Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
Meta plans to increase its investment in a data center in El Paso, Texas, to more than $10B, a significant rise from the initial $1.5B commitment (Riley Griffin/Bloomberg)
Riley Griffin / Bloomberg:
Meta plans to increase its investment in a data center in El Paso, Texas, to more than $10B, a significant rise from the initial $1.5B commitment — Meta Platforms Inc. will spend more than $10 billion to develop a data center in El Paso, Texas, a jump from prior projections and the latest …
Netflix raises US prices following a January 2025 hike; standard with ads rises $1 to $8.99/month; standard with no ads and premium rise $2 to $19.99 and $26.99 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix raises US prices following a January 2025 hike; standard with ads rises $1 to $8.99/month; standard with no ads and premium rise $2 to $19.99 and $26.99 — Netflix, for the second time in a little over a year, is raising prices for its three plans in the U.S. The new pricing …
You Can Jump Right to the Updates Screen in the App Store App on iOS 26.4
I mentioned the other day that I was mildly irked by a change in iOS 26.4 that moved the list of available updates in the App Store app one additional screen further into its hierarchy. Good news (via Nate Barham on Mastodon): you can long-press on the App Store app on your Home Screen and jump right to the Updates screen from the contextual menu. Nice! (This feature has been around for a few years, apparently, but it’s extra useful in 26.4).
Alternatively, you can create a Shortcuts shortcut that jumps you to the Updates screen. Just one action: open the URL itms-apps://apps.apple.com/updates. Save it as an “app” on your Home Screen or an action in Control Center. Me, I’m just going to use the tap-and-hold contextual menu item on the App Store app.
Disney Drops Vaporware $1B Investment in OpenAI After Sora Got Axed
Todd Spangler, reporting for Variety:
Disney has now ended its partnership with OpenAI, which included plans for the media conglomerate to take a $1 billion stake in the artificial-intelligence company led by CEO Sam Altman.
A Disney rep said in a statement to Variety: “As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere. We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators.”
Allow me to translate from PR-speak into plain English:
We love children, and children will always be the primary audience for Disney’s theme parks, movies, and other entertainment. But we don’t do business with children.
Most PR statements would be more effective in plain English.
Sources: X let go of 20+ staffers in nontechnical roles ahead of a SpaceX IPO; X staff have been told to focus on growing revenue since xAI brought on a CRO (Wall Street Journal)
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: X let go of 20+ staffers in nontechnical roles ahead of a SpaceX IPO; X staff have been told to focus on growing revenue since xAI brought on a CRO — Redundant roles have been removed as the social-media company tries to boost profit and integrate with Musk's space-exploration company