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Time Is Money

Nov 5, 2023 • 6 min read

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xAI
Discord Malware Prevention

Week Recap:

Google made a significant investment commitment of up to $2 billion in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup and direct competitor to OpenAI. CNBC has verified this investment agreement, which includes an immediate infusion of $500 million and an additional pledge of $1.5 billion to be dispersed gradually over time. This information was provided directly by a spokesperson from Anthropic.
On Monday, McDonald's reported its quarterly (Q3) financial performance, showcasing results that surpassed analyst expectations. This success was attributed to increased menu prices which helped mitigate the impact of fewer customer visits to its U.S. outlets. Despite these price hikes, McDonald's has managed to maintain a competitive edge in terms of value and affordability across its major markets. The fast-food giant reported adjusted earnings per share of $3.19 and revenue of $6.69 billion, both exceeding Wall Street predictions.
President Joe Biden has initiated an executive order to establish a comprehensive framework for generative AI safety and guidelines, acting ahead of any formal legislation. This executive order elaborates on previous informal agreements between the White House and AI companies, outlining eight main objectives.
New York City, once a beacon for migrants, is facing a challenging reality. Since 2022, around 130,000 migrants have flocked to the city, often facilitated by transportation from Republican-controlled states, as NYC has a legal obligation to provide shelter for all arrivals. However, this influx has strained the city's resources to the breaking point.
Boeing is currently associated with a situation that involves the LockBit ransomware gang. Up to this point, Boeing has not issued any public announcements regarding the alleged data breach or the ransom demand from LockBit. The information available comes directly from LockBit, which posted a statement on their website claiming responsibility for hacking into Boeing’s systems.
A jury found Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of FTX, guilty of fraud and money laundering. After a trial lasting a month where his former close associates testified against him, the jury, made up of nine women and three men, convicted him on multiple fraud and money laundering charges. His actions resulted in one of the biggest financial frauds in history, with losses nearing $10 billion.
Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical giant from Denmark, has witnessed its revenue surge by 38% in the last quarter, fueled largely by the skyrocketing sales of its weight loss medication Wegovy. The company, also known for Ozempic, a diabetes treatment, has seen both medications experience a dramatic uptick in demand within the US market.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching a new cloud region specifically for European customers who need to keep their data within the EU and meet strict regulatory requirements. This AWS European Sovereign Cloud will be a separate and secure infrastructure, managed entirely by EU-based personnel. It's designed to cater to the public sector and industries with high compliance demands, ensuring operational control remains within the EU for data residency and autonomy.

xAI:

Elon Musk's xAI is set to release its 'Grok' AI chatbot to X Premium+ subscribers at $16 per month after its beta phase, challenging OpenAI's ChatGPT. Musk showcased Grok's capabilities and humor, also highlighting its real-time access to the X platform's information, a potential advantage over competitors.
While the chatbot's beta exit date isn't announced, it's expected to be available to Tesla vehicles, potentially enhancing or replacing the current voice command system with its onboard computing power. Grok will operate on a character limit for prompts and use X's live content for real time information.
xAI is developing an API for Grok with voice and image recognition features. xAI, which was founded following Musk's separation from OpenAI, is actively recruiting experts to improve their AI offerings, signaling Musk's continued push into AI innovation and integration with Tesla's technology.

Discord Malware Prevention:

Discord is planning to make file links on its platform expire every 24 hours as a measure to combat malware, the company has communicated. This shift, expected by the year's end, aims to disrupt the spread of malicious software by allowing Discord to better control flagged content.
Discord recommends users who rely on hosting files to seek alternative services. The upcoming change is designed to not impact users sharing content directly within the app since Discord will auto-refresh these links. However, links shared externally will cease to function after a day.
Details on the implications for developers will be disclosed in the near future, with expected minimal impact. This move comes in response to findings by cybersecurity firm Trellix, which discovered approximately 10,000 malware instances on Discord's servers. It was reported that cybercriminals exploited Discord's webhooks to transmit data from compromised computers to their Discord channels.

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