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- [00:05]
Brian McCullough
Welcome to the TechMe Write Home for Wednesday, May 7, 2025. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, Meta wins a case against that NSO group in its spyware allegations. Netflix is completely revamping its design for the first time in years. Amazon has a new robot that can do 70% of the work in its warehouses, and a big chip breakthrough that might bring about the ChatGPT moment for quantum computing. Here's what you missed today in the world of Tech a US jury has awarded Meta nearly $168 million in damages from Israeli spyware maker NSO Group in connection with the 2019 spyware attack on more than 1,400 WhatsApp users phones. Quoting something called Courthouse News Service, an eight person jury awarded the Silicon Valley giant $444,719 in compensatory damages, the monetary cost for Meta for fixing the attack, and over 167 million dol million in punitive damages meant to deter any similar actions by NSO in the future. The damages award also represents a major win for privacy advocates and human rights organizations who have repeatedly criticized NSO for licensing its Pegasus, a powerful surveillance software that allows its users to remotely gain control over a device's microphone and camera, listen to phone calls in real time and download nearly all user data from a target's phone, among other capabilities. Today's verdict in the WhatsApp case is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spy that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone, meta said in a statement celebrating the win. After its loss in court, NSO reaffirmed its commitment to Pegasus as a valuable tool in anti terror operations around the world. We firmly believe that our technology plays a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism and is deployed responsibly by authorized government agencies, nso spokesperson Gil Lanier told Courthouse News. This perspective, validated by extensive real world evidence and numerous security operations that have saved many lives, including American lives, was excluded from the jury's consideration in this case, although it is unclear how the decision will affect nso. The company's CEO, Jaron Shohat, previously testified that the company was in dire straits financially and wouldn't be able to pay any damages awarded to Meta. However, the case isn't quite over yet. Meta still plans to argue a permanent injunction motion at an upcoming hearing, which would prevent NSO from using its platforms, emulating its technology or creating future WhatsApp accounts. Meta is also asking the court to order NSO to delete any code it still possesses related to its platforms. The judge indicated she will schedule the hearing sometime sometime in May or June. Originally designed as a tool for government, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, Pegasus, NSO's flagship product, licensed to governments around the world, reportedly compromised the privacy of 1400 activists, journalists and diplomats via WhatsApp servers in 2019. To embed the spyware into someone's phone, Pegasus clients send a text message, which then invades devices through a malicious code lurking in the Messages sent via WhatsApp, Telegram or other messaging services. Once implanted, it can control a phone's microphones and cameras while extracting the personal and location data of its owner, for example, by screen scraping browser history and contacts, grabbing screenshots and infiltrating communications. Pegasus can also infect users through missed phone calls and zero click attacks, which do not require any action from the phone's owner to succeed. NSO Group says it only sells its spyware to legitimate government, law enforcement and intelligence agencies vetted by Israel's Defense Ministry for use against terrorists and criminals.
- [03:29]
Greg Peters
End quote.
- [03:37]
Brian McCullough
Things are about to look different when you log into Netflix. That's because they've unveiled a new homepage design for TVs, its first major update since 2013, featuring fewer titles but more video and animations, rolling out next week. Quoting the times the last time Netflix debuted a major homepage redesign, the streaming service had just over 30 million subscribers and was only starting to make its own original programs. It now has more than 300 million subscribers and has released thousands of original TV shows and movies, and has remade the entire entertainment industry industry in its streaming image. It's a moment that the company is marketing as the new Netflix. The new homepage will have a navigation bar across the top of the screen instead of being tucked away on the left side as it has been. It will also feature what executives are calling responsive recommendations, which will serve titles on the homepage based on what the subscriber has been searching for in near real time. Looking for horror? Here comes a lot of more horror recommendations. And then the TV homepage will have the ability to more prominently feature its new content types like live programming. The real goal of this is how do we make it easier? How do we make it simpler, faster for you to make a great decision, greg Peters, a co chief executive of the company, said in an interview. The redesign will start rolling out for all subscribers in the coming weeks and months. It will be only for television screens, which is where viewers do most of their Netflix viewing 70%, the company said. The implications for the industry could be significant, though. Over the past decade, nearly all media companies copied Netflix's TV homepage when designing their own streaming services with rows upon rows of titles. Now, the gap between Netflix and the traditional entertainment industry is so vast that HBO and Max executives say they would be happy to be considered as an add on in households that already subscribe to Netflix. But at the same time, Netflix is locked in a battle for streaming TV time supremacy in the United States with YouTube. The Google owned company has a fairly comfortable lead against Netflix, according to Nielsen, the research firm.
- [05:32]
Greg Peters
End quote.
- [05:33]
Brian McCullough
Not only that, though, Netflix says it plans to start testing a TikTok like feed of vertical videos in its mobile app in the coming weeks to help users find more content to watch. Quoting the Verge from the clips, you'll be able to watch the show or movie right away. Or you can add it to your list of saved things to watch or pass the clip along to a friend. The controls are in the bottom right corner of the screen, much like on TikTok. We know that swiping through a vertical feed on social media apps is an easy way to browse video content, chief Product officer Eunice Kim said in a press briefing. And we also know that our members love to browse our clips and trailers to find their next obsession. This isn't the first time Netflix has experimented with a TikTok style feed. It debuted a comedy focused Fast laughs feed in 2021 and later a kids clips feature for children's programming. But this new test seems to be much broader. Amazon has unveiled Vulkan, a sorting robot with a sense of touch that will be able to grab around 75% of its warehouse items rolling out globally in the next few. Quoting the Guardian the robots will be able to identify objects by touch, using AI to work out what they can and can't handle, and figuring out how best to pick them up. They will work alongside humans who now stash and retrieve items from shelving units, which are maneuvered to them at picking stations by wheeled robots, of which Amazon now has more than 750,000 in operation. Vulcan will be able to stow items on the upper and lower levels of the shelving units, known as pods, so that humans no longer need to use ladders or bend so often during their work. Robots now operating in Amazon's warehouse house are able to shift items around or pick items using suction cups and computer vision. The development is likely to raise fears of job losses as retailers reduce human involvement in distribution centers, which employ thousands of people. Many retailers have said that they are increasing investment in automation as labor costs rise around the world. Amazon has faced industrial action in the UK and elsewhere over low pay in its warehouses. Economists at Goldman Sachs speculated in 2023 that 300 million jobs worldwide could be automated out of existence by 2030 as a result of the development of gener generative AI. With many more roles radically transformed in the UK, between 60,000 and 275,000 jobs could be displaced every year over a couple of decades at the peak of the disruption, estimates from the Tony Blair Institute suggested last year. However, Ty Brady, the chief technologist of robotics at Amazon, said robots could not completely replace humans in the group's warehouses and were there to amplify the human potential and to improve safety in the workplace. The self confessed Star wars geek said the robots he helps design could be likened to R2D2 as an amazing collaborative robot. People will always be part of the equation, he said, while machines will take on the menial, the mundane and the repetitive tasks. There's no such thing as completely automated. It just doesn't exist because you always need people to understand the value of the operation. Just using common sense like is that really doing the job?
- [08:37]
Greg Peters
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- [08:44]
Brian McCullough
Life's been a little crazy lately, and one thing that helps me unwind is Cornbread Hemp's CBD Gummies. Longtime listeners will recall the gummies that helped me unwind after Chris and I used to do Ride Home Experience recordings late at night. Have you tried everything under the sun for peace of mind? It sounds like it's time for you to try Cornbread Hemp's CBD Gummies. Cornbread Hemp's CBD Gummies are made to help you feel better, whether it's stress, discomfort or just needing a little relaxation. They only use the best part of the hemp plant the flower for the purest and most potent CBD formulated to help relieve discomfort, stress and sleeplessness. They have THC for relaxation, CBD for sleep, CBD Oil for recovery, and CBD Gummies for stress. All products are third party lab tested and USDA organic to ensure safety and purity. Right now, TechMeem Ride Home listeners can save 30% on their first order. Just head to cornbreadhemp.com ride and use code Ride at checkout. That's Cornbread Hemp and use Code Ride. The best piece of money and investing advice I've ever gotten was to simply always do it. Always suck something away, even if the market is bumpy, because being constant will smooth things out in the end. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns. Acorns is a financial wellness app that makes it easy to start saving and investing for your future. You don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you get started with the spare money you've got right now. Even if all you've got is is spare change, you don't need to be an expert. Acorns recommends a diversified portfolio that can help you weather all of the market's ups and downs. You just need to stick with it and Acorns makes that easy too. Acorns automatically invests your money, giving it a chance to grow with time. Sign up now and join the over 14 million all time customers who have already saved and invested over $25 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com ride or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positive promote Acorns Tier one compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC Registered Investment Advisor View important disclosures@acorns.com ride more signs that AI is probably not a fad and that spending on IT continues apace an aws survey of 3,739 senior IT decision makers across nine countries reveals that 45% of them say generative AI is now their top spending priority, 30% say security is the top priority, and 13% say compute. Quoting GeekWire. Generative AI will surpass cybersecurity and many corporate tech budgets this year, with 45% of global IT leaders naming IT their top spending priority for 2025, according to a new report commissioned by Amazon Web Services. The finding, from the inaugural AWS Generative AI Adoption Index released Tuesday morning, made me step back and think, acknowledge Rahul Pathak, AWS VP of Data and AI go to Market. In an interview about the survey results, Pathak said he interpreted the finding not as a sign that organizations view AI as more important than security, but as an indication of AI's growing impact on business. Within AI projects, he noted, security is also a top concern, including data protection and responsible AI use. The study, conducted by Access Partnership, is based on a global survey of 3,739 senior IT decision makers across nine countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan and India. The study found that 90% of organizations are already using generative AI tools in some capacity, with nearly half moving beyond experimentation to full integration. AI is rapidly, rapidly being adopted, pathek said. The fact that nine out of ten folks are looking at this actively and putting it into play, you can't afford to wait around More findings from the study new leadership roles 60% of organizations have already named a chief AI officer or similar role, with another 26% planning to do so by next year. Moving beyond testing, 44% of organizations have gone past pilot programs and are starting to use generative AI in real workflows. Then there's the focus on skills. More than half of organizations have launched training programs and 92% plan to hire people with generative AI experience in 2025. Mixing of off the shelf models and custom tools is interesting Most companies are using existing AI models and building custom tools on top of them rather than starting from scratch.
- [13:16]
Greg Peters
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- [13:23]
Brian McCullough
Mistral has released Mistral Medium 3, which it says focuses on efficiency without compromising performance for $0.40 per 1 million input and $20.80 per 1 million output tokens. Quoting TechCrunch, Mistral Medium 3 performs at or above 90% of Anthropic's costlier Claude Sonnet 3.7 model on benchmarks across the board, claims Mistral. It also surpasses recent open models including Meta's Llama 4 Maverick and Cohere's Command A on popular AI performance. Eval tokens are the raw bits of data models work with with a million tokens equivalent to about 750,000 words, or roughly 163,000 words longer than War and Peace. Mistral Medium 3 can be deployed on any cloud, including self hosted environments of four GPUs and above, explained Mistral in a blog post sent to TechCrunch on pricing. The model beats cost leaders such as DeepSeq V3, both in API and self deployed systems, according to Mistral. Mistral Medium 3 is best for coding and STEM tasks and excels at multimodal understanding, the company says. The clients in financial services, energy and healthcare have been beta testing the models for use cases like customer service, workflow automation and analyzing complex data sets in addition to Mistral's API, where enterprise customers can work with Mistral to fine tune it. Mistral Medium 3 is available on Amazon's SageMaker platform starting Wednesday. It'll soon come to other hosts, including Microsoft's Azure AI Foundry and Google's Vertex AI platforms, the company added. The launch of Mistral Medium 3 follows on the heels of Mistral's Mistral Small 3.1 and March. In its blog post, the company teased the release of a much larger model in the coming weeks. Mistral on Wednesday also launched Lachat Enterprise, a corporate focused chatbot service that offers tools like an AI agent builder and integrates Mistral's models with third party services including Gmail, Google Drive and SharePoint. Laychat Enterprise rolled out in private preview earlier this year, but today marks its general availability End quote Finally today, Cisco says it has built a prototype entanglement source chip that could cut the timeline for practical quantum computing by up to a decade. Quoting Fast Company, the chip was developed in partnership with UC Santa Barbara and is novel in that it generates up to 1 million entangled photon pairs per second and does so at room temperature, saving considerable resources. Additionally, Cisco is also announcing the opening of Cisco Quantum Labs, which will be the company's dedicated quantum research hub in Santa Monica, California. The chip itself was developed at Cisco's Outshift incubator, where Viljoy Pandey, senior vice president at Outshift by Cisco, says the company works on projects that are slightly out of the comfort zone. We're a networking company, says Pandey. We're looking at quantum networking and quantum security. Our thesis is pretty straightforward. To make quantum computing practical, you need to scale it out, he adds. You need a network, and to have a quantum network, you need a quantum entanglement chip. That's the first building block. In practice, the chip will allow quantum computers to be networked together similar to existing networks for classical computers, enabling distributed quantum computing. While other companies are focused on building quantum computers themselves, Cisco is working on the infrastructure to make quantum computing actually work. And it's attempting to get ahead of things by developing the network and security frameworks while large scale quantum demand is still likely years away. Moreover, while some experts have mused that quantum computing could be as far as 20 years down the road, Panday says that Cisco's breakthrough likely cuts that timeline by between five and 10 years. Building the chip took between three and four years, and now Cisco is looking at moving it into production, says Reza Nejabadi, head of quantum research and Quantum Labs at Outshift by Cisco. We're working toward more commercial fabrication, he says. There's a whole bunch of hardware and software technology that we're bringing up. The quantum proof of concept is happening. As for what's next, Pandey says Cisco will work on software to help build out a quantum network and continue to work on a quantum roadmap. There's going to be a chatgpt moment for Quantum, he says. We need to start putting the fundamental building blocks together to prepare.
- [17:22]
Greg Peters
End quote.
- [17:32]
Brian McCullough
Hey, just a reminder that if you listen to this pod on Apple podcasts, take a look at today's episode. Bring it up in the app. In the top right corner you see that arrow? Hit it and turn on Automatic Downloads so you never miss an episode. Top right corner, turn on Automatic Downloads. Thanks in advance. Really helps the show. Talk to you tomorrow.
- [17:58]
Eunice Kim
Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts A new way to keep your teen safer as they grow. Like making sure they've got the right gear for writing.
- [18:04]
Brian McCullough
Knee pads, shack and helmet.
- [18:06]
Eunice Kim
Done. See you, dad. New Instagram Teen Accounts Automatic protections for who can contact your teen and the content they can see.
- [18:13]
Ty Brady
Shopify's Point of Sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. Need a fast and secure way to take payments in person? We've got you covered. How about card readers you can rely on anywhere you sell? Thanks. Have a good one. Yep, that too. Want one place to manage all your online and in person sales? That's kind of our thing wherever you sell. Businesses that grow grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month trial@shopify.com listen shopify.com listen.