The biggest tech story of 2023
+ Sam Altman has been ousted as CEO of OpenAI, Taylor Swift postponed her shows in Rio after a fan died amid the heatwave, & more 𓆩♡𓆪
My angels!! Hi!!! Ok, since this is my diary and I’m sick of talking about what’s stressing me out (everything atm) today I’m going to list my little triumphs because I think that’s a #healthier exercise and seems like a nicer thing for you to read!!!
Little triumphs from the last week:
New pod studio!!
A cute group of people are now coming to the weekly quiz night I’ve put together
A new friend from the SYSCAhood took Bel and I to this view:
This iconic photo outside of an iconic bar:
This bookstore!!!
I finished listening to Fourth Wing and am OBSESSED with all the bookies’ takes on it!
I got to read Bel’s EXCELLENT Sunday newsy about why we’re all so SAD rn
Only had one hangover
Hope your weekend was gorg, hope your Monday isn’t too scary, and love love LOVE you 𓆩♡𓆪
Sam Altman has been pushed out as CEO of Open AI
Taylor Swift postponed her Rio shows after a fan died amid the heatwave
Where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine
Play like a girl: A love letter to the 2000s sports films that got us here
Travis Kelce and his brother Jason recorded a Christmas song and it went to the top of the iTunes charts
Sam Altman has been pushed out as CEO of Open AI
Calling all the nerds!! I’ve been following this story all weekend because it’s low-key the biggest tech story in… a LONG time, so listen up (even if it’s only to help you answer the ‘current events’ question in your local pub quiz.)
First of all, WHO is Sam Altman?
He co-founded OpenAI (which you might know as the company behind ChatGPT) alongside Elon Musk and others, and he’s kinda known as the ‘face’ of the current AI arms race.
Why did he get fired?
Ok, so this is the interesting part because we don’t really know. In a blog post on their website, the vague reason given is that he ‘was not consistently candid in his communications’ with the board, but we don’t know much more than that.
“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company said in its blog post. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
It’s important to note that a lot of people think Sam Altman has been too focused on building OpenAI’s business while not paying enough attention to the dangers of it.
This is a pretty important job - who’s taking over?
In quite a big pivot, the new interim CEO will be former Twitch CEO and co-founder Emmett Shear, who takes a different approach to AI than Sam, saying on Twitter:
“I’m in favor of a slowdown. We can’t learn how to build a safe AI without experimenting, and we can’t experiment without progress, but we probably shouldn’t be barreling ahead at max speed either.”
Interestingly - and strangely - before Emmett was named, it was reported that OpenAI were actually in talks to BRING ALTMAN BACK, but that fell apart after his conditions weren’t met. It’s crazy, I know.
What’s next?
Well, literally AS I’m writing this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has tweeted that Microsoft - who are in a deep partnership with OpenAI - has hired both Sam Altman and Greg Brockman (co-founder and board member who was also ousted) to lead a new advanced AI research team:
We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI's new leadership team and working with them. And we’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success.
This story is developing, but kinda feels like of all people, Microsoft came out on top here.
Taylor Swift postponed her Rio shows after a fan died amid the heatwave
Taylor Swift and her fans have had a rough weekend in Rio amidst a heatwave currently hitting Brazil that’s seen temperatures in the country that ‘felt like 58.5C.’ On night one of her three-night stint in Brazil, temperatures outside the concert venue hit 39.1C, but inside it was apparently even hotter. I saw videos on TikTok of Taylor looking hot and exhausted, walking around the stage looking for people who needed water, and then throwing it to them herself, and devastatingly, tributes to Ana Clara Benevides Machado, a 23-year-old fan who died ahead of her first show.
Taylor has just played night two of her Brazil shows where she dedicated her song ‘Bigger Than The Whole Sky’ to Ana, but this is just devastating news for everyone involved and another very real and unexpected effect of climate change.
Where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine:
It’s so important that we keep reading the journalists out there who are covering this horrifying situation in-depth (and often risking their lives to do so), so here are some live updates I recommend:
Play like a girl: A love letter to the 2000s sports films that got us here
This weekend we had a gorge guest edish of the Culture Vulture newsy go out - written by SYSCA best Billie Hook. If you’ve been obsessed with the building hype around women’s sports over the past few years, or just love a trashy 2000s sports movie (I’m looking at you Bend It Like Beckham) you’ll love this!
Travis Kelce and his brother Jason recorded a Christmas song and it went to the top of the US iTunes charts
Here it is for all you non-grinches out there x
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It's very sad what happened in Rio. But this tribute to Ana Clara Benevides wasn't clear, Taylor didn't even mention her name. We're all assuming that because of the lyrics... I know it can be a difficult time for her, but I think she should have mentioned Ana Clara's name.
Ler Devagar is such a cute bookshop!!!