🧑‍💼 Tech Companies Diverge on Remote Work

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Today is Monday, August 21. Ready to jump into some awesome tech news from the weekend? Here are the top headlines for today:

• Tech Companies Diverge on Remote Work

• Threads Add Repost Feature

• X Rebrand Sinks Downloads

• AI2 Releases Mega Open LLM Dataset

• AI-Driven Ads Surge, Costs Drop

• Q2 Profits Surprise Wall Street

• Apple Watch Update Teased

• and more...

READ TIME: 3.7 MINUTES

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Tech Companies

Meta Enforces 3-Day Office Rule (3-minute read, nypost)

Meta warns employees they could face termination for not adhering to the new three-day-per-week office mandate starting September 5. Lori Goler, Meta's "head of people," emphasized the importance of in-person collaboration.

Atlassian, Airbnb Lead Remote Trend (3-minute read, bloomberg)

Atlassian, Airbnb, and other tech giants resist the return-to-office wave, advocating for the advantages of distributed work. Companies like Twilio and Autodesk also favor flexible models.

Insight: We're witnessing a divergence in tech giants' approach to office culture. While companies like Atlassian and Airbnb champion remote flexibility, others like Meta stress on-site collaboration. As the talent war escalates, a company's stance on remote work may become pivotal in attracting talent and shaping organizational culture.

Threads Add Repost Feature (3-minute read, theverge)

Threads introduce reposts to its "Following" feed, as announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Additionally, Meta is launching a reposts tab on user profiles for easier access to reposted threads.

Quick

Tech Titans' Photos Vanish (7-minute read, forbes)

X removed user images and links from 2011-2014. The reasons are uncertain, sparking speculation and user concern.

X Rebrand Sinks Downloads (3-minute read, daringfireball)

Since Twitter's name changed to X, its app store rankings plummeted. Many users unaware of the rebrand now encounter competitor ads instead of the familiar platform.

AI Corner

AI2 Releases Mega Open LLM Dataset (3-minute read, techcrunch)

The Allen Institute for AI (AI2) unveils Dolma, a massive open dataset aimed to support their upcoming open language model, OLMo. Contrary to secretive industry norms, this dataset offers full transparency, highlighting AI2's commitment to ethical AI development.

AI-Driven Ads Surge, Costs Drop (3-minute read, theverge)

Major companies like Unilever and WPP employ generative AI for cost-effective ad creation. While these tools enhance efficiency, the necessity for watermarking AI-produced content becomes a focal point.

Quick

Universities Embrace ChatGPT (5-minute read, cnn)

U.S. and international universities, initially resistant to AI tools like ChatGPT, now incorporate them into curricula to ensure students aren't left behind in AI proficiency.

Markets & Money

Q2 Profits Surprise Wall Street (4-minute read, axios)

Major corporations reported stronger Q2 profits than anticipated, showcasing economic resilience. Target and Walmart surpassed profit expectations, with 80% of S&P 500 companies outdoing forecasts. Revenue growth was slow, yet companies maintained or increased profit margins due to faster drops in supplier prices than customer prices.

SoftBank Secures Arm Stake (3-minute read, reuters)

SoftBank Group Corp has purchased the remaining 25% stake in Arm Ltd from its Vision Fund, valuing the chip designer at $64 billion. The details of this acquisition will be disclosed during Arm's upcoming IPO announcement.

China's Economic Shifts (5-minute read, theguardian)

China's economic growth is slowing amidst property bubble bursts and rising unemployment, with some speculating its economic boom has ended, necessitating structural reforms and potential political concessions.

Quick

SUSE Goes Private Again (3-minute read, theregister)

SUSE is leaving the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to become private, merging with an unlisted entity in Luxembourg controlled by EQT Private Equity.

Apps & Gadgets

Apple Watch Update Teased (1-minute read, appleinsider)

A new Apple Watch entry titled "WatchOS Profile Subsystem 2023" has appeared in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group database. While specifics remain elusive, this suggests imminent Apple Watch Series 9 updates coinciding with watchOS 10's launch.

Hidden AirPods Tricks Unveiled (3-minute read, cultofmac)

AirPods come with features not immediately obvious: customizable controls for various versions, tools for finding misplaced AirPods, and a method to double listening duration by using one AirPod at a time.

Google Keep Gets Upgrades (2-minute read, androidpolice)

Google Keep introduces long-awaited text formatting tools, enhancing customization options in notes. Previously lagging behind peers like Microsoft OneNote and Apple Notes, Google Keep's update now offers features like bold, italic, underline, and adjustable text sizes.

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