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Welcome, Tech Leaders.
Microsoft terminated the roles of two software engineers who protested the company's dealings with the Israeli military during its 50th anniversary event.
Amazon has upgraded its AI video model, Nova Reel, to generate videos up to two minutes in length. Let’s dive deeper…
In today's ContentBuffer update:
Microsoft fires engineers who protested during anniversary celebration
Amazon upgrades Nova Reel video model with new features
Fake news report sparks market chaos
Trevor Milton seeks to buy out Nikola assets in bankruptcy
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen shares insights on tariffs and global trade
Meta denies rumors of artificially boosting AI model benchmark results
5 new AI tools & 5 new AI jobs
More tech news
Latest Development
Tech News
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Microsoft terminated two software engineers who protested the company's dealings with the Israeli military during its 50th anniversary event. The engineers interrupted keynotes and shouted slogans, prompting Microsoft to terminate their roles.
Key Points:
Two software engineers, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, were terminated by Microsoft for protesting the company's reported dealings with the Israeli military.
Aboussad interrupted a keynote speech by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, shouting that he had 'blood on his hands'.
Agrawal also interrupted a panel featuring Microsoft executives, including CEO Satya Nadella, and shouted slogans against the company's dealings with Israel.
Why it matters: The incident highlights concerns about Microsoft's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the company's response to employee dissent.
Artificial Intelligence
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: The new Nova Reel 1.1 features a 'Multishot Manual' mode that allows users to reference an image along with a prompt to offer more control over video composition. The model can also generate videos containing up to 20 shots.
Key Points:
Nova Reel 1.1 can generate multi-shot videos with consistent style across shots
The new mode, Multishot Manual, allows users to reference an image along with a prompt for more control over video composition
The model can generate videos containing up to 20 shots
Why it matters: This upgrade is significant as it enables the creation of longer and more complex videos, which has potential applications in various industries.
Financial_matters
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: A fake news report about President Trump's tariff proposal caused stock market volatility, leading to rapid price changes and market chaos.
Key Points:
The false report claimed that President Trump was considering a 90-day pause on his controversial tariff proposal.
The report was attributed to Walter Bloomberg, a popular news aggregator on X, which is known for posting news headlines as they hit the Bloomberg Terminal.
Despite being false, the report had significant consequences for the stock market, with the Dow Jones index experiencing rapid price changes.
Why it matters: The incident highlights the potential impact of fake news on financial markets and underscores the importance of verifying information before it spreads.
Corporate Finance
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola, is seeking to buy out the company's assets in bankruptcy. His bid has been met with skepticism by Nikola and a judge who denied him permission to inspect the factory. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February and hopes to sell its business by April.
Key Points:
Trevor Milton's interest in buying out Nikola assets is the latest twist in the company's long, odd story.
Milton founded Nikola in 2014, took it public in 2020, stepped down after fraud allegations surfaced, and was convicted in 2022.
Nikola struggled with battery fires, recalls, and financial health before filing for bankruptcy.
Why it matters: Trevor Milton's bid to buy out Nikola assets raises questions about the company's future and the implications of his involvement.
Supply_chain_management
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen talks about tariffs, logistics, and the future of global trade. With over 30% of e-commerce brands relying on Mexico for fulfillment, Petersen shares his insights on what's next for supply chain management.
Key Points:
Cumulative tariffs as high as 79% will soon be applied to products from China, including sofas.
Direct-to-consumer shipping models are now subject to new customs obligations.
US ports are bracing for a proposed rule that could slap ocean carriers with up to $1.5 million in fines.
Why it matters: Understanding the impact of tariffs on global trade and logistics is crucial for businesses and individuals alike, as it can affect supply chain management, costs, and overall economic growth.
Artificial Intelligence Model Development
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Meta denies training its AI models for specific benchmarks, addressing concerns of artificially inflated scores. The company's vice president of generative AI, Ahmad Al-Dahle, says the rumors are 'simply not true'.
Key Points:
Meta trained its new AI models on actual data, rather than test sets, to evaluate their performance.
The company is working to fix bugs and onboard partners for its Llama 4 Maverick and Scout models.
Some users have reported seeing 'mixed quality' from the publicly downloadable models compared to the model hosted on LM Arena.
Why it matters: The denial of artificially boosted AI model benchmark results matters as it ensures transparency in the development and evaluation of AI models, which can have significant implications for their deployment in various industries.
New Tools & Job
🚀 Full Stack - Generate a full-stack Next.js app with AI-powered CLI
💡 Qlary - Effortless AI answering service for businesses and customers
🏥 JoinThera - Connect with local physical therapists for personalized care
💡 Coglayer - Crafted knowledge tailored to individual needs and interests
🚀 Maso AI - 10x faster development with AI-powered tools and frameworks
QUICK HITS
🔋 Drew Baglino, former Tesla executive, raises $30-$50 million for Heron Power to develop solid-state transformers.
🔍 Google is bringing multimodal search to its AI mode, allowing users to ask complex questions and follow-ups about photos they've uploaded or taken with their camera.
💼 Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke announces new AI policy, requiring teams to justify why they can't use AI for their tasks before requesting more resources.
🎮 Nintendo doesn't factor in tariffs for Switch 2 pricing, despite Trump's new plan.
📹 Moonvalley, a Los Angeles-based startup, has raised $43 million in venture capital to develop AI tools for video creation.
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