Coinbase Links Up With Linux Foundation to Launch x402 Foundation
The new group will steward an open standard for embedding payments into web interactions.
OpenAI just bought TBPN
OpenAI has purchased TBPN, the viral online talk show that often interviews AI executives and other tech leaders. The show, which goes live every weekday and often lasts for hours, views channels like Bloomberg and CNBC as its competition and counts OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as well as executives from Meta, Microsoft, Palantir, and Andreessen … Read more
Verge subscribers: Join us for a movie night in New York City, hosted by The Vergecast
The Vergecast is hosting a special in-person screening of Sneakers in partnership with IFC in New York City, and we’re opening presale tickets exclusively to Verge subscribers. Who: You! What: A special screening of Sneakers, followed by a 25-minute discussion with Vergecast hosts David Pierce and Nilay Patel When: Monday, April 27th, 7-9:30PM ET Where: … Read more
Simulate realistic users to evaluate multi-turn AI agents in Strands Evals
Evaluating single-turn agent interactions follows a pattern that most teams understand well. You provide an input, collect the output, and judge the result. Frameworks like Strands Evaluation SDK make this process systematic through evaluators that assess helpfulness, faithfulness, and tool usage. In a previous blog post, we covered how to build comprehensive evaluation suites for … Read more
OpenAI Acquires TBPN
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Trump Admin Backs Prediction Markets With Lawsuits Against Illinois, Arizona and Connecticut
The lawsuits, jointly filed by the Justice Department and the CFTC, mark the most forceful move yet by the Trump administration to free prediction markets from state gambling regulations.
AI Could Become 2,000 Times More Efficient by Copying the Brain: Study
Researchers from Loughborough University are looking into a new type of computer chip that could make AI far more energy efficient.
SoFi expands into institutional finance with integrated crypto services
The new platform enables companies to hold funds, move money and settle transactions in fiat or crypto within a single regulated system.
Microsoft takes on AI rivals with three new foundational models
MAI released models that can transcribe voice into text as well as generate audio and images after the group’s formation six months ago.
Bitcoin miner Soluna acquires $53M wind farm to power AI facility
Soluna expanded into artificial intelligence in 2024 to shore up declining revenues from its crypto mining business, mirroring an industry-wide shift toward AI workloads.
Quantum-Powered Crypto Mining Is Here—But It Won’t Help You Mine Bitcoin
Quip Network’s creators say it’s optimized for mining by quantum computers—a positive, unlike the looming quantum threat to Bitcoin.
Hisense’s art-inspired CanvasTV has hit a new low price
Hisense’s CanvasTV offers a surprisingly good experience for the price. | Image: Hisense Samsung’s releasing a new version of The Frame sometime this year, though the exact date is still unknown and, based on past models, it’s likely to be pricey. If you’d rather not wait or want to save some cash, the 55-inch Hisense … Read more
Money transfer app Duc exposed thousands of driver’s licenses and passports to the open web
An exposed Amazon-hosted server allowed anyone to access reams of customer data without needing a password.
EmDash: A Fresh Take on CMS
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CFTC sues Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut over states’ sports prediction market efforts
The CFTC argued in a lawsuit that the Commodity Exchange Act gave it “exclusive jurisdiction” over all swaps, which include prediction markets.
Coinbase Gets Conditional Approval From Banking Regulator—But Isn’t Launching a Bank
Coinbase said Thursday that it is the latest crypto firm to secure a conditional bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Coinbase wins initial bank regulator nod for trust charter, boosting custody push
Coinbase’s conditional OCC approval moves it closer to operating as a federally regulated crypto custodian, pending compliance and final review.
Google releases Gemma 4 open models
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Flipboard just launched Surf, its new social app and feed reader
Surf’s main idea is about feeds. Everything is feeds. | Image: Flipboard Surf is a slightly hard app to explain. It’s sort of three things: a client for fediverse apps like Bluesky and Mastodon; a feed reader that lets you subscribe to almost any website, podcast, or YouTube channel; and a tool for creating and … Read more
Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Details His ‘Private’ and ‘Secure’ AI Setup
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin detailed his local-first AI stack in a new blog post, including custom tools that rely on human approval.
Coinbase receives conditional approval for US trust charter
Chief legal officer Paul Grewal announced the approval on Thursday, thanking OCC head Jonathan Gould, who took office less than a year ago.
Google now lets you direct avatars through prompts in its Vids app
Google is adding a way to customize and instruct avatars for video creation in the Vids app.
Solana Meme Coin Linked to Death Hoax for 194-Year-Old Tortoise—Who Is Very Much Alive
Jonathan, a nearly 200-year-old tortoise, was widely mourned Wednesday—but his purported demise was a hoax, and there’s a crypto connection.
Bitcoin holders face $600B in unrealized losses as BTC price slips to $66K
About 44% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply trades underwater at $66,000 with weak spot demand weighing on market sentiment.
New York lawmakers want 3D-printer companies to block the creation of ‘ghost guns’
A collection of 3D printed guns and guns that have been modified using 3D printed parts. | AFP via Getty Images Governor Kathy Hochul and other New York state lawmakers want 3D-printer companies to block the printing of components used to create “ghost guns” – firearms without serial numbers that can be printed privately, easily … Read more
Razer gaming accessories include a $25 Taco Bell gift card at Best Buy
Razer is summoning hungry gamers to Best Buy, where shoppers can get a free $25 Taco Bell gift card with the purchase of a gaming accessory today only. A whopping 41 items are eligible, ranging from mice (including its new Viper V4 Pro), headsets, mechanical keyboards of different sizes, plus Xbox and PS5 controllers. The … Read more
ICE says it bought Paragon’s spyware to use in drug trafficking cases
The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told lawmakers that the use of Paragon spyware is necessary to counter terrorists’ “thriving exploitation of encrypted communications platforms.”