The current scenario in the tech industry is a gloomy one, to say the least. Tech giants around the world like Amazon, Meta, and Twitter have let go of a number of their employees due to the global economic slowdown. Now, it is being reported that Google is the next big company gearing up to axe 10,000 of its ‘poor performing’ employees!
Google to let go of 10K employees
The growing pressure on tech companies to downsize has not hit Google. A report by The Information has recently claimed that Google managers have been asked to analyze their employees and rank the poor-performing employees. The company is reportedly planning to let go of 6% of its employees which account for 10,000 people. Google will be using a ranking system that will determine the lowest-ranked employees who will be ultimately terminated from the organization.
As of now, Alphabet employs nearly 1,87,000 employees which makes the company one of the biggest employers in the world of tech. As per a US SEC filing, the median annual salary of a Google employee is roughly around Rs 2.42 crores. However, similar to other tech players, even Google has witnessed a dip in profits with a Q3 net profit of $13.9 billion, which is 27% less than the same period last year. it is being reported that the dip in profits is the driving factor towards Google opting to cut down the workforce.
Google had previously announced that it will only be slowing down the hiring process in the fourth quarter of 200 but the plans seem to have changed drastically!
About a decade ago, talking over a Bluetooth mono headset was labelled as weird and take a look at the world now. Almost everyone around us is either wearing earphones, headphones or earbuds. These gadgets were created to comfort us, but over the years, we have been utilising them only to avoid the presence of the outer world, hope you have heard about Active Noise Cancellation earphones/headphones/earbuds.
We all travel at least an hour to reach our workplaces, and the top 3 ways to pass the time while commuting are by listening to songs, watching movies and scrolling social media. With that enters the innovation of the century, earbuds – a better alternative to the usual earphones and headphones. Over the last couple of years, earbuds have become a part of our bodies, which we can add and remove as per our needs. Let’s see the best ones of the year 2022.
Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Gen)
Price: ₹26,900
When it comes to the list of top 10 earbuds, Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Gen) qualifies automatically. The dreamy earbuds offer an unparalleled ANC experience, an incredible audio output and excellent battery backup. Of course, they’re expensive, but once you get used to the Airpods Pro, there’s no way you’re going for earbuds from another brand.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2
Price: ₹17,999
Do you have a Samsung smartphone? If yes, just go for the Galaxy Buds Pro 2, as they get the most out of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The buds can produce rich treble and bass, thanks to AKG tuning, a subsidiary of Harman International, which is now owned by Samsung. If you get as many calls in a day, then this is one of the best TWS’ available in the market.
Nothing Ear (Stick)
Price: ₹8,499
The super stylish Nothing Ear (Stick) is, of course, one of the best-designed earbuds of 2022. They allow you have a clear and detailed sound (along with some sound leakage). They offer a better fit than most on-ear earbuds, but we wouldn’t recommend them for workouts. However, if you’re a fan of art and craft, these buds will fulfil your cravings.
OnePlus Nord Buds
Price: ₹2,799
OnePlus launched the Nord Buds at the beginning of 2022, and since then, these budget-friendly earbuds have been ruling the market. The uniquely designed earbuds are very comfortable and surprisingly offer good sound quality. If you’re someone who wants to experience the world of earbuds on a budget, then OnePlus Nord Buds could be the best stepping stone for you.
Sony WF-LS900N
Price: ₹13,990
Getting back to the basics was one of the best decisions Sony made in 2022. After launching several LinkBuds, Sony decided to go for the in-demand type of earbuds and launched Sony WF-LS900N. The lightweight and near-perfect earbuds deliver powerful performance, rich sound quality and effective noise cancellation.
Space exploration is undoubtedly a vital part of the human experience that could bring about the advancement of humanity on a greater scale. While humans have the ambition to migrate to a different planet like Mars, we have not even been able to base a camp on the Moon! Interstellar travel is only limited to Nolan films in the current scenario, however, it looks like things are about to change.
Humans could live on Moon
NASA has claimed recently that humans could be living on the moon as soon as the next 10 years. The Artemis rocket was launched recently containing the Orion lunar spacecraft which is the inception of the start of a mission to take astronauts back to the moon. There has been nearly a fifty-year hiatus from moon landings and humanity is gearing up to bring them back, and how!
Howard Hu, the head of the Orion program recently said to the BBC that in this decade itself, NASA will have people living for durations on the moon. The Orion program head also shared that depending on how long humans will be on the surface, the Moon will have habitats and rovers on the ground! Howard stated furthermore that NASA will definitely be sending people up to the Moon’s surface and they will be ‘doing science’. This will be the first step NASA is taking for long-term deep space exploration not just for the United States but also for the world.
If you ask me, space exploration has been not just a fascinating subject but also a realization of us being a speckle of dust in the vast universe. However, the conspiracy theories about the ‘dark side of the moon’ have also been intriguing to me. Thus, it will be interesting to see where humanity lands up with this level of space exploration where we base camps on the surface of the moon!
Deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are some fancy terms that people throw around casually while talking about the future of technology. A majority of humanity is convinced that AI and machine learning is the future and that it will be taking over the world sooner than expected. While AI as a technology has revolutionalized several sectors like the manufacturing industry, healthcare, and space exploration, it is not where you think it is. Yes, AI has been growing at a steady rate gaining popularity and growing smarter with each passing day. But that does not mean that it is flawless!
It is surely important to note that AI right now is facing a number of challenges but that doesn’t stop it from upscaling year by year. Reportedly, AI can boost business productivity by up to 40%, whereas, the number of AI-related startups around the world has grown 14 times since 2000. Since the application of this technology spreads wide and its exploration is still limited, there are a number of obstacles currently present in the field which is to be conquered. Let’s have a look at all the challenges currently with AI –
Human-level
This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges currently with AI which has kept researchers and developers scratching their heads. While AI currently is smart and some companies boast over 90% accuracy in their daily AI tasks, humans are simply smarter. Humans are sharper and more accurate than AI as of now, which is contrary to the popular belief that the technology is smarter than us.
Let’s take a simple example here, whenever you’re asked to ‘Confirm if you’re not a robot’ before entering a website, you can simply point out all the pictures consisting of a bus or a traffic signal, or dogs. AI, on the other hand, just cannot do so effectively. Sounds strange right? Why cannot a smart algorithm figure out which photos feature dogs? For a deep learning algorithm to perform a similar task will require a large amount of finetuning. It would require a large dataset, hyperparameter optimization, strong computing power, and uninterrupted training and testing of data. Sounds exhausting!
Data
The most crucial aspect of deep/machine learning models is their basis on the availability of data and the resources to train them. Humans have a lot of data. This data is generated from billions of users from around the world. However, there are chances of this data being used for bad purposes. Plus, data security is another important aspect that looms upon us as a possible threat. It was only back in 2021 when 533 million Facebook users had their data leaked from over 100 countries. What would happen if an AI algorithm is fed data of that magnitude? It’s scary to even think about! Plus, the data leaks can also make their way to the dark web which can later be used for nefarious activities. Some companies are currently working towards tackling this issue by training the data on smart devices which do not send data back to the servers, but only the trained model.
Knowledge Barrier
There are a number of implementations of AI in the market right now. AI can replace the traditional systems currently in use effectively. But the problem here lies in the actual knowledge of AI around the world. Sure, AI can be used by tech enthusiasts, students, and researchers on a global scale. But right now, there are only a number of people who are aware of the potential of AI. The technology still only reigns in the territory of science fiction amongst people due to its representation in pop culture. The adaptation of AI into the mainstream with the use of it to upscale production, manage resources and understand consumer behavior is still a far-off dream.
Computing power
Machine Learning and Deep Learning are the baby steps required to develop artificial intelligence. But, the amount of computing prowess these power-hungry algorithms require is one of the top reasons why AI is not where it should be right now. These algorithms demand a high number of cores and GPUs to work efficiently. Right now, humanity has already figured out a number of domains where we can implement AI deep learning frameworks. Be it tracking the cosmos or asteroids, and human health care, AI can be implemented to an extent that can be life-changing but the lack of computing power keeps us at bay. These algorithms require supercomputing powers and they do not come cheap. Not everyone can afford a supercomputer to build an AI including some of our smartest brains.
If you’re looking for TWS in India then you know there are a number of options for you to choose from. The Indian market is saturated with wireless earphones ranging from different price points. However, it isn’t easy to find a capable TWS in the market that suits your preferences while delivering a premium performance at a considerably affordable price point. This is where Sony’s latest offering, the WF-LS900N comes in! Sony has delivered when it comes to providing users with lightweight earbuds that deliver powerful performance and pack many features, and we’re all here for it!
Features & Design
There’s no innovation when it comes to design with the WF-LS900N as compared to its predecessor which came with an open ring design. Here, users get a familiar in-ear design in a lightweight form factor. This means that both the eartubes and the silicone eartips sit inside the ear to give a proper seal. Sony India has claimed that the wireless earbuds weigh approximately 4.8 grams in weight making them one of the lightest in the market. While using the earbuds over an extended period of time, I was surprised how the annoying ear pain staple to in-ear devices, in general, was not present here. The earbuds and their casing is made out of recycled plastic which gives a distinct rugged feel.
There are ample features packed along with the WF-LS900N. One might expect Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and that is surely present here. Along with ANC, the WF-LS900N also offer you ambient sound or transparency mode that can be quickly enabled with a tap on the left earbud. Tapping on the right earbuds pauses/plays the music. The best feature of the WF-LS900N for me was the option to enable ‘Quick Attention’ Here, users can simply press on the earbuds for the volume to drop quickly to have a conversation and remove the finger for the volume to return to normal. It was a novel feature that allowed me to have small talks during work hours.
Battery Life
The WF-LS900N comes with six hours of battery life with activated ANC, as claimed by Sony. In my testing of the earbuds, the result was somewhat close to the company claim with 5 and a half hours of ANC playback. The performance can be bumped up to 9 hours of playtime by turning off ANC. The earbuds get charged up relatively quickly and have lasted me for over 2 days in light usage and a day in heavy usage.
Sound
Everything comes down to the sound performance when we’re talking about TWS. So how well does the WF-LS900N perform? Simply put, the new Sony TWS are power performers that provide a premium sound experience with deep bass. There’s an overall balance to the sound that does lean to either flat sound or too loud. However, the balanced approach might not be for everyone, for which there are a number of customizations available in the ‘headphones Connect’ app. There’s little left to desire here when it comes to the sound quality of the WF-LS900N!
Verdict
While the Rs 13,990 price point might be heavy for some to shell out for a TWS, we feel it is worth it. The WF-LS900N provides premium sound quality in a comfortable and light fit which makes it a worthy investment.
Elizabeth Holmes was once the face of the Silicon Valley start-up culture. People viewed her as an example of women pioneering in the competitive space of start-ups with the company Theranos which promised to revolutionize blood testing as we know it. However, the once-start-up icon has emerged as a symbol of Silicon Valley’s deceitful side! Elizabeth was given a sentence of 11 years and 3 months for defrauding investors with her failed blood-testing start-up that was once valued at $9 billion. The founder was able to secure heavy funding from investors but it was later discovered that she had lied about the technology and the business transactions of her company which led to four convictions on fraudulent felony charges in January this year.
Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos story
Elizabeth Holmes made her way to the start-up market by claiming that Theranos had invented a medical device that could identify a wide array of diseases and disorders from a few drops of blood. The ‘Endgame’ of this fraudulent claim was to replace traditional blood-testing labs with portable devices that could be used at homes, hospitals, pharmacies, and more. The implementation of this technology was even said to be for battlefields where soldiers could quickly identify their diseases. However, it was later discovered that the technology was never really functional and all her claims were untrue. Holmes served as the CEO of Theranos throughout its 15-year history from its inception to its downfall, making the company her brainchild.
Holmes was duping a number of her investors and the medical industry with claims to revolutionize the blood-testing method. Just her claims allowed her to have an accelerated and monstrous success. Some publications also named her as the next Steve Jobs, which was a title she took to heart. During her prime, she could be seen sporting black turtlenecks evidently paying homage to Jobs. Many notable moguls of the industry were also drawn to her deception as Theranos’ blood testing kit was regarded as the next big revolution in the medical industry.
Back in 2014, when Elizabeth Holmes was 30 and her stake in Theranos was valued at a whopping $4.5 billion, Forbes titled her the ‘World’s Youngest Female Self-Made Billionaire.’ The title in 2022 lies with Queen Mother Rihanna, and rightly so! However, it was back in 2015 when Wall Street Journal’s capable reporters put Theranos under their microscopic lens and ran articles questioning the company’s technology. It was the same year when Theranos shut down.
Ultimately, the Elizabeth Holmes Theranos incident is no less than a Hollywood crime film. it won’t be wrong to call Holmes the ‘She-Wolf of Silicon Valley’. However, Holmes’ lawyers are most likely to appeal her conviction for which had sought leniency on account of her pregnancy.
The adoption of AI has been growing across the globe at a rapid scale. Right now, many countries have a stake in the AI revolution. The current exciting developments in the AI field are sweeping the globe off its feet and influencing all businesses around the world. AI enables face recognition, corporate development, self-driving vehicles, and better online outcomes that influence the decision of many if not every business out there.
Reportedly, the global AI market will be valued at a staggering $360bn by 2028, growing at an annual rate of 33.6%. The use of AI can be seen across a number of industries be it the transportation, manufacturing, finance, and even education sectors. Due to this extensive influence of AI on multiple sectors, many countries have now jumped in to invest heavily in AI research and development. The reason behind this heavy investment is to sustain long-term growth and the protection of national security. There is simply no denying that AI will develop to the point in the future where it will directly influence our lives (Hopefully not like an episode from Black Mirror!) AI will play a huge role in the corporate environment in the near future thus it is not a surprise that many countries are now deeply invested in the technology. It is time to have a look at all the countries currently making a big splash in the AI race –
China
I am sure you’re not surprised to see China on this list to any degree! China has long been an aspirational world leader in artificial intelligence. According to China’s own State Council, it will become the global leader in AI by 2030 having a reported market capitalization of $150 billion. Another thing to note here is that the country has published more deep-learning research papers than any other country from around the world. But, China’s high population is also a factor responsible for its growth in the AI sector. The most significant factor for AI’s growth in China is its internet-using population which amounts up to a massive 75 million which generates a gigantic amount of digital data to handle and for AI algorithms to learn from (Data Privacy is a myth, my friends!) Another factor here for China’s lead in the AI sector is its government’s transparent ambitions and objectives with the technology. Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba are only some of the Chinese AI companies that are leading the AI sector.
USA
When it comes to conquering AI technology, the United States has been one of the leaders. The country has a well-established tech culture with some of the prominent tech giants based out of it. Whereas, the country has also profited from $10 billion in complete venture financing which is directed toward artificial intelligence. The USA has been a well-known player when it comes to offering technological advancements in manufacturing robots to the world. It also plays a crucial role in the manufacturing and industrial industries. Be it Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and IBM, these are all big parts of the development of the AI industry and are based out of the USA. The United States currently has all the components required to dominate the field of AI and robotics thus it makes number two on our list.
Canada
With some of the world’s most talented brains and creators of AI technology, Canada has paved its way to becoming an AI leader. The Canadian government is heavily invested in AI and plates a significant role in its advancement in the country. It was back in march 2017 when the Canadian government announced a total investment of $125 million in the field of AI. Canada mainly focuses on two AI components like Machine Learning which is based out of Montreal and Toronto and Reinforcement learning which is based out of Alberta. Waterloo is Canada’s big AI hub having over 90 firms dedicated to AI development.
Germany
Germany ranks number sixth globally when it comes to the number of AI research articles published. The country is known for its precision and technological advancements. Be it self-driving cars, quantum computing, or robots, Germany has placed itself as a leader in AI development. Germany, similar to China has the ambition to become the global leader in AI. For this reason, two of its top technology universities and its top exporting state are currently collaborating with corporations like Porsche, Bosch, and Daimler to develop rich artificial intelligence.
India
Yes, India is also a pioneer when it comes to artificial intelligence. Our rapidly growing nation is currently going through a massive digital transformation thanks to the cost-effective internet provided here. This digital revolution has a direct impact on the growth of AI in the country. The government of India may not have granted any funding or allocation to the AI sector but the country is still covering a massive ground in AI thanks to various initiatives taken by individual companies.
Artificial Intelligence has surely become a growing force in the business industry today. Be it cloud computing or edge computing, AI is being used as a mix and match of technologies to exceed in several aspects of a business. AI-enabled solutions have become popular thanks to businesses now transforming digitally. The number of businesses now using AI services reportedly grew by 270% from 2015 to 2019, it is still rising as 2022 comes to a close and will only continue to grow more in the coming years. As of 2022, the AI services market is reportedly forecast to grow to US $62.5bn which is a considerable growth from US $19.4bn back in 2020.
While machine learning leads the pack in the AI revolution, businesses are expanding their technological reach with the help of other technologies like predictive analysis, business intelligence, data warehouse tools, and deep learning. These technologies enable big business giants to alleviate several industrial obstructions with ease. Surely, entire industries are being reshaped with AI right now. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) companies have now swiftly changed their platforms to AI, whereas AI in healthcare has also proven to be a boon in patient healthcare.
Several companies have showcased a great interest in AI during the pandemic to better the customer experience in a variety of areas. In our AI special we wanted to have a look at all the companies currently leading the race of AI and Machine Learning through the integration of their technologies into apps and systems. Check them out right now –
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
AWS clearly takes the cake when it comes to being the leader in cloud computing. The company offers both consumer and business-related AI products and services. A number of its AI services build into end-consumer products. Let’s take Amazon Echo as an example, this little speaker brings AI right into your home through your personal voice assistant, Alexa. While Alexa is known as Amazon’s AI, its primary AI service is called ‘Lex’. It is an Alexa variant that is exclusive to businesses. There is also Polly which turns text into speech and Rekognition which is an image recognition service. Besides AWS, Amazon has a number of products based on AI.
There’s the SageMaker Data Wrangler, a new service that is meant to accelerate the data preparation for machine learning and AI applications. Amazon Codeguru is another service by Amazon which allows coders to enhance their code quality with the help of Ai-powered code suggestions. Finally, Amazon also has Kendra which is an AI and machine learning-powered search tool meant for corporate purposes.
Google
I am sure you’re not surprised to Google on this list as it is among the top AI companies right now. While there are several ways Google integrates AI in its business, one notable AI innovation by the company is the Multitask Unified Model famously known as MUM. This technology is aimed to enhance the Google search experience amongst users. MUM is used to better link the information that a web searcher is looking for with precise accuracy. Google has been on a massive AI acquisition binge as it is deeply invested in the integration of AI into our daily lives. Google Cloud itself sells a number of AI and machine learning services to companies around the world. The industry-leading TensorFlow software project and its very own Tensor AI chip project are known around the world.
Microsoft
Microsoft is a juggernaut when it comes to the betterment of AI technology. The company not only provides technology but also funds and experiences to organizations working on AI to tackle global issues. Microsoft AI has the potential to enable anyone be it an individual or an organization to study, develop, and innovate in the field. Back in 2020, Microsoft unveiled Project Bonsai, a platform for designing industrial control systems. The company had also launched Project Moab which was an experimental platform designed to introduce engineers and developers to Bonsai. Microsoft also build the Specktacom which was geared toward cricketers. Speckatacom was a technology dedicated to collecting data on speed, quality, twists, and the swing of a cricket bat using a tiny sensor attached to the bat. It used wireless technology and cloud analytics to collect the data.
Alibaba Cloud
Alibaba Cloud is the leading cloud platform in Asia. It offers its clients a top-notch machine-learning platform for AI. The company has managed to make AI easy for users with the help of a visually pleasing interface. Companies using Alibaba Cloud’s platform can simply drag and drop data components into a canvas in order to assemble their AI functionality. On the platform, users can also find the scores of algorithm components that can handle a number of different tasks. This enables businesses to use pre-built solutions for their tasks without the hassle of building one which can be time consuming. One can surely expect Alibaba to show significant improvement and growth in the AI sector in the coming years.
What started as one of the most interesting developments in the world of social media has quickly evolved into a dumpster fire! It was only yesterday when we reported that Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to Twitter employees to either commit long hours at high intensity to the company or leave. Employees were asked to sign a pledge by 5 PM ET on Thursday and anyone who did not do so would reportedly receive three months of severance pay. It looks like the majority of Twitter employees have decided to walk away from the company. Following the mass resignation, Twitter has now shut down their office buildings and disabled employee badge access until Monday.
Doors shut on Twitter!
The new ‘hardcore’ approach to Twitter was called ‘Twitter 2.0’ by Elon Musk. However, The Verge has reported that one departing employee of the company wrote that their watch ends with Twitter 1.0 and they do not want to be a part of Twitter 2.0. Twitter reportedly had 2,900 employees before the deadline on Thursday and the number has gone down marginally now. The remaining and departing employees reportedly expect the platform to start breaking soon. One Twitter staffer told The Verge that all the people who made Twitter incredible are leaving and it will be extremely difficult for Twitter to recover from here, no matter how ‘hardcore’ the people who remain try to be.
To add insult to injury, Twitter boss Elon Musk as of now can be seen sharing memes about the platform going up in flames. Check it out below –
As per reports, multiple critical engineering teams inside Twitter have either completely or near-completely resigned. Musk’s Twitter takeover was surely a developing story with new details popping up every day. It was only a few days back when Musk was seen publically firing employees criticizing him on the platform for his lack of management. Twitter users, on the other hand, seem to have accepted the fate that the lights will be shutting down on the platform as soon as tonight. However, Musk also tweeted that the platform has hit an all-time high in usage. Could this be the final straw in Twitter’s history before it shuts down? We’ll see!
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has fueled an avalanche of headlines in the past few weeks. It was only a few days back when Musk had warned his Twitter staff that bankruptcy is not off the cards for the company in a mail meant for internal circulation. Remote work was also revoked from almost all employees along with free meals. Now, it looks like the Twitter team is gearing up to either work long hours or leave the company following an ultimatum from Musk himself.
Work ‘long hours at high intensity or leave’ says Musk
Twitter boss Elon told his employees in an email that they’ll have to decide whether they want to stay in the company and work long hours at high intensity or get axed! The ultimatum comes after Musk fired half of Twitter’s workforce and most of the company’s senior executives leaving the company. The email meant for Twitter’s internal distribution was obtained by The Washington Post. Check out the entire email below –
” A Fork in the Road
Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.
Twitter will also be much more engineering-driven. Design and product management will still be very important and report to me, but those writing great code will constitute the majority of our team and have the greatest sway. At its heart, Twitter is a software and servers company, so it makes sense.
If you are sure that you want to be a part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below:
forms.gle
Anyone who has not done so by 5pm ET tomorrow (Thursday) will receive three months of severance.
Whatever decision you make, thank you for your efforts to make Twitter successful.
