Latest news with #TheInformation
Miami Herald
8 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
TikTok denies viral rumors about new US app
Scrolling on our phones for hours has become a regular occurrence, and TikTok is one of the main drivers of this addictive habit. Although it needs no introduction since it's one of the most-downloaded apps in the U.S., TikTok is a short-form video app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, launched in 2016. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Since President Donald Trump proposed the first TikTok ban in 2020, claiming it threatened national security, the U.S. government has signed multiple proposals and laws to ban the Chinese app nationwide. In April 2024, former President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company by January 19, 2025, or the app would be shut down. Related: New TikTok app may soon launch in the US However, after years of this ongoing feud with ByteDance, President Trump unexpectedly signed an executive order allowing TikTok's service to be restored only a few hours after the ban began, effectively delaying it. From that day on, TikTok-addicted Americans have been teased with multiple deadlines that always result in an extension. At the beginning of this month, tech publication The Information revealed that ByteDance was working on a spin-off TikTok app that would be released in the U.S. very soon. It also reported that the new app would replicate the original version but have an algorithm and data system separate from its global one. More Business News: Popular theme park denies major closure rumorsNetflix adding more live content: sports, concerts, and moreSpotify faces global boycott over CEO shocking investments The Information stated that the exact launch date was unknown, but the existing TikTok app would be removed from all app stores the same day the new app launches in the U.S. A day later, Reuters published an article on the release of a new U.S. TikTok app, citing sources familiar with the topic. The thought of TikTok getting a new lifeline lifted the spirits of many TikTok-addicted Americans; however, the joy was short-lived. TikTok has posted a statement on the newsroom section of its official website, denying all rumors of a new spin-off app coming to the U.S., despite the deadline approaching very soon. "The recently posted Reuters story, which is based on anonymous uninformed sources, is factually inaccurate," wrote TikTok in the statement. Related: Having TikTok installed on your phone may make you up to $50,000 Although The Information was the first to report the plans of the alleged spin-off app, TikTok specifically calls out Reuters in its statement because it reported the rumor as an exclusive, providing specific details from anonymous sources who it described as familiar with the matter. However, TikTok didn't explicitly say a new app wasn't in the works; it simply stated that the information was factually incorrect. This could mean that a spin-off TikTok app may still launch in the U.S., but the system, release date, and other details may be slightly off from what was reported. Still, this rumor may offer hope to all panicked Americans who can't stand the thought of never getting to use TikTok again, especially during a time of so much change. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Gizmodo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Mark Zuckerberg Interview Derailed After His Audio Doesn't Work
The debut episode of The Information's video podcast suffered a serious setback this week after an interview with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had to be paused because the podcasters couldn't get the interviewee's audio to work. The Information, which routinely publishes scoops involving the tech industry, launched TITV this week—an Amazon-sponsored live video program that the outlet describes as 'first in tech news and analysis from the people that break and shape the story.' A key part of the first episode of TITV was a scheduled interview between Zuck and The Information's editor-in-chief, Jessica Lessin. Unfortunately, when Zuckerberg appeared for the interview, the program's audio went dead. Zuck and Lessin could be seen smiling and talking to one another, but not a solitary word reached listeners' ears. Eventually, after 2-3 awkward minutes, the podcast's host, Akash Pasricha, had to enter the fray. 'I don't think we have sound,' Pasricha said, continuing: 'We're gonna call the show there.' It's an unfortunate and unceremonious start for the show, which has been teed up as The Information's answer to the influential daily tech news show TBPN. Considering the fact that a subscription to The Information will run you $40 per month, one would think they could afford some AV support. That said, what Zuckerberg would have really offered conversationally is questionable, since most of the interviews involving him are not particularly interesting beyond the occasional unintentional hilarity. In an interview last year, he offered one bit of levity when he offered an anecdote about shutting down his daughter's dreams of being the next Taylor Swift. He's also well known for a very old interview that mostly involved him sweating profusely. It makes sense that Zuckerberg would be making public appearances now, as Meta has been quite busy lately. The company is ramping up its AI operations in an effort to better compete with the other major players in the AI space. In addition to launching a new 'superintelligence lab' dedicated to advancing the company's automation ambitions, Zuckerberg also recently announced plans to build several multi-gigawatt data centers, which will power the lab. The company also appears to be considering changing its approach and pursuing closed-source programs, as opposed to its open-source LLama programs.
Axios
a day ago
- Business
- Axios
The Information launches new video product called TITV
The Information on Monday will launch its first live video product, TITV, hosted by reporter Akash Pasricha. Why it matters: The video format allows The Information to give its readers, who are mostly tech and business professionals, a peek behind the curtain into how the outlet's editorial decisions are made. Co-founder and CEO Jessica Lessin will host a regular segment talking about coverage themes coming out of the outlet's editor's meetings. Lessin told Axios in an interview that video and newsroom inside access are things The Information's subscribers have long asked for. Zoom in: The show, which debuts Monday at 1 p.m. ET, will include guests from within The Information's newsroom and its source rolodex to talk about the biggest stories of the day across tech, business and AI. Each show will start with multiple segments on top news stories anchored by Pasricha, and then will include guests to discuss news of the day. Each show will vary in length, depending on the news cycle. Some shows could last up to an hour, per Lessin. The show will live be streamed live on YouTube, X and The Information's website. It will be available on-demand across those channels and podcast platforms, such as Apple and Spotify. The company will leverage the feeds from its former podcasts to reach a built-in audience, Lessin said. Over time, it may launch new show feeds. The outlet will cut vertical video clips from the show to distribute on social media channels such as TikTok, Instagram, X and others after the show airs. The newsroom will set up studios in San Francisco and New York so that reporters from both coasts can make regular appearances from the office. Reporters in places like Hong Kong will also make regular appearances remotely. Between the lines: The name TITV is meant to underscore how ubiquitous the TV-watching experience has become in the digital era. "It's not meant to be literal," Lessin said. Zoom out: Lessin hopes the video series will drive a meaningful new revenue stream for the brand. "I think this could become a very significant part of our business," she said. The outlet has five people working on the new product as of now. Lessin said she hopes to build on that momentum as the show grows. Amazon Web Services will serve as the product's presenting launch sponsor. The big picture: TITV is one of the most significant product launches from The Information since its inception over a decade ago. The company, which relies mostly on high-end subscriptions, has focused on creating more products that allow its heavily engaged subscribers to interact with its reporters and get deeper insights. Last week, it launched a new AI chatbot called The Information Deep Research chatbot, to help its readers mine through the outlet's trove of business data. The outlet created a long-form lifestyle and trends reporting section called the "The Information Weekend" in 2021. It launched a series of social networking tools in 2022.
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Egypt Independent
A new TikTok app may be coming. Here's what we know so far
New York CNN — It's looking increasingly likely that any sale of TikTok will mean US users have to download a new app. And that could mean an almost entirely different experience. After repeatedly delaying enforcement of a law that requires TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell it or face a ban in the United States, President Donald Trump now says he has a buyer for the app. Meanwhile, TikTok is reportedly building a new version of the app just for the United States that could launch as soon as September 5, according to The Information. News of a possible new app isn't entirely surprising. First, there's the matter of TikTok's 'secret sauce' — that is, the algorithm that powers the mega popular 'For You' page. The Chinese government has repeatedly said it would block any transfer of the app's algorithm to a new owner, meaning any new, separate American TikTok would need its own algorithm, possibly built from the ground up. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment, and CNN could not immediately confirm the accuracy of the report. But it's yet another reminder that any deal could have major implications for TikTok's 170 million American users — potentially changing key aspects of the platform, like what they see and who they can interact with. Here's what we know so far. A new app? The Information reported, citing two unnamed people familiar with the matter, that the existing TikTok app will be removed from US app stores on the same day the new US app launches, although Americans may be able to continue using the current app until March of next year. (People familiar with the planning told The Information that timelines could still change.) Transferring the profiles and content of current users to the new app could also pose practical challenges, the report states. And such a move could also make it harder for American TikTok users to see content from users in other countries — and vice versa. All of that disruption could prompt some users to leave the app, Johnston said. Still, the report suggests that TikTok's position on building out a separate US app has shifted since January, when a lawyer representing the company told the Supreme Court that it would take 'many years' to create a similar version of the app for American users. He also said at the time that it would be 'a fundamentally different platform with different content.' That point may still hold true even if TikTok is no longer using it as an excuse not to build a US version of the app. TikTok argued in a court filing last year that by cutting the US app off from ByteDance, 'U.S. TikTok would become an uncompetitive American 'island' isolated from the platform's non-U.S. users and global content.' The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the constitutionality of the sale-or-ban law. Why is this happening? ByteDance has been on the clock to find a new owner for TikTok's US operations since then-President Joe Biden signed the sale-or-ban law last year over national security concerns. That law went into effect in January, after it was upheld by the Supreme Court. But even though the law only allowed for one delay of the ban, Trump has pushed off its enforcement three times, saying he wants to 'save TikTok' by facilitating a deal to hand control of the popular platform to American owners. ByteDance currently has until September 17 to sell the app or face a US ban. Trump said last week that there are a group of 'very wealthy' people ready to buy TikTok's US operations who are expected to be named in the coming days, although it remains unclear if Beijing has given its necessary sign-off for a deal. The Chinese government sidestepped a question about the status of deal talks on Monday. The report that TikTok is working on a new, US app 'certainly lends some credence to the President's very brief comment that we're close to a deal, which… was probably viewed by a number of people with some skepticism given how many times they've had to extend the deadline,' said Jim Johnston, partner at the New York law firm Davis+Gilbert. 'The big issue has always been on the TikTok, Chinese side of this,' Johnston said. 'There's any number of US entities lining up to acquire the business, but all indications were that, on the Chinese side of it, there was no appetite or interest in selling the business.' Would a new app comply with the law? Under the law, a post-sale US TikTok couldn't continue working with ByteDance to operate the algorithm or share user data. That means ByteDance could retain a minority financial stake in the new entity — something the White House has considered — but the new app will have to have a separate algorithm to comply with the law. The law also requires that, under any sale, US TikTok user data remains separate from that of the rest of the platform's users. A new app could help accomplish that. Still, some legal experts believe the Trump administration hasn't exactly complied with the law up to this point , by delaying its enforcement multiple times, although the legislation offered just one, 90-day extension if a deal was in progress. And the president is the one responsible for determining whether a 'qualified divestiture' has taken place, under the law. 'If you can do enough actions to make it seem like it's close enough, maybe that's going to work,' said Gautam Hans, a professor at Cornell Law School. TikTok may have realized that even if the Trump administration wants to protect it, future administrations could come after the app or its technology partners, including app store operators and cloud computing providers, for violating the law — so it can't put off a deal indefinitely, Hans said. Last week, Google shareholder Anthony Tan — who sued the internet giant over its decision to restore TikTok on the app store — released letters Attorney General Pam Bondi sent to Google and the app's other technology partners telling them they would not be held liable for breaking the law by continuing to support TikTok, which he obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. Those letters relied on legal reasoning that Georgetown law professor and CNN contributor Steve Vladek called 'bollocks' in his newsletter this week, arguing that the companies still face future liability despite Bondi's assurances. 'Eventually there's going to be some political shift, and maybe there will be some accountability,' Hans said. 'So if I'm the company, maybe I'm happy with what's going on today, but I have to think about the future.'
NDTV
4 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
"Metastatic Cancer": Meta AI Researcher Slams Company Culture In Exit Memo
A departing AI researcher at Meta has criticised the tech giant's internal culture, likening it to a 'metastatic cancer' in a farewell email. The internal message, accessed by The Information, was written by Tijmen Blankevoort, a senior figure on the team behind Meta's LLaMA AI models. In his note, Mr Blankevoort painted a bleak picture of the company's AI division, which, he said, was gripped by anxiety and organisational chaos. 'We are in a culture of fear,' he wrote, blaming incessant performance reviews and repeated layoffs for sapping employee motivation and stifling creativity. Though Meta's AI division has expanded rapidly to over 2,000 personnel, Mr Blankevoort claims the growth was matched by a clear vision or cohesive strategy. Many employees are unhappy in their roles and lack a clear understanding of the team's overall purpose, he added. Mr Blankevoort's most damning indictment pointed to a deeper malaise infecting Meta as a whole: 'It's not just dysfunction, it's a metastatic cancer that is affecting the entire organisation,' he wrote. This comes even as Meta is doubling down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. The company is racing to compete with the likes of OpenAI and Google DeepMind by establishing a new Superintelligence Labs unit, focused on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). As part of this push, Meta has ramped up its recruitment efforts, luring top-tier researchers from across the industry with lucrative compensation packages. Among the latest additions is Ruoming Pang, the former head of Apple's Foundation Models team, who will now help lead the charge in Meta's AGI efforts, as reported by Bloomberg. Other recent hires include AI scientists from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, such as Yuanzhi Li and Anton Bakhtin. These aggressive recruitment efforts have not gone unnoticed. They have drawn criticism from rivals, with OpenAI executives expressing concern over the company's approach to poaching talent. They have alleged that exorbitant signing bonuses were offered to entice key staff. Meta, though, defended its actions, stating that such high compensation packages are rare and usually extended only to senior leadership. Despite Meta's talent acquisition spree, Mr Blankevoort's exit note highlighted that internal morale and direction may remain significant obstacles. According to The Information, his message has triggered internal discussions and reflection within the company.
