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DeepMind employees sign letter of protest against Google defense contracts

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DeepMind workers sign letter in protest of Google’s defense contracts

At least 200 employees Deep MindGoogle’s AI R&D department is unhappy with reported defense contracts — and based on Time magazine distributed An internal letter confirming this information was sent in May.

In a letter dated May 16, the undersigned write that they’re concerned about “Google’s agreements with military organizations,” citing articles in regards to the tech giant’s deals to supply artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military.

“Any involvement in military and weapons production impacts our leadership in ethical and responsible AI and is contrary to our mission and established AI principles,” the letter added.

Although a comparatively small portion of the organization’s overall staff, the memo highlights a culture conflict between Google and DeepMind, which Google acquired in 2014 and whose technology division Google declared in 2018 won’t ever be used for military or intelligence purposes.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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CISA Director Jen Easterly will leave the agency on January 20

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a photo of CISA director Jen Easterly speaking on stage against a dark background

Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will leave the government agency after greater than three years at its helm.

Both Easterly and the agency’s deputy director Nitin Natarajan will leave CISA on January 20 with the start of the latest Trump administration, based on NextGov first reported departures, citing sources.

CISA spokesman Antonio Soliz confirmed the executives’ departure in an email to TechCrunch. “All nominees in the Biden administration will vacate their positions by the time the new administration takes office at noon on January 20,” Soliz said.

Easterly has since turn out to be the second director to guide CISA founding the agency in 2018. Shortly after taking office, the Biden administration appointed Easterly to move the agency’s cybersecurity agency in April 2021, filling an eight-month emptiness left when then-President Trump fired the agency’s first director, Chris Krebs, for publicly refuting Trump’s false claims that the strategy for 2020 The US elections were rigged.

During Easterly’s time at CISA, the cybersecurity agency pioneered latest initiatives which goals to encourage device manufacturers to secure their products and technologies by defaultand continues to teach and inform the broader industry about cybersecurity threats while helping defend the U.S. government against Russian-backed hacking attacks and Chinese hacking groups targeting U.S. critical infrastructure.

CISA also played a key role in supporting the Ukrainian government against a full-scale and large-scale invasion by Russian forces, including cyberattacks, in 2022.

Prior to joining CISA, Easterly was head of cybersecurity at Morgan Stanley and previously held several senior positions with the U.S. Army, National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber ​​Command.

The Trump administration’s transition team has not yet said who it will select, if anyone, to move CISA on January 20.

Photo of several outstanding hackers and security researchers, including Mudge and Lesley Carhart, with CISA Director Jen Easterly, January 2024.Image credits:Jen Easterly / X

(*20*)This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com

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The new investment by Indian HealthKart is valued at $500 million

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Indian omnichannel nutrition startup HealthKart raised $153 million this 12 months in considered one of the country’s largest consumer startup deals, valuing the corporate at about $500 million, based on a source aware of the matter.

The new investment was co-led by private equity firms ChrysCapital and Motilal Oswal, with Avendus Capital serving as financial advisor. A91 Partners and Asset Manager Neo Group also participated within the new investment.

According to people aware of the matter, some existing investors sold their shares to new sponsors. HealthKart counts Peak XV, Temasek, Sofina and wealth manager IIFL amongst its supporters.

Gurugram-based HealthKart reported revenue of $118.5 million for the 12 months ending March 2024, strengthening its position as India’s largest consumer nutrition platform. The startup sells protein supplements and health accessories.

The 13-year-old startup, which grew out of online pharmacy startup 1MG, said it was also buying back $6.5 million value of stock from employees. The startup generated profitable EBITDA within the financial 12 months ending in March.

“The Indian sports nutrition market, currently underpenetrated, is expected to expand due to increased fitness awareness and the growing importance of nutrition and protein,” Arpit Vinayak, vice chairman of ChrysCapital, said in a press release.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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World of Warcraft turns 20 years old

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Blizzard Entertainment first released World of Warcraft in November 2004, so The New York Times celebrated an anniversary describing how 20 years later we will still see the influence of online multiplayer role-playing games.

First, while multiplayer games and early social networks like MySpace already existed, WoW provided an actual preview of a future where anyone could connect with friends and strangers on the (*20*). Second, the sport made billions of dollars on a business model that combined monthly subscriptions with in-game purchases (including pets and animals that players could ride), becoming a large money cow for Blizzard and paving the way in which for future online business models.

The game also appeared immortal memesattracted celebrity fans and suggested epidemiologists argue that an incident involving the uncontrolled spread of a fantasy disease could possibly be investigated to realize insight into real-world epidemics.

Other than that, I didn’t think the movie was that bad.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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