Spotify says Wrapped 2025 is its biggest yet, with 200M+ users in its first day
After last year’s flop, Spotify Wrapped engagement is up 19% and shares were up 41%, the company says.
Tech
Proton now has an end-to-end encrypted spreadsheet app
Proton has added a new privacy-focused spreadsheet app to its productivity suite to tempt users over from Google and Microsoft’s platforms. The new Proton Sheets tool provides real-time collaboration features and end-to-end encryption, according to Proton’s announcement, “ensuring that no one else, not even Proton, can access your spreadsheet and the information it contains.” A […]
Anthropic’s quest to study the negative effects of AI is under pressure
Today, I’m talking with Verge senior AI reporter Hayden Field about some of the people responsible for studying AI and deciding in what ways it might… well, ruin the world. Those folks work at Anthropic as part of a group called the societal impacts team, which Hayden just spent time with for a profile she […]
The 25 best gifts for travelers who are always on the move
I’m convinced that whoever said it’s about the journey, not the destination, has never traveled. Try sitting on a plane for 16 hours – plus delays, airport security, and a snoring seat neighbor – and then get back to me. While getting from point A to point B can feel like a test of endurance, […]
Russia bans Roblox over ‘LGBT propaganda’ and ‘extremist’ content
Russia is restricting access to Roblox after the country’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor accused it of promoting extremism and “LGBT propaganda,” according to reports from Reuters and Meduza. As reported by Meduza, Russian lawmakers began raising concerns about Roblox days after The Guardian published a report about the platform last month, detailing how the author was […]
Anthropic signs $200M deal to bring its LLMs to Snowflake’s customers
AI research lab Anthropic inked a $200 million deal with Snowflake to bring its AI models to Snowflake’s 12,600 customers.
Nvidia’s new RTX 50-series GPU driver restores PhysX support for popular games
Nvidia launched its first RTX 50-series graphics cards earlier this year without support for PhysX, the GPU-accelerated technology that let games realistically simulate shattering glass, moving liquids, smoke, fog, and more. Now, Nvidia is bringing back PhysX support for the RTX 50-series GPUs for top-played games like Borderlands 2, Mirror’s Edge, and Batman: Arkham City. […]
Yahoo is using AI to recap football games in real time
It’s about to be week 14 of the NFL season, and stakes and storylines abound across the league. In a new section of the Yahoo Sports app, Yahoo is hoping it can use AI to capture them all automatically. The company is launching a new feature called Game Breakdowns, which attempt to generate a snapshot […]
EU investigating Meta over policy change that bans rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp
The European Commission is is launching an antitrust investigation into Meta’s move to ban other AI companies from using WhatsApp’s business tools to offer their own AI chatbots to users.
AI finds its way into Apple’s top apps of the year
Although Apple has continued to avoid naming a dedicated AI app or AI chatbot as its app of the year, AI was showcased among this year’s winners.