Good morning, hope you had a wonderful weekend. A few things happened in the tech world while we were resting, so here they are.
1. Meta looks to Twitter users
While Twitter deals with daily chaos and mounting debt, its biggest competitors are thinking they can do tweet storms even better than the ol’ blue bird. Meta confirmed that it was working on a new stand-alone app for sharing Twitter-like messages. A Meta spokesperson told Gizmodo: “We’re exploring a standalone decentralised social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests”. Meta’s app will be based on a similar framework that powers Mastodon.
2. SVB collapses
I’m sure you’ve heard bits and pieces floating around the internet the last few days, but in case you’re unaware of the full story, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the go-to bank for U.S. tech startups, came rapidly unglued, leaving its high-powered customers and investors in limbo. In short, SVB encountered a classic run on the bank, but the longer version is a bit more complicated, with several forces colliding to take it down. 9News has an explainer, as does The Verge, and I recommend you read either.
This puts the magnitude of the SVB collapse into context: pic.twitter.com/ZsphaNO67i
— Graham Stephan (@GrahamStephan) March 12, 2023
3. ChatGPT in cars, because why not
Over to Reuters now and apparently GM is looking to put ChatGPT in cars. “ChatGPT is going to be in everything,” GM vice president Scott Miller said in an interview last week. The chatbot, Miller said, could be used to access information on how to use vehicle features normally found in an owner’s manual, program functions such as a garage door code or to integrate schedules from a calendar. A spokesperson for GM added: “This shift is not just about one single capability like the evolution of voice commands, but instead means that customers can expect their future vehicles to be far more capable and fresh overall when it comes to emerging technologies”.
4. More drone deliveries because the future is now
Wing has announced the next phase of development for its drone delivery business. After scaling its operations and introducing things like delivering from the rooftops, Wing is now taking things a step further with a new operating model called the ‘Wing Delivery Network’ to be deployed over the next year. Through this new model, Wing drones will autonomously be able to pick up, drop off, travel, and charge in “whatever pattern makes the most sense for the entire system”.
“The only future for drone delivery is a level of scale that’s commensurate with other forms of delivery.” More on this and the Wing Delivery Network from our CEO, Adam Woodworth. https://t.co/Bn7PcsWRzh#DeliveredbyWing #DroneDelivery #deliverydrone #uas #uav #logistics
— Wing (@Wing) March 9, 2023
5. Much-hyped new superconductor discovery
For over a century, scientists have sought a holy grail of materials: a room-temperature superconductor, a material that can carry electrical charges without resistance, which would revolutionise the energy landscape as we know it. A team from the University of Rochester claims this week that they’ve found such a material, though some members of the scientific community are sceptical. The new research is published in Nature and here’s our explainer on what to know about the science.
BONUS ITEM: I always accidentally unlock someone else’s car, don’t know about you.
A Vancouver resident says he was able to drive off in another person’s Tesla and he has no idea how it happened. https://t.co/guVpD9kYPY
— Global BC (@GlobalBC) March 10, 2023
Have a great week ahead.