SpaceX $17B spectrum deal 🛰️, Spotify's plot against Apple 📱, SF works 996 💼

SpaceX is paying $17 billion for the rights to use some of EchoStar's spectrum for cellphone service. The deal gives it access to two license blocks ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

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Ship clean. 🚀 Schedule a demo to learn more. 📱 Big Tech & Startups SpaceX's $17 Billion Deal Plunges Musk Deeper Into Wireless Market (4 minute read) SpaceX is paying $17 billion for the rights to use some of EchoStar's spectrum for cellphone service. The deal gives SpaceX access to two license blocks that allow carriers to provide ground-based 5G cellphone and broadband service in the US. The spectrum will be used as a foundation for Starlink's direct-to-cell business and may be shared with telecom partners. EchoStar will use the funds to retire debt and fund operations. Inside Spotify's Plot to Take Down Apple (13 minute read) Apple's position as a gateway to the digital world is being severely imperiled by efforts from rival tech companies like Epic Games and Spotify. The EU Commission leveled a $2 billion fine against Apple for conduct against Spotify and others in March last year and introduced new laws to limit Apple's control over the App Store. These moves are being copied in other parts of the world, putting billions of dollars of profit at risk. The uncertainty comes at a time when iPhone sales are under pressure and investors are worried that Apple is failing to keep up with AI innovations. 🚀 Science & Futuristic Technology 'Near Telepathic' Wearable Lets You Communicate Silently With Devices (3 minute read) Boston startup AlterEgo has unveiled a wearable that lets users silently communicate with machines using subvocal speech. The machine decodes neuromuscular signals in the jaw and throat, translating the signals with high accuracy. AlterEgo has positioned the device as a practical alternative to brain implants or EMG wristbands. A video from AlterEgo introducing the technology is available in the article. Takeda nears first therapy for root cause of narcolepsy (3 minute read) Takeda Pharmaceutical has developed a drug that significantly improves outcomes for narcoleptic patients. The drug, called oveporexton, could become the first treatment to target the root cause of the chronic sleep disorder. Patients who take the drug experience increased daytime alertness, fewer episodes of sudden muscle tone loss, and overall improvement in quality of life. No serious side effects have been reported, but some patients report insomnia and increased urinary urgency and frequency. The company plans to file for regulatory approvals globally by March. 💻 Programming, Design & Data Science The Last Programmers (11 minute read) We're the last generation of people who will translate ideas into code by hand. Future developers will just describe what they want and have it appear on the screen. The money and talent flowing into AI development make this future inevitable. The question is whether you'll be ready when it comes. Focus on the parts of product development that actually matter - understanding people, building the things they want, and getting those things in front of them. Skip to the end (2 minute read) For the first 75 years of computing, database lookups were trivial, and computer vision was virtually impossible. Today, you can just take a pick on your phone and ask it questions about the image. To really take advantage of what AI can do, developers need to start thinking about software differently. Tools no longer need to help users achieve outcomes - they just deliver the outcomes. 🎁 Miscellaneous Our data shows San Francisco tech workers are working Saturdays (3 minute read) 996 is a demanding work schedule that calls for working 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week. Spending data shows that San Francisco-based employees are increasingly working on the schedule. The pattern is happening across industries, not just in tech. OpenAI Executives Rattled by Campaigns to Derail For-Profit Restructuring (8 minute read) OpenAI executives are reportedly growing concerned that increasing political scrutiny could impede its efforts to become a for-profit company and have discussed the option of moving out of the state. Attorneys general in California and Delaware are investigating OpenAI's proposed plan to restructure into a for-profit company. OpenAI could be sued for potentially breaking nonprofit law and may be required to pay a settlement as a condition for the restructure. Failing to restructure could be catastrophic for the startup. ⚡ Quick Links It's not a dirty word - you just need the right partner (Sponsor) Pick the right outsourcing partner and you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. 350+ clients already trust Ubiquity to run CX and back office better. Discover outsourcing you can shout about The Micro SaaS Revolution: From Giants to Solopreneurs (16 minute read) The era of one-size-fits-all SaaS suites may be fading in favor of leaner, more personalized products. E-Paper Display Reaches the Realm of LCD Screens (4 minute read) The Modos Paper Monitor and Dev Kit combines standard e-paper panels with an open source FPGA-based display controller, resulting in an e-paper display with refresh rates of up to 75 hertz. I hacked Microsoft Edge to make my ideal Chromium web browser (8 minute read) This post shows how to customize Microsoft Edge using custom IT policies. Craving more AI in your inbox? (Sponsor) TLDR AI is your daily fix of LLMs, GenAI, and deep learning goodness. Same TLDR format. Still free. Subscribe now. Where are we going? (4 minute read) Within the next five to six years, the autonomous vehicle market will start to split: one side will have licensed technology, distribution providers, and OEMs to supply scale, while the other will look like Apple with end-to-end control. Why retention is so hard for new tech products (20 minute read) Retention is weirdly hard to measure, and you can't fix bad retention. Turning GitHub Actions into an oracle (13 minute read) Instead of complex Trusted Execution Environments, like Intel SGX or AWS Nitro Enclave, just use GitHub Actions. Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards! Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag! https://refer.tldr.tech/7c97ce4b/ Track your referrals here. Want to advertise in TLDR? 📰 If your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, decision-makers and engineers, you may want to advertise with us. 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