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Mastodon 4.4 introduces several updates, most notably preparing for Quote Posts, similar to Twitter's Quote Tweets, with user controls to limit misuse. The update also includes profile enhancements with a 'Feature on my profile' option, carousel display of Pinned Posts, and a profile widget showing mutual follows. Navigation is improved with a redesigned 'Trending' section and reorganized sidebar. Media player updates offer better controls, mobile zoom, and alt-text reminders. Onboarding is simplified for new users, and server admins gain new legal compliance features. The changes follow Mastodon's move to a non-profit structure and plans for commercial offerings.
Slate Auto, an electric truck startup, has raised $700 million to date, including a Series A round with investments from Jeff Bezos and Slauson & Co.
Slauson & Co. invested in Slate due to its mission of providing affordable, reliable, and customizable vehicles manufactured domestically.
Slate Auto's CEO Chris Barman, Chairman Rodney Copes, and CFO Ryan Green bring decades of automotive industry experience from companies like Chrysler, Harley-Davidson, and Rivian.
Slate's truck has garnered over 100,000 refundable reservations and is backed by investors such as Mark Walter and General Catalyst.
Slauson & Co. believes the investment in Slate Auto can generate significant returns despite the low-margin auto business.
Frontier is funding Arbor Energy to remove 116,000 tons of CO2 by building a commercial-scale power plant in Louisiana.
Arbor's BiCRS technology burns waste biomass to generate electricity for data centers while capturing and storing the resulting CO2.
The power plant, inspired by rocket turbomachinery, transforms biomass into syngas and captures 99% of the CO2 released during combustion.
Frontier emphasizes the importance of sustainable biomass principles and sees potential for BiCRS and BECCS to address future energy needs.
UAE-based proptech startup Huspy has raised $59 million in Series B funding to expand its digital home buying and mortgage platform across the Middle East and Europe. Led by Balderton Capital, the investment will support Huspy's growth in the UAE and Spain, as well as its launch in Saudi Arabia. Huspy has achieved significant success in the UAE, capturing 30% of the mortgage market, and is now replicating its network-based model in Spain. The company aims to streamline the real estate process for agents and buyers by providing tools for lead access, CRM, transaction support, and integrated mortgage products. Huspy plans to operate in over 10 cities by the end of 2025 and has facilitated over $7 billion in transactions.
OpenAI has significantly enhanced its security measures to safeguard against corporate espionage, prompted by the release of a competing model by Chinese startup DeepSeek.
The enhanced security protocols include:
These measures address both external threats and internal security issues, such as talent poaching and information leaks.