Ms. Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has staked an ambitious trustbusting agenda on a case that may be difficult to win.

Have you ever thought up an idea for a movie or play that you just know will be a smash hit, but haven't gotten around to writing the script? Alphabet's DeepMind has built an AI tool that can help get you started. Dramatron is a so-called "co-writing" tool that can generate character descriptions, plot points, location descriptions and dialogue. The idea is that human writers will be able to compile, edit and rewrite what Dramatron comes up with into a proper script. Think of it like ChatGPT, but with output that you can edit into a blockbuster movie script.To get started, you'll...

If you missed out on securing a pre-order for Sony's PlayStation VR2 headset, you're in luck. The PlayStation Direct store no longer requires an invitation to place a PS VR2 pre-order.You won't necessarily have to wait for months to get your hands on the next-gen PS5 headset either, as The Verge points out. As things stand, Sony expects to deliver the device between its February 22nd launch date and February 28th.The initial wave of pre-orders required would-be PS VR2 owners to register their interest and hope they got an invitation from Sony. Now, you can reserve one and at least give yourself...

A group chat including crypto leaders shows Binance’s Changpeng Zhao accusing FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried of orchestrating trades to destabilize the industry.

One of Stellantis’ EV concept vehicles. | Image: Stellantis Stellantis, the company behind Fiat, Dodge, and Jeep, has announced that it plans to halt one of its plants and lay off 1,200 workers come February. Its reasoning? Pressure from COVID-19, sure, along with a dash of chip shortages — but mainly all those electric vehicles it has to make.The factory in question is one that builds Jeep Cherokees in Illinois, and the news comes as the automaker is gearing up for union negotiations. While United Auto Workers argues that “the transition to electrification also creates opportunities...

More than three years ago, this editor sat down with Sam Altman for a small event in San Francisco soon after he’d left his role as the president of Y Combinator to become CEO of the AI company he co-founded in 2015 with Elon Musk and others, OpenAI. At the time, Altman described OpenAI’s potential […]Is ChatGPT a “virus that has been released into the wild”? by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Image: Marvel Studios We all know the feeling: you sit down in front of the TV, exhausted after a long day, only to become absolutely paralyzed by choice. There’s so much to watch and play that settling on one single thing to do can be a challenge. So we’re here to make your evenings a little less stressful. Throughout 2022 this page will be regularly updated with all of our favorite entertainment experiences — everything from the latest hit on Netflix to that open-world game people can’t stop talking about — to make those moments of choice that much easier. If you see a show, game...

Pinocchio performing alongside a pair of traditional puppets. | Image: Netflix Guillermo del Toro’s new Pinocchio is a haunting and beautiful instant classic that will leave you thinking about your mortality. Continue reading…

You won’t find Ye’s music in Peloton’s on-demand library. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Music is a big part of any Peloton workout, but Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, won’t be. Over the past few days, Peloton has removed hundreds of classes from its on-demand library featuring Ye’s music. In late October, Peloton began telling members that Ye’s music would no longer appear in new classes following the rapper’s antisemitic comments. However, previously filmed classes were left alone. Now it appears Ye’s presence has been entirely scrubbed from the platform...

If you want the cheapest tier of Disney Plus, you’ll be suffering through some ads. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Disney Plus’ new ad-supported tier, Disney Plus Basic, is now available, which means I’m back for another blog about what ads look like in your streaming services. The tier itself didn’t surprise me too much; if you’ve seen ads on other web videos, actually watching Disney Plus’ ads won’t feel much different. But the service’s new pricing, including a price jump for no ads, means the ad plan isn’t a very good deal. Any ad content on Disney Plus is noted...

The Noc Design / The Verge The same thing happens every year. Things get busy with work, school, and life in general until you’re suddenly up against the clock as you race your gifts to your local post office, FedEx store, or UPS location before Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. We’ve all been there — I somehow find myself in this predicament year after year — but we want to be of some help to you as you buy your gifts and plan out your next move. If you’ve got to send them via mail, what follows are the upcoming domestic shipping deadlines for various retailers and shipment carriers...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of failed crypto exchange FTX, loaned $27 million to Michael McCaffrey, the CEO of crypto publication The Block, to help it stay afloat, according to a Medium post from the site’s chief revenue officer, Bobby Moran. Bankman-Fried also loaned McCaffery $16 million, some of which helped him purchase property in the Bahamas, where FTX is headquartered, according to Axios, which broke the story.McCaffrey is stepping down from his position today and will be replaced by Moran. Moran writes that McCaffrey kept the funding secret...

How much is that group chat in the window? | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge I have been somewhat unsure of what to make about The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times’ reports about text messages, sent on Signal, between rivals Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Sam Bankman-Fried around the time FTX went up in smoke. That’s because I am not entirely sure who leaked them or who stands to benefit. But I’m pretty sure someone leaked to both of those outlets because the reports went up within hours of each other. So someone wants everyone to know about this!Because I don’t...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge When Apple introduced its slate of initiatives to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, last year, they were controversial, to say the least. While some praised the company for taking action, there was also no shortage of detractors, some of whom said that Apple’s plans to do on-device scanning for illegal content would require an unacceptable huge hit to user privacy. The backlash caused Apple to delay some of the features in September 2021, and earlier this week, the company confirmed it has abandoned its efforts to create the...

The Block, a crypto-focused publication, received millions in loans from disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The Block founder says he’s exploring ways to get the publication into ‘trustworthy’ hands by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

Now, compatible sites can ask to log in with passkey within Chrome. | Screenshot: The Verge Passkeys are now available to use in Chrome. Google added the passwordless secure login standard this week to Chrome Stable M108 after going through a testing period that started in October.The feature now works using Chrome on both desktop and mobile running Windows 11, macOS, and Android. Google also lets you sync passkeys from Android to other devices through either the company’s own password manager or a third-party one that supports it, like 1Password or Dashlane. This QR codes generated when...

Keeping fit doesn’t need a lot of technology. A decent pair of running shoes and an exercise mat might just do it. But of course sometimes a little extra tech can give an inspiring boost — so long as whatever it is is useful, accessible and can move with you. The smart spot for fitness […]Gift Guide: On-the-go fitness tech to boost their training anywhere by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Amazon is ending support for a program that allowed patients to share HIPAA-protected health information with healthcare organizations through Alexa. The news was first reported by Voicebot.ai. The invite-only program, which first launched in 2019, allowed select developers to create and launch HIPAA-compliant healthcare skills for Alexa (skills are the third-party voice apps that run […]Amazon ends support for third-party HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

Elon Musk’s desire to stir conspiratorial shit up by giving select outsiders aligned with his conservative agenda access to Twitter systems and data could land the world’s richest man in some serious doodoo with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent days, this access granted by Musk to a few external reporters has […]Ireland’s privacy watchdog engaging with Twitter over data access to reporters by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Microsoft today announced that it acquired Lumenisity, a U.K.-based startup developing “hollow core fiber (HCF)” technologies primarily for data centers and ISPs. Microsoft says that the purchase, the terms of which weren’t disclosed, will “expand [its] ability to further optimize its global cloud infrastructure” and “serve Microsoft’s cloud platform and services customers with strict latency […]Microsoft acquires startup developing high-speed cables for transmitting data by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Brodmann17, an Israeli computer vision technology startup that developed a novel approach to take on a marketplace dominated by Mobileye, shut down this week. Brodmann17’s co-founder and CEO Adi Pinhas posted a message on LinkedIn announcing the move, stating that while the company would not be able to bring its products to the mass market […]Computer vision technology startup Brodmann17 has shut down by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch

A JetBlue plane takes off at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, United States, on September 15th, 2022. | Photo by Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images JetBlue is giving up carbon offsets for its domestic flights, shifting its focus instead to sustainable aviation fuels. It’s a step that could help the airline actually reduce its emissions rather than relying primarily on controversial carbon offsets to counteract its fossil fuel use.Back in 2020, JetBlue became the first US airline to voluntarily offset greenhouse gas emissions from all of its...

I have nothing personal against investors, but sitting in a room with one while I try to sell them on my billion-dollar idea sounds very stressful.TechCrunch+ roundup: VC trick questions, building 3-case models, B2B sales coaching by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch

Roblox is adding two new ways for people who spend time in its virtual worlds to find old friends and make new ones. The company announced Friday that it would introduce a contact importer and friend recommendations, two new features designed to connect existing users to each other and to bring new players into its […]Roblox will let 13+ users import contacts and add recommended friends by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

On Thursday, Disney+ launched its first-ever ad-supported plan, “Disney+ Basic,” in the U.S. at $7.99 per month, which is the same price as the previous ad-free plan before Disney raised the price to $10.99/month. However, Roku users wanting to switch to the new plan are out of luck—at least for now. According to Disney Plus’s support […]Disney+ ad-supported plan is currently unavailable on Roku devices by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch