WhatsApp is testing a paid subscription at EUR 2.49 per month as Meta rolls out premium tiers across its apps
WhatsApp is testing a paid subscription at EUR 2.49 per month as Meta rolls out premium tiers across its apps

Summary: WhatsApp has begun testing a paid consumer subscription called WhatsApp Plus at approximately EUR 2.49 per month, offering cosmetic upgrades including 18 chat themes, custom icons, exclusive ringtones, and expanded pinned chats, following Inst…

Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want
Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want

One of the most mortifying things about knowing a lot of techies is listening to them tell me excitedly about some very important discovery that they believe they have made. Recently, I ran into an acquaintance of mine, who began talking my ear off about an amazing discovery he’d made with LLMs. Knowledge, it turns […]

WhatsApp tests ‘Plus’ subscription that adds stickers and more for a few bucks a month
WhatsApp tests ‘Plus’ subscription that adds stickers and more for a few bucks a month

WhatsApp users are getting some new customization features – for a price. According to WABetaInfo, Meta is rolling out a WhatsApp Plus subscription to “a limited number of users,” offering several cosmetic and quality of life perks, including exclusive stickers, different app themes, custom app icons, premium ringtones, the ability to pin up to 20 […]

Threads is redesigning its website and finally adding direct messages to the desktop
Threads is redesigning its website and finally adding direct messages to the desktop

Summary: Threads head Connor Hayes previewed a redesigned web interface that adds direct messages, a navigation sidebar with shortcuts to saved posts and insights, and a cleaner single-feed layout replacing the current multi-column design. DMs, which l…

Meta targets 20 May for 8,000 layoffs as it redirects billions toward AI infrastructure
Meta targets 20 May for 8,000 layoffs as it redirects billions toward AI infrastructure

In short: Meta will begin companywide layoffs on 20 May, cutting approximately 8,000 employees (10% of its 78,865-person workforce), with additional cuts planned for the second half of 2026. The restructuring, which follows earlier rounds that brought …

Meta raises Quest 3 and Quest 3S prices due to RAM shortage

Starting April 19, the price of the Meta Quest 3S (128GB) and Meta Quest 3S (256GB) will go up by $50 to $349.99 and $449.99, respectively. The price of the Meta Quest 3 is going up by $100 to $599.99.

Meta blames RAM shortage for $100 Quest 3 price hike
Meta blames RAM shortage for $100 Quest 3 price hike

Meta is the next tech company to hike up hardware prices due to the global memory shortage. Beginning April 19th, Meta’s 128GB Quest 3S VR headset will cost $349.99, the 256GB Quest 3S will cost $449.99, and the Quest 3 will cost $599.99. Those are increases of $50 for both Quest 3S models and $100 […]

Meta and Broadcom extend their AI chip deal to 2029
Meta and Broadcom extend their AI chip deal to 2029

The expanded partnership covers several generations of Meta’s custom MTIA processors, starts with over a gigawatt of computing capacity, and is described as the ‘first phase of a sustained, multi-gigawatt rollout.’ The new chips will be the first custo…

Meta is building face recognition into your glasses, and civil rights groups are not happy about it

Over 70 civil rights groups are demanding Meta kill its rumored facial recognition feature for Ray-Ban smart glasses before it ever launches, calling it a tool for stalkers and surveillance.

Meta is building an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg so employees can ‘talk to the boss’
Meta is building an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg so employees can ‘talk to the boss’

The photorealistic digital character is trained on Zuckerberg’s mannerisms, tone, and his own thinking on company strategy. He is personally involved in testing it. The effort, described by four people familiar with the matter, is separate from a ‘CEO …