The Download: chaos at OpenAI, and the spa heated by bitcoin mining

May 19, 2025
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Inside the story that enraged OpenAI —Niall Firth, executive editor, MIT Technology Review In 2019, Karen Hao, a senior reporter with MIT Technology Review, pitched me a story about a then little-known company,…

Can crowdsourced fact-checking curb misinformation on social media?

May 19, 2025
In a 2019 speech at Georgetown University, Mark Zuckerberg famously declared that he didn’t want Facebook to be an “arbiter of truth.” And yet, in the years since, his company, Meta, has used several methods to moderate content and identify misleading posts across its social media apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. These methods…

Deel wants Rippling to hand over any agreements involving paying the alleged spy

May 19, 2025
Deel has lobbed a new volley in the ongoing legal battle with rival HR tech startup Rippling. Deel filed a motion, containing a series of letters, asking the Irish court to make Rippling hand over information. In one letter, Deel wants unredacted versions of witness affidavits, including the famed one by former Rippling employee, Keith […]

Inside the story that enraged OpenAI

May 19, 2025
In 2019, Karen Hao, a senior reporter with MIT Technology Review, pitched me on writing a story about a then little-known company, OpenAI. It was her biggest assignment to date. Hao’s feat of reporting took a series of twists and turns over the coming months, eventually revealing how OpenAI’s ambition had taken it far afield…

Uber eyes B2B logistics push in India through state-backed open commerce network

May 19, 2025
Uber is entering India’s growing B2B logistics market by extending its partnership with the Indian government-backed nonprofit that aims to break the domination of the e-commerce duo Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart and widen digital commerce in the South Asian nation. On Monday, the ride-hailing giant announced it will soon launch its B2B logistics service through […]

VUZ gets $12M to scale immersive video experiences across emerging markets and the U.S.

May 19, 2025
VUZ, a startup known for offering immersive video experiences from red carpets and football stadiums, has raised $12 million as it doubles down on its presence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as accelerates expansion into Africa, Asia, and the United States. The pre-Series C funding round, led by the International […]