Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge:
Razer launches Wyvrn, a service with tools for game developers, including AI QA Copilot, for game testing, and AI Gamer Copilot, for real-time tips and guides — Also, its AI voice-in-your-ear helper has a new name and is headed for release. … It encompasses dev-focused automation tools …
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Pavel Durov says Telegram now has 1B+ MAUs, up from 950M in July 2024, and made $547M in profits in 2024, and calls WhatsApp “a cheap, watered-down imitation” — Telegram founder Pavel Durov said today that the service now has more than 1 billion active users.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Plex is increasing Plex Pass prices for the first time in a decade and making remote playback for personal media a paid feature at $1.99/month or $19.99/year — Streaming service and software maker Plex is raising its prices. The company announced on Wednesday its first price increase …
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica:
A three-judge panel in US appeals court ruled, in a case involving AI generated poetry, that the Copyright Act requires human authorship for registration — A computer scientist who tried to register an artwork that credited an artificial intelligence system as the sole author lost his appeal on Tuesday.
Lauren Goode / Wired:
Sources: Nvidia acquires Gretel, which offers synthetic data tools, for more than its most recent $320M valuation; Pitchbook: Gretel had previously raised $67M+ — Nvidia has acquired synthetic data startup Gretel to bolster the AI training data used by the chip maker’s customers and developers.
Bloomberg:
Sources: X has raised close to $1B in new equity in a deal that values the company at roughly $32B; Musk also participated in the raise — Elon Musk’s social network X has raised close to $1 billion in new equity from investors in a deal that values the company at roughly $32 billion …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Google says it is “checking on a component quality issue” for the Pixel 9a, delaying its release from March to sometime in April; pre-orders are not yet open — Google isn’t yet taking preorders for a phone it just announced, which is unusual. A “small number” of early devices exhibited the unspecified issue.
Variety:
Q&A with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos on his 25-year anniversary at Netflix, his cameo on Apple TV+ series The Studio, competing with suppliers like Disney, and more — In a few weeks, Ted Sarandos will make his acting debut — playing Ted Sarandos. The co-CEO of Netflix is lampooning himself …
Sam Rutherford / Engadget:
Google Pixel 9a hands-on: an iPhone 16e rival with a 120Hz display and water drop-inspired camera bump, priced for $300 less than the Pixel 9 with few tradeoffs — It has dual cameras, a Tensor G4 chip and access to all of Google’s AI features for $499. — Senior Writer, Reviews
Barbara Moens / Financial Times:
The EU Commission orders Apple to open iOS to third-party connected devices, and in preliminary findings charges Google with breaking the DMA in search and apps — EU continues Big Tech crackdown under landmark Digital Markets Act — Brussels is pressing ahead with regulatory action …
