A Unicorn Startup’s Messy Reality
For 19 months, the sociologist Benjamin Shestakofsky embedded himself in an early-stage tech startup to study its organization and culture. The company went on to become one of Silicon Valley’s “unicorns,” valued at over US $1 billion. This article is adapted from an excerpt of the author’s new book, Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital […]
States Are Lining Up to Outlaw Lab-Grown Meat
The pushback from legislators sympathetic to ranchers and the broader meat industry puts cultivated meat companies in a difficult situation. Major meat producers Cargill and Tyson have both invested in cultivated meat companies, while Brazil’s JBS is working on a cultivated research site in Brazil. “We see ourselves as an ‘and’ solution, not an ‘or.’ […]
TikTok ban: Why does the US want to block the app and will it actually happen?
TikTok’s future in the US has perhaps never been in more doubt than it is right now. Since its introduction to the US in 2018, the short-form video app has been fighting increased scrutiny from US lawmakers about its ties to ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns it. Concerns that ByteDance could share TikTok user […]
Virtuix announces 35 launch titles for Omni One VR treadmill
Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here. Virtuix, the developer behind the Omni One full-body VR gaming system, announced 35 launch titles ahead of its late Q2 2024 launch. The Omni One includes a proprietary 360-degree treadmill that allows […]
Apple Vision Pro expected to launch in nine countries soon
After Apple Vision Pro’s initial release in the United States, Apple now appears to be preparing to launch in nine other countries. Apple Vision Pro currently only supports English (US) and Emoji as languages but a closer look at the code that underpins the technology by MacRumors suggests that preparations are underway for 12 new […]
Hackers can read private AI assistant chats even though they’re encrypted
Aurich Lawson | Getty Images AI assistants have been widely available for a little more than a year, and they already have access to our most private thoughts and business secrets. People ask them about becoming pregnant or terminating or preventing pregnancy, consult them when considering a divorce, seek information about drug addiction, or ask […]
The Download: AI’s gaming prowess, and calculating methane emissions
The news: A new AI agent from Google DeepMind can play different games, including ones it has never seen before such as Goat Simulator 3, a fun action game with exaggerated physics. Unlike earlier game-playing AI systems, which mastered only one game or could only follow single goals or commands, this new agent is able […]