Heather Somerville / Wall Street Journal: As VC firms pivot to investing in startups developing defense tech for the US and its allies, some of their business ties with China still linger  —  Investors with connections to China are backing startups developing tech that the U.S. wants to counter Beijing Source link

Reuters: Sources: Shein steps up preparations for a London listing amid regulatory hurdles for a New York IPO; source: Shein plans to file in London as soon as May  —  Fast-fashion giant Shein is stepping up preparations for a London listing after its attempt to float itself in New York faced regulatory hurdles … Source

To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch has been publishing a series of interviews focused on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We’re publishing these pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues, highlighting key work that often goes unrecognized. Read more profiles here.

Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: A look at 01.AI, which is launching Wanzhi, a free generative AI assistant focused on the Chinese market; CEO Kai-Fu Lee says 01.AI is nearing profitability  —  – His startup 01.AI is introducing its first consumer AI app  — China needs a catalyst in the same way ChatGPT fueled the US

Melissa Korn / Wall Street Journal: A look at the rise and fall of 2U, which provides online degree programs for top US universities, and is valued at ~$30M today, down from $5B+ in 2018  —  In May 2018, employees from education technology company 2U paraded through the streets of New Orleans, beads and booze

New York Times: A look at how Elon Musk uses X to support right-wing world leaders like Narendra Modi who could help secure advantages for his businesses  —  Minutes after it became clear that Javier Milei had been elected president of South America’s second-largest nation in November, Elon Musk posted on X: “Prosperity is ahead

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg: Sources: Apple has met with Hollywood talent representatives to propose a new performance-based compensation regime, as Amazon and Netflix work on similar plans  —  Apple builds a bonus system around sign-ups, viewer loyalty and production costs.  —  Good afternoon from 30,000 feet. Source link

Henry Mance / Financial Times: Researcher Sonia Livingstone says constraining tech companies and empowering young people and parents are better alternatives to banning kids from social media  —  Social psychologist Sonia Livingstone says there are alternatives to banning the young from social media Source link

Nikkei Asia: Sources: Arm plans to set up an AI chip division, aiming to build a prototype by spring 2025, with mass production expected to start later in the year  —  CEO Son seeks to invest $64bn, including in data centers and robotics  —  TOKYO/LONDON — SoftBank Group subsidiary Arm will foray … Source link

Matthew Green / @matthew_d_green: Following attempts to malign Signal as insecure by Telegram’s CEO and Elon Musk, a look at why Signal is widely regarded by experts as more secure than Telegram  —  Telegram has launched a pretty intense campaign to malign Signal as insecure, with assistance from Elon Musk. The goal seems to be