Twitter

Screenshots reveal X’s exploration of NSFW adult communities

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The platform, formerly Twitter, is working on an addition to its Communities feature that would let X users create groups for X-rated material, according to app researchers. pic.twitter.com/Sou18ze7Va — Nima Owji (@nima_owji) February 28, 2024Twitter introduced its Communities feature in 2021. So, the platform’s more-lenient policy on adult content is critical for online sex workers to grow their businesses. Adult creators are allowed to post explicit content on X, though they can’t monetize it on the platform. Even though X seems to be working on this NSFW Communities feature, that doesn’t mean it’ll come to fruition.

Fine-tuning the User Demographic of LinkedIn: Strategizing for Those Straddling Between TikTok and the Older Twitter

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Two weeks ago, TechCrunch broke the news that LinkedIn was getting into games, helping users “deepen relationships” through puzzle-based interactions. And on Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that the Microsoft-owned social network was experimenting with short-form videos. It’s as if LinkedIn is targeting a whole new “type” of user — one caught in limbo somewhere between two other well-known social networks. And LinkedIn shouldn’t try to be Twitter or TikTok — it’s aimed at an entirely different audience. And now with games and short-form videos in the mix, LinkedIn wants even more of the action.

“Artifact by Instagram’s Co-Founders: The AI-Powered News App That Won’t Die”

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Artifact, the well-received AI-powered news app from Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, may not be shutting down as planned. “It takes a lot less to run it than we had imagined,” Systrom confirmed to TechCrunch, adding that it’s just himself and Krieger running Artifact right now. Artifact made a splash at launch, not only because it was the first major effort at a new social app from Instagram’s co-founders, but also because of its clever use of AI. pic.twitter.com/5PaMavJbNS — @samhenrigold@hachyderm.io (@samhenrigold) March 16, 2024Following Artifact’s announcement of its impending closure, interest in using AI to summarize the news has heated up. Browser startup Arc implemented an AI-powered “pinch to summarize” feature ahead of its $50 million fundraise.

“Match Group Welcomes Yoel Roth, Former Twitter Trust & Safety Leader”

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Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth announced today that he is joining Match Group, the parent company of several popular dating apps, including Tinder and Hinge. Yoel, who shared the move on LinkedIn, is now the company’s Vice President of Trust and Safety. I swiped right on Match Group,” Roth said in his announcement post. Roth is now taking his trust and safety expertise to Match’s family of dating apps, which includes Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, OurTime, and more. Although dating apps have built-in features to keep users safe, there is still a lot of toxic behavior on these apps, and not everyone trusts them.

Apple Ends Epic’s Account, Meta Platforms Offline, Former Twitter Execs Sue Elon Musk

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Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter covering all of — or at least the bulk of! This week, Roku played hardball with its customers, requiring them to consent to new dispute resolution terms. And Elon Musk, the CEO of X, sued OpenAI over allegedly “betraying” its nonprofit mission. NewsEpic takedown: Apple has terminated Epic Games’ App Store developer account, reportedly calling it a “threat” to the iOS ecosystem. Musk money: Four former Twitter executives, including ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, sued Musk on Monday, alleging that they’re owed over $128 million in severance payments.

“Ex-Twitter Chief Executive Files Lawsuit Against Elon Musk”

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Another day, another lawsuit involving Elon Musk. Four former Twitter executives, including ex-CEO Parag Agrawal, sued Musk on Monday, alleging that they’re owed over $128 million in severance payments. According to the lawsuit, Musk has a “special ire” toward these former executives, who worked hard to hold Musk to his $44 billion commitment when he tried to back out. Musk has faced several lawsuits from former Twitter employees who are also waiting for a check. According to the lawsuit, Musk claimed that these executives committed “gross negligence” and “willful misconduct” in their termination letters, but never was able to show evidence of his allegations.

Twitter Alums Launch Particle: A Revolutionary AI News Aggregator with $4.4M Funding

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A team led by former Twitter engineers is rethinking how AI can be used to help people process news and information. The startup was founded last year by former Senior Director of Product Management at Twitter, Sara Beykpour, who worked on products like Twitter Blue, Twitter Video, and conversations, and who spearheaded the experimental app, twttr. She had been at Twitter from 2015 through 2021, growing her position from software engineering to that of a senior director of product management. The premise behind Particle, as Beykpour explained last month, is to make it easier to keep up with news using AI. We’re hoping to talk in more detail about how Particle vets its sources closer to a public launch.

Former Twitter Trust & Safety co-lead, Aaron Rodericks, joins Bluesky team

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Emerging decentralized social network and X rival Bluesky has just landed a notable former Twitter leader as its new Head of Trust and Safety. On Wednesday, the company announced it has appointed Aaron Rodericks, who most recently co-led the Trust and Safety team at Twitter, to this new position. It’s an indication that the network will approach trust and safety similarly, if not better, than Twitter once did, before Musk’s takeover. Bluesky says Rodericks will lead the moderation team that provides 24/7 coverage to uphold the Bluesky Community Guidelines and promises reports are reviewed in under 24 hours. “Aaron’s expertise in trust & safety at global scale brings invaluable experience to our moderation team.

Particle: An AI-Driven News Reader Developed by Former Twitter Engineers

Particle
A team led by former Twitter engineers is rethinking how AI can be used to help people process news and information. The startup was founded last year by former Senior Director of Product Management at Twitter, Sara Beykpour, who worked on products like Twitter Blue, Twitter Video, and conversations, and had spearheaded the experimental app, twttr. She had been at Twitter from 2015 through 2021, growing her position from software engineering to that of a senior director of product management. The premise behind Particle, as Beykpour explained last month, is to make it easier to keep up with news using AI. We’re hoping to talk in more detail about how Particle vets its sources closer to a public launch.

Bluesky Empowers Users to Host Personal Servers through New Federation Opening

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Social network Bluesky, a competitor to X, Threads, Mastodon, and others, is opening up its doors with today’s news that the network is now opening up federation, following its public launch earlier this month. The move will allow anyone to run their own server that connects to Bluesky’s network, so they can host their own data, their own account and make their own rules. That sent some former Twitter users in search of alternatives that were more sustainable, like Mastodon and Bluesky. While this model is similar to Mastodon, Bluesky uses a newer social networking protocol, the AT Protocol, while Mastodon and many other networks today use ActivityPub. “After this initial phase, we’ll open up federation to people looking to run larger servers with many users,” it says.