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Dave Burke, Android Engineering VP, relinquishes position to pursue “AI/bio” roles within the company

Dave Burke
Long-time Android Engineering VP Dave Burke said today that he is stepping down from the role. Burke, who spent 14 years building Android, is not leaving Alphabet and is exploring “AI/bio” projects within the company. Burke was involved in pivotal projects, including building Nexus/Pixel phones, developing Chrome for mobile phones, starting Android TV, and spearheading efforts to build and ship developer tools. “So… after 14 yrs leading Android engineering, I’ve decided it’s time for a change. So… after 14 yrs leading Android engineering, I've decided it's time for a change.

“Tech Maverick Danielle Baskin Unveils Moonlight: A Revolutionary Online Tarot Platform in Silicon Valley”

Moonlight Cards Sidewalksmall
Moonlight is a free online tarot platform, where you can draw tarot cards on your own, do a reading in a multiplayer room or even book a session with a vetted tarot professional (that’s where the SaaS part comes in). It was at one of these lessons that Baskin first imagined what an online tarot platform could look like. As she was building out the idea for Moonlight, Baskin teamed up with Caroline Hermans, a game designer and former UX engineer at Google. “I was worried that investors might think I’m a prankster — will that hurt me in actually making a business? We’re all using technology, and I think they’re excited that someone’s making a platform who’s a tarot person, too.”

“Exciting Eclipse Day on TechCrunch Space!”

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Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. Happy Eclipse Day for everyone celebrating! You also can send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew at tips@techcrunch.com. NASA has given three space companies the chance to design the next-generation moon buggy — but only one design will go to space. Footage obtained by TechCrunch shows the catastrophic ending that Astra’s Rocket 3.0 suffered during prelaunch testing in March 2020.

Cyberattack delays professional gaming tournament

Genburten Apex Legends Hacked Cheat
On Sunday, two competitive esports players appeared to get hacked during a live streamed game, prompting the organizers to postpone the tournament. Players were competing in the Apex Legends Global Series, a competitive esports tournament for the popular shooter game Apex Legends, which has a $5 million total prize pool. I’m getting hacked, I’m getting hacked bro, I’m getting hacked,” said Genburten, holding his hands up during the game, according to a video they posted on X, which was also posted on multiple YouTube channels. “I’m cheating, I’m cheating, I’m cheating, I’m fucking cheating,” said ImperialHal. We will share more information soon,” announced the official Apex Legends Esports account on X.

May 14-15: Get Ready for Google I/O!

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While the rest of you are out there touching the proverbial and literal grass, the world’s developers are jamming into conference halls to find out what the next year holds for AI and OSes. Things kick off next week with NVIDIA’s GTC, with the next few months holding Microsoft Build, Apple’s WWDC and, of course, Google I/O. Invites just dropped for the latter, which is set for May 14 and 15 at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California — the usual spot. We’ve still got two months to book travel, but we’ll be there (I might pack a hat this time). While the show is aimed specifically at developers for Google’s various operating systems, things customarily kick off with a Sundar-led keynote.

The Lesser Creep Chronicles of Apple Vision Pro: Brian’s Alter Ego

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If anything, it was the VisionOS 1.1 update that showed me that I still have the capacity to grow. I can tell you agree from the fact that you’re carrying on a normal FaceTime call without stopping every few seconds to tell me how weird my Apple Vision Pro Persona looks. The headset made me re-enroll my face to get this new persona – and frankly, it’s for the best. I’m not saying my new face definitely won’t frighten children, but I don’t think they’re going to lose much sleep over it. I should mention that even in its 1.1 iteration, the Persona feature is still technically in beta – albeit a beta open to anyone with a Vision Pro.

Samsung introduces smart ring with sleep-enhancing capabilities

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After a brief tease at the end of its big Galaxy S24 event earlier this month, Samsung officially debuted the Galaxy Ring this morning at MWC. Circular cofounder and CEO Amaury Kosman stated, “We’re really pleased that Samsung has announced that it will be bringing the Samsung Galaxy Ring to market later this year. The company isn’t a household name, but it’s big enough to effectively be synonymous with the smart ring category for many consumers. While the Galaxy Ring appeared on the MWC floor today, we’re still waiting for a lot here with regards to specifics. Samsung could also lean into sleep tracking, suggesting users wear the Watch all day and sleep with the Ring on.

The Impact of Irene Solaiman: Leading Global AI Policy at Hugging Face

Women In Ai Solaiman
After serving as an AI policy manager at Zillow for nearly a year, she joined Hugging Face as the head of global policy. Her responsibilities there range from building and leading company AI policy globally to conducting socio-technical research. Solaiman also advises the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the professional association for electronics engineering, on AI issues, and is a recognized AI expert at the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Irene Solaiman, head of global policy at Hugging FaceBriefly, how did you get your start in AI? The means by which we improve AI safety should be collectively examined as a field.

“You Are Indebted: The Due Percentage According to My Word”

Maria Teneva Vf4o1owtpnk Unsplash
Apple’s response to being required to allow developers to lever payment options apart from its in-house system is drawing a bevy of negative commentary from tech folks. And with good reason: Apple is offering little and demanding much, ensuring that it can continue to demand a massive cut of developer revenue. The reduction in demands constitutes a full 3% reduction from its existing 30% fee charged to payments that occur inside of its App Store system. Simply put, Apple is trying to offer developers what it has to, but with enough costs attached to make it economically unpalatable. Eric Seufert of Heracles Capital, described Apple’s posture as “heads I win, tails you lose,” which feels pretty accurate.

“Exploring My Reserved Optimism Towards Cryptocurrency in the Year 2024”

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The first is when your friends won’t stop talking about it. The second is when your friends want you to stop talking about it. But in the last decade or so, blockchain-based technology has managed to not go away. All that in hand, I think that 2024 is going be a good year for blockchain-based products and services, but not because I expect that 2021-era venture enthusiasm to rear its head again. Bullish 2024 signals for cryptoFully anticipating texts from friends who are crypto-negative in response to this story, I think it’s important to write down here that I do not hold any material crypto assets.