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Amazon to Cut 9,000 More Jobs, Deepening Biggest Pullback Ever

Amazon.com Inc. is going to lay off an added 9,000 workers, bringing the total number of layoffs to the firm’s all-time high.

CEO Andy Jassy declared the cutbacks privately on Monday, stating that they would take effect in the following weeks and therefore would impact Amazon Web Services, advertising, human resources, and the Twitch live broadcasting service communities.

“Given the uncertain economy in which we reside, and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have chosen to be more streamlined in our costs and headcount,” he said in his memo, published later to Amazon’s corporate blog.
Source: news.yahoo.com

Also Read: Twitter Cuts More Engineering, and Product Jobs to Curb Costs

Twitch’s arriving CEO stated in a personal blog article that 400 people would be laid off at the subsidiary based in San Francisco. A spokesperson for Amazon did not provide information on how the remaining layoffs would be distributed.

The e-commerce behemoth has been firing mainly corporate workers ever since a hiring binge during the global epidemic left Amazon with an overabundance of employees.

The company recently completed a round of massive layoffs summing up approximately 18,000 employees. These layoffs began in November and were concentrated primarily on Amazon’s recruitment and human resources workgroups, as well as its vast retail team as well as devices teams.

In New York, Amazon shares dropped 1.3 percent to 97.71 USD. This year, the stock has risen approximately 16 percent.

According to Jassy, the recent layoffs occurred ever since teams finished one other step of the firm’s yearly planning process. He stated that most of Amazon’s enterprises have witnessed tremendous growth in the last few years.

“The overriding tenet of our annual planning this year was to be leaner while doing so in a way that enables us to still invest robustly in the key long-term customer experiences that we believe can meaningfully improve customers’ lives and Amazon as a whole,” he said.
Source: news.yahoo.com

The layoffs arrive in the week following the announcement that Facebook acquirer Meta Platforms Corporation revealed a further 10,000 layoffs and the closure of around 5,000 extra open positions as part of its second large round of massive layoffs.

Also Read: Meta to end news access for Canadians

Throughout a latest executive discussion, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told staff that the business situation of job cuts as well as restructuring can last some more years.

Google’s parent corporation Alphabet Inc., Dell Technologies Inc., Microsoft Corp., and International Business Machines Corp. have all lowered their workforce. As per a Bloomberg survey, more than 67,000 positions had been lost in the business ever since the start of the calendar year as of early February.

Suhani Jain

I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person

We may soon get an Xbox mobile gaming store. Is it a good move?

Microsoft is preparing to open the Xbox mobile game store early in the following year.

The software behemoth previously disclosed its ambitions for an Xbox mobile store, and now Xbox CEO Phil Spencer claims the store is being built in preparation for corporations like Google and Apple being compelled to make their mobile app stores public.

In a Financial Times interview, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated, “We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play.

Also Read: Microsoft to Improve Default App Settings in Windows 11?

Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up.”

Microsoft first made mention of a “next-generation store” in the early months of last year, just one month after the organization revealed its intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The Xbox mobile store will rest on Activision Blizzard content like Call of Duty: Mobile and Candy Crush Saga, two hugely popular mobile games released by Activision and King, respectively, in order to compete with Apple and Google’s dominance in the mobile gaming store market.

Microsoft is developing an Xbox mobile store, but in order for it to succeed on iOS and Android gadgets, regulators will need to take some action against Google and Apple. Alternative stores are not permitted on Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, and most nations do not support competing payment options either.

Microsoft and Spotify are among the companies hoping that the EU’s Digital Markets Act will compel Apple and Google to alter the way they distribute mobile apps, eventually allowing for the opening of their portals and stores to competition.

Additionally, Microsoft is developing a larger Xbox mobile platform. Developers will also be able to manage their own app stores inside of Microsoft’s Xbox mobile platform thanks to the forthcoming Xbox mobile store.

Microsoft still needs regulatory clearance for its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in order for any of this to materialize. Microsoft has lately engaged in combat with the CMA, calling attention to “clear errors” in the regulator’s financial calculations. The Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission are both conducting regulation investigations into Microsoft.

Also Read: Is the PS5 Pro really coming to market in 2024?

The FTC filed a lawsuit to stop the Microsoft deal last year, and it is still in the document discovery phase. An evidentiary hearing is set for August 2nd, despite reports that the EU is likely to approve Microsoft’s deal.

Microsoft’s “next-generation gaming ecosystem,” which might allude to the company’s plans to develop its Xbox mobile gaming store, was the subject of a recent document request from FTC lawyers.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Microsoft to Improve Default App Settings in Windows 11?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

One of the lasting effects of the browser battles of the 1990s has been an excessive focus on how Microsoft manages default app settings in Windows 11, particularly browser settings.

Microsoft’s handling of app defaults in Windows 11 has frequently drawn criticism. In comparison to Windows 10, the latest operating system makes it harder for users to switch from Microsoft’s pre-installed apps to third-party ones.

That could soon change, though, as Microsoft intends to make it simpler for users who want to alter the default Windows 11 apps.

Also Read: With GPT-4, are we one step closer to losing our jobs?

Microsoft announced the new feature for Windows 11 users in a blog post, stating that it is “reaffirming our long-standing approach to put people in control of their Windows PC experience.” This feature will allow users to quickly control changes to their app defaults.

Microsoft stated in a blog post,”We want to ensure that people are in control of what gets pinned to their Desktop, their Start menu and their Taskbar as well as to be able to control their default applications such as their default browser through consistent, clear and trustworthy Windows provided system dialogs and settings.”

The tech juggernaut was reacting to the cumbersome app-switching procedure. For instance, if a user wishes to switch from Edge to Chrome as the default browser, they must manually set Chrome as the default for each corresponding file and link type in addition to setting Chrome as the default browser overall.

Later OS updates made switching between browsers a little bit simpler, allowing you to select a default browser with just one button by going to that browser in the Default Apps section of the Settings app. However, compared to Windows 10, the option was still hidden, and it only worked for browsers, limiting image editors and other apps to use the more complicated one-file-type-at-a-time controls.

Microsoft will now give developers of apps “the ability to make their app the default or pin their app to the taskbar” through a “commonly supported way”. Additionally, it stated that its own apps would adhere to the same standard for defaults and pinning in order to prevent favoritism for the applications in its ecosystem.

Also Read: How to set up Discord on PS5 and PS4?

Developers will be given a new Settings deep link URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) so they can direct their customers to the proper default settings. Microsoft will launch an API for app pinning that will let external apps be instantly pinned as the taskbar’s main or secondary tiles. According to Microsoft, these new features will initially be available on the Windows Insider Channel over the following few months.

It is not necessary to use these new features, and app developers who are already handling things distinctly won’t need to alter their apps right away. However, the business claims that later this year, after application developers have had time to implement these new best practices, it will start taking more steps to prevent “unrequested modifications to a user’s choices.”

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

With GPT-4, are we one step closer to losing our jobs?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

As ChatGPT garners interest on a global scale, the robust model that underpins it, GPT-3.5, is expanding at a remarkable rate. Three months into 2023, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has already surpassed 100 million users, launched an API, and is now publishing GPT-4. GPT-4, known as “OpenAI’s most advanced system,” is accessible on ChatGPT Plus and via a waitlist for its API.

Greg Brockman, President, and Co-Founder of OpenAI showed the tasks this new model is capable of handling during the Livestream session of GPT-4’s launch. The update improves GPT-4’s capabilities on all levels. In a number of academic and professional exams, GPT-4 currently performs better than humans.

Also Read: Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to step down

GPT-4 and GPT-3.5 both achieved 90th percentile scores on the Uniform Bar Exam, a standardized test taken by attorneys in the US. GPT-4 achieved the 89th percentile in math and 93rd percentile in reading and writing on the SAT, a nationally normed exam for college admissions in the US.

Therefore, the most commonly asked question with a strong model like GPT-4 is if more jobs are going to be replaced. The solution is obvious. The most impacted professions, according to a recent study by Princeton University researchers, are liberal arts teachers, telemarketers, and sociologists.

Because of GPT’s exceptional text-writing skills, media professionals, particularly writers, are becoming increasingly afraid that it will replace them. But keep in mind that GPT is an NLP model and that it predicts the next word based on prior contexts, despite how impressive it may appear.

This means that it can only create output by gathering data and putting together feedback, and cannot produce original ideas (although one could argue that there isn’t any genuine originality).

The ability of GPT-4 to interpret images will continue to dazzle humans if completing tests isn’t impressive enough for AI. GPT-4 will describe every aspect of a meme image to explain why it is funny when asked to do so, much as a nerdy but fascinating friend would.

It can even analyze all the data in a chart and use that to make calculations or analyses. It can analyze it pixel-by-pixel and provide you with the information you need if you ask it to sum up a paper by giving it a screenshot with charts and text.

Also Read: Why Did Silicon Valley Bank Collapse?

Some paid consultants and foreign language instructors might also lose their companies. Morgan Stanley is placing GPT-4 in its content collection and generating responses. While Iceland’s government is collaborating with OpenAI to maintain its language, As tech companies remain to lay off workers and increase their investment in AI, even coders are losing their employment.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to step down

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch, will step down after around a decade as the firm’s leader. Shear announced the news in a blog post written on Thursday, declaring he will become involved in the firm as an advisor. Dan Clancy will take up his role as the CEO who has been President of Twitch since 2019.

In October 2006 we started working on live video for the internet. That became Twitch. More than 16 years later, I’m now a father and ready to move to my next phase of life,” Shear tweeted.
Source: deccanherald.com

Also Read: Google rolls out AI writing assistant to Gmail and Docs

Emmett Shear was a founding member of Justin.tv which was the diverse live streaming provider that evolved into Twitch. Justin.tv was ultimately overtaken by Twitch which was its spin-off gaming provider, which subsequently became the team’s main objective in 2014. The following year, Amazon paid $970 million for the corporation, which was a steal given Twitch’s large cultural influence today.

In a blog post, Shear described his readiness to move on from the company he’s been intimately involved with for 16 years. “Twitch often feels to me like a child I’ve been raising as well,” Shear said. “And while I will always want to be there if Twitch needs me, at 16 years old it feels to me Twitch is ready to move out of the house and venture alone.”

“Emmett has dedicated 16 years to building Twitch, fostering our mission, and inspiring and empowering all of us to serve this incredible community,” Clancy said. “I’m so grateful for his partnership over the last four years, and for the opportunity to continue this work alongside a team that cares so deeply about our streamers and the larger Twitch community.”
Source: techcrunch.com

Shear’s resignation from the company and enhance Twitch’s president is not entirely unexpected. Clancy had already been closely involved with the everyday activities of the business and served as a public image for a number of the company’s most important conversations.

Also Read: Meta to end news access for Canadians

Clancy wrote a lengthy letter to the Twitch community in September, trying to highlight substantial changes to the platform’s profits distribution with top streamers.

In reply to this condemnation, Twitch released an announcement in September that its top artists would be able to keep 70 percent of revenue for the initial 100,000 USD earned, also with a standard 50 percent share going into effect afterward.

Suhani Jain

Is the PS5 Pro really coming to market in 2024?

Leave a Comment / Story, Tech Story / By Sandhya Gupta

According to a recent report from Tom Henderson at Inside Gaming, Sony is indeed working on the PS5 Pro, a mid-generation PlayStation upgrade that is presently under development.

The PS5 Pro, which is presently under development, is a mid-generation PlayStation upgrade, according to a recent report from Tom Henderson at Inside Gaming.

According to the report, Sony will first release a PS5 with a removable disc drive later this year to reduce the cost of the current PS5, and the PS5 Pro is truly a separate device that might instead be released by late 2024. It is rumored that Sony doesn’t intend to release the PS6 before 2028.

Also Read: How to set up Discord on PS5 and PS4?

The PS4 debuted in 2013 for $400, and the PS4 Pro followed three years later for the same price. Sony still offers $400 and $500 PS5 types based on the disc drive, and it is unclear whether there will be different PS5 Pro models or whether all of them will eventually come with this “optional” disc drive model.

Certainly, it wouldn’t be more than $500. There are no specifics provided in this story regarding what will be included in the PS5 Pro upgrade package. Just some information from PlayStation’s Mark Cerny that they might be seeking to improve their ray-tracing abilities, followed by assumptions about better graphics, performance, speed, etc. However, none of that is certain.

It’s difficult to predict whether upgrading to a PS5 Pro will be worthwhile or not in one and a half years. The “Series” identifier of this generation frequently seemed to suggest that additional hardware was on the horizon, though it is unclear whether Microsoft will also issue a mid-generation upgrade.

However, the majority of Xbox hardware rumors have focused on a streaming box that is only designed to play Xbox Game Pass/Cloud Gaming games; it is doubtful that Sony would also make a device of this nature.

Sony recently released the PSVR 2 as its latest significant piece of gear. Although VR enthusiasts gave the technology high praise, it’s not yet clear if the market will accept yet another VR headset given that the industry is still in its infancy and VR-based metaverse plans are fading quickly, even though Sony’s unit isn’t taking that route.

Also Read: Can an Android phone run a PS2 emulator?

The PlayStation 4 was introduced in 2013, and the PlayStation 4 Pro, an improved version, was introduced in 2016. This indicates that there will be a lag of about three years before Sony introduces any alternate console models, such as a Slim or Pro variant.

It’s important to remember, though, that during some generations, supporters had to wait up to four years. (and as little as two years). In 2020, the PlayStation 5 was made available. So, we can anticipate the introduction of the PlayStation 5 Pro in 2023 or 2024. In other words, a new PlayStation 5 from Sony is most likely coming out within the next two years.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

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