Netflix could soon lose the creative team behind one of its biggest hits. Earlier this week, Variety and other Hollywood publications reported that Matt and Ross Duffer, the brothers who created "Stranger Things" (and wrote and directed many episodes), were in talks to sign an exclusive deal with Paramount (now under the ownership of David Ellison's Skydance). Then on Friday evening, Puck's Matthew Belloni posted that the Duffers had in fact "made their choice" and were going to Paramount. The Duffer Brothe ...

Core Viewpoint - The investigation led by Senator Josh Hawley aims to determine if Meta's generative AI products exploit, deceive, or harm children, following revelations that chatbots were permitted to engage in inappropriate conversations with minors [1][2]. Group 1: Investigation Details - Senator Hawley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, will probe whether Meta's technology harms children and if the company misled the public or regulators regarding its safety measures [2][5]. - Hawley has requested Meta to provide comprehensive documentation, including guidelines, drafts, safety reports, and the identities of individuals responsible for policy changes, with a deadline set for September 19 [5]. Group 2: Public and Political Reactions - Meta has acknowledged the issues raised and stated that the inappropriate examples have been removed, although Hawley criticized the company for only retracting after the content was exposed [3]. - Senator Marsha Blackburn has also expressed support for the investigation, emphasizing that Meta has failed to protect children online and calling for the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act [6].

Core Viewpoint - The Louisiana Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the platform of failing to implement necessary safety controls, thereby making it a dangerous environment for children and facilitating the distribution of child sexual abuse material [1][3]. Group 1: Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit alleges that Roblox has not rolled out basic safety controls to protect children from predators and has failed to notify parents of the associated risks [1][3]. - The lawsuit highlights that 20% of Roblox's 82 million daily active users are under the age of 8, and another 20% are between the ages of 9 and 12 [2]. - Specific sexually explicit experiences on the platform are cited in the lawsuit, including titles like "Escape to Epstein Island" and "Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe" [4]. Group 2: Company Response - A spokesperson for Roblox stated that the company dedicates substantial resources to detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior, including 24/7 human moderation [4][7]. - Roblox has implemented safety measures, such as barring users under 13 from sending direct messages, in response to previous reports of risks to young users [7]. - Despite these measures, the lawsuit claims that Roblox's recent safety protocols are inadequate and were implemented too late [8]. Group 3: Legal Actions Sought - The lawsuit seeks permanent injunctive relief to prevent Roblox from claiming it has adequate safety features and from engaging in activities that violate the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act [9].

Company Overview - Cohere has raised an oversubscribed $500 million funding round, increasing its valuation to $6.8 billion from $5.5 billion a year ago [1] - Founded in 2019 by Aidan Gomez, Cohere focuses on secure large language models (LLMs) for enterprise use rather than consumer applications [2] Partnerships and Talent Acquisition - The company has established partnerships with major enterprise technology firms such as Oracle, Dell, Bell, Fujitsu, LG's consulting service CNS, and SAP, as well as significant enterprise clients like RBC [3] - Cohere has recently hired Joelle Pineau, former head of research at Meta, as its chief AI officer and Francois Chadwick as CFO from KPMG [3] Funding Details - The latest funding round was led by Radical Ventures and Inovia Capital, with participation from existing investors including AMD Ventures, Nvidia, and Salesforce Ventures [4] - Notably, Oracle was not named as a participating investor in this round, despite its previous backing [4][7]

Company Overview - Eastman Kodak is denying reports of shutting down operations and has stated it has "no plans to cease operations" or file for bankruptcy protection [2] - The company aims to "repay, extend, or refinance" its debt before the due date and expects to have a stronger balance sheet by early next year [2] Financial Situation - Kodak is facing ongoing financial challenges, with warnings in its earnings report about lacking "committed financing or available liquidity" to meet debt obligations due within 12 months [1] - The company plans to utilize $300 million in cash from its pension plan termination in December 2025 to address a significant portion of its $477 million in term debt [3] - After addressing the term debt, Kodak will focus on the remaining $177 million in debt and an additional $100 million in preferred stock outstanding [3] Historical Context - Kodak has a long history of financial struggles, particularly as digital technology has surpassed film sales [4] - The company previously filed for bankruptcy in 2012, highlighting its ongoing financial difficulties [4] - Despite challenges, there is a noted resurgence in interest from some Gen Z users in older technologies, such as compact cameras and dumb phones, driven by nostalgia [4]

Same-day delivery is free for orders worth more than $25 for Prime members. If an order doesn't meet the minimum amount, subscribers can still choose same-day delivery for a $2.99 fee. For customers without a Prime membership, the service is available with a $12.99 fee, regardless of the order size. Amazon is now letting shoppers in 1,000 cities across the U.S. order perishable food items through its Same- Day Delivery service, as the e-commerce giant seeks to compete more directly with Instacart and Walmar ...

In Brief Apple has rejected Elon Musk's accusations that its App Store is biased against AI apps that compete with OpenAI. "We feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria," the BBC quoted Apple as saying. The response comes after Musk threatened to sue Apple via xAI, claiming the iPhone maker was "behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store." Apple and Ope ...

Group 1 - StubHub is indicating that its IPO is back on track, having filed an updated S-1 that includes Q1 2025 results after initially pausing due to market concerns [1] - IPO experts Renaissance Capital estimate that the IPO could raise $1 billion, with a potential debut next month [1] - StubHub's revenue for 2024 was nearly $1.8 billion, with a net loss of $2.8 million [2] Group 2 - The largest shareholder of StubHub is Madrone Partners with a 27.1% stake, followed by WestCap Management at 10.8% and Bessemer at 9.6% [2] - Founder CEO Eric Baker holds only 5.2% of the Class A shares but controls 90% of the voting power through super-voting rights Class B shares [2]

Core Viewpoint - Epic Games has achieved a significant legal victory against Apple and Google regarding their app store policies, with the Federal Court of Australia ruling that both companies engaged in anti-competitive conduct in app distribution [1]. Group 1: Legal Ruling - The Federal Court of Australia found that Apple and Google abused their dominant market positions to limit competition in app distribution [1]. - The court rejected Epic's claims of "unconscionable conduct" by the tech giants [1]. Group 2: Implications for Epic Games - Following the ruling, Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney indicated that the Epic Games Store and Fortnite would soon return to the Apple App Store in Australia [2]. Group 3: Responses from Apple and Google - Google expressed disagreement with the court's characterization of its billing policies and practices, while welcoming the rejection of Epic's demands regarding app store distribution [3]. - Apple stated that its app store is the safest way for users to obtain apps and disagreed with some aspects of the court's ruling on Epic's claims [4].

Core Insights - Electronic Arts launched an open beta for Battlefield 6, which quickly faced issues with cheaters [1][2] - The company reported 104,000 instances of potential cheating and stopped 330,000 attempts to cheat within the first two days [2] Anti-Cheat Measures - Electronic Arts employs a kernel-level anti-cheat system called Javelin, which has high privileges on users' computers to monitor for cheats [2] - The system is not foolproof, and the company acknowledges that it cannot guarantee the absence of cheaters [4] - Secure Boot is utilized as an additional security measure, but it is not a complete solution [5] Industry Context - Cheating remains a widespread issue in online gaming, affecting various companies including Riot Games and Activision, which have also implemented kernel-level anti-cheat systems [8][9] - Other companies, like Riot Games, have developed multi-faceted approaches to combat cheating, including hardware fingerprinting and community infiltration [10]