A tech industry veteran, Mike McCue sees an opening for a different kind of internet where algorithms don’t call the shots. Mr. McCue, the chief executive of the internet company Flipboard, is challenging social media’s automated grip on our attention, betting that humans, not machines, should curate online experiences. Three decades ago, as vice president … Read more
On the night of Feb. 21, Ben Zhou, the chief executive of the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, logged on to his computer to approve what appeared to be a routine transaction. His company was moving a large amount of Ether, a popular digital currency, from one account to another. Thirty minutes later, Mr. Zhou got a … Read more
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would overhaul a $42 billion federal grant program aimed at expanding high-speed internet to the nation, including easing some rules that could benefit Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink. The program will be revamped to “take a tech-neutral approach” in its distribution of funds to states, Commerce … Read more
Discord, the social chat app popular with the video game community, has met with investment bankers in recent weeks to discuss preparations for an initial public offering as soon as this year, two people familiar with the talks said. An I.P.O. of a well-known technology company could provide a much-needed jolt for private companies weighing … Read more
In the summer of 2005, Alexis Ohanian, a tech entrepreneur, sent an email to his colleague Steve Huffman with an ominous subject line: “Meet the enemy.” The body of the email contained just one line — a link to Digg, a community-focused social message board where people shared and discussed news articles and links to … Read more
In 1977, Andrew Barto, as a researcher at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, began exploring a new theory that neurons behaved like hedonists. The basic idea was that the human brain was driven by billions of nerve cells that were each trying to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. A year later, he was joined by … Read more
In November, Elon Musk asked a federal court to block OpenAI’s plan to transform itself from a nonprofit into a purely for-profit company. On Tuesday, a federal judge in San Francisco denied Mr. Musk’s request, calling it “extraordinary.” But the court allowed Mr. Musk to proceed with other aspects of a lawsuit he filed last … Read more
In November, Elon Musk asked a federal court to block OpenAI’s plan to transform itself from a nonprofit into a purely for-profit company. On Tuesday, a federal judge in San Francisco denied Mr. Musk’s request, calling it “extraordinary.” But the court allowed Mr. Musk to proceed with other aspects of a lawsuit he filed last … Read more
Seven Tesla charging stations were intentionally set on fire on Monday at a shopping center outside Boston, the police said, the latest in a series of attacks against the electric vehicle company since its owner, Elon Musk, built a deep partnership with President Trump. The charging stations were set on fire around 1:10 a.m. at … Read more
The crypto market gives and takes: After President Trump’s plan for a national crypto reserve drew backlash from both Republicans and investors, the prices of digital tokens that would be involved soared higher — and then tumbled. (Bitcoin was trading at about $83,800 early on Tuesday, down nearly $10,000 from a day ago.) The plan … Read more