New post format: a weekly rollup of links, comments on those links, activity updates and attempts at humor. The intention is quicker hits in addition to the less frequent big posts and more timely hammering on my favorite themes.
Note that my poor, overtaxed server struggles to serve up all the images to email users at the same time, so if you don’t see images, be sure to click through. Server upgrade in the works.
The Google Pivot Away from “AI-Safety First”
First “Code Red” (followed by a lengthy CEO denial he ever called for a “Code Red”, but allows someone else might have). Then “Panic”. Now they’ve reached the “Reorg” stage. The urgency is palpable.
“Google has more than 160 people working full time“
The traditional answer to the question “how many people work at Google?” is “about half”. But “more than 160 people” defending the franchise at a company with over 175,00 employees seems a tad underwhelming. The real question is how does that number compare to their ranks of AI safety people.
Cloud Repatriation: “Greatly Exaggerated”
Previous: Platformonomics Repatriation Index™ – Q4 2022: The Search Continues, Should I Stay or Should I Go
Cloud Repatriation: Box Declines to Join the Repatriots
Profiles in Cowardice: SEC Edition
For all the kudos the SEC is getting for finally starting to apply securities laws to cryptocurrencies (only a decade late and only after customers lost over a trillion dollars), SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s refusal to comment on whether Ethereum is a security or not is pathetic. Does he really not have a position on this question? What is the political calculus here?
A Good Week for Private Equity
Staple Street Capital, the private equity investor behind Dominion Voting Systems, saw a 1400% return on its investment via settlement of its defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Enjoy it as I predict next week will be tougher for private equity.
Exercise: Make the Case Zoom is Secure
How are they not at the beck and call of the Chinese Ministry of State Security?
Cheesy Geopolitical News
Previous: The Italian Cheese Wheel Bailout, New Heights in Collateralization: Cheese Bonds
Germany Leads in Coal-Fired Data Centers
Germans do victory lap as they close down their last three nuclear plants. Moronic.
Previous: Cloud Power Up
(That one really should have been captioned “Live cam view from inside Twitter headquarters”)