alphabet - Tech News from Simmons Systems (Page 3)

Tech News from Simmons Systems

alphabet

A collection of 177 posts

Eric Schmidt's SandboxAQ Seeks $5 Billion Valuation for AI Quantum Spinout

SandboxAQ, an Alphabet spinout led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, aims to raise a new funding round at a $5 billion valuation. The startup builds "large quantitative models" using quantum physics rather than generative AI.

Waymo Secures $5.6 Billion to Expand Autonomous Ride-Hailing Services

Waymo closes a massive $5.6 billion investment round led by Alphabet to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to more cities. The company currently provides over 100,000 paid weekly trips and plans to launch in Austin and Atlanta in 2025.

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin Returns to Work Daily on AI Development

Sergey Brin reveals he works at Google "pretty much every day" to focus on artificial intelligence, calling the current progress too exciting to miss. He also expresses doubt that training advanced AI requires endlessly scaling up computing power.

OpenAI Unveils SearchGPT Prototype to Challenge Google's Search Dominance

OpenAI introduces SearchGPT, a new search engine prototype that provides conversational answers with cited sources. The move directly threatens Google's market share and causes Alphabet stock to drop over three percent.

Apple Rejects Meta AI Partnership Over Strict Privacy Standards

Apple turns down Meta's proposal to integrate the Llama chatbot into iOS devices due to stringent privacy concerns. The tech giant instead moves forward with AI collaborations involving OpenAI and potentially Alphabet.

Alphabet Q1 Earnings Beat Expectations as Tech Giant Launches First Dividend

Alphabet reports $80.5 billion in Q1 revenue and initiates a $0.20 per share dividend while authorizing a massive $70 billion stock repurchase program.

Alphabet CEO Pichai Highlights AI Strategy After Surpassing $300 Billion Revenue

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai details the company's strong Q1 2024 performance and outlines a six-point strategy to capture the next wave of AI innovation. The tech giant showcases rapid growth from Search, YouTube, and Cloud as it consolidates its AI research under Google DeepMind.

Alphabet Faces Backlash After Flawed Gemini Image Guardrails

Alphabet temporarily disables Gemini's image-generation feature after a heavy-handed attempt to prevent racial bias generates massive public backlash and a stock drop.

FTC Launches Broad Inquiry Into Big Tech AI Partnerships

The Federal Trade Commission uses its special authority to scrutinize billions of dollars in AI investments by Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. This probe seeks to determine if these massive partnerships stifle fair competition in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence market.

Tech Layoffs Surge in January Despite Record Stock Market Highs

Major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and eBay are cutting thousands of jobs this month even as their stock prices hit record highs. The industry continues to prioritize cost-cutting and efficiency ahead of major quarterly earnings reports.

Google Lays Off Hundreds in Hardware and Engineering Divisions

Google eliminates several hundred roles across its hardware, engineering, and Google Assistant teams as part of an ongoing efficiency push. The cuts reflect the company's continued shift toward artificial intelligence and away from pandemic-era expansion.

Waymo Expands Fully Driverless Robotaxi Service Across All of San Francisco

Waymo opens its autonomous ride-hailing service to tens of thousands of users across the entire city of San Francisco. The company continues to scale responsibly by adding riders from a massive waitlist.

California Regulators Approve Citywide Robotaxi Service in San Francisco

California regulators vote to allow Waymo and Cruise to operate paid, driverless taxi services across all of San Francisco despite strong opposition from local city agencies and residents.