Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Similarweb: Gemini’s web app had 10.9M average daily visits in March, up 7.4% MoM; Sensor Tower: Claude and Gemini saw activity jump after flagship model debuts — OpenAI’s ChatGPT may be the world’s most popular chatbot app. But rival services are gaining, according to data from analytics firms Similarweb and Sensor Tower.
TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8, directing users to Lemon8, a similar ByteDance-owned app (Aisha Malik/TechCrunch)
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8, directing users to Lemon8, a similar ByteDance-owned app — TikTok is shutting down its Instagram competitor, TikTok Notes, on May 8. The photo-sharing app launched in testing in Canada, Australia, and Vietnam last year.
A US judge rules Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act, which requires minors have parental permission before creating social media accounts, infringes on 1A rights (Ufonobong Umanah/Bloomberg Law)
Ufonobong Umanah / Bloomberg Law:
A US judge rules Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act, which requires minors have parental permission before creating social media accounts, infringes on 1A rights — Arkansas’ youth-focused Social Media Safety Act infringes on the First Amendment rights of internet users and is unconstitutionally vague …
Meta VP of AI Research Joelle Pineau says she plans to leave in May 2025 after nearly eight years; she has led the FAIR group since early 2023 (Kurt Wagner/Bloomberg)
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Meta VP of AI Research Joelle Pineau says she plans to leave in May 2025 after nearly eight years; she has led the FAIR group since early 2023 — Joelle Pineau, the VP running Meta’s FAIR group, to depart company in May — Meta Platforms Inc.’s head of artificial intelligence research plans …
Xiaomi says it is cooperating with a Chinese police probe into a fatal crash by a car using its autonomous features; its stock is down 10%+ over the past week (New York Times)
New York Times:
Xiaomi says it is cooperating with a Chinese police probe into a fatal crash by a car using its autonomous features; its stock is down 10%+ over the past week — A popular electric vehicle made by the Chinese consumer electronics giant Xiaomi crashed into a concrete guardrail while deploying its autonomous driving feature.
OpenAI says ChatGPT has hit 20M paid subscribers, up from 15.5M at the end of 2024, suggesting the company is making at least $415M in monthly revenue (The Information)
The Information:
OpenAI says ChatGPT has hit 20M paid subscribers, up from 15.5M at the end of 2024, suggesting the company is making at least $415M in monthly revenue — Before today’s main column about the AI attention war between OpenAI and Google, there’s OpenAI news from my colleague Natasha …
TTP: Apple’s and Google’s app stores host popular “private browsing” apps operated by Shanghai-listed Qihoo 360, sanctioned by the US in 2020 for military ties (Financial Times)
Financial Times:
TTP: Apple’s and Google’s app stores host popular “private browsing” apps operated by Shanghai-listed Qihoo 360, sanctioned by the US in 2020 for military ties — New findings reveal free ‘private browsing’ apps popular with US users have ties to blacklisted Qihoo 360
Google is bringing its immersive Rewarded Video ads to Roblox, letting users watch ads in exchange for in-game benefits like virtual currency or power-ups (Kendra Barnett/Adweek)
Kendra Barnett / Adweek:
Google is bringing its immersive Rewarded Video ads to Roblox, letting users watch ads in exchange for in-game benefits like virtual currency or power-ups — Advertisers can buy Rewarded Video ads on Roblox via Google Ad Manager, the company announced Tuesday
Ahead of the Switch 2, Nintendo is branching out to use its characters in cinema, theme parks, and merch in a Disney-like way to create more consistent revenue (Takashi Mochizuki/Bloomberg)
Takashi Mochizuki / Bloomberg:
Ahead of the Switch 2, Nintendo is branching out to use its characters in cinema, theme parks, and merch in a Disney-like way to create more consistent revenue — Tech Across the Globe … Sequoia Capital and Spark Capital are in talks to co-lead the round. — Revalued
Google rolls out a new Gmail encryption model in beta for enterprise that doesn’t require senders or recipients to use custom software or exchange certificates (Jess Weatherbed/The Verge)
Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Google rolls out a new Gmail encryption model in beta for enterprise that doesn’t require senders or recipients to use custom software or exchange certificates — The beta feature for enterprise accounts allows Gmail users to simply toggle encryption for external emails.