Faster, Cheaper, Smarter 🏃🥇

👀 TLDR:

In this week’s What’s Appening, we cover the outcome of one of the most important legal battles in the tech industry. A judge ruled that Google acts as a monopoly in running its search engine business, pointing to financial deals with Apple and others to have it as the default on smartphones. The ruling could change the way Google operates, but it could also have huge implications for other antitrust cases against Big Tech companies. We also have news on a shake-up at OpenAI and a new AI wearable device that wants to be your “Friend.” Our Stat covers the huge demand for computing power for AI models, whereas What’s dAppening shows how the blockchain is helping fight fraud in California. Our brilliant GPT of the Week will help you unlock your creativity. And go higher, faster, and stronger with our new section, App of the Week

Our Top Take 🎬

👨‍⚖️🔎 Google – Judge Rules on Massive Antitrust Case Over Search Business

“Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”. Those words from Judge Amit P. Mehta marked a significant moment as Google lost a huge antitrust case against the US government on Monday. Judge Mehta found against Google for the way it dominates the search engine sector, noting, in particular, the payments it makes to Apple and Samsung (around $26 billion) to be the default search engine on smartphones. The ruling has significant implications, representing the first major antitrust victory of its kind for the US government against a Big Tech company in the modern internet era. Indeed, parallels are being drawn with the major antitrust lawsuit Microsoft lost over third-party access to Windows in the 1990s. The question is, of course, what happens next. Google will appeal, naturally, but the ruling could help other antitrust lawsuits against the likes of Meta, Amazon, and Apple. Right now, a date of September 6 has been set to discuss potential “remedies,” i.e., what new rules Google must comply with, but in the longer term this could be transformative in how Big Tech does business. #GoogleJudged Read more here.

📍 Meanwhile at 3Advance

This week, we’re welcoming two new hires to 3Advance. As a commitment to our positioning as a true Digital Product Studio, we’re investing further in our Product Development Team with our two new Associate Product Managers. Heather Hayes brings a wealth of experience from her time at Spotify and other data-driven startups in NYC. Here in DC, Ayush Kala just finished his Master’s in Engineering and Technology Management at GWU. We’re excited about the huge potential of both Heather and Ayush as they continue their career growth here at 3Advance.

🦾 GPT of the Week: BrAIn Pepper by Janet Barker-Evans

Paul had the pleasure of speaking with Janet Barker-Evans and it was wonderful! Janet’s day job is Chief Creative Officer of AbelsonTaylor Group, but she’s also been building a team of AI assistants that, among other things, helps her unlock that creativity. Janet introduces her BrAIn Pepper GPT, and they talk about how GPTs and AI are giving us more confidence and more capability. Check out the pod, and keep a look out for our new series kicking off in a few weeks for more “Adventures in Apps & AI”. We’ve got some more inspiring guests coming up.

📲 App of the Week: Paris 2024 Olympics 🗽🥇

We love a killer sports app at 3A – The Masters app is still our all-time fav – so what better way to kick off our inaugural App of the Week than highlighting the official Paris Olympics app? It’s the most comprehensive Olympics guide out there, packed with stats and real-time updates, medal tables, customizable schedules, team trackers, specialist news coverage, and more. The app has come a long way since the first iteration (London 2012), particularly with its very cool immersive AR features. Check it out for iOS here and Android here.

🧐 Stat of the Week: 10X

📈📉 Meta – Zuckerberg Highlights Need for AI Computing Power

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has stressed a fact we have touched on several times in this newsletter in recent months: the demand for computing power outweighs the supply for training AI models. To highlight this, Zuck said that training Meta’s next AI model, Llama 4, will require 10X the computing power as the current model, Llama 3. If you were wondering how chip-maker Nvidia turned into a trillion-dollar company seemingly overnight, this is the reason. And the demand is only going to get higher. #MorePower Read more here.

🗞️ Other Stories

🕸️ What’s d’Appening

🚗⛓️ California – 42M Driver Titles Put on Blockchain for Fraud Prevention

For all the eccentricities and complexities of crypto, it’s worth remembering that the blockchain is fundamentally an unchangeable public ledger. As such, it’s perfect for safely storing public records. California has seen the light in that sense, putting 42 million vehicle registrations on the Avalanche blockchain. This will help with proving ownership and swift sales, as well as limiting in-person visits to the dreaded DMV. Yet, it is also a key element in fighting fraud. The initiative will roll out in full next year. #BlockCars Read more here.

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