Iconiq VCs spent two years courting Chime and the firm isn’t selling its stake
Iconiq pursued Chime because the founders were focused, and didn’t get distracted by “shiny new objects.”
Puzzle Corner
Ready for a fresh set of puzzles? Click here for the September/October 2024 Puzzle Corner, brought to you by guest editor Edward Faulkner ’03.
Tech billionaires are making a risky bet with humanity’s future
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it,” the famed computer scientist Alan Kay once said. Uttered more out of exasperation than as inspiration, his remark has nevertheless attained gospel-like status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, in particular a handful of tech billionaires who fancy themselves the chief architects of humanity’s future. Sam…
Here’s what food and drug regulation might look like under the Trump administration
Earlier this week, two new leaders of the US Food and Drug Administration published a list of priorities for the agency. Both Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad are controversial figures in the science community. They were generally highly respected academics until the covid pandemic, when their contrarian opinions on masking, vaccines, and lockdowns turned many…
Scale AI confirms ‘significant’ investment from Meta, says CEO Alexanr Wang is leaving
Data-labeling firm Scale AI confirmed on Friday that it has received a “significant” investment from Meta that values the startup at $29 billion.
Mattel Signs First-of-Its-Kind Deal With OpenAI to Bring ChatGPT to ‘Iconic’ Toys
Mattel is also allowing its employees to use ChatGPT Enterprise to help design new products.
This ‘Sweet’ Role Is the Highest Paid Position at Walmart After Managers
If you’re creative and have a sweet tooth, the coveted (and lucrative) cake decorator position at Walmart may be for you.
After a 12-Year-Old’s Side Hustle Made Over $4,000 in 1 Day, He and His Dad Grew the Business to Nearly $50,000 a Month: ‘It Takes Commitment’
Madden Forrest and his father, Steven, turned their passion for football into a lucrative business.
After a string of successes, early-stage fund Felicis raises fresh $900M
Lately, Felicis, like most VCs, has been all over AI. Its portfolio now includes, for example, Browser Use, Poolside, Runway, and Supabase.
The Meta AI app is a privacy disaster
It sounds like the start of a 21st century horror film: Your browser history has been public all along, and you had no idea. That’s basically what it feels like right now on the new standalone Meta AI app, where swathes of people are publishing their ostensibly private conversations with the chatbot. When you ask […]
Bluesky backlash misses the point
Not only is Bluesky more than just a Twitter/X alternative, it’s just one app in a wider social ecosystem built on open technology.