Welcome again to Week in Evaluation. This week, we’re diving into OpenAI’s shock 12 days of reveals, an underwhelming Spotify Wrapped, and an app that tells you if you’ll die. 😰 Let’s get into it.
OpenAI is stepping into the vacation spirit. In a shock “12 Days of OpenAI” occasion, the corporate will livestream updates and new options each weekday via December 23. The largest reveals to date embrace a $200 per thirty days subscription tier for energy customers of ChatGPT and the discharge of the total model of its “reasoning” o1 mannequin. You’ll be able to comply with together with all the product bulletins over the following few weeks by staying updated with our reside weblog.
Spotify Wrapped was this week, however many customers are feeling underwhelmed by the music streamer’s customized year-in-review characteristic. The largest complaints stem from the inclusion of an AI podcast over different, intelligent and inventive information tales that it sometimes presents (keep in mind Burlington, Vermont?). Customers are additionally upset over the shortage of extra detailed stats and the exclusion of knowledge they’ve come to anticipate, like high music genres.
A Delaware Chancery courtroom decide denied Tesla’s request to revise her choice to strike down CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package deal — regardless of shareholders voting on the firm’s annual assembly this yr to “re-ratify” the deal. Her choice, specified by a 103-page opinion piece, says that Tesla’s authorized group has “no procedural floor for flipping the result” and that the try to alter her thoughts contained a number of deadly flaws.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s largest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
Information
Google loses three key leaders: Three members of Google’s NotebookLM group are leaving for a brand new stealth startup. It’s unclear if the startup will concentrate on issues that NotebookLM went viral for, reminiscent of AI-generated podcasts or if it is going to do one thing completely totally different. Learn extra
SpaceX mulls a giant tender provide: SpaceX’s valuation continues to rise at an eye-popping tempo, with the corporate reportedly in talks to promote insider shares at a worth that will worth it at round $350 billion. Learn extra
Electrical popemobile: Mercedes-Benz has delivered the primary all-electric popemobile to the Vatican. The modified model of the G-Class SUV encompasses a devoted height-adjustable swiveling seat so the pope can deal with extra of his viewers. Learn extra
Intel’s CEO retires: Intel introduced that CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the corporate’s board of administrators. Per a submitting with the SEC, Gelsinger could possibly be strolling away with simply over $10 million in severance pay. Learn extra
Hi there, Dia: The Browser Firm teased its subsequent product to comply with its standard Arc Browser — a brand new net browser referred to as Dia. In line with an advert from the corporate, Dia will focus closely on AI instruments and is about to launch in early 2025. Learn extra
May advertisements come to Bluesky? At our StrictlyVC occasion, we requested Bluesky CEO Jay Graber if advertisements have been off the desk for the social community. Graber instructed us that Bluesky might finally experiment with advertisements — however in a approach that doesn’t compromise the core person expertise. Learn extra
All eyes on David Mayer: ChatGPT customers found asking questions on a “David Mayer” precipitated the chatbot to freeze. Whereas the unusual habits spawned conspiracy theories, a way more extraordinary motive is on the coronary heart of it — digital privateness requests. Learn extra
Get your Mac into the vacation spirit: A cute new macOS app referred to as Festivitas will help you beautify your Mac laptop display with twinkling, vacation lights which might be strung up out of your menu bar and illuminate your dock. Learn extra
Tesla will get into the fart prank market: Tesla revealed plans for an Apple Watch app that can do a lot of what the smartphone app does, however maybe the silliest replace is the power to prank your pal within the passenger seat with a whoopie cushion sound impact. Learn extra
Khloé Kardashian, VC: Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner need to elevate $10 million for a brand new enterprise referred to as Khloud, in line with an SEC submitting. Emblems affiliated with Khloud have been filed to cowl popcorn, granola, and different kinds of snacks. Learn extra
Do you wish to know when you’ll die? A brand new app referred to as Demise Clock claims to foretell the date of its customers’ deaths and presents tips about the way to push that date again. My colleague Anthony Ha, who is much braver than I, tried it out for himself. Learn extra
Evaluation
The abject weirdness of AI advertisements.
“Intelligence so massive, you’d swear it was from Texas.”
“Adapt your workforce on the velocity of AI.”
“AI that talks to vehicles and talks to wildlife.”
These are examples of latest advertisements for AI merchandise and corporations, however what do they even imply? As Maxwell Zeff writes, most advertisements for AI imply nothing in any respect. Corporations are resorting to portray AI as this amorphous, magical kids’s ebook character with no particular use case, whereas additionally implying that it may do nearly something. We’re in a bizarre place with AI, and the banal tapestry of ads speaks to a bigger rut we’re in. Most corporations don’t actually know what AI is sweet for, and possibly that’s the purpose. Learn extra
