Mission Everywhere

Allie Garfinkle / Fortune : An interview with CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz on the company's M&A strategy as it acquires Madrid-based data observability startup Onum for about $290M   —  George Kurtz, cofounder and CEO of CrowdStrike  —  COURTESY OF CROWDSTRIKE  —  Cybersecurity is more than just software … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Pe0rn9g

Excel still remains a valuable skill in Silicon Valley. Shutterstock Tech firms are offering millions for AI pros amid the Silicon Valley talent wars . Excel, however, is still the top tech skill in job listings. Excel, released in 1985, remains crucial for managing data, the backbone of the AI industry. AI is fueling talent wars in Silicon Valley, but one of the most coveted skills in the industry is more than four decades old. Microsoft Excel , first released all the way back in 1985, is still the most cited skill in job listings. Course Report, which tracks the tech education industry, including coding bootcamps, recently reviewed more than 12 million tech job postings on Indeed to identify the most sought-after skills. Excel came out on top, showing up 531,000 times, far surpassing Python, an essential programming language used in AI, which came in at 67,000, and SQL, another programming language used in data management, which came in at 60,000. AI-related expertise ap...

Aditya Kalra / Reuters : Source: Indian fantasy sports startup Mobile Premier League plans to lay off ~60% of its local workforce, after the government banned online real-money games   —  Indian online gaming app Mobile Premier League (MPL) will sack about 60% of its local workforce as part of a major downsizing … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/DgJUEZX

CEOs are watching "New Girl," "30 Rock," and "The Penguin." Fox/NBC/Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images CEOs like OpenAI's Sam Altman have recently shared what TV shows their watching. Mike Wirth of Chevron shared his thoughts about the Paramount+ series "Landman" in February. Here's what TV shows CEOs say they are into these days. Even high-profile CEOs make time to unwind. While some C-Suite executives read books or enjoy an evening cigar , others turn on the TV and dive into some of pop culture's most beloved series. From "New Girl" to "Landman," here are the shows CEOs say they are watching these days. Sam Altman OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images When he's not overseeing OpenAI , the ChatGPT maker, CEO Sam Altman is tuning in to "Pantheon." "Pantheon" is an AMC+ original animated series about Maddie Kim, a teenager who discovers that her deceased fat...

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal : The price per token for AI models has fallen, but costs for developers are rising as newer reasoning models require more tokens to complete tasks   —  With models doing more ‘thinking,’ the small companies that buy AI from the giants to create apps and services are feeling the pinch from Techmeme https://ift.tt/CiR2xUr

David Gilbert / Wired : Purgatory, tied to online community The Com, claims responsibility for swatting attacks on US universities, airports, and more, charging $20 to $95 per incident   —  WIRED spoke to a self-proclaimed leader of an online group called Purgatory, which charged as little as $20 to call in fake threats against schools. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Ee2pv94

Ann Gehan / The Information : Flip, a TikTok rival that let shoppers post video reviews and earn cash based on engagement, has shut down; it had raised $300M and was valued at $1B+ in 2024   —  Flip, a video-sharing social media app that at one point tried to challenge TikTok's dominance, has shut down, according to a message to users and the company's website. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/fcDQRP0

Los Angeles Times : California Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers strike a deal with Uber and Lyft allowing drivers to unionize while remaining classified as independent contractors   —  - One bill in the deal, sponsored by the powerful Service Employees International Union, would allow Uber and Lyft drivers … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/yX3cLEg

Blake Brittain / Reuters : xAI sues a former employee in federal court in California for allegedly stealing Grok trade secrets and taking them to OpenAI, where he recently accepted a job   —  Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has sued a former engineer at the company for allegedly stealing trade secrets related … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/OZfXtS9

Maxwell Zeff / TechCrunch : Meta says it'll update AI chatbot rules to prevent inappropriate chats with teens and let teens access only AI characters that promote education and creativity   —  Meta says its changing the way it trains AI chatbots to prioritize teen safety, a spokesperson exclusively told TechCrunch … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/i5UJ7zS

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Along with giving your dog monthly flea control medicine, a good flea shampoo can provide extra protection. Synergy Labs; Chewy; Petco/Business Insider Fleas and ticks are tiny parasites that can create serious health problems for dogs. Fleas may transmit tapeworms and cause itchy skin, while ticks can spread diseases such as Lyme disease. The best flea shampoo for dogs is one tool you can use to combat these pesky parasites. These shampoos contain active ingredients like chemical insecticides and natural essential oils that kill and repel fleas and ticks. Some formulas also treat lice. To better understand how flea control shampoos work and what to look for in a formula, I consulted with two veterinarians. I then evaluated dozens of products based on their ingredients and duration of effectiveness. My top pick is Adams Plus Flea and Tick Shampoo with Precor , which kills fleas, ticks, a...

Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE : InstaLILY, whose industry-specific AI agents called InstaWorkers integrate with legacy systems, raised $25M from Insight Partners   —  InstaLILY Inc. said today it has raised $25 million exclusively from Insight Partners to fuel the growth of industry vertical-specific “AI Teammates” … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/SdZTfMD

Reed Albergotti / Semafor : Microsoft unveils MAI-Voice-1, a speech model that can generate a full minute of audio in under a second on a single GPU, and a text model called MAI-1-preview   —  On Thursday, Microsoft announced two powerful AI models it built that it says perform at the level of the world's top offerings … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/bBjNhzL

bymuratdeniz/Getty Images Jackie Combs is a partner at Blank Rome. She's also a matrimonial and family law attorney who represents high-net-worth individuals. She says celebrity prenups can be 100 pages long or more. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jackie Combs , partner at Blank Rome. It has been edited for length and clarity. When a celebrity relationship turns into a love story, they often have a member of their team reach out to me or a lawyer like me. Usually, it's a business manager or wealth manager who has been tasked with making sure their client protects their reputation and net worth with a prenuptial agreement. The discussion about prenups happens well before there's even a ring. Most celebrities and high-net-worth individuals won't even talk about marriage until their partner has agreed to a prenup. It can take months to nail down a complex prenup, and the document can be 100 pages long or more, so the process starts ear...

Reuters : Report: German banks blocked €10B+ in PayPal payments on Monday over fraud concerns; PayPal says a temporary service interruption affected some transactions   —  German banks blocked PayPal (PYPL.O) payments totalling more than 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion) over fraud concerns … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/ZOS437Q

Derrek Lee / Android Central : Google Pixel 10 review: justifies its price better than the Pixel 9 with upgrades like a triple camera system and Qi2 support, but it's not a gaming powerhouse   —  Google put more magic into the Pixel 10, and it's really starting to feel like AI is finding its moment. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/pmTjtXP

MTStock Studio/Getty Images Stanford researchers may have found more bad news for early-career software engineers. A new paper found a 13% relative employment decline in early-career workers in the most AI-exposed jobs. "Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that generative AI has begun to affect entry-level employment," they wrote. It's a tough time to be a young coder . Early-career professionals across the board are having a hard time finding work right now, and new research from Stanford University shows the impact AI is having on certain professions. Researchers Erik Brynjolfsson, Bharat Chandar, and Ruyu Chen wrote that while "the facts we document may in part be influenced by factors other than generative AI, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that generative AI has begun to affect entry-level employment," according to their new paper published Tuesday. Early-career workers, defined as those ages 22 to 25, in occupation...

Annelise Levy / Bloomberg Law : Filing: Anthropic reached a settlement in a copyright class action brought by authors whose works were included in two pirate databases Anthropic downloaded   —  Anthropic PBC reached a settlement with authors in a high-stakes copyright class action that threatened the AI company with potentially billions of dollars in damages. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/Pv1G6qK

Burning Man attendees have been forced to rebuild their camps amid dust storms. Brad Horn/AP Storms at Burning Man, which began on Sunday, are damaging camps and vehicles. Severe winds and rain caused traffic disruptions and the closure of Black Rock City airport. While the worst of it was over by Monday morning, rain remains in the forecast for the rest of the week. Getting a little dirty is expected when attending Burning Man, during which its organizers advise taking a shower with a friend or a sponge bath to save water. But the images to come out of this year's festival, which officially kicked off on Sunday, show people caked in dust and mud as storms tore through the Playa, tearing apart camps and damaging the vehicles in the path of the scattered tarps and tent poles. On Sunday and into Monday, traffic entering the gates of Black Rock City, the festival's makeshift locale, was halted. Burning Man's temporary airport paused operations on Sunday evening, w...

Humeyra Pamuk / Reuters : Sources: the Trump administration is considering imposing sanctions on EU or member state officials responsible for implementing the EU's DSA   —  President Donald Trump's administration is considering imposing sanctions on European Union or member state officials responsible for implementing … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/vSHBW4x

New York Times : A look at FoundHer House, an all-female hacker house in San Francisco that has become a hot spot for dinners and panel discussions sponsored by a16z and others   —  FoundHer House, a home in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood, is the rare all-female hacker house where residents are creating … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/8SVZoFg

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he owns a Tesla and loves it. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called China's EVs "unbelievable." Khosrowshahi said China's EV models are outpacing other markets due to local competition. China's automakers are prominent players in the global EV market. The proverb "iron sharpens iron" may ring true for China's EV industry. Dara Khosrowshahi praised Chinese EV models on the most recent episode of Nikhil Kamath's podcast, "People by WTF," calling them "unbelievable." "The innovation coming out of the Chinese OEM and EV business — I've never seen anything like it," Khosrowshahi said. Automakers like BYD have helped China dominate the global EV market, putting pressure on American companies like Tesla and Ford . In June, Ford CEO Jim Farley said Chinese EV models' in-vehicle technology, cost, and quality were "far superior" to those in ...

Wall Street Journal : Two former executives who ran the CHIPS Program Office say the US-Intel deal won't solve Intel's real issue: a lack of external customers for its foundry unit   —  The Chips Act wasn't about raising revenue, and an equity share wouldn't enhance national security. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/ZnNKyL1

Brave : Researchers detail an indirect prompt injection flaw in Perplexity's Comet AI browser, letting attackers manipulate it into performing unauthorized actions   —  The threat of instruction injection  —  At Brave, we're developing the ability for our in-browser AI assistant Leo to browse the Web on your behalf, acting as your agent. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/KUQkf37

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch : OpenAI warns investors against “unauthorized opportunities” to gain exposure to its equity, including through special purpose vehicles   —  In a new blog post, OpenAI warns against “unauthorized opportunities to gain exposure to OpenAI through a variety of means,” including special purpose vehicles, known as SPVs. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/xYV1LKU

There's a new set of consulting firms leveraging AI to compete with the giants. Shannon Fagan/Getty Images Smaller, boutique consulting firms are leveraging AI to compete with established players. Many of these firms have a narrow focus, like helping companies with pricing or cost-cutting. Their methods aim to make consulting accessible to a broader range of clients. Two sets of players have long ruled the consulting world. There is MBB , which is McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group. And then there is the Big Four : PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young. Now, a new wave of AI-driven startups is challenging that dominance by making consulting services more accessible. Many of the founders of these new firms come from the traditional consulting realm. They told Business Insider their experiences not only give them marketable skills but have also helped them identify new opportunities in the industry. They are boutique firms. They ...