is sweet for, and perhaps that’s the purpose. Learn extra
