HP's Humane Acquisition: The Aftermath

# HP # doge

Welcome back to Week in Review, where we dive into the latest tech news that's got everyone talking. This week, we're covering the dramatic collapse of Humane's AI Pin, Mira Murati's new stealth AI venture, Duolingo's quirky marketing stunt involving a Cybertruck, and more. Let's jump right in.

Humane's AI Pin is no more. The startup, known for its innovative wearable, has been acquired by HP for a cool $116 million, which is less than half of the $240 million they raised in venture capital. They've decided to pull the plug on sales of the $499 AI Pins, and come February 28, the devices will be as useful as a paperweight since they won't connect to Humane's servers anymore. This means no more calling, messaging, AI queries, or cloud access. If you bought one within the last 90 days, you can get your money back, but if you got it earlier, tough luck.

Right after the HP deal went public, some Humane employees got job offers from HP with pay bumps ranging from 30% to 70%, not to mention some sweet HP stock and bonus plans. But it wasn't all good news; other Humane folks, especially those closely tied to the AI Pin, found themselves suddenly unemployed.

In other news, Apple finally gave us a peek at the new iPhone SE, dubbed the iPhone 16e. It's been three years since the last big update, and this one's a game-changer. With the new A18 processor, it can run Apple Intelligence, making it a budget-friendly powerhouse. They've ditched the old Touch ID home button for Face ID and swapped the Lightning port for USB-C. You can grab one starting at $599, and they'll start shipping on February 28.

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News

RIP, Duo: Duolingo pulled off a wild marketing stunt by "killing" their beloved owl mascot with a Cybertruck. It's actually a clever campaign to get users to do more lessons under the slogan "Duo or die." It's working surprisingly well. Read more

OpenAI "uncensors" ChatGPT: OpenAI is shaking things up by telling ChatGPT to stop taking sides, even if some folks might find its responses "morally wrong or offensive." Now, it'll give multiple perspectives on hot-button issues to stay neutral. Read more

Uber vs. DoorDash: Uber's taking DoorDash to court, claiming they're playing dirty by pressuring restaurants into exclusive deals. Uber says DoorDash is bullying eateries into only working with them. Read more

Mira Murati’s next move: Ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati's new AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab, just stepped out of the shadows. With OpenAI co-founder John Schulman and former chief research officer Barret Zoph on board, they're all about building "multimodal" systems that work together. Read more

Introducing Grok 3: Elon Musk's xAI dropped their latest AI model, Grok 3, and added some cool new features to the Grok iOS and web apps. Musk says this new model is all about seeking the truth, even if it ruffles some feathers. Read more

Hackers on Steam: Valve yanked a game off Steam that was basically malware in disguise. Researchers found out it was a modified game meant to trick players into downloading an info-stealer called Vidar. Read more

Another DEI U-turn: Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's charity is pulling the plug on internal DEI programs and stopping funds for social advocacy on racial equity and immigration. This comes right after they told staff they'd keep supporting DEI efforts. Read more

Amazon shuts down its Android app store: Amazon's calling it quits on their Android app store come August to focus more on their own devices. They've told developers to stop submitting new apps. Read more

Mark Zuckerberg’s rebrand didn’t pay off: A Pew Research Center study found that Americans aren't too fond of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. About 54% have a negative view of Musk, but a whopping 67% feel the same about Zuckerberg. Read more

Noise-canceling headphones could hurt your brain: A BBC report is raising eyebrows about whether noise-canceling tech might be messing with our brains. It suggests that by tuning out background noise, we might be forgetting how to filter sounds naturally. Read more

Analysis

An exhaustive look at the DOGE universe: The folks working with or advising Elon Musk and DOGE give us a real-world look at Musk's sprawling influence in tech. TechCrunch dug deep to reveal the key players in the DOGE universe, from Musk's closest allies to the bigwigs, the workers, and the aides. We explore their connections and how they got into Musk's orbit. Read more

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