Latest news with #WorldWideWeb
CNBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
53-year-old's career survived the Dotcom tech crash—her advice for people working in AI now: ‘Don't be a fraud'
Growing up, Gabrielle Heyman, 53, did not know what she wanted to do with her life. "I thought that I wanted to be in film when I was younger because I'm from L.A. and I have family in film," she says. "But then when I tried it, I found people were just really mean," especially to those in the assistant positions she was taking. It was while working as an assistant at CBS in 1998 that she decided to apply for a job at the company doing sales for online campaigns. "It was the dawn of the internet," she says, "so they were just building their internet ad sales team." The people were nicer, it turned out, and she found she had a knack for sales. Heyman continued to build her career with roles at Electronic Arts, Yahoo and BuzzFeed. Today, she serves as vice president of global brand sales and partnerships for video game developer Zynga. Despite her eventual success, those early days of the World Wide Web were tenuous. Here's how Heyman survived and her advice for anyone starting in a brand-new field — like today's budding AI. There was a lot of hype around the internet when Heyman started her career. The 1990s saw lots of investment in internet-based companies, but beginning in 2001, when many of those companies ultimately failed and shut down, the Dotcom bubble burst. As many as 168,395 tech jobs were cut that year alone, according to outplacement company Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "I was sure I was going to be laid off in the Dotcom crash," she says. She was working at Electronic Arts by then, which cut 250 jobs in October 2001. "And I wasn't laid off." Heyman believes what helped her hold onto her job was being both good at and passionate about what she was doing. You have to "know your s---" in these moments, she says. "Don't be a fraud." When industries are the zeitgeist, many people flock to them to try to capitalize on the boom. That includes entrepreneurs creating businesses with no clear path for profitability, she says. The draw is the opportunity to cash in rather than their genuine interest in making something that works, she says. When demand for that field levels out and some of those companies fold, "there's a lot of riff raff cut out," she says of the people who aren't genuinely interested — taking many jobs with them. To survive in a new field — like AI, for example — you have to care about it. That means reading articles, "being up on what clients are doing, playing with the technology yourself," Heyman says. And be discerning about who you're interviewing with. "Look at how the company is investing in long-term talent, infrastructure and leadership," she says, adding that, "it's often easy to spot the difference between companies chasing trends and those building for the future."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RBC on Reddit: Sees early stages of a shift to the 'World Wide Website'
-- RBC Capital Markets initiated coverage of Reddit with a Sector Perform rating and a $125 price target, citing both upside potential and risks as the platform navigates a transforming internet landscape. Analysts describe the shift as 'the very early stages of a shift from the World Wide Web to what we're calling the World Wide Website.' This transition, according to RBC, reflects a consolidation of internet user engagement around a few large-scale generative AI (GenAI) tools. 'RDDT and others in our space may have mixed exposure,' the analysts wrote, referencing industry commentary from the prior week. On the positive side, RBC believes Reddit 'is poised to grow revenue significantly through a classic earlier-stage monetization recipe of user engagement growth, increased ad load, surface expansion and ad tech improvements.' The firm cited channel checks and ad load analysis as support for its revenue growth thesis. However, RBC raised concerns about Reddit's dependency on external traffic sources. 'The question is whether investors will reward that outsized growth with a higher multiple – or will RDDT's heavy reliance on potentially unstable sources of traffic warrant further multiple compression,' the note said. At current levels, RBC sees balanced risk and reward, stating: 'Risk/reward feels more balanced at 23x/16x EV/'26E/'27E EBITDA on the combination of high growth/likely NT upside to numbers offset by secular traffic risks.' The firm emphasized that the key swing factor for Reddit's valuation will be logged-in U.S. user growth, calling it 'both the biggest risk & upside driver.' Related articles RBC on Reddit: Sees early stages of a shift to the 'World Wide Website' JP Morgan upgrades Pinterest on engagement gains, attractive valuation Desjardins downgrades Canadian energy stocks on bearish oil outlook
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrating 30 Years of Dictionary.com Through the Words That Defined the Times
Words grow up, too. From "stream" to "hallucination," our language—and world—has evolved since 1995. SAN MATEO, Calif., May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1995, the world met Toy Story, tuned into the O.J. Simpson verdict and embraced a new tech frontier known as the World Wide Web. That same year, opened its virtual doors, becoming one of the internet's first destinations for word lovers, curious minds and anyone needing to settle a spelling debate. Now, the world's leading online dictionary turns 30. And while it hasn't bought a house or started saving for retirement, it has redefined what it means to be the authority on language in a rapidly changing world. "Over the past three decades, so many words we use regularly have evolved to take on completely new definitions," said Steve Johnson, PhD, Director of Lexicography for the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning. "Words like cloud and stream no longer just refer to natural phenomena—they also reflect how we live and interact with technology. Through it all, one thing remains the same: language never stops evolving, and never stops paying attention." Taking on new meaningTo celebrate its 30th birthday, is looking back at how far words have come—in technology, pop culture and how we describe our world. Throughout the last three decades, has documented this evolution, growing alongside our language. Consider these examples: Technology:Stream (noun or verb) Then: A flowing body of water, or a verb meaning "to run or flow" Now: A verb in digital technology meaning "to send or play video, music, or other data over the internet in a steady flow without having to download it" The rise of high-speed internet in the 2000s turned streaming from a tech experiment into an everyday experience. Today, we can binge-watch an entire series or replay our favorite songs with a tap. (Kids today will never know the pain of waiting for Saturday morning cartoons.) Hallucination (noun) Then: A false notion, belief or impression; delusion Now: False information generated by a machine learning program, such as artificial intelligence, presented as if it were true Once confined to psychology textbooks, hallucination now sits at the heart of conversations about artificial intelligence—especially when AI chatbots "make things up." The term even earned the title of 2023 Word of the Year. Pop culture:Ghost (noun or verb) Then: The spirit or soul of a dead person Now: a verb meaning "to disappear from communication," especially in reference to dating People have been getting dumped forever, but ghosting adds a modern twist. With social media, dating apps and DMs, there are endless ways for someone to vanish without a trace. Mysterious, much like the original ghost. Lit (adjective) Then: bright, full of light Now: "intoxicated" or a term of approval meaning "amazing, cool" Even in the early 1900s, people described themselves as lit after a few too many drinks. Today, it's a go-to word for anything exciting or fun—whether you're at a party or just hyping up your group chat. These shifts reflect more than evolving definitions. They show how language mirrors the spirit of the times—from everyday lingo to coding breakthroughs. For more throwbacks and linguistic insights, check out the full anniversary editorial article here: Charting a new courseSince its founding, has grown from a useful tool into a cultural touchstone. It has tracked the rise of internet slang, unpacked buzzy headlines and spotlighted the words that help us make sense of everything from viral memes to major world events. Today, it continues to shape how we think, talk and connect through language, with features like Word of the Day and Word of the Year leading the conversation. That mission expanded in 2024, when IXL Learning acquired and formed Dictionary Media Group. The group encompasses inglé ABCya, and Together, these sites reach over 500 million people around the world each year. About define every aspect of our lives, from our ideas to our identities. aspires to empower people to express themselves, learn something new and find opportunities through the power and joy of language. With 96 million visitors each month, is the premier destination to learn, discover and have fun with the limitless world of words and meanings. helps you make sense of the ever-evolving English language so you can put your ideas into words—and your words into action. Press ContactJoslyn ChessonIXL Learningpress@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE IXL Learning Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Business Mayor
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
Challenge use of ‘nefarious' news sources, says environmentalist
People should confront their family members who read news from 'nefarious' sources, suggests the environmentalist Mike Berners-Lee. 'Challenge your friends and family and colleagues who are getting their information from sources that have got nefarious roots or a track record of being careless – or worse – with the truth, because we need to make this sort of thing socially embarrassing to be involved in,' said Berners-Lee, the brother of the World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee. Speaking at Hay festival on Saturday about his most recent book, A Climate of Truth, the writer encouraged people to ask themselves 'really discerning questions' about their basis for trusting the media they consume. Berners-Lee, 61, said that lack of progress on climate issues comes down to political 'deceit', which he likened to abuse. If a media personality 'is found to have groped someone even once, that's the end of their career, because we've decided collectively that that's abuse, and it's disgusting, and we're not having it', he said. 'If a politician abuses us' by being deceitful, 'we need to start screaming about that' too. Though there have been 29 Cop conferences in the past 30 years, there is 'no evidence whatsoever that those Cops have made any difference' to the rising trajectory of the global emissions from fossil fuel use, he said. 'Those 29 Cops have been totally corrupted and destroyed by the very cynical, very well-funded, very calculating, very sophisticated efforts of the fossil fuel industry to make sure those Cops don't get where they need to get to,' he said. While energy companies argue they are helping the world meet rising energy needs, Berners-Lee said: 'We don't have rising energy needs, not at the global level.' Technology is not the obstacle to solving the climate crisis, he said. 'We've got all the technology we need, for example, for an energy transition and vast improvements to our food system.' The 'simplest mechanic by a mile' for 'helping the fossil fuel to stay in the ground' is a carbon price, he suggested. This creates a revenue stream which can be used for 'all kinds of great things' including relieving poverty and supporting 'all the technologies that we need'. He said that humanity's 'time is going to be up' if we carry on business as usual. 'We've got all this energy and technology at our fingertips, and we don't yet have the wisdom and care to be able to wield it,' he said. 'We're like children running around the playground with machine guns, and we've got to put that straight, otherwise we're going to be in for a very, very, very nasty time, and I don't think it's too far away.'
Business Wire
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
O'Reilly Joins Forces with Microsoft to Launch Open Source NLWeb, Enabling Simplified Creation of AI Apps Across the Internet
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- O'Reilly, the premier learning platform for technology professionals, today announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to become one of the pioneers integrating Natural Language Web (NLWeb) into their websites. NLWeb's decentralized search understands context and intent, allowing both human users and AIs to ask complex, conversational questions and get relevant results without going to a centralized AI chat or search site. O'Reilly's integration will initially enable conversational search across 59,000 books, using metadata to ensure accurate results without web crawling. This naturally extends the O'Reilly learning platform's core mission of connecting diverse audiences, from individual practitioners to enterprise teams, with precisely the knowledge they need. 'We see NLWeb as a crucial component of an open ecosystem of protocols and tools that will shape the next evolution of the internet,' said Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly. 'By implementing this technology early, we're reminding our technically savvy audience that the original promise of the decentralized World Wide Web does not need to be abandoned to get the benefits of conversational AI.' "That original promise, in which anyone could provide content and services on the terms they set (free, paywalled, ad-supported or subscription, or something in between) has gradually been replaced with one in which large centralized gatekeepers control and profit from access. Content is hoovered up into giant models and provided directly to users, with less and less traffic returned to the originating sites. NLWeb is a bold attempt to reverse that trend. This means that any site can easily offer the kind of conversational search queries that might now largely be accessed via sites like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google." 'Tim and the O'Reilly team have always been one of the bedrocks of the open internet—protocols, formats, code, " said Ramanathan Guha, Technical Fellow and CVP, Microsoft. 'It is wonderful to be able to work with them (again) on the first step towards bringing AI to the web.' To learn more about how O'Reilly is using NLWeb, please visit: About O'Reilly O'Reilly, the premier learning platform for technology professionals, offers the industry's most extensive catalog of high-quality technical and professional skills development courses. From AI, programming, and cloud technologies to essential business skills such as leadership training and critical thinking, O'Reilly delivers highly trusted content from its network of renowned experts that meets a diverse array of learning needs, with more than 59,000 books, over 5,000 role-based on-demand courses, nearly 200 live events each month, access to interactive sandboxes and labs, and more. For more information, visit
