This week, Mozilla Foundation announced a significant reduction in its workforce, with 30% of employees being laid off. This marks the second round of layoffs for the Firefox browser maker this year. Nabiha Syed, the executive director, confirmed that two major divisions of the foundation, advocacy, and global programs, are no longer part of the organization’s structure. Although Mozilla’s communications chief, Brandon Borrman, mentioned that advocacy is still important, specific details were not provided.
In other news, Anduril is contemplating the construction of its first major manufacturing plant, “Arsenal-1,” which could span 5 million square feet. The potential locations for this facility include Arizona, Ohio, or Texas following the company’s recent $1.5 billion round of funding. Activision also made headlines by fixing a bug in its anti-cheat system that was erroneously banning legitimate player accounts. This bug was reportedly exploited by a hacker who banned thousands of Call of Duty players.
On the business front, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas offered the company’s services to mitigate the impact of a strike by New York Times tech workers. This move received backlash from many users, accusing Srinivas of being a scab. Meanwhile, Nvidia surpassed Apple to become the world’s largest company by market capitalization. Apple, on the other hand, warned investors that its future products may not achieve the same level of success as the iPhone.
Additionally, Bowery Farming, an agtech unicorn specializing in vertical farming, announced its closure after multiple rounds of layoffs. OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search, a new search product, and Andreessen Horowitz is exploring investments in AI-powered parenting tools. Oil and gas giant BP revealed the cancellation of 18 early-stage hydrogen projects, potentially impacting the hydrogen industry. Decart released “Oasis,” an AI model that powers a Minecraft-like game generating frames in real time.
In the realm of social media, Canada ordered the closure of ByteDance’s operations in the country, including TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese proposed a ban on social media for children under 16 without parental consent. OpenAI acquired Chat.com, redirecting it to ChatGPT, following a domain purchase by HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah.
In analysis, Elon Musk’s support for President-elect Donald Trump and its implications on policy and regulations governing his businesses were explored. Musk’s involvement in shaping the presidency raised questions about potential conflicts of interest and the influence of business leaders on political decisions.