OpenAI finds a bug in an executive conference room, Netflix is laying off 6% of its global workforce, and Xbox launches Xbox Labs
Subscribe for free, get Headlines ad-free, or become a Patron!
Send email to feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com
Show Notes
OpenAI employee who left for Apple took files about unreleased device, OpenAI alleges
As revealed on Tuesday by the OpenAI newsroom, the FBI arrested an OpenAI employee accused of installing “a sophisticated recording device” in an executive conference room in the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The accused is 35-year-old Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and now former OpenAI engineer. OpenAI discovered the bug wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a television USB port. The company said it used its own AI models to help identify Alfozan before involving the FBI.
Source: The Washington Post and OpenAI Newsroom
Xbox announces Xbox Labs, a new initiative to trial emerging ideas and “new technology”
Xbox launched Xbox Labs, a new internal research and development initiative led by CEO Asha Sharma to rapidly test emerging technologies and gaming features through direct player engagement. The project will use existing internal staff, formalizing ongoing projects such as browser-based distribution and mod support into the lab, inspired in part by the recent flood of AI-ports of retro games to modern platforms. Microsoft clarified to GamesIndustry.biz that AI usage won’t be mandatory.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz and RockPaperShotgun
F.B.I. Disrupts Pyongyang Revenue Stream: North Koreans in U.S. Tech Jobs
The New York Times reports the FBI and CrowdStrike disrupted a major North Korean revenue stream seizing nearly 200 devices from over 40 laptop farms dismantled in Texas. These US-based farms enabled North Korean IT workers, using stolen American identities, to obtain employment in the United States at remote tech jobs, with their salaries, totaling millions, going towards North Korean weapons programs.
Source: The New York Times
Netflix is laying off around 1,000 employees
Netflix is laying off 1,000 employees, approximately 6% of its global workforce, making it the largest round of downsizing since 2022. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters made the announcement in an internal memo, specifying the layoffs will mostly affect Netflix’s product, technology, human resources, and legal teams.
OpenAI employee who left for Apple took files about unreleased device, OpenAI alleges
In a new court filing, OpenAI alleges in a federal lawsuit that a former employee sent “over a hundred highly confidential files about at least one unreleased OpenAI device under development to his personal accounts” before taking a job at Apple, further alleging the ex-employee shared these plans with Apple executives. Apple denies finding any supporting evidence. Apple also says the company has “policies and procedures in place to ensure new employees do not use confidential information from previous employers.”
WhatsApp adds a guest option for joining calls without an account
Meta’s WhatsApp announced a new feature called guest calling, enabling someone to join a call without needing a WhatsApp account. Guests can’t start a call, only receive & accept invitations, but will have access to the usual screen sharing, emoji reaction, and hand raising tools. Guests need to be approved by the call host before joining and will not have any time limits on their participation. WhatsApp is also working on a plugin for calendar integrations, allowing for WhatsApp calls to be created from Outlook and Google calendars, expected later in 2026.
Source: Engadget
Delaware jury awards Qualcomm $2 in damages, finds Arm breached license agreement
Following the five-day trial in Delaware last week, the jury found Arm holdings did breach a licensing agreement with Qualcomm, intentionally interfering with the chipmaker’s business relationship with Meta Platforms, but only awarded nominal damages of $2. Both sides are taking this as a win. Qualcomm said in a statement, “We are gratified that the jury found Arm breached its long-standing Architectural License Agreement (ALA) […] and intentionally acted to disrupt Qualcomm’s businesses”. And Arm said “the jury’s verdict confirms that Arm operated in good faith […] and its award of only two dollars confirms the merit of Arm’s arguments in the case.”
Source: Reuters
Epic says its new ‘vibe coded’ Epic Games Store launcher is faster than Steam
Epic’s previously-teased rebuilt launcher client is now available in beta, in preview for Windows and Mac and now also Linux. Epic claims it halved the client’s startup time, getting users to the store page 46% faster than Steam. Epic’s release announcement refers to the rebuilt client as “vibe-coded”, adding Epic opted to use AI since “programming is hard”.
Source: PCGamer
You must be logged in to post a comment.