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Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference focused heavily on ai. Apple unveiled its generative ai offering, Apple Intelligence, which will be available on iOS later this year. iOS 18 will have a number of new features, including the ability to schedule text messages and customize the home screen, major updates to Siri, including ChatGPT integration, and ai-generated emojis. If you missed it, we put together a handy summary of everything Apple announced.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has secured enough shareholder votes to get his 2018 stock option compensation package approved. The vote means he could get a payout of up to $56 billion, the largest ever package. CEO compensation history, but a Delaware judge has yet to issue her final decision after ruling the package was unfair.
In terms of financing, Mistral ai has closed its much-rumored Series B financing round. The company has secured €600 million (around $640 million at current exchange rates) in a combination of equity and debt. The new round values the startup at $6 billion as it continues to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic and other ai giants.
News
Former NSA Director Joins OpenAI: Former NSA chief, retired Army General Paul Nakasone, will join OpenAI's board of directors and serve on the board's “safety and security” subcommittee. Read more
Tesla shareholders sue Elon Musk: Shareholders of Tesla is suing Elon Musk and members of his board of directors over Musk's decision to start xAI. They argue that talent and resources are being diverted from Tesla to the new startup. Read more
BeReal is purchased: French mobile game and app publisher Voodoo has acquired BeReal for €500 million. BeReal co-founder and CEO Alexis Barreyat will leave the company after a transition period. Read more
You can get rid of rings: Apple has finally created a way for users to pause the activity rings on Apple Watches, which is especially useful if you are sick or unable to engage in physical activities. Read more
Raspberry Pi goes public: The maker of tiny, cheap single-board computers priced its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange at £2.80 per share, valuing it at $690 million at current exchange rates, and quickly jumped to £ 3.70 per share. Read more
iPads finally get a calculator app: iPads will have a dedicated calculator app for the first time. But teachers, be careful. The app includes Math Notes, a new feature that does the math for you. Read more
A new smartphone without distractions: Minimalist smartphone maker Light announced its newest model. The Light Phone III doesn't have access to social media or the internet, but it does have a larger OLED display and camera. Read more
Spotify goes internal: Spotify is venturing further into the advertising space with its first in-house creative agency, Creative Lab. The company said it will also begin testing ai generative ads. Read more
Will your device have iOS 18?: Apple's iOS 18 will be compatible with many Apple devices this fall, but you may need to update if you want the full Apple Intelligence experience. Read more
Analysis
Apple Intelligence doesn't try to be flashy: With iOS 18, Apple is taking a more cautious approach. Rather than overwhelming users with too many ai features to count, the company is carefully implementing ai where it thinks it could be truly useful. While Apple's ai certainly isn't that flashy, Sarah Perez maintains that it's the company's way of defining the risks of what an ai-powered device should be able to do. Read more
Tesla fans come out to vote: Tesla and its fans waged an unprecedented battle over Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package. In recent months, there has been a relentless push to get out the vote by Tesla's biggest fans. Sean O'Kane explores the countless calls to action on x to get shareholders to vote yes and reinforce his belief that Tesla is nothing without Musk. Read more
Why Y Combinator encourages small seed rounds: In 2024, many Y Combinator startups only want small seed rounds, but this could be repelling many institutional VCs. If YC startups treat these rounds more like seed funding, it may not be so bad. But, as Rebecca Szkutak writes, there is a risk if companies label these smaller rounds as “seed rounds” with an eye toward raising a Series A next. Read more