Meta Platforms Inc

Meta Rolls Out Subscription Service In US

March 18, 2023 admin

Meta Platforms Inc on Friday launched its subscription service in the US, which would allow Facebook and Instagram users pay for verification in the same vein as Elon Musk-owned Twitter. The Meta Verified service will give users a blue badge after they verify their accounts using a government ID and will cost USD 11.99 per month on the web or USD 14.99 a month on Apple’s iOS system and Google-owned Android, Meta said in a statement. The service, which Meta said it was testing in February, follows in the footsteps…

YouTube lifts restrictions on Trump’s account

March 17, 2023 admin

Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on education as he holds a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Google-owned YouTube will allow former President Donald Trump’s account to post new videos as of Friday, lifting restrictions put in place following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The decision means that Trump’s accounts on three major platforms from which he was suspended or restricted are now restored, in time for his expected campaign for the 2024 election. Facebook owner…

Snap stock surges on report that Biden may ban TikTok

March 16, 2023 admin

Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. Evan Spiegel attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 17, 2022. Benoit Tessier | Reuters Shares in social media companies Snap and Meta jumped in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the Biden administration was reported to be considering banning TikTok in the U.S. unless Chinese tech giant ByteDance divests its stake. Snap shares surged nearly 7% while Meta shares rose more than 2% after The Wall Street Journal reported that…

Google ends enterprise sales of Google Glass, its augmented reality smartglasses

March 16, 2023 admin

Alphabet’s Glass being used in manufacturing Alphabet Google has stopped selling its Glass Enterprise smart glasses, the company announced on Wednesday on its website. Google will also stop supporting its software in September, the company said. The move is the end of the line for one of the first — and still one of the most recognized — smart glasses product lines from a big tech company. Glass Enterprise was the successor to Google Glass, a lightweight glasses product that displayed tiny bits of information on a transparent screen in…

Apple, Amazon, Google will likely get a reprieve from GOP-controlled House on antitrust legislation

March 15, 2023 admin

Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ken Buck, R-Colo., are seen during a House Judiciary Committee markup in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Tech giants Google, Amazon and Apple are likely to get a reprieve in Congress this year from efforts to rein in some of the companies’ most controversial and allegedly anti-competitive business practices — even though the legislation has typically enjoyed broad bipartisan support. The new Republican leadership in the U.S. House doesn’t appear to have the appetite…

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta employees who work in person ‘get more done’

March 15, 2023 admin

Facebook Chief Executive Officer and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, leaving the Merrion Hotel in Dublin after meeting with Irish politicians to discuss regulation of social media, transparrency in political advertising and the safety of young people and vulnerable adults. On Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Dublin, Ireland. Artur Widak | NurPhoto | Getty Images Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has declared that 2023 is the company’s “year of efficiency,” and according to a release, that includes “refining” Meta’s distributed work model. On Tuesday, Zuckerberg shared a memo with employees announcing plans to lay…

Bitcoin is already up 50% this year — beating stocks and gold

March 15, 2023 admin

Bitcoin is up 50% so far in 2023, beating major commodities and stock indexes. Industry insiders said the bank collapses have sent investors looking for alternatives to the traditional banking system and there is also anticipation of a slowdown in interest rate rises, which is helping bitcoin. Filip Radwanski | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Bitcoin is up 50% this year despite the collapse of major crypto-focused banks, beating major stock indexes and commodities. On Jan. 1, bitcoin began trading at just over $16,500. On Wednesday, it was…

Apple reportedly delaying some employee bonuses as the company cuts costs

March 15, 2023 admin

Apple CEO Tim Cook arrives for the season three premiere of “Ted Lasso” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California, on March 7, 2023. Michael Tran | Afp | Getty Images Apple is delaying bonuses for some of its employees, according to a new report in Bloomberg. Some teams were on a twice-a-year schedule with bonus payouts in April and October, according to the report, but now they’ll receive the full amount in the fall. Apple is also more closely watching travel budgets and leaving some unfilled positions…

Meta to lay off 10,000 more workers after initial cuts in November

March 14, 2023 admin

Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on “An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors” in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC on October 23, 2019. MANDEL NGAN | AFP | Getty Images Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post on Tuesday that the company will lay off 10,000 employees as Meta continues to slim down and trim expenses in a challenging economy. Shares of Meta were up about 4%. The new round…

ChatGPT and Generative AI are booming, but at a very expensive price

March 13, 2023 admin

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a keynote address announcing ChatGPT integration for Bing at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, on February 7, 2023. Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images Before OpenAI’s ChatGPT emerged and captured the world’s attention for its ability to create compelling sentences, a small startup called Latitude was wowing consumers with its AI Dungeon game that let them create fantastical tales based on their prompts. But as AI Dungeon became more popular, Latitude CEO Nick Walton recalled that the cost to maintain the text-based role-playing game…