Technology

US chip production accelerated by uncertainty in China: TSMC is fast-tracking plans to ramp up to 4-nanometer chips and will build an additional fab in Arizona. The tech gap between the US and China widens.

Musk finds inner peace at Apple Park: Tim Cook invites Elon Musk for a tour of Apple’s campus and eases tension over App Store policies. But Twitter still faces regulatory challenges.

Amazon’s nutrition labels for AI: Aiming to prevent the misuse of its cloud and AI products, Amazon will publish warnings on the limitations of its technology. Labels could limit adoption but insulate Amazon from ethics backlash.

Google wants to tear the fabric of space-time: The tech giant created a holographic wormhole with its quantum computer. The project won’t make investors happy since revenue isn’t likely anytime soon.

Google Assistant is the most popular voice assistant in the US, followed by Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, per our estimates. Come 2024, 88.8 million people will use Google Assistant, 84.2 million will use Siri, and 75.6 million will use Alexa.

Have smart speakers peaked? Amazon’s Alexa team has been hit by layoffs, Apple can’t get HomePod sales to soar, and Google can’t find ways to serve ads on its speakers, indicating the segment could be fading.

Things aren’t all that bad for Big Tech: Sustaining pandemic-era revenues was likely never realistic. But major tech companies are still raking in enormous profits, despite Wall Street investors’ outcry.

The stubborn failure of EV affordability: Automakers’ promises of affordable EVs haven’t met consumer expectations. Tesla’s slipping dominance illustrates market potential and the possibility for a new contender.

Reddit’s CES 2023 activation for consumers is really a play for ad dollars: The “Future Tellers” installation and new research make a case that the social stalwart is an underutilized ad platform.

Google has a secret workforce disruption plan: As Big Tech trims its workforce, Google is investing in a moonshot project that could make it less reliant on human tech talent.

Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover might need a reset: If the FTC sues to block the merger, the deal could miss its July deadline. The video game giant should prepare for the worst.

Twitter’s latest data breach: Phone numbers, email addresses, and more for millions of Twitter users is out in the wild and could be used for phishing. The leak underscores growing vulnerabilities at Twitter.

Big Tech asks DOJ for help as SCOTUS cases loom: Tech is anxious over the future of the internet. As good faith content moderation languishes, more political polarization could ensue.

‘Copilot for lawyers’ could wind up in a courtroom: Harvey is using AI to make lawyers’ jobs easier. As AI takes on professionals’ work, it could have its own legal troubles.

There’s evidence that automation is coming for our jobs: MIT research shows how automation has reduced workers’ wages over the past 40 years. Expect a future workforce of automation managers.

The toll of tech’s frenetic upgrade cadence: A riot in the world’s biggest iPhone factory underscores the need for technology’s cadence to slow down, especially in light of slowing innovation and lack of net new breakthroughs.

Tesla isn’t the status symbol it once was: Industry competition, inflation, supply chain issues, and a distracted CEO are major challenges for Tesla, but tax credits could help next year.

Cybercrime costs escalate: The rise of cybercrime and phishing attacks could have devastating effects on businesses of all sizes, but economic uncertainty could drive companies to cut back on security spending.

What the IPO backlog and tumbling valuations mean for fintechs: More down rounds and private equity buyouts could be on the way.

Googlers anxious over looming job cuts: Alphabet is planning to cut 10,000 workers through a stricter performance-review system. Expect non-tech companies to swoop in and offer them jobs.