Author: Aamir Khollam

Tech companies cut jobs as revenues plummet

Many employees working in tech companies will have to face a cold winter as the industry is cutting down jobs left and right. Job layoffs in the tech industry are piling up as more and more companies adjust to the new reality of plummeting revenues. While Meta and Twitter’s layoffs led to a number of headlines around the internet, there are many other tech players who have downsized their workforce. Broadly, the tech industry has experienced a string of layoffs in 2022 due to volatile economic conditions. Here is a look at the tech giants who ordered mass layoffs in 2022 –

Meta

It was only a few days back when we reported that Meta is planning its biggest layoff since its inception. Facebook parent company Meta revealed that the fourth quarter of the year pushed back its market cap and stocks to their lowest since 2016. Whereas, due to Zuckerberg’s commitment to the Metaverse, its Reality Labs division has reportedly lost $9.4 billion. Meta has slashed 13% of its staff which is more than 11,000 employees. As advertisers cut back on spending due to rising inflation, Meta’s revenue has taken a hit. However, Zuckerberg has stated that employees losing their jobs will receive 16 weeks of pay and two additional weeks for every year of service. Meta will also cover health insurance for six months for the fired employees.

Coinbase

Back in June, Coinbase announced that it will cut down 18% of its employee strength translating to a reduction of 1100 people. As the crypto market takes a nose dive, Coinbase too has lost over 80% of its value in 2022 itself. Those laid off received a minimum of 14 weeks of severance pay. The company’s announcement also revealed that it provided four months of mental health support to laid-off employees globally.

 Microsoft

It was only back in October when Microsoft confirmed that they have let go less than 1% of its employees. The layoffs affected less than 1,000 employees according to reports going around on the web. The announcement by Microsoft came after the company witnessed its slowest revenue growth in more than half a decade in the third quarter of 2022.

Netflix

Netflix announced two rounds of layoffs in 2022. Back in May, the streaming giant eliminated 150 jobs after it witnessed the first subscriber loss in a decade. Then in June 2022, Netflix announced another layoff of 300 employees. Netflix’s stock has dropped below 50% in 2022.

Twitter

Shortly after Twitter was brought by billionaire Elon Musk, he cut around 3700 employees from the company. Musk stated that the company did not have any choice but to lay off a considerable chunk of employees as Twitter is losing over $4 million per day. Twitter has offered three months of severance pay to its laid-off employees.

 

Oculus founder builds VR headset that kills you if you die in-game!

Palmer Luckey, one of the founders of Oculus has designed a new VR headset that can literally take your life if you die in-game! Technology and dystopia go hand-in-hand and with this new development, humanity has gotten a little bit if not too close to the sci-fi show ‘Black Mirror’ The VR headset design clearly draws inspiration from the popular anime Sword Art Online (SAO). In the anime, the story eerily begins in the year 2022 where with the technology of ‘NerveGear’ players can literally be in the game. As one would expect, this NetGear technology ends up killing over 2,000 players in the first month itself!

SAO-inspired VR headset

Luckey recently shared a blog post where he revealed the creation of a VR headset that can perform the same function as the Nervegear headset from the anime – it kills the wearer! While the anime implements the technology of using high-intensity bursts to terminate a player, the Oculus VR headset gets the job done with three explosive charges positioned in front of a wearer’s forehead.

However, Luckey did write – “The good news is that we are halfway to making a true NerveGear The bad news is that so far, I have only figured out the half that kills you. The perfect-VR half of the equation is still many years out.”

Palmer Luckey shared furthermore that as of now the designed NeverGear VR headset is just a piece of art sitting in the office. The Oculus founder believes that it is a thought-provoking reminder of ‘unexplored avenues’ in the realm of gaming. While it’s not an understatement to say that VR is the future of the gaming industry, dying in a game does not sound entirely appealing to me! What do you think?

 

YouTube Shorts rolling out on Smart TVs

It looks like there is no escape from the vertical form of content. Yes, even on your Smart TVs! YouTube has announced that it will be expanding its Shorts on TV for global users. This means next time you decide to take a break from scrolling through vertical videos on your phone, you will be able to do the same on your television.

YouTube Shorts on TV

Alphabet-owned YouTube is launching Shorts on the big screen with a design that is created to adapt to the TV screen’s form factor. The vertical content will be displayed on the TV screen at the center with white borders surrounding it. The background of the Shorts theme will be based on the main color theme of the YouTube shorts clip. Besides the adaptive background, details of the Shorts like audio details, creator name, like/dislike, and the overflow menu will appear on the side. The company recently shared a blog post where it revealed this new addition to the YouTube Smart TV app.

Much more like the YouTube mobile app, Shorts will not autoplay after one ends and users will have to manually go to the next Shorts by using the remote. The company also revealed that it tested out a number of designs for the Shorts TV layout. One of the designs included multiple Shorts populating the screen at the same time. However, this design was later ruled out as it did not resemble the vibe of Shorts as a whole which features one video at a time. The rejected layout of Shorts was named ‘Jukebox’ style by YouTube.

In conclusion, YouTube wrote – “As YouTube continues to make it easier to interact on TV, the richness of the Shorts experience will only grow. Bringing Shorts to TV is a great bridge to bring two of our most important experiences together to benefit both creators and viewers. Over the coming weeks, this experience will be rolling out on TV models (2019 and later) and on newer game consoles. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!”

 

Top AI Things You’ve Probably Never Realized

AI is often touted as the technology that has the potential to change our lives. Thanks to its depiction in mainstream media, AI is also frowned upon by many as a technology that will take over the world. However, many are not aware of the extent to which AI is already being used in society and in everyday life. It is important to recognize that AI currently in use is mostly narrow. While superintelligent AI is still years away from fruition, there have been gradual changes in the field of Ai that could easily go unnoticed to people who do not actively seek out information about the AI field. To explore just how much AI affects our daily lives, we have listed down all the applications and platforms that use AI which could have gone under your radar. 

According to a survey conducted by HubSpot, 63% of people are not actually aware that they use AI technologies. AI’s purpose in the current technological framework is to enhance the human experience, and humans being unaware that they’re using AI beats the purpose of the technology to some extent. Here are the top AI things you’ve probably never realized – 

Amazon 

Amazon’s artificial intelligence has been around for a long time now. Primarily, Amazon’s AI has been used in its site predictions and suggestions which aided in its sales increase massively. Amazon is undoubtedly one of the largest E-commerce players in the world right now with its owner Jeff Bezos seldom playing catch and release with the world’s richest man position. Reportedly, a third of the company’s sales come from their AI recommendations to end customers. With gradual progress, Amazon’s AI has become accurate and useful. Amazon’s AI is capable of predicting users’ shopping behavior and preferences to accurate precision. There’s also Amazon Alexa that uses audio input from users to give almost-accurate results when it comes to playing music and controlling your smart home devices. 

Siri 

Apple’s very own voice assistant is one of the most popularly used AI around the world. It is perhaps also the best example of speech recognition software. The program is as close as humans can get right now to Iron Man’s JARVIS voice assistant. The program connects to all your information ranging from messages, calendars, music, contacts, notes, etc. to create a personalized experience for you and also become smarter in the process. Using all the information at its disposal, Siri can understand your commands and requests with much ease. All of us enjoy asking Siri to give us beatbox beats but the voice assistant used for your amusement is far smarter than you think it is. There might come a day in the future when Siri never says ‘I do not understand that as it will be programmed to understand everything you have to ask her. 

Netflix 

Netflix needs no introduction. Netflix has brought about a revolution in the entertainment industry changing the way people consume content. Earlier, traditional cable television and theatres were the only way people could consume entertainment. It won’t be an overstatement to say that Netflix revolutionalized and also personalized the entertainment industry. The entire catalog of films, series, documentaries, and reality TV is ranked and customized to a personal level per user using Machine Learning. Through the use of AI, Netflix studies viewer engagement to find similarities and differences in your viewing pattern. The AI also studies which genres of content you usually watch and recommends similar content. The end goal of this AI is to retain viewers for the maximum amount of time, so, the next time you cannot stop watching a series or binge-watch film after film on Netflix, an AI could be responsible for it! 

Gmail

Similar to Siri, Google’s email platform also uses machine learning to stop unwanted emails and spam mail from entering your inbox. This AI works by analyzing and learning patterns from previous emails in order to make the most accurate decisions it can. This AI is meant to protect users from malware and prevents users from being subjected to deceitful and harmful emails. Google has also recently announced the introduction of Smart Reply. This service replies to emails as users do. The things interesting around here as this feature analyzes all of a user’s previous conversations with attention to how they reply. The predictive algorithm then produces short replies for the emails, it is also capable of producing some complex replies. In the future, I am sure you won’t have to write replies to boring emails as an algorithm will take care of it. 

Tesla 

Tesla is currently one of the leaders when it comes to car manufacturers. The electric vehicle company, while manufacturing gorgeous-looking cars, has also worked on vehicles with predictive powers. One of the most renowned features of Tesla cars is self-driving hardware. With the help of these features, the car can drive itself while the driver can rest his hands away from the steering wheel. The car can detect when there is a pedestrian or an obstacle in front of it and come to a stop. One can expect this feature to only get smarter with the passing of time. However, when Tesla vehicles can operate the self-driving feature on Indian roads is when I’ll be completely impressed with it!

Facebook-parent Meta planning mass layoffs

It looks like the tech industry cannot seem to catch a break. It was only a few days back when reports about Twitter laying a big chunk of its global employees after Elon Musk took command of the platform. The layoffs have also affected Twitter employees based in India. Now, it looks like Facebook-parent Meta is also gearing up to scale down on its workforce. As per reports doing the rounds on the internet, Meta is planning to begin large-scale layoffs as early as this week!

Meta mass layoffs

Wall Street Journal was one of the first portals to report on this shocking development. As of September 2022, Meta reported a total of over 87,000 employees worldwide across multiple platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and messaging platform WhatsApp. This number will witness a considerable nosedive after the mass layoffs start happening. As per reports, company officials have already notified employees to cancel any nonessential travel from the start of this week.

This planned layoff would mark the first-ever downscale by Meta in the company’s 18-year history. The layoffs in percentage are considerably smaller than the job cuts at Twitter inc. which Thanos snapped almost half of its workforce. However, this could be the largest layoff to date in a major tech corporation. WSJ reached out to Meta for a comment but a spokesperson declined to do so.

The layoff news comes just two weeks after Meta reported that its profits halved to $4.4 billion in the third quarter of 2022. This is a significant drop from $9.2 billion a year earlier. Meta has also revealed that its revenue slipped to US 27.7 billion from USD 29 billion a year earlier. Meta shares at USD 105 now cost less than a third of what they did at the start of the year. The tech corporation is undoubtedly in a difficult position right now facing issues like stagnating user numbers and cuts in advertising budgets. It will be interesting to see whether Meta’s comeback is stronger than its setback!

 

 

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max shipments to take a hit due to Covid restrictions in China

It was back in October when news about a COVID-19 outbreak in the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant hit the internet. A surge in COVID-19 cases at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou, China site lead to a complete lockdown at the factory as a measure to curb the spread. As a result, several factory workers were seen fleeing the facility citing poor working conditions and a lack of basic resources. News outlets around the world also focussed on individual stories where workers from the factory shared their experience of being under the strict lockdown and finally making their way to the world. Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant employs about 200,000 people and produces the maximum number of iPhones for Apple across the world. Thus it was expected that the production of iPhones will take a hit due to this outbreak. Now, California-based Apple has shared an official press release stating that people can expect a delay in the supply of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Check out Apple’s press release below –

Apple’s press release for iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max supply delay

COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain.

We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.

We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.

On the other hand, Foxconn recently said that it was working to resume full production of the plant as quickly as possible. It is currently in the process to implement new measures in order to curb the COVID-19 spread.

Impersonators on Twitter will be banned permanently, says Musk

If you haven’t been under the rocks for the past few weeks then I am sure you know Elon Musk is now the new Twitter boss. After an expensive acquisition, Elon Musk bought the micro-blogging app and is bringing upon several changes to the platform. One of his most controversial changes to Twitter (besides mass layoffs) has been the $8 Twitter Blue fee which allows users to get a verified check. Many on the platform have argued that allowing people to pay a certain monthly payment for a verified status on Twitter could lead to an epitome of impersonators of famous celebrities and politicians on the platform. Musk himself is not safe as a slew of Elon impersonators were seen popping up like mushrooms on Twitter. It looks like the Twitter boss finally has a crackdown on this menace.

Impersonators to be banned from Twitter

Elon recently Tweeted – ‘Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended’ This news comes just a few days after Twitter suspended several users who had changed their usernames to Elon Musk to impersonate the billionaire. Some high-profile celebrities also hopped on the trend and face consequences including comedian Kath Griffin whose account has now been suspended.

Musk also shared that previously a warning was issued before account suspension on the platform. However, the new rules do not give users such a luxury as their accounts will be discarded swiftly. Accepting that users won’t impersonate any known face is also a condition they would have to agree to while signing up on Twitter Blue. Musk wrote – ‘Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.’

This won’t be all as any changes to a Twitter Blue username will temporarily lose the verified checkmark! This decision by Elon has yet again sparked the debate of whether the billionaire is actually the champion of free speech that he has vocally advertised himself and Twitter to be.

Depths of ML – What is Machine Learning?

There is no debate about the fact that humans and computers are different entities. One of the main differentiating factors between humans and computers is that the former is capable of learning from past experiences. Well, to some extent. At the same time, computers need to be told what to do specifically. Computers are code-based strictly logic machines that do not possess common sense. This means that if we want them to do something, we have to tell them what to do precisely. This is done by providing them with step-by-step instructions on what to do exactly. Humans write scripts and program computers to follow instructions. This is where Machine Learning comes in! In simple terms, Machine Learning (ML) is a concept that consists of teaching computers to learn from experiences beyond data. 

What is Machine Learning? 

Machine Learning (ML) is a form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that allows the software to predict more accurate outcomes without being programmed to do so exclusively. ML algorithms draw from historical data as input in order to predict new output values. Some of the ways ML is used are through recommendation engines, fraud detection, spam filtering, malware threat detection, and much more. So, what’s the big deal? Why is ML being used around as a trendy keyword in the world of AI? 

ML is important as it allows enterprises to observe the changing trends in customer behavior. Business operational patterns can also be observed through ML, whereas the technology also helps in the development of new products. Tech giants around the world like Google, Facebook, Uber, and many others use ML as a central part of their operations. Similar to AI, ML also has different categories. While classical ML is usually classified by how an algorithm learns to output accurate predictions, there are four different approaches to how it is done. The approaches to ML are listed below – 

Supervised Learning 

In this type of ML, data scientists supply algorithms with specifically labeled training data. The variables of the data here are defined to the minutest details and both the input and output of the algorithm are specified. Supervised learning algorithms are good at binary classification, multi-class classification, regression modeling, and ensembling. 

Unsupervised Learning

Unsupervised ML algorithms do not require the data to be labeled. Most types of deep learning used are unsupervised algorithms. These algorithms discover hidden patterns and groupings without the need for human input. Due to its ability to discover similarities and differences in information, unsupervised learning is the best solution for customer segmentation, image recognition, exploratory data analysis, and more. 

Semi-supervised learning

As one would expect, this is the middle ground between Supervised and unsupervised learning. While training this type of algorithm, data scientists use smaller labeled data sets to guide classification. A small amount of labeled training data is fed to an algorithm which allows it to learn the dimensions of the data set. 

Reinforcement learning

This type of learning is used to teach a machine to complete a multi-step process for which the rules are clearly defined. An algorithm is programmed with a distinct goal and a prescribed set of rules to accomplish that goal. One of the main implementations of reinforcement learning is robotics. Robots can learn to perform physical tasks with the help of reinforcement learning. Whereas, reinforcement learning can also be used to teach bots to play a number of different video games. Resource management is another way where RL can be used as finite resources and a defined goal can allow enterprises to plan how to allocate resources. 

There are a lot of ways where machine learning is being used in a wide range of applications today. One of the best examples here is your Facebook news feed. The news feed uses ML to personalize every member’s feed. If you as a user frequently go on Kim Kardashian’s Facebook page then your News Feed is likely to show you more of her activity on the feed. We often start seeing advertisements for a certain product right after we search for it on Google or Amazon, that is due to the machine learning algorithm working in the background. Behind the scenes, the software is simply using statistical analysis and predictive analysis in order to identify patterns in your user data and use the same data to populate your news feed.

Tech This Week – November 5, 2022

You already know what time it is! It’s time for Exhibit’s weekly tech roundup, Tech This Week. Similar to every week until now, There are of course new and exciting things happening in the world of tech! And we’re here to serve them to you in a plate full of delights. So without further ado let’s begin! 

WhatsApp new features 

Whatsapp has been adding new features under its kitty and this week the messaging app announced three new features. Now, users can add up to 1024 members in a group chat! That sounds like a village! However, there are also new changes in the video call feature where now 32 members can be added up to a call. Whatsapp will also be soon rolling out the option where users will able to text themselves. 

Big changes to Twitter 

We were surely excited when Elon Musk took over the command of Twitter. But things went sour quickly when the hip CEO announced that users will have to pay a monthly fee of $8 in order to stay verified on the platform. It was also noted that the use of racist slurs on Twitter like the N-Word had grown exponentially by 500% after Musk took command. Twitter employees were also seen sleeping in the office in order to meet the tight deadlines by Musk. It is to be seen whether this change in Twitter will lead it to become a better platform or lead to its eventual irrelevance. 

Google’s language AI model 

Google is one of the pioneers in AI technology and has now announced a single AI model that will support around 1K of the most spoken languages in the world! Google believes that by creating a model of this size, it will make it easier to bring various AI functionalities to languages that are poorly represented in the online space. 

iPhone 14 production affected 

China’s Foxconn area in Zhengzhou went into a lockdown in recent times which made major headlines. However, the lockdown did not stop Foxconn from halting production of the iPhone 14 as it ordered workers to live in the factory complex and work on the production during an active covid outbreak. However, many workers were then seen fleeing the area, climbing fences, and walking around the Foxconn vicinity which has led to the iPhone 14 production getting affected. 

Netflix is now cheaper than before! 

The OTT giant Netflix has now launched its basic ad-supported platform in several countries. Under this plan, users will be able to stream 720P content that will be limited to a single device support only. Netflix states that users will get 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour of content. However, the ad-supported plan has not been introduced yet in India. 

Amazon Founder Sued

Amazon owner and billionaire – Jeff Bezos was sued by a former housekeeper who claims that she was subjected to racial discrimination by his staff. The former housekeeper also accused that they were forced to work 10 to 14 hours a day in unsanitary conditions without rest or meal breaks. The former housekeeper now seeks back pay and benefits as well as monetary damages. 

iPhone India users to get 5G from next week 

Apple will soon be rolling out the much-awaited software upgrade for the 5G network in India next week. The service will be made available with the iOS 16 beta software update. With this update, users of iPhone 14, 13, 12, and SE will be able to experience 5G. 

Windows 11 Moment 2 update

Microsoft recently released new features on Windows 11 with the Moment 1 update. The company has decided to move away from major updates and focus on smaller updates over shorter periods of time. The rumor mill has it that the Moment 2 update is just around the corner. 

AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPUs

Finally, AMD officially announced its next-gen Radeon RX GPUs today. The rumors about this new lineup of GPUs were making rounds on the internet for a long time. The first two Radeon RX 7000 GPUs are called Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the Radeon RX 7900 XT. The latest series will be using AMD’s latest RDNA 3 Graphical architecture. With the support of DisplayPort 2.1, the GPUs will support higher refresh rates on even 4K and 8K resolutions! 

Stick Schtick! – Nothing Ear (Stick) Review

UK-based Nothing is a newer player compared to already-established brands like Samsung or Apple. The company is just three products old but has managed to gain momentum in the consumer market thanks to its unique design. Keeping true to its transparent design theme, Nothing has now launched the Nothing Ear (Stick). While it is natural for people to think that these new earbuds are the successors of the previously launched Nothing Ear (1), I beg to differ. There are more cutdowns here as opposed to upgrades from the Ear (1) that put the (Stick) in a confusing spot. 

Design

There is only so much one can do with the design of earbuds and their case. This is where Nothing has actually excelled with the Ear (Stick). One could easily say that the design of Stick is its best attraction and the reason to buy it as it is more of a style statement as opposed to a standard case. The cylindrical case with a red, black, and white colour combination is a treat to the eyes. Whereas, the twist to open design is definitely fun and a worthy replacement for the fidget spinner for the anxious people among us. I often found myself referring to the Stick as ‘lipstick AirPods’ which is surely what they look like. The case is transparent, so the buds are always visible. The case is also predominantly white which means it is bound to get dirty, which it did! In just a few days of use, I could see the case collecting dust and losing its all-white charm.  

The earbuds’ design on the other hand could be hit-and-miss for many. Similar to traditional AirPods, Nothing Ear (Stick) comes with one size for all designs. The open-fit earbuds also come with Nothing’s staple transparent design that gives a futuristic look. However, the buds were large for my liking and often popped out of the ear during extended periods of usage. I definitely could not go for a workout wearing them as I feared they would just fall off. The stalks of the earbuds come with pressure-sensitive controls which work without any issues. The lack of ear tips, however, is sorely missed.

Performance 

Let’s address the elephant in the room, Nothing Ear (Stick) does not come with any form of Active Noise Cancellation. Thanks to the open-fit design, the Stick also misses out on deep bass. Nothing compensates for the lack of bass by adding the ‘More Bass’ mode in the NothingX app which gets the job to some extent. However, in its ‘Balanced’ mode, The stick produces flat music output which could be a deal breaker for many. The lack of silicone ear tips leads to a lot of background noise leaking in during your music sessions. I noticed that even while playing music at the maximum volume distant chatter of people talking was audible. This could be a good feature for people trying to be aware of their background while listening to music without relying on a transparency mode but it just did not work for me. While there are some key features missing here, Nothing Ear (Stick) manages to bring a balanced and premium sound experience. No complaints about the battery life here as it is top-notch. The earbuds lasted over 6 hours on a single full charge which is impressive. The battery life is good for up to 30 hours depending on your usage. At Rs 8.5K, the Nothing Ear (Stick) is an expensive affair as its competitors are available at a cheaper rate, but its stylish design makes up for what is missing!

Rating – ★★★★

Verdict 

Nothing Ear (Stick) is another addition to the already saturated TWS market. However, its stylish design and crisp sound quality make it a standout product.

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