State-of-the-art generative AI models like ChatGPT can be tricked into giving instructions on how to make a bomb by simply writing the request in reverse, warn researchers.
Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are trained on vast swathes of data from the internet and can create a range of outputs – some of which their makers would prefer didn’t spill out again. Unshackled, they are equally likely to be able to provide a decent cake recipe as know how to make explosives from household chemicals.
Epic’s lawsuit against Google resulted in a final ruling that would require Google to open up its Play Store to third-party app store competitors, but that no longer appears to be a requirement. Judge James Donato, the judge presiding over the case, made some changes to his ruling following Google’s request for a stay on the new regulations that Google was going to have to follow. This also comes after Google confirmed it would be filing for an appeal to that ruling. No doubt in hopes that the entire ruling will be reversed.
In the original ruling, Donato said Google would be required to open up its Play Store to third-party app stores. That would mean that companies like Epic could bring an Android version of the Epic Games Store to the Play Store. Where it would be more easily discoverable by users. The ruling also stated that Google would have to allow this for three years to allow competition to gain some growth. All of this was set to begin on November 1, 2024. So, just under two weeks from now.
Here’s where the change takes place. Donato has granted Google’s request for a stay. This means the Play Store can remain closed to competitors for the time being. Giving Google time to follow through with its appeal. The stay was also granted to all other parts of the ruling except for one of the requirements Donato was imposing.
Epic’s Play Store lawsuit that would allow competitors access still requires one key change
While Google won’t have to comply with most of Donato’s ruling, for now, one part of the ruling remains intact and will begin on the proposed November 1 date. Google will no longer be able to ink deals with developers or manufacturers that would benefit the Play Store and wall off competitors. In Epic’s lawsuit claims were made that Google was securing deals with developers and manufacturers that harmed competition. For example, it would offer revenue share, perks, and/or money to manufacturers to make the Play Store the only pre-installed app store on their devices.
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It was offering similar deals to developers to put their apps on the Play Store exclusively. Donato ruled that this in fact did harm competition and was part of the reason the Play Store was designated as an illegal monopoly. Starting November 1, Google can no longer make these deals. It’s not likely to be quite as impactful as Google having to comply with the full ruling. However, it should allow a small opportunity for the time being for competitors to stand a chance against Google.
Google could be granted a longer stay by the Ninth Circuit
Donato’s administrative stay may be temporary but there is a chance Google could have it extended. With the temporary stay in place, Google has time to appeal the verdict with the Ninth Circuit. The appeal could still end up in Epic’s favor. That being said, Donato says that he believes the Ninth Circuit may also grant a longer stay, The Verge reports. That would allow Google to push out the initial ruling even further. Potentially allowing it to circumvent Donato’s initial ruling for several years.
There’s also the possibility that the appeals court could reverse Donato’s decision. It’s still too early to tell what happens there, but there are some things that will be impacted immediately. Microsoft recently announced it would soon allow Xbox gamers to buy and play games from the Xbox app on Android. That might not happen for quite some time now. With the administrative stay in place, Google no longer has to allow developers the ability to choose another option other than Google Play Billing for transactions.
That leaves companies like Microsoft with two options. One is to put its plan for purchasing Xbox games from the app on hold. The other is to use Google Play Billing. The former seems more likely.
It’s been over a year since Peter Parker and Miles Morales joined forces for their epic crossover adventure game on the Sony PlayStation 5. Now they are swinging their way to PCs early next year.
Sony announced at New York Comic Con today that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is getting a PC release on January 30, 2025 on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The fans who got to hear the news first also witnessed the new trailer for the game’s PC remake.
The new release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will come in two different versions and both have plenty of extra features and perks for those very patient PC players. The “Standard Edition” comes with the full game and all the PS5 updates such as 14 new suits, “Ultimate Levels,” new styles of symbiote suits and an action figure mode in photo mode. The “Digital Deluxe Edition” also comes with five exclusive new suits for Peter and Miles each, early unlocks for Peter’s Arachknight suit, Miles, Shadow-Spirit suit and the web grabber gadget and additional items for photo mode.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 features the two most famous names from the Spider-Verse (not counting Stan Lee) in an expanded version of the Big Apple taking on one of the longest lists of villains in just about any comic book based game. The two take on bad guys like Kraven, Black Cat and Scorpion without giving away too many appearances. Of course, the one most of the fans looked forward to seeing is that deep voiced, slimy symbiote Venom.
Surgent Studios, the developer behind indie title Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, has made its entire game development staff redundancy notice while it searches for a publisher for the next game, the studio announced today.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Surgent Studio stated that they have not yet been able to find a partner for their next game in development. The game, which is not announced as a successor to ZAU but is stated to carry on its design lineage, cannot continue on without money to pay the staff. While a prototype has been created, no greenlight has been given yet.
Earlier this year, Surgent Studios had to lay off just over a dozen developers after ZAU did not perform up to expectations. The studio, founded by Assassin’s Creed and House of the Dragon actor Abubakar Salim, sought to make culturally sensitive action games. Critically, at least, ZAU accomplished that with above-average critical scores.
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Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.
This week brought us some exciting fundraising news from around the world, and even some exits. But if you are looking for tech IPOs, you will have to look at India. Meanwhile in the U.S., startups could help data centers reduce their environmental impact.
Most interesting startup stories from the week
Image Credits:Table Space
As mentioned, we have some exits to report on, despite another reminder that not all startups will make it — even when they are backed by YC.
Open space: Table Space, an Indian startup that provides managed workspaces, is planning to IPO next year at a $2.5 billion valuation, according to sources. As TechCrunch’s Manish Singh noted, “the Indian market has delivered more tech IPOs this year than the U.S. as valuation multiples approach all-time highs in the South Asian market.”
Trail mix: Cybersecurity unicorn Cyera made its first acquisition with Trail Security, a data loss prevention startup it bought for $162 million in cash and shares. Cyera is also looking to raise more funding for itself — some $200 million at a valuation nearing $3 billion, sources confirmed.
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Engaging:Analytics software company Amplitude bought Command AI, a San Francisco-based app user engagement startup previously known as CommandBar. Most of its team of 30 people will be joining Amplitude, which went public on the Nasdaq in 2021. The deal was priced at “north of $45 million,” a source told TechCrunch.
Fintech struggles: CapWay, a fintech startup that was part of Y Combinator’s summer 2020 cohort, is no more. Its goal was to bring financial services to “banking deserts.”
Most interesting fundraises this week
Image Credits:Lightmatter
Making data centers more efficient is a promise that keeps attracting funding, but capital also flew to other interesting startups in a variety of sectors and countries.
Reaction time:X-Energy, a nuclear tech startup, raised a $500 million Series C-1 round led by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund. This comes at a time when cloud giants are exploring cleaner ways to power their data centers.
The power of light: Lightmatter raised a $400 million Series D at a $4.4 billion valuation to reduce the energy demand of data centers and AI models thanks to photonic chips. Xscape Photonics, another startup in this space, raised $57 million to grow its team and scale production.
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Diamond in the trash: Japanese startup Ookuma Diamond Device (ODD) raised around $27 million to build a diamond semiconductor manufacturing facility that will produce chips to be used in removing radioactive debris.
Broader inclusion:Fable, a Toronto-based startup that helps companies build digital products that can more easily be used by people with disabilities, raised $25 million in new funding. The capital will help fund new teams and products focusing on accessibility tools for cognitive and hearing impairments.
Micro gone big: 20VC, the venture firm named after Harry Stebbings’ podcast series, is moving further away from its micro-VC days. It closed a new $400 million fund, with the goal to “make Europe great again,” Stebbings said.
Money hunt: Regulatory filing revealed that VC firm Buckley Ventures is seeking to raise a fourth $250 million fund. It was founded in 2019 by Josh Buckley, who was also Product Hunt CEO between 2020 and 2023. Its previous fund closed at $337 million, according to PitchBook.
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Nordic winds: Node.vc, a VC firm focused on the Nordics and Baltics, closed its €71 million first fund. Launched in 2023, it is part of a new crop of European venture firms that claim to operate as “entrepreneurs backing entrepreneurs.”
In memoriam
Image Credits:John Phillips/Getty Images for TechCrunch
The startup world lost one of its own this week, as our former TechCrunch colleague Steve O’Hear passed away much too soon at the age of 49. The heartbreaking news also put into light how thankful many founders were for his support over the years. Our thoughts go out to his family, his friends, and his team at communications consultancy O’Hear & Co, which intends to live on and build on his legacy.
Book publisher Penguin Random House is putting its stance on AI training in print. The standard copyright page on both new and reprinted books will now say, “No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems,” according to a report from The Booksellerspotted by Gizmodo.
The clause also notes that Penguin Random House “expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception” in line with the European Union’s laws. The Bookseller says thatPenguin Random House appears to be the first major publisher to account for AI on its copyright page.
What gets printed on that page might be a warning shot, but it also has little to do with actual copyright law.The amended page is sort of like Penguin Random House’s version of a robots.txt file, which websites will sometimesuse to ask AI companies and others not to scrape their content. But robots.txt isn’t a legal mechanism; it’s a voluntarily-adopted norm across the web. Copyright protections exist regardless of whether the copyright page is slipped into the front of the book, and fair use and other defenses (if applicable!) also exist even if the rights holder says they do not.
The Verge contacted Penguin Random House for more information but didn’t immediately hear back.
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In August, Penguin Random House published a statement saying that the publisher will “vigorously defend the intellectual property that belongs to our authors and artists.” Not all book publishers are cautious about AI, as academic publishers like Wiley, Oxford University Press, and Taylor & Francis have already formed AI training deals.
Ted Lasso’s season three finale was a tearjerker and gave a fitting end to the titular character. After spending time at Richmond AFC as their coach, making friends and rivals along the way, Ted decided to return to Kansas City. But if new reports are anything to go by, he could be boarding a new flight back to London for season four.
Apple TV Plus has not yet confirmed the future of one of its best TV shows, but there are rumors suggesting that it could start filming in January 2025, just a few months away. But these reports should be taken with a pinch of salt, as we have no official word from the producers or the streaming service.
What has been said about Ted Lasso season 4?
According to 9To5Mac, the Magic Rays of Light podcast has previously provided exclusive details suggesting Ted Lasso’s new production start date. They also noted that it has now been publicly listed on the Film & Television Industry Alliance’s website.
In addition, Deadline exclusively reported that Warner Bros. Television had picked up the options on three cast members: Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Walton), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), and Jeremy Swift (Leslie Higgins). They also wrote, “the cast have all said repeatedly that they would be happy to reprise their roles if an opportunity arises.”
But while there is some evidence to suggest season four could go ahead, it’s too early to get excited. Ted Lasso‘s future is in the hands of Apple TV Plus and other factors, so until we’ve got word on all that, it’s probably best to manage your expectations!
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Personally, I’d love to see more from the series, but I’ll get excited about other confirmed Apple TV renewals for now. I’m still counting down the days untilSeverance season two, if you were wondering.
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