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Matt Miller, ex-Sequoia partner, has secured $355 million for his new VC firm, Evantic, with backing from Sequoia.
Evantic will focus on Series B and growth-stage B2B companies in both Europe and the U.S., operating from London.
Miller's departure from Sequoia followed a reported power play at Klarna and internal tensions, but he maintains good relations with the firm.
Evantic's size is similar to the Norrsken Foundation's investment in European AI startups, joining other cross-Atlantic venture firms.
Google is enhancing NotebookLM by introducing featured notebooks from reputable sources such as The Economist, The Atlantic, and various experts. This update allows users to explore diverse topics like health, travel, and finance. Users can interact with the original content, ask questions, and receive cited answers. Additionally, the platform offers audio overviews and Mind Maps for easy navigation. This builds upon the recent launch of public notebook sharing, with over 140,000 notebooks already shared.
The initial collection includes notebooks on longevity advice from Eric Topol, predictions for 2025 from The Economist, life advice from Arthur C. Brooks, a Yellowstone guide, wellbeing trends from Oxford, parenting advice from Jacqueline Nesi, Shakespeare's works, and Q1 earnings reports. These notebooks are designed to provide users with practical examples of how to effectively use NotebookLM for in-depth exploration of subjects.
Meta is intensifying its fight against unoriginal content on Facebook, targeting accounts that repeatedly share content from others. The company has already removed 10 million profiles impersonating content creators and taken action against 500,000 accounts for spam and fake engagement.
Similar to YouTube's recent policy clarification, Meta will penalize accounts that abuse the system by reusing content, potentially leading to loss of monetization and reduced distribution. The platform will also prioritize original content by linking duplicate videos back to the source.
The changes address concerns over AI-generated content, advising creators to focus on authentic storytelling rather than low-value, AI-narrated videos. Meta will roll out these changes gradually and provide creators with insights via the Professional Dashboard to monitor their content's distribution.
The web browser market is dominated by Google Chrome and Apple Safari, but several alternative browsers offer unique features and benefits.
Cognition, the company behind the AI coding agent Devin, has acquired Windsurf, an AI coding startup, after Google hired away Windsurf's CEO and research leaders. The acquisition includes Windsurf's IP, AI-powered IDE, and remaining employees.
Windsurf had reached $82 million in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) and served 350 enterprise customers with hundreds of thousands of daily active users. The Windsurf team will focus on enhancing Devin, with plans to integrate Windsurf's technology into Cognition's products.
Cognition emphasized that all Windsurf employees will financially benefit from the deal, with vesting cliffs waived.
Malaysia is increasing its efforts to prevent advanced AI chips from the U.S. reaching China. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has announced new restrictions requiring individuals and companies to notify Malaysian authorities 30 days in advance when exporting or transshipping U.S. AI chips.
These measures are effective immediately, and the Malaysian government has stated it will take strict legal action against anyone attempting to circumvent export controls or engage in illicit trade activities.
This action comes amid growing concerns about chip smuggling, with reports suggesting sophisticated networks are already in place to move AI chips into China. The U.S. is also considering further restrictions on AI chip exports to Malaysia and Thailand to prevent China from accessing these chips through alternative routes.
Google's NotebookLM is evolving into a more comprehensive platform with the addition of featured notebooks from sources like The Economist and The Atlantic. These notebooks offer users curated content spanning various topics, from health and travel to finance. Users can explore source material, ask questions, and utilize features like Audio Overviews and Mind Maps. This expansion builds on the recent launch of public notebook sharing, with over 140,000 notebooks shared since its debut. The initial collection includes notebooks on longevity, predictions for 2025, life advice, Yellowstone National Park, human wellbeing, parenting advice, Shakespeare's works, and Q1 earnings reports.
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe transferred shares and options to his ex-wife as part of a divorce settlement, reducing his voting power from 7.6% to around 4%. The settlement, involving approximately $130 million worth of shares and options, does not impact Rivian's operations. Despite the shift, Scaringe retains control over a mix of shares, options, and RSUs. The change comes as Rivian focuses on cost reduction and the upcoming R2 SUV launch.