Questions about the 'Muskonomy'

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Tech Across the Globe

New Airbnb CTO: The home-sharing company tapped Meta’s head of generative AI as its new chief technology officer as it prepares to add more artificial intelligence features to its platform.

Gemini gets personal: Google’s AI assistant can now proactively tap into user data across Gmail, Search, Photos and YouTube. The feature is being tested in the US and is turned off by default.

Extended deadline: The European Commission is set to allow member states to delay the switch-off of copper telecommunications networks to 2035, giving the industry more time to make the transition to faster fiber networks.

TSMC’s huge numbers: Thursday was a big day for TSMC earnings and spending, as the chipmaker beat estimates with $16 billion in profit for the December quarter and also surpassed expectations with capex plans north of $52 billion for this year.

Revalued

Robotics startup Skild AI has raised about $1.4 billion in a new funding round that values the company at more than $14 billion, more than triple what it was worth just seven months ago. Founded in 2023, Skild is among a group of startups that are drawing interest from top investors who are enthusiastic about AI’s potential to improve robotics.

Must Read

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI has a tight relationship with his other companies in the “Muskonomy,” but not everyone thinks the connections are beneficial, Kurt Wagner reports in today’s Tech In Depth. Some shareholders of Tesla, Musk’s lone public company, are especially concerned that the ties aren’t in the electric carmaker’s best interests, he writes. 

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This Week in Cyber Bulletin

A hacking scheme that impersonated Microsoft technology — and may have netted cybercriminals more than $40 million since March — was busted by the company and the European Union with a team of digital security engineers, lawyers and law enforcement officials, Patrick Howell O’Neill reports in this week’s Cyber Bulletin.

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