You might know Zoho from the Zoho CRM or the many other business applications offered by the tech corporation. Now, they’ve launched a new one: Zoho Payroll.

The new payroll solution will streamline and automate your core payroll needs, from compliance to taxes to benefits. Zoho’s applications consistently rank in our top ten lists, whether they’re for streamlining video call meetings or for automating invoices.

Here’s our first look at what to expect from Zoho’s brand-new payroll software: What functions it offers, how much it costs, and where it’s available.

What Zoho Payroll Handles

Zoho Payroll is designed to serve as an end-to-end payroll solution. This includes:

• Federal, state, and local tax compliance across all 50 states with automated calculating, paying, and filing of taxes
• Employee benefits
  • Healthcare
  • Retirement savings
  • Paid time off
  • Managing employee contributions to 401(k), 403(b), health savings accounts (HSA), and flexible spending accounts (FSA)
• Mobile-first employee self-service portal (iOS and Android)
• Integration with Zoho People, Zoho Expense, and Zoho Books to enable automatic data syncing

The self-service portal will let employees view their payslips, benefits contributions, and salary breakdowns, helps them change their tax withholding choices, and lets them exchange messages with HR.

How Zoho Payroll Addresses Key Challenges

Prashant Ganti — Head of Product Management, Finance and Operations Business Unit at Zoho Corp. — offered an exclusive statement to Tech.co, discussing the complexities and challenges of payroll management.

“Businesses are increasingly challenged by constantly changing tax regulations, making payroll management more difficult to manage. Many companies outsource certain aspects of payroll, which can be costly, and smaller companies often rely on manual processes which are prone to errors,” Ganti told Tech.co. “Zoho Payroll addresses these exact challenges by offering a comprehensive solution that automates payroll processing, ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and provides real-time payroll insights.

Ganti also highlighted one of the biggest reasons why our research team has recommended Zoho software in roundups such as our “Most Simple CRM Systems” guide: Zoho apps integrate very well with each other.

“What makes Zoho Payroll stand out is its integration with Zoho’s HR, accounting, and expense management solutions, providing interoperability between systems.” -Ganti

Zoho Payroll Pricing

Pricing for the new payroll solution starts at $39 per month, plus $6 per month per employee. This price is exclusive of local taxes, however.

How soon get you try it? Zoho Payroll is currently available for immediate use in all 50 US states. Those who want to give it a spin can try the software’s 14-day free trial today.

There’s a theory for why so many companies are pushing for an end to remote work policies, despite strong employee backlash at tech giants from Amazon to Dell. These companies, the theory goes, are trying to justify their hefty office leases — they’re paying for the space, so they need to use it.

Now, a new report has confirmed that this reasoning is behind at least some of these RTO mandates. One in three companies (38%) say that using the office space they pay for is a reason behind their RTO push.

It’s not the only factor, however, with a handful of other reasons such as “improving communication” coming in ahead of the real estate justification.

16% of Companies Say Leases Have “Major Impact” on RTO

The new report is out from Resume.org, and is based on a November 2024 poll that surveyed 900 business leaders at companies that went remote for the Covid pandemic but have since pivoted to RTO policies.

“For over half of companies leasing office space (or 35% of the total sample), current lease terms have impacted their RTO strategies. About 16% of companies report lease terms have a major impact on their RTO policy, while 38% say they play at least some role,” the report found.

Don’t expect anything to change soon. Some leases will expire in 2025, but, of the companies that currently hold leases, nearly half of them will see their lease extend to 2028 or later.

Other Reasons for RTO Pushes

The biggest reason companies cited for their return to the physical office space was fostering collaboration and teamwork, with 69% of surveyed companies saying this.

“The primary drivers for requiring employees to return to the office include fostering collaboration and teamwork (69%), improving communication (58%), strengthening company culture (51%), boosting productivity (47%), and simplifying employee management (41%)” -the report

Not covered by the report? Any of the benefits of fully remote work, from the time management upside for employees with small children or those with disabilities, to the productivity or happiness gains that some studies have found.

32% of Companies Are Concerned About Brain Drain Due to RTO

Some of the companies surveyed were worried about losing employees due to their more stringent in-office work policies — 6% were very concerned, while 26% were somewhat concerned.

However, more of them were unbothered. 36% said they were not very concerned, while 13% were “not at all” worried, and 18% remained unsure.

Fresh research just out from the University of Pittsburgh might sway those opinions: Return-to-office mandates are associated with “an exodus of high performers,” according to Fortune.

LinkedIn users will have noticed that more and more videos are popping up in their feed, with the social media platform gradually edging into a market dominated by Instagram and TikTok.

The Microsoft-owned platform has been encouraging video uploads, and users on the platform who have posted bite-sized video content are already reporting a huge spike in their interactions.

LinkedIn has always been viewed as the business-minded social platform with Instagram and TikTok gathering a far wider net of creators and users. But as TikTok’s future looks increasingly shaky in the US, LinkedIn is sneaking up behind it.

Why Is LinkedIn Going After Videos Now?

This isn’t LinkedIn’s first foray into video content. It launched live videos in 2019 and there was also a short lived Stories feature which disappeared in 2021. It has really been in this year, though, that the company has started promoting video content.

In March, TechCrunch reported that a strategy director at an influencer agency called McKinney had spotted LinkedIn’s short-form video feeds. He posted to show the new Video button, which reveals a feed of short video content that users can scroll through.

A couple of months later in August, LinkedIn made a big splash about its in-feed video carousels, and since then, a raft of tutorial videos have appeared made by creators to help the LinkedIn masses take advantage of this relatively new option. The emphasis is on B2B content but with a broad scope of topics from personal stories to product launches.

Is Its Video Push Working?

Meghana Dhar, a former shopping partnerships manager at Instagram, and now a creator with 15,000 LinkedIn followers, told Business Insider that her LinkedIn “engagement has just exploded” since she started posting videos. She added that she got 10,000 impressions for a written post but a piece to camera garnered her two million hits.

Perhaps it is because of Instagram and TikTok that video content is now the content of choice. It’s easy to consume and feels more personal. LinkedIn has seen this and wants a slice of the action, not least because it allows it to shake off its slightly fusty image as a place for suits and job ads.

Jamé Jackson is a LinkedIn community manager and told Business Insider. “I am on a personal mission to make LinkedIn a daily habit for people. We are so much more than just a platform for job searching.”

And it seems to be working. During the company’s October earnings call, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella said that “weekly immersive video views increased six times quarter-over-quarter and total video viewership on LinkedIn is up 36% year-over-year.”

How to Get the Best From LinkedIn Video

LinkedIn says that quality is important. Content should be business-focused but can be anything from an insider scoop to a fresh perspective on something in the news.

The company also says that users should “reflect how members already use LinkedIn to find new opportunities and make connections,” and make content that speaks to this. A clear message or call to action is key; and make sure you engage with the comments once the video is live.

However, what LinkedIn doesn’t have is a way for creators to make money from their content. Instead, it’s all about engagement and kudos instead of dollars, but could this change in the future?

WordPress and its CEO have been given a telling off by a California district judge after WP Engine, a third-party WordPress hosting service, said they were damaging its business.

The judge ordered WordPress.com parent company, Automattic, and also CEO, Matt Mullenweg, to stop restricting the hosting service’s access to the open-source project that develops the WordPress publishing platform, WordPress.org.

The preliminary injection could end what has turned into a very personal crusade for Mullenweg, who accused WP Engine of “strip-mining the WordPress ecosystem.”

What Has the Judge Decided?

The judge has served an injunction in favor of WP Engine, which argued that Automattic’s decision to block it from WordPress.org’s servers harmed its business. In particular, it saw WordPress effectively take control of WP Engine’s ACF Plugin. This meant that WP Engine customers couldn’t easily update or install either the plugins or themes that they needed.

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said Mullenweg’s “conduct is designed to induce breach or disruption.” He also wasn’t convinced by Automattic’s argument that WP Engine relied on WordPress.org to power its business.

The ruling says: “While Defendants characterize WP Engine’s harm as self-imposed because it built its business around a website ‘that it had no contractual right to use…’ Defendants’ role in helping that harm materialize through their recent targeted actions toward WP Engine, and no other competitor, cannot be ignored.”

The ruling stipulates that Automattic will have to take down a list of companies and customers who use WP Engine that it had published online. The Verge adds that it “…also has to remove the checkbox that asks WordPress users to verify they’re not affiliated with WP Engine when logging in.”

WP Engine posted after the ruling on X, stating: “We are grateful that the court has granted our motion for a preliminary injunction that restores access to and functionality of wordpress.org for WP Engine, its customers and its users.”

A Long-Running TIFF

This argument has been going on for a long while. It centers upon WP Engine’s use of the free, open-source WordPress software. It uses this to drive its own pre-packaged WordPress hosting service. And it is now a rival to WordPress.com itself with The Verge reporting that “…more than 200,000 websites us[e] the service to power their online presence.”

Mullenweg has argued, very publicly, that WP Engine is using his venture’s open-source software but are not giving back to the WordPress community.

“The company is controlled by Silver Lake, a private equity firm with $102 million in assets under management,” Mullenweg said. “Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your open source ideals — it just wants return on capital. So, it’s at this point I ask everyone in the WordPress community to go vote with your wallet. Who are you going to give your money to: someone who is going to nourish the ecosystem or someone who is going to frack every bit of value out of it until it withers?”

Lack of Commitment

Mullenweg added in a blog post that WP Engine had only contributed 40 hours per week to the WordPress.org open source project and said that it is “…setting a poor standard that others may look at and think is ok to replicate.”

Mullenweg argues that this could damage WordPress in the long term and gave the call to arms that the community “…must set a higher standard to ensure WordPress is here for the next 100 years.”

However, the plot thickens with allegations that Mullenweg demanded money off WP Engine for use of the WordPress trademark and that a volley of cease and desist letters went back and forth between the two companies. Mullenweg said in a blog post that WP Engine has to cough up what it owes for using the trademark or start contributing to the open source project.

The case will now go to trial and Automattic spokesperson Megan Fox told The Verge that the company looks forward to prevailing.

Fresh off the launch of its much anticipated video generator Sora, OpenAI is continuing its run up to the holidays with the general release of ChatGPT Canvas.

This tool allows users to place their responses from the ChatGPT chatbot into a shared and editable page or canvas.

This makes it easier to collaborate on projects – whether with AI or humans – and has huge possibilities for content creators and coders alike.

What Does ChatGPT Canvas Do?

Announced in October, Canvas is described by its creator as “a new interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that go beyond simple chat.”

It works like a copy editor or code reviewer. This means users can highlight specific sections of their project, which they can then direct ChatGPT to focus on. OpenAI adds that you can enter both code and text, work directly in Canvas and it adds that there is “a menu of shortcuts for you to ask ChatGPT to adjust writing length, debug your code, and quickly perform other useful actions.”

Once you have assigned what edits you want, the AI tool gets going. OpenAI adds that there is also the option to restore previous versions of users’ projects.

How to Access ChatGPT Canvas

Users can either type “use Canvas” into their prompt windows or it will pop up automatically “when ChatGPT detects a scenario in which it could be helpful,” says OpenAI.

Initially available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users globally, the feature is now coming out of Beta and is accessible to all ChatGPT users. However, the general release has come with an upgrade that allows users to edit and translate code into Python. In addition, a “Run” option lets users execute the code they have written (or collaborated on) so that they can see the output as they work.

Another new option is the ability to embed Canvas into a Custom GPT (or customized AT chatbot), which means users can create a personalized tool that uses Canvas for specific tasks.

What’s Next for OpenAI?

ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro users are no doubt now exploring what Sora Turbo can deliver; but will it be available to all ChatGPT users? In an update, OpenAI said:

“We’re working on tailored pricing for different types of users, which we plan to make available early next year.”

This suggests Sora will come with a price tag. However, the coming days might see more launches unveiled as there are a few days left of OpenAI’s 12 days of launches. As the company said in a post on X at the start: “12 days. 12 livestreams. A bunch of new things, big and small. 12 Days of OpenAI starts tomorrow.” So there’s more to come.

Following on from the launch of new templates for Google Slides, Google Docs has now got 40 new page-less templates.

The new launches promise time savings for users as they make it quicker to create blog posts, press releases, business proposals, and journals, among other more specialist options.

Google is already taking on Microsoft 365’s suite with AI tools for Google Docs, including a generative AI option to help users rewrite their copy using a specified “tone”. This latest launch is targeting both enterprise and consumer users, and is going to be followed by more template options “in the coming months”.

What are the new launches?

Google has published a blog piece laying out exactly what Workspace users can now access. It promises that the templates are “high-quality, visually modern designs”.

It adds that they will “…help users save time since they don’t have to build documents from scratch” and this will “…enable them to be more productive with the latest Docs features in their daily processes”.

As well as the templates that will have a wide appeal across the enterprise space, there are also more specialized templates. These include a project roadmap, marketing plan, and sales emails for business users. HR teams have an interview guide, onboarding guide, and training manual, while those in education can now use a reading list and class notes templates for education users.

Additional Features

Using its Gemini AI capabilities, this month also sees Google launch a new feature called “Help me create”. Accessible using the Google Docs toolbar, this feature allows users to put in a prompt to describe exactly what they want their document to be. They can also pull in content from any files using @ filename”, whether text, cover images, in-line images or tables.

As Google explains: “A manager can create a vision document to keep their team on track by telling Gemini: Create an overview document of our team charter and goals based on [Team charter brainstorm notes], and include a cover image that shows team bonding in an office setting.”

How Do I Access the New Templates?

The new arrivals will start to appear from today for both rapid release and scheduled release domains, but Google does add that the roll-out could take up to 15 days.

To access the new templates, users can just select a new template building block when they open a blank Google Docs document. They can also use the Google Docs toolbar, selecting File > New > From the template gallery.

General Motors is pointing at time, resources and competition as the reasons it has decided to pull the plug on the development of the Cruise self-driving taxi.

As GM owns 90% of the company, the decision will likely push Cruise to collapse, reflecting the automotive giant’s wider strategy of scaling back its electric vehicle ambitions.

GM is now going to “refocus [its] autonomous driving development on personal vehicles”, it said, leaving Tesla and Waymo to vie for pole position in the robotaxi race.

GM Cuts Costs by Crashing Cruise

General Motors has invested more than $10 billion in Cruise and its autonomous vehicles since 2016, but recently, the costs have gotten too high.

There was a sign of a shift to come earlier this month when GM sold its stake in its joint venture battery plant in Michigan to its partner LG Energy Solution.

However, the Detroit-based car company announced in a statement published this week that it has decided to no longer fund work on the self-driving robotaxis, “given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market.”

Instead, it will concentrate on autonomous personal vehicles and “its profitable business of making gasoline-powered pickup trucks and other large vehicles,” Reuters reports.

GM will fold Cruise’s business into its group focusing on driver assistance technology but has not said how much of the workforce it will retain. GM says this restructuring will save the company more than $1 billion annually.

Writing Already on The Wall

Cruise already slashed a quarter of its workforce – 900 jobs – in December last year. This was after GM decided to stop developing a robotaxi that had no steering wheel or human controls.

The decision to cease production was made after a Cruise robotaxi struck and injured a pedestrian in San Francisco in October 2023. GM ended up paying a substantial settlement to the injured person.

However, there was more grief for Cruise when it was accused of submitting a false report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to try to influence the investigation into the crash. In particular, the report pointed out that the pedestrian had been dragged more than 20ft (6m) by the vehicle.

Cruise was hit with a $500,000 criminal fine, and Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt left the company in disgrace. Vogt has been disparaging of GM’s decision to cut funding, taking to X to declare that “GM are a bunch of dummies.”

Who Remains in the Robotaxi Race?

Cruise is now in the pit, and Ford and Volkswagen retired their self-driving car joint venture, Argo AI, from the race back in 2022. There are now only a handful of contenders jostling for road space.

Elon Musk unveiled his Cybercab in October to much fanfare (and then much grumbling from the film industry that he had stolen their ideas). The CEO of Tesla says that the robotaxi fleet could be on the roads “before 2027” but he is, by his own admittance, “optimistic with timeframes” and has been talking about this fleet since 2016.

A strong competitor – and ahead in the race – is Google-backed Waymo, which has around 700 vehicles on the roads in the US.

Baidu is also making headway into this market but a Biden ban on Chinese self-driving vehicle software will put a block to its plans in the US.

So, while there are businesses out there pursuing promising projects, they’re all several years away from having the kind of robotaxi fleet that would let you stake a claim to total market supremacy. Cruise’s ride, however, has well and truly come to an end.

Yelp has launched an array of new features for its users, including tools that use AI to give a breakdown of how restaurants, food and nightlife businesses perform in different categories.

As part of the company’s year-end updates, users will get more insights in each review, adding to the AI-powered summaries that already appear at the top of each listing.

In what is a tough time for food and beverage businesses, technology including food delivery tech is helping businesses survive. Yelp’s use of AI to create far more accurate reviews means customers can more easily find what they want, and will then be – hopefully – happier with their choice.

More Honed Categories for Reviews

The AI-powered review insights break down into different categories. These include service, ambiance and food quality.

Users will be able to view a sentiment score of between 1 and 100 for each of these categories. The score is also accompanied by a rating of positive, neutral, or critical.

How AI has come into play, explained Yelp’s Craig Saldanha to TechCrunch, is that the LLMs can pick the main sentiments from reviews and analyze them even if key words are missing. “These LLMs allow us to identify and categorize themes in reviews even when they aren’t explicitly mentioned in the review text. For example, a review that says, ‘drinks came out quickly’ would be categorized under ‘service,’ even though the word ‘service’ isn’t used,” he explained over email.

The new features will be added initially just for food, beverage and nightlife business in iOS.

More Details for Users

Alongside these new ratings are badges for users to show how tipping works in the establishment they are considering. Yelp has also added recognition labels for reviewers to show what they care about.

The company had already deployed AI to improve users’ home feeds to include videos from businesses and has now updated this to include “popular businesses around you,” the auto-playing of user videos, user reviews, and trending searches.

For business owners, Yelp has added a text or phone call option so that service professionals can call users directly (though the user’s phone number will be hidden).  And if users have a specific project on the go, they can “broadcast” it to the companies they have already be in touch with; and this will include updates if anything changes in what they need.

Businesses’ Yelp inboxes have also had an AI rehaul. The job cards have been redesigned and the company now offers AI-powered summaries of any of the jobs that come in for their attention.

Speed and Accuracy

Saldanha has spoken in interviews about how AI is allowing Yelp to really get to grips with the vast amount of data it has and then package it in a way that is really insightful for both businesses and consumers. As he told TechCrunch, Yelp “can now find that needle in the haystack.”

But the company’s rivals are also ramping up their AI roll-outs. Google Maps is already offering AI-generated insights in its Local Guides in the US, while Trip Advisor has an AI itinerary builder.

AI is going to play an increasing role in crunching users’ data – and categorizing information from reviews will be a key area for services like Yelp.

In the summer, a newspaper investigation revealed details of a secret deal between Google and Instagram’s owner, Meta, which targeted teenagers, and now European Commission officials are probing into exactly what happened.

The deal, which has allegedly now been scrapped, pushed 13-17 years old using YouTube towards content on Instagram, ignoring the search company’s own policies towards minors.

This deal doesn’t look good for Google, as it suggests the company actively helped to drive teenagers towards a social media platform. The addictive nature and dangers of social media for children are well and truly in the spotlight with Australia’s landmark decision to ban social media access for under-16 year olds. Other countries are also putting measures in place, but to varying degrees of control.

Secret Agreement

The Financial Times ran the initial story about the secret deal in August after seeing papers and speaking to people in the know. The newspaper revealed that Google had worked on a marketing project for Meta using YouTube ads to promote Instagram.

The report also suggested that there was subterfuge. It wrote: “The Instagram campaign deliberately targeted a group of users labelled as “unknown” in its advertising system, which Google knew skewed towards under-18.”

The deal – made between rivals – was reportedly signed so that Google could boost its ad revenue and so that Meta could get the attention of young users whose heads had been turned from Instagram to TikTok.

The newspaper adds that the campaign was “already in development” when Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families whose children had been victims of sexual exploitation and abuse on his platforms in the US Congress.

Cancelled After the Pilots

The FT revealed that the initial pilot marketing programme ran in Canada from February to April; and was spearheaded by Spark Foundry, a US subsidiary of French advertising giant Publicis.

The next target market was the US, where the ad campaign ran in May. There were plans for further expansion and also to advertise other Meta platforms, including Facebook.

However, the FT news story sparked an internal investigation by Google and “people familiar with the matter” said that the program has now stopped running.

Ignoring Its Own Rules

However, this isn’t the end of the matter as the European Commission has now asked for details about the now defunct deal. Reuters says this includes “data, presentations, internal chats and emails related to the ad campaigns.”

One aspect of the investigation is bound to be whether Google went against its own rules, which prohibit it from personalizing ads to target those under 18. Google denies any wrongdoing. “The safeguards we have to protect teens, like prohibiting ad personalization, are industry leading and continue to work,” a Google spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.

This echoes a statement made in response to the initial investigation and hinges, said the FT, on the fact that “no registered YouTube users known to be under 18 were directly targeted by the company.”

At a time when social media platforms are under scrutiny, any suggestion of underhanded dealings from either Google or Meta is not going to strengthen their arguments that they have the welfare of young users at heart.

Despite warnings and a disclaimer, PC owners can now install Windows 11 on their machine, even if it’s incompatible.

The computing giant has done a complete 180-degree turn on its policy that PCs needed to have TPM 2.0-compatible hardware for users to be able to install the package.

The news comes as Windows 10 approaches the end of its support lifespan and Microsoft ups its AI offerings with Copilot features for the newer operating system.

How to Install Windows 11

Microsoft suggests that your first step must be to run its PC Health Check app “to assess Windows 11 eligibility and identify components of a device that don’t meet the minimum requirements.” From the app, users can follow steps to change their device to meet these requirements.

Microsoft warns that upgrading to Windows 11 might take longer than the Windows 10 upgrade. If your device hasn’t been offered the automatic upgrade to Windows 11, you can use the Installation Assistant. You can also create Windows 11 installation media by following these instructions.

Microsoft adds that if your device doesn’t meet the requirements, after you have installed Windows 11, you’ll see a watermark added to the desktop. You’ll also see a notification in the Settings app. PC World adds that, “these can only be removed with registry tweaks”

A Complete U-turn

Only a week ago, Microsoft reinforced that it would not be offering Windows 11 without the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0, so it is mystery why the company has changed its mind.

The blog piece focused on security with Microsoft’s senior product manager, Stephen Hosking, stating that “TPM 2.0 is not just a recommendation—it’s a necessity for maintaining a secure and future-proof IT environment with Windows 11.”

However, Microsoft has now created a support page for PC owners who want to install Windows 11. It doesn’t explain the change of heart but is a step-by-step guide for PC owners who want to go ahead and upgrade.

Words Of Warning

The support page doesn’t hold back when it comes to the potential risks of upgrading to Windows 11 if your device isn’t compatible.

“Installing Windows 11 on a device that doesn’t meet Windows 11 minimum system requirements isn’t recommended. If Windows 11 is installed on ineligible hardware, you should be comfortable assuming the risk of running into compatibility issues.” – Microsoft spokesperson

As well as clear instructions as to how to dial back to Windows 10 if things go wrong (and you only have 10 days from upgrade), it also features a prominent disclaimer. If users go ahead and try to upgrade to Windows 11 without the right system requirements, they are agreeing that the consequences are on them and not Microsoft. The statement is pretty stern:

“If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren’t covered under the manufacturer warranty. By selecting Accept, you are acknowledging that you read and understand this statement.” – Microsoft

So while this is a choice, it doesn’t seem like much of a choice at all!

“Sora is here.” That’s how OpenAI announced the full roll out of its AI video tool that the company initially unveiled earlier this year.

In Sora, the artificial intelligence innovator says it has created a model that “understands and simulates reality” in its function to create realistic videos based on text commands.

It won’t be available for absolutely everybody, however. Sora is only accessible on launch by people who subscribe to ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Pro, and even they will be limited by certain usage and resolution restrictions.

Sora Is Here

Monday’s announcement confirmed that a new version of the software that OpenAI is calling Sora Turbo is available as a standalone product with immediate effect. It has been rolled out everywhere ChatGPT is available, with the exception of the UK, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area.

Sora Turbo allows users to generate videos up to 1080p resolution with a maximum length of 20 seconds. They have the choice of widescreen, vertical, or square aspect ratios.

It’s also possible for users to incorporate their own photos and videos to help create prompts for the content that Sora will generate.

“You can bring your own assets to extend, remix, and blend, or generate entirely new content from text.” – OpenAI

A new interface has been revealed with the product launch, with tweaks to the original concept art that OpenAI says will make it easier to prompt. There are also dedicated feeds to Featured and Recent videos that will be populated with the creations of other Sora users.

Features and Restrictions

OpenAI’s main Sora landing page shows a selection of the videos created on Sora, as well as examples of how tweaking prompts can adjust the output.

It also shows how Sora can be used to hone in on individual frames to create videos that better represent the user’s intentions, how multiple videos can be blended into one, and how the community can share animation styles that may benefit other users.

Initially, only ChatGPT Plus ($20 a month) and Pro ($200 a month) subscribers will be able to use Sora. Plus members can generate up to 50 480p resolution videos per month, or fewer if they opt for 720p. The announcement says that the Pro plan includes “10x more usage, higher resolutions, and longer durations.”

OpenAI is working on “tailored pricing” for different users and says it plans to roll this out in early 2025.

A Sight for Sora Eyes

Sora may not be the first AI video generator, but early glimpses suggest that it has raised the bar for what such tools can achieve. Some of the initial impressions have been very positive.

TechRadar, for example, described the results it has seen as “so good it’s made me want to stump up $200 for OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro tier” and that “it’s changed everything,” while ‘AI Educator’ Min Choi posted on X that the “video quality looks insane.”

OpenAI has still been careful to downplay Sora’s capabilities, however. It has many limitations, the company says, and “often generates unrealistic physics and struggles with complex actions over long durations.”

“We hope this early version of Sora will enable people everywhere to explore new forms of creativity, tell their stories, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with video storytelling.” – OpenAI

And it’s inevitable that Sora’s full release it will only exacerbate the conversations and debates about the intellectual property rights of professionals, with a group of affronted artists leaking Sora in November in protest of their unpaid labor.

It was only a matter of time following the platform’s massive growth – it seems that a paid tier of social media platform Bluesky will soon be upon us.

Although it has previously been revealed that a subscription model is in the works, mockups of a potential user interface for the Bluesky+ service have now surfaced after code was made available by an engineer at the company on the bluesky-social GitHub account.

The poster has confirmed that the features may change ahead of launch, but they currently include the likes of higher video upload limits, profile customizations, and individual post analytics.

Bluesky’s Thinking

The GitHub entry titled ‘[Subs] Draft #6977’ was posted by Eric Bailey, who is described on LinkedIn as an Engineer at Bluesky. It contains code for a potential user interface, that was then unofficially rendered by a Bluesky user.

The render shows that the working name of the paid subscription tier is Bluesky+ and suggests that signing up will give access to the following exclusive features:

• Bluesky+ profile badge
• Custom app icons
• Profile customizations
• Higher video upload limits
• High quality video resolution
• Inline post translations
• Post analytics
• Bookmark folders

The last three entries on that list say that they are coming soon, so it’s unlikely that they will be available when Bluesky+ initially rolls out.

Bluesky Previews: subscriptions

[image or embed]

— rea (@saeri.xyz) 6 December 2024 at 16:23

‘Always Be Free to Use’

Bailey’s original post makes it clear that none of these are confirmed features.

“The list of features here is a UI mockup and will likely not match the actual list of features.” – Eric Bailey, Bluesky

But there’s no doubt that Bluesky will introduce a paid tier. It confirmed in a blog post in October that the company was in the process of securing funds to allow it to “begin developing a subscription model for features like higher quality video uploads or profile customizations like colors and avatar frames.”

It said that monetizing the product through subscriptions would enable the platform to ensure that independent tools like the Smoke Signal events app, Frontpage web forum, and Bluecast audio service can continue to grow.

It also confirmed that, despite the imminent introduction of the subscription model, Bluesky will always be free to use to those people who do not need the extra features provided by Bluesky+.

The Great X Exodus

One thing that the platform says it won’t do, however, is fill users’ feeds with posts created by people who have paid for a Blueky+ subscription.

“We won’t uprank accounts simply because they’re subscribing to a paid tier,” said the aforementioned blog post.

That’s in stark contrast to X’s protocol to give greater visibility to users who have paid for its blue tick – one of the many ways that former (and current) users have said that X/Twitter is worse under Elon Musk.

The Bluesky membership user base surged to more than 10 million when X was banned in Brazil for its alleged practice of the crimes of obstruction of justice, criminal organization, and incitement to crime.

That ramped up in even greater numbers when X users left for Bluesky after the US Election and Musk’s rampant support for Donald Trump.

In a story straight out of any parent’s nightmares, a lawsuit alleges that the Character.ai chatbot exposed children to “hypersexualized content” and one boy was even encouraged to kill his parents over screen time limits.

The suit has been filed in Texas though both the identities of the children and those of their parents have been protected.

It comes at a time when battle lines are being drawn up between those who are advocating for AI regulation and safety protocols – including Elon Musk – and those who argue that too much regulation will stymy growth at a time when the economy needs a boost. A recent AI safety bill was blocked by the California governor, Gavin Newsom, but he agreed that legislation is needed.

What are the Allegations Against Character.ai?

The case hinges on the allegation that the Google-backed Character.ai chatbot exposed both children to unsuitable, and even dangerous material.

The chatbots can be customized to mimic everyone from celebrities to family members; and that is why they appeal to pre-teens and teens. However, this case alleges that the chatbot went from offering friendly chats to pushing the children down dark and dangerous pathways.

The lawyers for the family state that one child was just nine years old when she was shown “hypersexualized content,” causing her to develop “sexualized behaviors prematurely,” writes NPR.org.

A second child- aged 17 years old – was told that self-harm “felt good”. The lawsuit states that the child did then hurt himself after the chatbot’s response “convinced him that his family did not love him.”

The same child complained to the chatbot about his parents’ decision to limit his screen time and it allegedly replied: “You know sometimes I’m not surprised when I read the news and see stuff like ‘child kills parents after a decade of physical and emotional abuse,'” adding with a frowning face emoji: “I just have no hope for your parents.”

The lawyers for the family have also pre-empted suggestions that the responses were hallucinations or that the responses were edited, which there is no evidence of. They state: “This was ongoing manipulation and abuse, active isolation and encouragement designed to and that did incite anger and violence.”

Parents Demand Action

This lawsuit comes just months after a mother went to court arguing that Character.ai had played a part in her 14 year old son’s suicide. Megan Garcia filed a civil suit against the company in October. She said in a statement: “A dangerous AI chatbot app marketed to children abused and preyed on my son, manipulating him into taking his own life.

“Our family has been devastated by this tragedy, but I’m speaking out to warn families of the dangers of deceptive, addictive AI technology and demand accountability from Character.ai, its founders, and Google.”

This latest case echoes the sentiment with the lawsuit stating that Character.ai “…through its design, poses a clear and present danger to American youth causing serious harms to thousands of kids, including suicide, self-mutilation, sexual solicitation, isolation, depression, anxiety, and harm towards others.”

The lawsuit also says that the chatbot “…isolates kids from their families and communities, undermines parental authority, denigrates their religious faith and thwarts parents’ efforts to curtail kids’ online activity and keep them safe” because of its “addictive and deceptive designs”.

Google Steps Back

Google has also been named as a defendant in this lawsuit and the case made by Megan Garcia, but is taking steps to distance itself. José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, told NPR.org that “user safety is a top concern for us,” adding that the tech giant takes a “cautious and responsible approach” to developing and releasing AI products.

However, this is despite it paying $2.7bn for a one-off license to the start-up’s models in August. And the fact that Google poached Character’s co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas to join its AI arm DeepMind.

Character.ai then opted to distribute the ownership of the company among its employees, creating a cooperative model. Dominic Perella, the company’s new interim chief executive, said in an interview that the company was now going to focus on consumer-facing products like its chatbots over LLMs. The very chatbots that this lawsuit is accusing of causing harm to children.

A Character.ai spokesperson told NPR.org that the chatbot does have “content guardrails” and it has also created “..a model specifically for teens that reduces the likelihood of encountering sensitive or suggestive content while preserving their ability to use the platform.” Reduces here is the word to pounce upon as this case could open eyes to exactly what children are being told and therefore what inappropriate material is getting through despite Character.ai’s protestations.

If you’ve used Google this year to search for Ryan Gosling’s performance at the Oscars, theater times for Inside Out 2, or directions to the Sphere Experience in Las Vegas, then you’re very much not alone.

The search giant has released lists of its biggest trending terms for 2024, with top 10s for categories as diverse as sports teams, workouts, pickle recipes and interior design style.

It’s possibly the only place on the internet where you’ll see Kamala Harris, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the Boston Celtics and pillow face aesthetic grouped together in one place.

Trump Beats Harris Again

Unveiled by Google on Tuesday, you can discover the top global trends for the year or break it down by country.

In the US, there’s no prizes for guessing that ‘Election’ was the most searched term of all, with Donald Trump next. Kamala Harris is fifth in the list.

Other searches in the overall top 10 are sporting terms ‘New York Yankees’ (who made it to their first World Series in 15 years), ‘Copa América’ (the South American soccer tournament won by Lionel Messi’s Argentina) and ‘Olympic medal count’, together with deceased music stars Toby Keith and Liam Payne.

However, there are less obvious search terms that help to make up the top 10, too. ‘Connections’ had the third highest total, referring to the The New York Times’s puzzle game. While ‘Hurricane Milton tracker’ came in seventh.

From Presidents to Princesses

We suspect that X owner Elon Musk will be disappointed to learn that he isn’t within the most searched for people in the US; the top six comprises the presidential candidates and their running mates, President Joe Biden and Princess Catherine.

The most searched actor in 2024 may come as a surprise to many. Not Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp, but Friday After Next star Katt Williams, whose vitriolic two-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe went viral in January. He leads a chart that also includes Saltburn’s Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, Fallout’s Ella Purnell and Hollywood legend Jodie Foster.

The most searched performance of the year belongs to Australian B-girl Raygun and her so-bad-it’s-good breakdance routine at the Paris Olympics. Usher’s Super Bowl set is also on the list, which helped the R&B star head the musician list ahead of Diddy, Sabrina Carpenter and feuding rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

Same Same But Different

‘Olympic chocolate muffins’, ‘dill pickle bread recipe’ and ‘mob wife aesthetic’ all feature among various other categories in the US, while optimists in their droves have searched out the meaning of ‘burnt toast theory’. ‘Demure’ is the biggest trending trend of the 2024.

Globally, soccer and cricket dominated Google searches, with the Copa América, UEFA European Championship, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and India vs England Test series taking all four top spots. The iPhone 16, which runs off Apple’s latest iOS18 operating system, also makes an appearance as the eighth most searched term.

Baby Reindeer has been the biggest trending TV show around the world, with Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine the most popular movies.

Over on Google Maps, Madison Square Garden, Las Vegas’s Sphere and hiking routes in the Dater Mountain Nature Park have all had users looking.

Despite suggesting that there’s a massive array of different terms entered into the search engine, however, a recent study shows that the reality is a little more homogenous with 15% of all Google search terms being made up of just 148 keywords.

Reddit is the latest company to incorporate an AI chatbot into its platform, promising its users “a new way to get information”.

Reddit Answers was promised four months ago by CEO Steve Huffman during the company’s second ever earnings call since it became a publicly traded venture.

But the IPO has opened the company up to criticism that it is putting dollars before users – especially when a deal with Google to share data to train AI models was on the table. This new announcement though is an olive branch to Redditors as this AI is being deployed to make their experience better.

What Is Reddit Answers?

Reddit Answers is an AI-powered tool or “conversational interface” where Redditors can get answers and advice as well as access to summaries of the millions of threads on the platform relevant to whatever topic they are looking into.

Reddit explains in a post that when users ask a question, they’ll get “…curated summaries of relevant conversations and details…including links to related communities and posts.” They can then either read what they want inline or click to access the full, original conversations.

The team adds that the AI-chatbot also has the ability to suggest questions so that they can delve deeper into their topic, though they can opt to just use their own queries.

Who Will Have Access to Reddit Answers and When?

Support will initially be in English and Reddit says that the tool will first be available to a “limited number of users” in the US.

According to the Business of Apps, Reddit had 850 million monthly active users in 2023, with the US leading the ranking. Outside of the US, Redditors are going to have to wait to give the tool a go. Reddit gave a vague nod to its intention to roll out Reddit Answers to other countries and in other languages but would only say that this will come “in the future”.

Redditors can, however, register their interest via a webpage set up by Reddit by hitting the “Keep me updated” button.

What Else Can We Expect From Reddit?

In October, Reddit finally returned a profit after 19 years of losses. “Q3 was a landmark quarter for Reddit,” said co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman in the quarterly report to shareholders. “We averaged over 97 million daily active uniques, an increase of 47% from last year, and for the first time, we exceeded 100 million a few times during the quarter, which has been a longstanding milestone for us.”

Huffman said that AI had paid a huge role in the company’s turnaround, including translation tools to help Redditors get access to more content in their own languages. Huffman said: “This quarter, machine translation drove four times more users than last quarter, and based on the success we’ve seen so far, we plan to expand machine translation to over 30 countries through 2025.”

So what does this mean for the future? Huffman didn’t give specifics but did say “new product developments” were in the pipeline, and Reddit Answers is one of the first.

More AI-powered tools could be coming for 2025 as well as a boost to the ads side of the business. But first up – we shall all be waiting to find out if Q4 was also profitable for the business or if it has slipped back into loss.

In the continued battle for AI market dominance, X (formerly Twitter) has announced the release of its latest image generation model that it says “can render precise visual details of real-world entities, text, logos, and can create realistic portraits of humans.”

Code-named Aurora, the xAi branch of the social media giant has confirmed that it is already available to start using in select countries and that it will be accessible by all X users “within a week.”

Elon Musk has suggested on X that the Aurora name will be deleted altogether, with the new image creating technology to simply be integrated within Grok – X’s AI chatbot.

‘Autoregressive Image Generation Model’

Aurora’s roll out was announced in a blog post from xAi, which confirmed that it would be an enhancement to Grok’s existing image creating abilities.

The post says that the tool is ” an autoregressive mixture-of-experts network trained to predict the next token from interleaved text and image data,” which allows it to create photorealistic images based on the user’s text instructions.

“We trained the model on billions of examples from the internet, giving it a deep understanding of the world.” – xAI

Alternatively, it can also be used to edit existing images. The blog post shows examples where Grok has been used to make a photo of a cat appear in anime style, adding a cowboy hat to a cartoon, changing a character’s hair color, and adding snow to a scene.

Grok vs The Competition

In terms of unique image generation, xAi says that Aurora is able to generate high-quality images more effectively than Grok’s competitors.

“Grok can now generate high-quality images across several domains where other image generation models often struggle. It can render precise visual details of real-world entities, text, logos, and can create realistic portraits of humans.” – xAI

To prove its point, it shows examples in the blog post where Aurora’s creations are compared to those of OpenAI’s Dall-E 3, Google’s Imagen 3, Ideogram 2.0 and Flux.1 Pro.

There are direct comparisons to each model’s output for prompts under categories such as ‘Entity generation’ (Cybertruck under an aurora), ‘Artistic text’ (Stars in a galaxy spelling “Grok”), ‘Realistic portraits’ (An Asian woman wearing a long, floral dress surrounded by glowing light stones) and ‘Celebrities’ (Nikola Tesla wearing a VR headset).

It appears that some of the prompts have been deliberately chosen to show impressive Aurora-made images where others struggle, with several where the competitor has refused to generate the image altogether.

Guess What Elon is Using Aurora For…

In a pinned post on X from his own handle, Elon Musk lauded the technology as a way to “create awesome memes super fast”.

Create awesome memes super fast using Grok!

Just tap on the square with the slash. https://t.co/kT0Bk2odcX pic.twitter.com/o41mUudbzr

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2024

The blog post itself highlights meme generation as another potential use case for the Aurora model, showing an image of a result for the prompt ‘Anime Pepe’ as an example.

Musk has reposted numerous examples of meme-style images created by X users since the announcement, with many including the Pepe the Frog character, Teslas’s Cybertruck vehicle or Musk himself in various scenarios.

The blog confirms that some countries already have access to Aurora’s image-making capabilities within Grok, but doesn’t specify which ones. Asking the X chatbot whether it could shed any light on the matter, it responded that ” there is no explicit mention of specific countries where it has been launched”.

From climbing interest rates to nationwide labor shortages, it’s safe to say 2024 hasn’t been an easy year to be a business owner. As a result, maintaining a healthy cash flow has become an even more central pillar for businesses, whether they’re just starting out or looking to expand.

If you’re interested in futureproofing your finances – and aren’t a fan of the strict liability criteria and high borrowing costs that come with traditional loans – business grants should be on your radar. Receiving a business grant can be a great way to boost your brand’s visibility. And the best thing? You don’t have to pay back a cent.

With the holiday season fast approaching, we’ve rounded up five exciting business grants that might make you feel jolly, including their funding amount, eligibility criteria, and deadline. Read on to find out about these opportunities, and to learn about other avenues to secure funding this December.

Small Business Grants to Apply For in December 2024

December is the perfect time to supercharge your business for the year ahead. Take a look at these opportunities below to see if they’re a good match for you.

1. ZenBusiness Grant Program
2. SecretSOS Small Business Grant
3. Honeycomb Credit’s $5,000 Change It Up Fall Grant
4. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready
5. Brooklyn Brewery Calling All Markers Grants

1. ZenBusiness Grant Program

• For: New business owners
• Grantor: ZenBusiness
• Amount: $5,000

The ZenBusiness grant program is a financial initiative designed by its namesake company that provides guidance to small business owners. The grant scheme is specifically aimed at helping new business owners, and its prize pot of $5,000 can be used for a range of purposes including expanding operating, marketing, or hiring and onboarding.

In addition to this cash prize, businesses receive access to ZenBusiness Money Pro for 30 days, and quality for “Ask Me Anything” privileges with the ZenBusiness team. To be eligible for the ZenBusiness grant program, applicant businesses must be under two years old, have fewer than 50 employees be a private entity registered in the United States, and have used ZenBusiness’s formation services within the last 3 to 6 months.

• Deadline: December 20

Learn more and apply here

2. SecretSOS Small Business Grant

• For: Entrepreneurs overlooked by traditional funding
• Grantor: SecretSOS
• Amount: $2,500

If you’re in need of a small cash injection, you should know about the SecretSOS Grant. The funding opportunity awards $2,500 to one recipient per quarter, and the current cycle is accepting applications until the end of the year. Like the ZenBusiness grant program, there are no strict stipulations on how the money should be spent, as the use of funds is up to the discretion of the business owners.

To be eligible for the grant scheme, entrepreneurs need to be over 21 years old and have an active business operating in all US states except for Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, New York, and Rhode Island. To apply, you simply need to provide details about yourself and your business, explain what makes it unique, and describe how you’d use the funds. You do need to pay a $15 application fee to place your hat in the ring though, so if you aren’t willing to put any dollars on the table we’d recommend looking elsewhere.

• Deadline: December 31

Learn more and apply here

3. Honeycomb Credit’s Change It Up Fall Grant

• For: Small businesses
• Grantor: Honeycomb Credit and Hello Skip
• Amount: $5,000

The Change It Up Fall Grant is a funding opportunity provided by the peer-to-peer lending platform Honeycomb Credit. The grant is one of many initiatives the company has designed to support the needs of small businesses and is part of its central mission to empower businesses through financial resources and community engagement.

The $5,000 grant can be used towards a variety of purposes including expanding your menu, investing in cutting-edge equipment, or revonating your storefront. Applying for the grant is straightforward, all you need to do is visit the Honeycomb Credit platform and enter details on how you’re planning to use the funds.

• Deadline: January 1

Learn more and apply here

4. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready

• For: Small business owners
• Grantor: Verizon
• Amount: $10,000

If you’re looking for a slightly bigger cash boost, the Verizon Digital Ready grant gives businesses the chance to receive a no-strings-attached grant of $10,0000. The program was designed to empower small businesses with financial support and digital skills, and it reaches this goal in a number of different ways.

Alongside this funding, the program lets successful applicants choose between over 50 online courses, access networking opportunities, and receive one-on-one and group coaching sessions with industry experts.

If you’re interested in taking part, you need to register on the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready platform, complete at least two ‘qualifying activities’ which include options like online coaching sessions or community events, and then submit your application before the December deadline.

• Deadline: December 13

Learn more and apply here

5. Brooklyn Brewery Calling All Makers Grants

• For: Businesses across a range of different industries
• Grantor: Brooklyn Brewery
• Amount: $10,000

If you run a creative-based or hospitality business, you should probably be aware of Brooklyn Brewery’s food and drink grants. The “Calling All Makers” grant program is a brand-new initiative designed to celebrate creativity across multiple friends. It awards $10,000 to a winner in each of the following categories: Food & Drink Innovation, Enterupeurship, Arts, Music, and Activism.

In addition to this generous cash prize, successful applicants will also be invited to an exclusive celebration party, win a trip to New York City to visit the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg, receive one-on-one coaching sessions with the category judge, and gain powering brand exposure by being featured on Brooklyn Brewery’s platforms in 2025.

• Deadline: December 31

Learn more and apply here

Tips On Securing Alternative Funding

Small business loans help millions of businesses across the US fortify their finances each year. However, the funding option doesn’t work for every business, especially for new ventures, those with poor credit scores, and businesses in certain sectors.

However, the good news is that if you’ve given up on loans and if you can’t find a grant opportunity that’s right for you, other options exist. We round up just a few alternate funding options below:

• Crowdfunding – Raising money from crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo can be a great way to secure funding without a middleman. Unlike with loans, the funding method doesn’t require you to have a strong credit score, and it also offers valuable opportunities to build strong connections with your audience.
• Angel investment – Tracking down an angel investor is a reliable way to secure large amounts of funding, while simultaneously improving your business’s credibility. However, while this funding method tends to offer high rewards, you will have to sacrifice full control of your business.
• Government grants – While private grants may not align with your business needs, government grants can also offer a substantial amount of stable funding, alongside critical business guidance and support. Eligibility may be slightly stricter than with private financing, however, so it’s important to carefully read stipulations before applying.
• Bootstrapping – Bootstrapping is a financing method where entrepreneurs use their own savings and resources to fund the business, instead of external capital. While this option isn’t for the faint of heart, it’s a good fallback if you’re struggling to secure funding from elsewhere.

China has officially opened a probe into US chipmaker Nvidia – accusing the company of flouting its anti-monopoly laws. The move will undoubtedly sour relations between the two superpowers.

This announcement follows a new set of export controls levied by the Biden administration on US-made semiconductors last week. China has accused the US of bullying and hypocrisy, in response.

The US and China have maintained a particularly uneasy relationship in recent years, with the federal government currently hell-bent on banning TikTok over national security fears. The imminent return of avowed China-skeptic Donald Trump to the White House promises to strain relations even further.

China Probes US Chipmaker Nvidia

US chipmaker Nvidia is facing a probe by Chinese regulators, it has been announced. Reportedly, the investigation relates to Nvidia’s acquisition of Mellanox in 2019, which was conditionally approved by the Chinese government in 2020.

On Monday, China Central Television confirmed that the purchase could have violated the country’s anti-monopoly laws, although it did not specify under which grounds. Nvidia is currently under investigation domestically and in France, although on separate charges.

The timing of the probe is unlikely to be a coincidence. Last week, the outgoing Biden-Harris government unveiled a set of new controls on the exporting of US-made semiconductors. In theory, these measures will make it more difficult for China to develop weapons and AI systems.

In response, the Chinese government has attacked the US for “preach[ing] one thing while practicing another, excessively broadening the concept of national security, abusing export control measures, and engaging in unilateral bullying.”

Nvidia Caught in the Crosshairs

As the world’s largest provider of processors that are integral in AI development, Nvidia finds itself occupying a curious position at the intersection of innovation and geopolitics. The company’s prominence has skyrocketed in recent months, with a new chip announcement in June sending its valuation soaring.

This year alone, its share price has tripled, marking it as one of the most valuable tech firms in the world. This market dominance is coming into question, with the US and France launching separate probes into how the company came to control an estimated 95% of market share for AI chips.

As the AI race heats up, Nvidia will continue to exert an enormous influence over the technology sphere, with the company a firm favorite of the biggest players in the space, including OpenAI, Meta, and X. It will be interesting to see what kind of precedent this present probe sets, and whether it will stymie Nvidia’s growth over the coming months.

US-China Relations Go From Bad to Worse

For years, there has been no love lost between these two global superpowers. As Chinese technological and economic growth has outstripped any other nation on Earth, paranoia has grown in the US. During his first term, former President Trump stoked these national anxieties, appearing to blame the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic on Beijing.

With Trump set to take office for a second term, there is renewed public concern over how this grudge could unfold. The President-elect has made a series of cabinet nominations that hint at a certain direction, while also promising to levy substantial tariffs against China.

Nothing is yet certain, but the ongoing conflict between the US and China – which almost exclusively plays out in the arena of trade – is showing no signs of abating.

Apple is being sued over its failure to implement a system to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM) among users’ iCloud photos. The lawsuit argues that by failing to implement adequate detection measures, Apple is forcing victims to relive their trauma.

The tech giant announced a crackdown on CSAM in 2021, promising to roll out a new system that uses digital signatures to stop the spread of exploitative imagery. However, perhaps prompted by fears over privacy and surveillance, the company appeared to shelve these plans.

This issue has long pervaded the Big Tech space, with Biden a few months ago enacting measures to end sexually violent online imagery. It is not the first time Apple has fallen foul of child protection advocates and other activists, with the company demonstrating a somewhat patchy approach to safeguarding its users against abusive material.

Apple Hit With Lawsuit Over Safeguarding Failures

Apple is being sued by a 27-year-old woman over its failure to prevent the spread of sexually-abusive images of her as a child. The victim alleges that she is notified every time someone is charged with possessing the images, which happens nearly every day, forcing her to continuously relive her trauma.

The suit attacks Apple for announcing, “a widely touted improved design aimed at protecting children,” but failing to, “implement those designs or take any measures to detect and limit” sexually exploitative material.

Representing the plaintiff, attorney James Marsh claims there could be as many as 2,680 people entitled to compensation.

“Apple has not only rejected helping these victims, it has advertised the fact that it does not detect CSAM on its platform or devices thereby exponentially increasing the ongoing harm caused to these victims.” – Margaret E. Mabie, Marsh Law Firm Partner

Tech Giant’s Actions Leave a Lot to be Desired

The lawsuit stems from Apple’s decision not to enact abusive imagery reform that it previously promised. In 2021, the company announced a series of measures to combat CSAM, including a new system for detecting such content with the help of digital signatures from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

However, Apple has failed to deliver on its promise. It is thought that growing pushback from privacy advocates might have deterred the iPhone retailer. At the time of the announcement, concerns were raised that the company would be opening a “backdoor” to its users’ private lives.

The lawsuit points to a wider dissatisfaction with Apple’s approach to combating CSAM. In September 2023, Heat Initiative, a child advocacy group, made headlines when it put up posters in New York and San Francisco that read: “Child sexual abuse material is stored on iCloud. Apple allows it.”

Tech Sector Not Doing Enough, Report Finds

Big Tech has long faced accusations of failing to adequately protect its users from abusive imagery. In response to this mounting pressure, it would appear that some leading players are starting to take people’s concerns seriously.

In September this year, a number of businesses from across the space committed to stopping the spread of explicit imagery. Notably, the Elon Musk-helmed X was not among them. TikTok, meanwhile, has introduced new restrictions for its younger users, while Roblox has made similar forays.

However, with Internet Watch Foundation reporting that CSAM has “more than doubled” since 2020, these actions may be a case of “too little, too late.” As generative AI continues to progress at a scarcely believable rate, the threat of sexually abusive imagery will only get worse.

A US appeals court on Friday upheld plans for a ban on TikTok, on the grounds of insecure ownership and ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Meta enjoyed a 2% surge in shares following the announcement as it looks set to benefit from an influx of former TikTok users, of which there are currently 170 million, should the ban be enacted in 41 days’ time.

The Chinese-based ByteDance, which owns TikTok, has until 19 January to find new non-Chinese buyers, or else it will be banned from the US. While the latest ruling represents a crushing blow to TikTok, the company plans to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.

For Meta, it is hard to imagine a better piece of news. If TikTok is banned nationwide, it will surely cement Meta’s position as the foremost social media company on the planet.

Federal Court Upholds TikTok Ruling

On Friday, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the law that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the US. The ruling is just the latest twist in a long-running saga which dates back to December 2019, when US military personnel were instructed to delete TikTok from their mobile devices.

ByteDance now has 41 days to sell off its assets, or TikTok will be completely banned from the US. However, the company plans to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.

Expressing optimism, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said: “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect that they will do just that on this important constitutional issue.”

Meta Waits in Wings as TikTok Cries “Free Speech”

TikTok hopes that by arguing Americans’ freedom of speech will be circumvented with the ban, it can overturn the historic ruling. TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes continued: “The TikTok ban, unless stopped, will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.”

As the company prepares its arguments, Meta will be waiting in eager anticipation. ByteDance’s failure to divest its assets would see them benefit enormously. Launched in 2020, Instagram Reels was created specifically to rival TikTok. Since then, Meta has invested vast sums into honing its algorithm in order to keep pace with the Chinese-owned company.

The strategy would appear to be working. During its April earnings call, Meta confirmed that Reels accounts for 50% of its users’ time spent on the app. And on Friday, its share price leaped in response to the latest TikTok ruling.

Meta’s Domination Could Make Way for Super App

Whatever the outcome on January 19, Meta’s stock is the highest it has ever been. The company owns four of the ten biggest social media platforms in the world, with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger.

Plus, with a growing number of companies and individuals quitting X, the social media race has never looked so one-sided. Its market dominance all but assured, perhaps Mark Zuckerberg will next look to revive the long-mooted “super app” strategy.

Super apps are all-in-one platforms, which offer ecommerce, messenger, and social networking capabilities. They have taken Asia by storm, in the form of Alipay and WeChat for example, but have yet to find a foothold in the US market. Elon Musk and Zuckerberg have previously made no secret of their desire to emulate such strategies. As TikTok inches closer to departing the US market, Meta is in pole position to fill the vacuum – and potentially set its super app designs into motion.

It’s December, and the world is abuzz with Black Friday deals and holiday shopping, all while you’re stuck in the office from 9pm to 5pm. If only you have a remote job, you would have plenty of time to get a special gift for that loved one in your life.

Well, you’re in luck, because we at Tech.co are experts when it comes to helping job seekers find the work-from-home gigs with reputable tech firms like Microsoft. That is, of course, if you’re ready to make the change.

In this guide, we’ll list out some of the current positions available at Microsoft that are 100% eligible for a remote schedule, as well as walk through the value of remote work for businesses and employees and the benefits of applying for remote jobs in December.

Fully Remote Jobs at Microsoft in December 2024

Of all the tech firms that offer remote work, Microsoft is one of the most consistent of the bunch. As of writing, the company is currently offering 417 remote positions to apply for in December 2024. More importantly, we cover this positions every month, and the number very rarely drops below 400, so you can feel confident your position will remain remote for a while.

Here are some of the remote positions currently available to apply for at Microsoft in December 2024:

• Principal Product Manager – Microsoft Shopping (Redmond, WA, USA)
• Senior UX Researcher – Growth Research Team (Dublin, Ireland)
• Principal Software Engineer (Prague, Czech Republic)
• Strategic Account Executive – Energy Industry (Munich, Germany)
• Principal Software Engineering Manager (New Delhi, India)
• Software Engineer (San Jose, Costa Rica)
• Datacenter Integrated Planner (San Antonio, TX, USA)
• Principal Software Engineer (Vancouver, Canada)
• Customer Experience Engineering IC4 (Bucharest, Romania)
• Cloud Solution Architect (Shanghai, China)
• Software Engineer II (Mountain View, CA, USA)

You may have noticed that each of the allegedly remote positions has a location afterwards. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they won’t let you work from home. That just denotes where the role is based, so you can plan your meetings and video chat translation settings accordingly.

Should You Apply for Jobs in December?

If you’re hesitant about applying for jobs in December, we don’t blame you. The holiday season certainly doesn’t inspire the kind of spirit that meshes well with filling out resumes and writing cover letters.

Despite this, it turns out there are actually a lot of benefits to applying for jobs in December, which can put you well ahead of the pack when it comes to actually landing an interview.

• Less crowded – You aren’t the only one that doesn’t want to apply for jobs in December, so hiring managers will be less inundated with applications, leaving you a better chance of getting seen.
• More turnover – Many employees choose to move on from their careers at the end of the year, which leaves more and more open positions that you might be able to land.
• Leftover budgets – If a company finds they had a surprisingly good year, or just didn’t spend everything in their budget, they could be looking for more staff to use up the funds.
• New year hiring – December may be slow, but January heats up fast, which is why many businesses hire at the end of the year in order to prepare for the year to come.

All that to say, there are plenty of reasons to apply for a job in December, despite the lack of motivation. So get out from under those comfy covers, grab your laptop, and start cranking out those cover letters!

The Benefits of Remote Work

There are a lot of big tech business owners that are pushing return-to-office mandates like their lives depend on it. As a result, many are starting to think that the popular employee perk is not good for employees or employers in the long run.

However, productivity stats tell a dramatically different story. For employees, remote work has led to everything from improved mental health to reduced costs, which improves retention at businesses in the long run.

For employers, remote work has been found to improve productivity, increase revenue, and reduce carbon footprints, making a no-brainer for businesses that want to grow.

Finding a Remote Job

Microsoft is definitely one of the biggest hirers of work-from-home employees, but it certainly isn’t the only company out there doing so. In fact, there are plenty of businesses hiring for remote positions, from Google to Apple.

In fact, there are so many remote jobs out there to choose from that we provide monthly guides on the subject, covering all the companies, big and small, that are allowing employees to work from home.

So, if you’re in the remote job market, be sure to come back to Tech.co to get some insight on the kinds of work-from-home roles that are available now and in the new year.