Connected newsletter: OpenAI drama ends with Altman back in charge as Binance hit with whopping fine
Connected at the Business Post is your source for the news that matters in technology and innovation, all told from an Irish perspective
Who doesn’t love a good boardroom struggle? The recent ousting of Sam Altman as chief executive of OpenAI was entertaining to say the least.
A week after it began, Altman is back in the hot seat and arguably holds most, if not all the cards. The other big winner from the debacle looks to be Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive. He may have reportedly been ‘livid’ at not knowing of the attempted coup before it happened, but he played a blinder over the following days and his hold over the company behind ChatGPT is now copperfastened.
I’ll be looking at the OpenAI affair in detail this weekend on businesspost.ie, so don’t miss it.
Coincidentally, it’s exactly a year ago since OpenAI unleashed ChatGPT on the world. The world as we know it has changed in the wake of its release as society clamours to understand how much of an impact AI will have on us all. With this in mind I’ve compiled a list of the Irish AI firms you most need to know for Connected magazine, which returns this week.
In the final Connected of 2023, we’ve also great features covering everything from the top tech trends for 2024, smarter buildings, cybersecurity attacks, and the thorny issue of innovation v regulation. Given the time of year, we’ve also rounded up the best tech toys to go under the Christmas tree.
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While OpenAI dominated the news headlines this week, there were plenty of other great tech stories. Not least the huge $4.3 billion fine for crypto exchange Binance. As part of that settlement, chief executive Changpeng Zhao agreed to plead guilty to anti-money laundering charges, pay a personal $50 million fine, and step down as CEO.
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) launched a lawsuit against Media Matters following its recent claims the social media platform was running ads for big tech firms next to pro-Nazi content.
Nvidia’s latest earnings manage to wow everyone bar its own investors on Tuesday.
Looking at local tech news and Irish IT services firm Version 1 scored a £45 million multi-year contract with Companies House, while mobile phone mast giant Cellnex said it was considering selling its Irish assets, which are valued at €1 billion-plus.
Zerve, a data science and artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, announced a $3.8 million raise, and there were results out for Coinbase’s Irish unit, and for Teamwork. the Cork-based software company.
Business Post subscribers can enjoy this month's Connected magazine in our e-reader here.
Lastly, If you haven’t had enough of me already, I’m making a guest appearance in the Business Post weekly magazine this weekend with a feature on whether Bluesky can emerge as as a real alternative to what was formerly Twitter.
All the best
Charlie
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AI hallucinations pose ‘direct threat’ to science, Oxford study warns (The Next Web)
