Good morning. I’m thinking of Elon Musk, and not for reasons you might think.
That’s because of his never-boring Boring Company, which is currently having a bit of an intruder problem in Las Vegas. (Read more below Assetsis Jessica Mathews.)
Just a few years ago Musk promised to relieve traffic in notoriously crowded Los Angeles; Today he has moved to Texas, leaving behind a literal tunnel of broken promises.
And I’m still stuck, Well, you know. —Andrew Nusca
PS: We made a mistake the other day by suggesting that Google didn’t pay for news in Canada. The company has made a deal with the federal government almost a year ago. Many thanks to the attentive reader Benoît for the catch. —Andrew Nusca
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And the Nobel Prize goes to… AI
Two pioneers of artificial intelligence have won a Nobel Prize.
The prestigious award goes to the “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton – you know, the one who dramatically quit Google last year to warn the world about the risks of AI – and John Hopfield, whose work in The early 1980s helped lay the foundation for today’s machine learning technology.
Both men significantly advanced the concept of the artificial neural network, although neither invented it as such.
Hinton and Hopfield were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physicswhat has proven to be a controversial decision. There is no Nobel Prize category that can be clearly assigned to computer science.
It is true that both Hinton’s and Hopfield’s work relied heavily on statistical physics, although they were also influenced by other fields such as neurobiology and cognitive psychology.
Some physicists are still upset, complaining that it should have gone to someone doing “real physics” instead. One wonders what HAL 9000 is would say to that. –David Meyer
Foxconn is teaming up with Nvidia to build an AI supercomputer
Foxconn is famous for assembling Apple’s iPhones, but could soon also be known for its own technological marvel: a giant AI supercomputer built in collaboration with Nvidia that is said to be the fastest in Taiwan.
The Hon Hai Kaohsiung Super Computing Center, announced on Tuesdaywill feature more than 4,600 of Nvidia’s new and ultra-rare Blackwell GPUs as well as thousands of CPUs, delivering the promised AI performance of 90 exaflops (performance that Foxconn says will dwarf anything else in Taiwan).
Once this beast is operational – the first phase is expected to be completed by mid-2025, with full launch in 2026 – Foxconn will use it for AI-driven cancer research, developing new LLMs and focusing on smart city innovation.
Foxconn and Nvidia are also working together on a project in Mexico. The two companies announced that Foxconn will build the world’s largest factory for Nvidia’s GB200 chips in Guadalajara. ¡Oral! –Sharon Goldman
The TikTok hits keep coming
TikTok is facing one new lawsuits from 13 attorneys general, including New York, California and Washington DC
The lawsuits accuse the popular video social media app of violating consumer protection laws by “intentionally” targeting young users and driving them to a platform that is harmful to their health. (This is worth mentioning Meta was sued four times as many state AGs almost exactly a year ago; The lawsuits are pending. The lawsuits seek product changes and fines.
Last year, TikTok said this was the case 150 million users in the USA, and studies have shown that the vast majority of these users are under 35 years old. While it’s not known exactly how many of these users are under 18, just a few years ago it was a third of TikTok’s user base allegedly under 14 years. CEO of TikTok said last year The average user of the platform was “well past college age.”
Be sure to add these lawsuits to the legal troubles facing TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The platform faces ongoing legal challenges The Ministry of Justiceand it is Battle An executive order was issued in the Supreme Court requiring ByteDance to sell it or be banned in the US – Kali Hays
Elon Musk has tunnel invaders
Elon Musk has one Trespassing problem in the underground transportation system that one of his companies, Boring Co., built and operates beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center.
A skateboarder got into a tunnel and had to be thrown out. A pedestrian was walking around taking photos. Then there are the cars that inadvertently drive onto public transit grounds by sitting close behind the Teslas used to chauffeur passengers underground.
According to the documents we viewed, there have been at least 67 cases of trespassing since 2022 Assets, obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. And since the beginning of last year, 22 vehicles have followed Teslas into train stations or tunnels.
Musk’s first operational tunnel system – with its eye-catching pink, blue and green lighting – may not be the high-speed hyperloop he raved about when he launched the Las Vegas project. But it still managed to capture the public’s attention – and that includes people who weren’t supposed to be in the tunnels but end up in them anyway. –Jessica Mathews
According to investor, Roblox manipulated its user data
Hindenburg Research, a short-selling investment firm, has Roblox accused Inflating important metrics.
In a new report revealing a short position in Roblox, Hindenburg estimates that the US game developer increased the number of users of its eponymous gaming platform by 25% to 42% by failing to be transparent about the number of alternative accounts or bots was who contribute to its daily contribution active users or DAU.
Roblox measures this difference through a process called “de-alting,” former employees reportedly told Hindenburg. Roblox has also increased engagement hours by about 100%, the company claims.
In recent years, Roblox – which turned 20 this year – has touted a growing user base while setting its lofty goal of 1 billion users. The publicly traded company on the Nasdaq has told investors that it is not profitable and may not be for a while. (In his last quarterRoblox had revenue of $893 million and a loss of $206 million.)
Hindenburg also calls Roblox a “hellscape” for child safety, pointing to a Bloomberg Businessweek Inquiry published in July detailing how the leadership failed Curb child abuse on the platform.
Roblox told The Wall Street Journal The Hindenburg report is misleading and motivated by an agenda. At around $40 per share, the stock is down 15% in the last two weeks. –Jenn Brice
More data
—Amazon antitrust surveillance begins. There must be something in the water.
—Anduril wins a $250 million Pentagon contract to intercept unmanned drones.
—Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund reduces its stake in Nintendo. Even optimistic investors cannot escape the slowdown in the gaming market.
—The next Instagram ad you see may be processed by AI. So where is that? beef?
—The UK is setting up a Regulatory Innovation Office. To innovate all of this, uh, regulation.
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