At WWDC today, Apple announced the next version of macOS, which is being called Sonoma. It’ll be available this fall as usual, with the developer beta going live later this week. And a public beta launching next month.
So what’s new in macOS Sonoma? Well, not a ton of new features, but we are getting some enhancements to iMessage, big updates to Safari, a Game Mode, and some aerial screensavers. The aerial screensavers doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is the first time we are getting them on the Mac. They’ve been available on tvOS for a while.
The iMessage apps are also being hidden away in a sub-menu, for a cleaner and simpler overall design on the desktop.
Apple is focusing a lot on gaming
With macOS Sonoma, Apple is really focusing a lot on Gaming, with a new Game Mode this time around. This new Game Mode will take full advantage of the Mac’s hardware when you are playing games. It also has enhancements to Metal and a new API that will let developers port Windows games to Mac.
Apple is also adding some changes to Safari, allowing you to lock the browser window when you are in the Private Mode. So people can’t open up your incognito tabs. It’s also adding Family Passwords and Profiles. Apple is also giving everyone a faster way to access your favorite websites, using web apps. You can add specific websites to the dock. This is a feature that has been available on iPhone and iPad for many, many years. So it’s good to see it available on the Mac now with Sonoma.
As mentioned before, the first developer beta will be available later today, with the first public beta coming next month. It’s a good idea to skip the first beta, as it can often be pretty rough.
A lot of the apps on the Google Play Store are free, but there’s a treasure trove of free games that you can get for your favorite consoles as well. That’s the case with a Nintendo Switch. There are plenty of free Nintendo Switch games that you can download and play.
Sure, you can browse the Nintendo eShop. However, there’s a quicker way to find your next favorite game. Here’s a list of the top 10 best free games you can get for your Nintendo Switch. While these games are free, it doesn’t mean that you won’t run into micro-transactions every now and then.
Top 10 Best Free Nintendo Switch Games Summary
Here’s a quick overview of the games including their genre and the download link. If your switch is connected to the internet, and you are signed into your Nintendo account on your device, you can simply press the Download button. The game will immediately start downloading to your switch.
Top 10 Best Free Nintendo Switch Games
Below, we have a more in-depth explanation of these games. They will explore how these games are played, their ESRB rating, download size, and the number of players.
Omega Strikers
Download size: 1.4GB
ESRB Rating: E10+
No. of players: 1-6 (Online required for multiplayer)
Remember playing air hockey at your local arcade? Well, Omega Strikers brings that fun to your switch. This game brings a similar gameplay style to air hockey, but it jazzes it up with fun abilities and creative characters.
Your characters will start on a rather compact hockey rink, and the puck will appear in the middle. The players need to knock the puck into the opponents’ goal in order to score a point. That’s pretty simple and straightforward.
Your characters can use all sorts of special powers and abilities to give you the edge. These include blasts, shields, special attacks, Etc. It’s a creative spin on the classic game.
We all know Pokemon for being fierce battle-ready creatures, but they can also whip up one heck of a latte. Pokemon Cafe ReMix is a fun puzzle game that has Pokemon operating an adorable Cafe. It’s a place where people and Pokemon can dine together.
The gameplay is very simple. When a round starts, you’ll see a bunch of different Pokemon icons fall into the game board. What you need to do is tap on one icon, and drag your finger to identical icons to make a chain. The more icons you link together in the chain, the more points you get. You will also have certain objectives to follow when clearing rounds.
This is probably the simplest game on this list. It’s both simple when it comes to its gameplay and its graphics. Jump Rope Challenge is a game where you just jump rope. To play it, you will detach your Joy-Cons from your system, hold one in each hand, and pretend that you are jumping rope.
As you do so, you’ll see the little character jump rope along with you and count your jumps. Your goal is to make it to 100 jumps. That seems to be your daily requirement. If you choose to continue to jump, you can keep going.
As you complete your challenges, you will see different pictures appear in the background. For example, after you beat the first challenge, you will see a cat in the background. This is just a fun and simple way to get some exercise in.
We all knew that Kirby is a fighter, and this game really lets him showcase his skills. Super Kirby Clash is a multiplayer game where you play as Kirby in different forms battling notable enemies from the franchise.
When you start around, you and three other Kirbys will all fight a classic Kirby boss. Each Kirby will be given one of four Warrior types. One uses a sword, one uses a big hammer, one uses a magic staff, and one uses potions. Each Warrior type has its pros and cons, and you can mix and match them.
As you play, you will earn gem apples which you will be able to use to upgrade your characters. It’s a really fun game to play with friends.
No. of players: Singleplayer (1-10 players online)
We all know about the smash hit that it OverWatch. Well, OverWatch 2 took its place, and Switch users are not left in the dust.
In case you don’t know what OverWatch is, it’s a popular first-person shooter battle royale title. It lets you play as different creative characters each with their own specific personalities and play styles. You’ll pick your main person as though you’re playing Super Smash Brothers. You’ll form a team with other users online, and battle it out against the other team.
Fall Guys took the world by storm with its highly creative and competitive gameplay. This is a popular party game where you play as one of the adorable blobs going through several different creative challenges.
These challenges involve obstacle courses that have you competing against other people to make it to the end. These obstacle courses are extremely diverse, and there’s an ever-updating list of courses that you can play.
Also, you can customize your character with different skins. It’s a really fun and exciting game to play if you’re looking for some casual gameplay.
If you’re a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, then you will love this game. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a fully-featured Yu-Gi-Oh game experience. This game was released on several platforms, and you can take it with you on your Switch.
This is the definitive Yu-Gi-Oh card game. It strives to incorporate all monsters introduced throughout the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, and this means that you can have access to any card you will want. This is an amazing game to play if you are a true Yu-Gi-Oh fan, and you want to battle other duelists from around the world.
What happens when you put a bunch of Pokemon in the ring together? Well, you get Pokemon Unite. This game is pretty unique compared to other Pokemon games, as it doesn’t focus on one-on-one combat. However, it’s close to a sports game.
When you start around, you’ll be in teams of five Pokemon (they’re also teams of four and three depending on the game mode you use), and it’s your job to fight the other Pokemon in the Ring. These other Pokemon can be your opponents, or the neutral Pokemon scattered throughout the arena.
When you defeat other Pokemon, you’ll gain points. You’ll need to go to the opponent’s side of the arena and deposit those points into their goals. The winning team will have the most points at the end. As you can guess, there is a plethora of Pokemon for you to choose from.
Sky: Children Of The Light is a beautiful game in just about every aspect. It has an amazing and heartfelt story, beautiful visuals, and absolutely gorgeous Music. It’s a pretty popular game across multiple platforms. It’s a kind of game you play if you want to decompress.
This isn’t your typical game where you have health, lives, and enemies. Instead, your character is charged with the duty of unlocking the memories of your ancestors. You’ll see the memories all around in different locations.
It’s a visually and audibly enchanting experience, and it’s amazing to play if you’re looking for some low-energy casual gameplay. Characters don’t die, and there’s no big boss to beat at the end. You just unlock the memories and take in the scenery.
Apex Legends made the headlines when it first came out, and it’s still a very popular game today. This game, similar to OverWatch, is a first-person battle royale game. You will choose from a roster of different very unique characters to do battle with.
You will team up with other people, and fight your way through the enemy’s team. Different characters have different play styles and personalities. It’s a very fun game to play if you want some high-octane and competitive action.
The Apple Watch’s battery life isn’t the best, though the Watch Ultra does have some pretty decent battery life. Especially when compared to other watches that last months or even years on a charge. But as far as smartwatches go, the Apple Watch does quite well on battery life.
However, it could always be better. So today, we’re going to go over a number of ways that you can improve the battery life on the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Series 8. These tips will mostly work for other Apple Watches too, though some of these features are not available on the older models.
How much battery life does the Apple Watch get?
Apple touts that the Series models get 18 hours of usage. While the Ultra is double that at 36 hours. Though you’ll often times get a lot more battery life than that. Apple is pretty conservative with its battery life numbers.
How does Apple get to those numbers? Well, the tests that Apple uses for battery life on the Watch Ultra including performing 180 time checks, 180 notifications, 90 minutes of app use, and a 60 minute workout with music playback from the Apple Watch over Bluetooth. It also assumes that 8 hours are on LTE, while 28 hours are connected to your iPhone.
Meanwhile, on the Apple Watch Series 8 and SE 2, Apple promises up to 18 hours of usage. Which includes 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch over Bluetooth.
So that should give you a good idea of what kind of battery life you can expect from your Apple Watch. Now, here’s how to squeak out a bit more juice.
How to improve battery life on your Apple Watch
There are a number of things you can do to improve the battery life on your Apple Watch. Some include turning off features, while others include changing things that you don’t need or use that often. Let’s get started.
Change charging time
The first thing you can do is, adjust when you are charging your Apple Watch. Since it does a great job of tracking your sleep, it’s not possible to charge it overnight if you want sleep tracking. Instead, you can charge it during the day. Luckily, the Series 7 and Series 8 do charge a lot faster. So charging it up to 100% won’t take long.
With the Apple Watch Ultra, it’s a bit easier to change your charging time. Since you can get two to three days on a single charge. I normally charge mine in the morning when I’m at my desk. Keeping it between 50 and 80%. That’s better for the battery, but it also will get me a bit of a buffer if I don’t charge it the next day.
End your workout
This is going to sound like common sense, but make sure to end your workout when you actually end your workout. Why? Well, tracking a workout is a lot more stressful on the battery. Since it is tracking your heart rate every second, instead of every five or ten minutes. And if you’re on a run, it’s likely using GPS for tracking your run which can also use a lot of battery.
So swipe right on the workout screen, and tap on “End” to end your workout.
Change wake screen time
This is going to sound like common sense, but it’s still needed to be said here. Changing the wake screen time is pretty important.
You can turn off the Wake on Wrist Raise if you’d like. To do this, go to the Apple Watch app, tap on Display & brightness, and then toggle off Wake to Wrist Raise.
You can also change the wake duration. To do this, go to the Apple Watch app, tap on Display & Brightness, and then tap on Wake duration. You can check Wake on Crown up or Wake for 70 seconds, or Wake for 15 seconds.
Turn off Always-on Display
Since the Series 6, Apple debuted Always-on Display. Though it’s not on the SE models, only the Series and Ultra models. As you might expect, having the display on all the time does eat up a significant part of the battery. But you can turn this off, and conserve some juice. How much juice? Well, it depends on the watch. On the Ultra it can likely get you to three days comfortably, but on the 40mm watches, maybe a few more house.
To do this, go to the Apple Watch app. Tap on Display & Brightness, then tap on Always On. Hit the toggle to turn it off and that’s it.
Turn off Hey Siri
Like many other smartwatches, the Apple Watch is always listening for “Hey Siri” or even just “Siri”. That, also uses up some battery. While it is likely a fairly small amount of juice, it is still juice you could use later on. And seeing as it does have false positives quite often, it’s a good idea to turn it off.
To do this, go to the Apple Watch app. Tap on Siri. Then toggle off Listen for “Hey Siri”.
Adjust background app refresh
Just like on your smartphone, apps refreshing in the background use data and power from your Apple Watch. So if you turn it off, or at least adjust the apps that you want to refresh in the background, you can also save some battery life.
To do this, go to the Apple Watch app. Tap on General, then scroll down to select Background App Refresh. From here, you can toggle the apps that you do or don’t want to refresh in the background.
Adjust which apps can send notifications
Building on the last tip, another thing you can do to save battery is adjusting which apps are able to send you notifications. One app that you can probably turn off is Instagram. A lot of those notifications are pretty useless, and you have to open it on your phone anyways. Also notifications from any games you have installed.
To do this, open the Apple Watch app. Tap on Notifications. Then tap on the app you want to change notification settings for.
Use low power mode
New in watchOS 9 (released in 2022), Apple has added a new low power mode. This will limit apps, as well as other functions and slow down the processor too. This is so that your watch can last until you get to the charger. Apple says that the low power mode can last up to 60 hours on the Watch Ultra.
To enable this, go to the Control Center on your watch. Tap on the battery percentage. Then toggle on Low Power Mode.
Keep your Apple Watch up to date
Finally, this is probably the most obvious, but make sure to keep your Apple Watch up to date. This might sound kind of dumb, but Apple will periodically send out updates to your Watch which will have bug fixes, performance improvements and more. Which can really help with your battery life.
You can make sure that it’s up to date by going to the Apple Watch app. Tap on General, and then Software Update. If there’s an update available it’ll show up there. You can also enable Automatic updates on that same page.
Starting today, Fitbit users will be able to log into their accounts using their Google logins. This change was announced back in April, and although not mandatory just yet, it’s a good idea to begin the migration as soon as possible to make sure all your Fitbit data is secure.
At the time of the announcement, no specific start date was given for when this login change would begin, other than just “Beginning this summer.” However, new Fitbit users since then have had the option to register a new Fitbit account using Google. The only sort of concrete deadline that was given was that all Fitbit accounts will need to move over to the new way of logging in sometime in 2025.
This transition makes sense considering Google’s acquisition of Fitbit back in 2019 and the growing integration between the two platforms. This change is meant to make it easier for Fitbit users to log in by getting rid of the need for different Fitbit credentials.
Image Source – Google
By using Google credentials, Fitbit hopes to improve the user experience by making the login process more streamlined and easy. Users who already have Fitbit accounts can also link them to their Google accounts to make the transition go smoothly.
One of the biggest benefits that Google has advertised as part of this change, besides the unified login experience, is to be able to manage all your Fitbit data right from your Google account settings. This means that users will also enjoy having unified privacy controls for their health data.
Concerns about privacy have been taken into account in the way Fitbit and Google accounts work together. Google has reiterated that Fitbit health and wellness data will be kept separate and not used for Google ads, making sure that people have power over their data and can make decisions about how to use it. Fitbit’s pledge to protecting data and keeping it private will not change because of this integration.
RomCom ransomware is being spread via poisoned Google adverts for legitimate software companies including Chat-GPT, PDF Reader Pro and Devolutions’ Remote Desktop Manager.
According to researchers at IT security company Trend Micro, malicious actors are using Google advertisements for trusted companies to entice people into clicking on the advert and downloading RomCom ransomware onto their devices. The malicious actors are doing this through the use of fake sites set up to look like legitimate ones with poisoned uploads that execute the malware on victims’ devices once it is downloaded.
By using paid advertisements slots and SEO tactics, malicious actors can ensure that the poisoned uploads remain at the top of Google’s search results, meaning that more people are likely to fall victim to these trojanized adverts.
RomCom ransomware has been linked to a Cuban ransomware affiliate dubbed ‘Tropical Scorpius’ by Trend Micro. The malware is responsible for a number of attacks across the globe, including those against Ukrainian government agencies in October 2022.
Once it is downloaded onto a device, the backdoor malware can cause damage to victims in a number of ways, including executing more malicious files on the infected device, running malicious programs and exfiltrating data from the compromised devices. It can also run spyware in hidden windows, set up proxy servers for malicious activities and even compress and send files on the infected device to servers owned by the malicious actors.
RomCom ransomware also has the ability to take screenshots on the device, meaning that any confidential, personal or compromising information entered into the device can be used by the hackers for their own means. This includes gaining access to financial services like banks, cryptocurrency wallets and other payment services, access chat messages stored on the device and steal all login credentials entered into the device.
Bumblebee ransomware spread via poisoned Google ads
In April of this year, it was found that malicious actors were employing SEO tactics and paying for targeted advertisements to entice victims into clicking on malware.
Cyber security company Secureworks found malicious actors had been using poisoned ad installers as trojans to spread Bumblebee malware. These ad installers were associated with a number of well-known companies including Zoom, Citrix Workspace, Cisco AnyConnect and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. For example, Secureworks researchers found that a malicious actor had not only created a poisoned ad installer for Cisco AnyConnect, but a fake download page for the malware as well. They were able to do this by exploiting a compromised WordPress site.
Once Bumblebee malware is downloaded, malicious actors most often use it to launch ransomware within the infected device. In one case, Secureworks researchers found that the malicious actor moved laterally across the device, downloading and launching a number of applications and software programs including legitimate remote access tools AnyDesk and Dameware as well as penetration testing malware Colbalt Strike.
Gmail has the highest number of users, amounting to a massive 1.5 billion, which is 18.75% of the world population.
Gmail is well-known for its security features which prevent hackers from taking over user accounts.
Gmail has released a new feature that shows a blue verified tick for approved brands like Apple, Google, etc.
This system was introduced to separate spammers and legitimate company emails.
However, threat actors have found a new way to abuse this feature by sending spam emails and a blue verified tick.
Source: @chrisplummer/twitter.com
Gmail Checkmark System Abuse
Gmail Checkmark System was a feature introduced to help users to fight impersonators from spam emails. This bug was discovered by a security researcher, Chris Plummer, who reported this bug to Google.
Unfortunately, this bug was responded to as “Intended Behaviour” and commented as “Will not Fix.”
However, the researcher provided an explanation saying that the routing of the email was not legit.
Chris Plummer stated, “The sender found a way to dupe @gmail’s authoritative stamp of approval, which end users will trust. This message went from a Facebook account, to a UK netblock, to O365, to me. Nothing about this is legit.”
After a series of tweets from the researcher, Google took this issue as a top priority (P1) and is currently working on resolving this issue.
There is most certainly a bug in Gmail being exploited by scammers to pull this off, so I submitted a bug which @google lazily closed as “won’t fix – intended behavior”. How is a scammer impersonating @UPS in such a convincing way “intended”. pic.twitter.com/soMq7KraHm
Google also apologized for the initial response and mentioned, “After taking a closer look, we realized that this indeed doesn’t seem like a generic SPF vulnerability. Thus we are reopening this, and the appropriate team is taking a closer look at what is going on”.
We apologize again for the confusion, and we understand our initial response might have been frustration; thank you so much for pressing on for us to take a closer look at this!”.
Every researcher is spending a lot of time finding high-priority vulnerabilities in major tech companies.
Companies closing high-priority tickets in a snap and mentioning that “Won’t fix” will humiliate any security researcher and his effort.
It is recommended that tech companies take a closer look at any vulnerability disclosed before confirming it as invalid.
There are Android apps about everything under the sun, so it’s no surprise that there are apps about music. There are tons of apps out there that center around music. Whether they’re rhythm games or games where you guess song titles, there’s some sort of strong musical influence.
These games are perfect for music lovers and people who want to be exposed to other forms of music. They showcase the most popular songs from today and they also introduce you to new and indie music.
Top 10 Best Music Android Games – June 2023
Below is a quick overview of the top 10 best Material You Android apps for 2021, including any download and in-app purchase costs.
Game
Download Cost
In-app cost (per item)
Rhythm Hive
✕
$0.99 – $89.99
Ensemble Stars Music
✕
$0.99 – $99.99
Duet Cats: Cute Popcat Music
✕
$0.99 – $2.99
Cyber Surfer: Beat&Skateboard
✕
$0.99 – $19.99
TAPSONIC TOP -Music Grand prix
✕
$0.99 – $94.99
Starri
✕
$0.99 – $59.99
One Hand Clapping
✕
✕
Groove Coaster 2
$9.99
✕
Protocol:hyperspace Diver
$0.99
✕
Kalpa
✕
$0.99 – $29.99
Top 10 Best Music Android Games – June 2023
Below is a little more information on each app, and a direct link for easy downloading.
All download links go to the app’s Google Play Store listing. Users are always recommended to download apps from Google Play or an authorized app store.
Rhythm Hive
Download Cost: Free
In-App Cost: $0.99 – $89.99
Size: 114MB
Google Play Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
So, you’re a big BTS or VAV fan and you just HAVE to have your Kpop fix. Well, Rhythm Hive Will be perfect for you. This is a more traditional rhythm game where you need to hit the markers as they hit the bottom of the screen. You’ll use a combination of taps and swipes to hit the markers.
What makes this app unique is that it shows actual performances of K-pop artists in the background. They’ll dance in time with the music, as you’d imagine. They add to the overall appeal of the game. It’s a great visual addition to the game. Along with the visuals, you have a selection of great songs to play.
Ensemble Stars Music is a rhythm game that takes us back to the time of Guitar Heroes and Rock Band. As the stage goes on, you’ll see the performers in your group dancing in the background. That adds a nice flair to the game.
It’s like your standard rhythm game that has you hitting markers as they fly toward the screen. In the case of this game, the markers will fly toward a smile-shaped bar in the middle of the screen. As with other games like these, there are markers that you need to tap, swipe, and hold, and it can get pretty challenging.
This game should appeal to you if you’re familiar with the popular and adorable Pop Cat meme. It’s a fun and cute game that you can play if you’re in the mood for casual gameplay.
This is one of the more unique music games out there because of its gameplay. It’s called Duet Cats for a reason. When the round starts, you’ll see a cat on either side of the screen. Then, you’ll see ice cream cones fall down. You’ll need to move the cats so that they catch the ice cream cones in their mouths. They will reach the cats in time with the music.
This game has a selection of today’s most popular hits. Basically what you’d find on the radio, so if you’re into today’s best songs, you’ll love Duet Cats.
If you’re looking for a music-heavy game that gets the blood pumping, then Cyber Surfer is for you. It’s now a rhythm game in that you’re hitting markers as they fly toward the screen. Rather, they will fly toward a character, and you need to navigate into them.
There are two types of markers, blue and red ones. You’ll need to make sure to hit the blue ones and avoid the red ones. The stage takes place in a tunnel, so you’ll pilot your character around the circumference of the tunnel to hit the right markers.
There’s a lot of energetic music in this game, and you’ll run into some popular hits. It’s really for people who want high-octane gameplay.
TAPSONIC TOP brings an interesting spin to the rhythm game genre. You’re still hitting markers on the board as they approach the bottom of the screen. The main difference is that it’s split into two halves. This doesn’t seem like much of a difference at first, but there will be parts where you’ll be swiping in different directions on each of the sides. This adds to the overall challenge.
As you can expect, the levels will increase in difficulty as time goes on. When you start off, both sides of the screen will have only two lanes, but the number will grow as you progress. As for the music, you’ll discover a lot of interesting indie music that you’ll love.
This is probably the most unique rhythm game on this list. For starters, you can’t play it sitting down. It’s reminiscent of those games you’d see on the Nintendo Wii or the Xbox Kinect. You don’t use your hands to hit the markers, you’ll use your body.
Your phone will use its camera to map out your body and create an animated avatar in the game. When playing the game, you’ll move your hands to hit the markers on the screen. You’ll have to move them in different directions based on the type of marker.
Starri is a game that’s meant to get you up and moving. It’s great for people who like to dance. Just know that your phone will be using the camera, so you’ll want to be in a well-lit room.
One Hand Clapping is a really unique music game in that it requires you to use your voice to get through the level. As your character progresses through the level, he’ll be met with obstacles. In order to pass them, you have to sing. You’ll need to use your voice in different ways in order to pass different obstacles.
You don’t have to worry about the game judging your singing. You don’t have to have a perfect singing voice or be perfectly in tune. The game is really just looking for your voice.
This game costs a one-time payment of $9.99, and there aren’t any in-app purchases.
Groove Coaster 2 stands out from most rhythm games because of its unique gameplay. In this game, you’re not hitting markets in the traditional way. You won’t be still while markers move to you, it’s reversed.
You’ll see a dot on a singular line moving through space. As your dot moves, it will collide with other dots, and you’ll, obviously, collide with them in time with the music. You’ll need to tap on the screen when they collide to earn points. It seems simple, but there are different types of dots on the board. Some will require you to swipe, and some will require you to tap on the screen with two fingers.
The path your dot follows will twist and turn in 3D space, which adds to the challenge of the game. It gets really complex as you progress, so you’ll want to get ready for that.
This game adds another dimension to the rhythm game genre. You’ll need to hit the markers in time with the music, but it takes things to the next level. The markers will rush toward the screen, but they won’t travel on a flat plane. Instead, they will travel on both vertical and horizontal planes.
The selection of music is very diverse. You’ll be able to play songs from several different genres such as rock, EDM, indie music, classical music, and many more. It’s a fun and challenging game that will keep you hooked with its gameplay and music library.
Kalpa is a fairly standard rhythm game, and there’s not much to offer in terms of innovation. You hit the markers as they approach the bottom of the screen to earn points. That’s the name of the game.
The main draw for this game would be the music. This music in Kalpa is on the heavier side including a lot of electronic music. It’s fast-paced and sure to get your energy up. If you’re looking for a fun game to pass the time, then Kalpa would be a good choice.
In a recent post from tech enthusiast Jane Manchun Wong, she points out a possible Twitter job recruiting feature. There is little to glean from the post on her Twitter page relating to this possible feature. But this post might mean that Twitter is trying to evolve its services from just being a social media platform to more of an ‘everything platform.’
Users that wish to catch up with the latest information on various topics can head to Twitter, as well as those looking to catch fun with friends. Very soon, jobseekers might also be able to head over to Twitter in search of their next job or hiring opportunities (for employers). Certainly, this is great news, and it comes in light of a recent purchase that Twitter made a few weeks ago.
This purchase might be a solid reason behind Jane Manchun Wong’s post relating to the Twitter job recruiting feature. With this said purchase, Twitter looks to take on LinkedIn in the job posting industry. Here are the available details on the purchase that might lead to Twitter adding a job recruiting feature.
A Twitter job recruiting feature could be made possible with the purchase of Laskie
Just a few weeks ago, netizens learned of Twitter’s latest purchase, the first since Elon’s takeover. This purchase might provide Twitter with the necessary tools to make a job recruiting feature available. The purchase is of a tech startup known as Laskie and they provide job-matching services to their clients.
Laskie is over three years old, as it was founded in the year 2021 with the aim of “helping jobseekers quickly find good job matches.” Before the Twitter purchase, Laskie raised $6 million in total funding, giving it an impressive valuation. The Laskie Crunchbase page points out that the company is now under Twitter’s ownership.
With this acquisition on the ground, Elon and his team will be able to provide a Twitter job recruiting feature. This will help job seekers and employers find and post jobs on the Twitter platform. For now, there is little news on whether Twitter plans to roll out this feature anytime soon.
It’d take some time before Twitter fully integrates Laskie’s services into the social media app. This integration will make Twitter more useful to millions of tweeps, and it might even give LinkedIn a run for its money. Do you think this feature that might make its way to Twitter is a great idea? Will you make use of this feature once it rolls out to Twitter’s platform in the future?
No company’s immune to the current state of the global economy. Tons of companies have been getting rid of employees, and Spotify is no different. Based on a new report, Spotify just laid off 200 employees from its podcast division.
Job cuts across the tech industry are, unfortunately, common nowadays. Companies like T-Mobile, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta have been cutting hundreds and even thousands of their employees in order to cut costs. Even earlier this year, Spotify had to cut about 6% of its Workforce.
Spotify laid off 200 people from its podcast division
This news comes from Variety. Over 2021 and 2022, Spotify has been making a gigantic push into the podcast Market. It became a major player in the market, but this seems to be where the company is cutting loose some weight. In a memo to its workers, Spotify gave the news that its podcast division will be losing 200 workers.
“… We have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of our group and reduce our global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people”, said Sahar Elhabashi, Spotify’s VP, head of podcast business in the memo.
Basically, according to the memo, Spotify is making a notable pivot with its podcasting efforts. The memo didn’t elaborate on what exactly its planning on doing, but it will be working with “leading podcasters from across the globe”. Thus, this change has the unfortunate side effect of layoffs.
This next round of layoffs just got rid of about 2% of the company’s overall workforce, which isn’t particularly massive relative to the company’s size. However, all of the job cuts were in the podcast division. We’re not sure how many people are working in that division, but 200 people is nothing to sneeze at.
This doesn’t look good for the company’s podcasting efforts, seeing as during the last layoff session, the company lost Dawn Ostroff, the chief content in advertising business officer and head of the podcast division. Also, the company dropped 11 podcasts late last year. Since Spotify is cutting so many people from its podcast division, one can only wonder how lucrative the company’s podcast business is
It’s no secret that ever since the AI revolution began with the launch of ChatGPT, every company has ramped up their efforts in the field. However, this unprecedented development has had industry experts and governments worried, as without much oversight or regulation, AI systems could easily go off the rails. Now, in a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Mo Gawdat, a former chief business officer at Google X, shared his perspective on the potential risks of AI systems, stating that it poses a greater danger than climate change.
Gawdat further warned that if the current pace of AI development continues, the world could witness significant and widespread changes in the next few years, including massive job cuts and economic impact.
An AI tax?
In the podcast, Gawdat proposed that in order to curb this rapid expansion and development of AI systems, the best solution is to impose a substantial 98% tax on AI-powered businesses. He believes that this tax would not only slow down the uncontrolled growth of AI but also generate funds for people who might lose their jobs to AI in the near future.
However, Gawdat is not alone in this campaign to curb AI development, as his proposal echoes the sentiments expressed in an open letter signed by influential figures in the AI industry, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak. The letter, released in March, called for a temporary halt in the development of AI systems like GPT-4 and warned that this race against time to deploy AI could have unprecedented consequences, potentially leading to a loss of control over civilization.
Microsoft and Google rally for regulation
Although Microsoft and Google are currently the leaders in the AI space, both tech giants have acknowledged the need for regulation and proposed the self-regulatory approach, asserting that responsible development and usage are crucial to mitigate risks. They argue that AI tools like the Bing AI chatbot and Google Bard will revolutionize productivity and eliminate mundane tasks rather than replace jobs.
