No Place Like Chrome 🏷️🧑🏾‍💻

👀 TLDR

In this week’s What’s Appening, we cover Perplexity’s surprise bid to buy Google Chrome. Usually, it’s the other way around with Big Tech companies buying the “little guys’” products, but Perplexity and others might smell a change in the air with Google’s legal troubles. We also have news on a new super-cheap plan for ChatGPT in India (and possibly elsewhere), discuss how YouTube’s new AI tool will guess your age, and we have a couple of worrying examples of AI deepfakes. We will also bring you up to speed with all the latest from here at 3Advance.

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🎬 Our Top Take

💳 🤔 Chrome – Perplexity Makes Audacious Bid for Google’s Web Browser

We are accustomed to Big Tech titans pinching innovative startups as soon as they start gaining traction, with Facebook/Meta being the worst culprit, so it was kind of refreshing to see the tables turned this week. Perplexity AI made a $34.5 billion bid for Google Chrome, turning a lot of heads in the process. Some called the bid a “stunt,” noting that Perplexity is partially run by former Google employees who’d like nothing better than to get one over on their former boss. What’s more, Perplexity was valued at $18 billion just a few months ago, and Chrome is probably worth a lot more than $34.5 billion, so the sums don’t really add up. But there is more to this than meets the eye. First, Perplexity has a lot of backers with very big wallets, including Amazon and Nvidia. Secondly, Google’s antitrust battles are still on the agenda – a judge recently ruled it must break up its search business (Google has appealed, naturally). It’s speculative right now, but we see this as a testing of the waters. Perplexity’s bid was cheeky, yes, but there are shades of Elon Musk and Twitter, planting the seeds of the idea before really taking it seriously. Moreover, with AI search integration with web browsers set to grow in importance, don’t be surprised to see either Sam Altman or Musk enter the conversation of a Chrome takeover for OpenAI and xAI, respectively. Google, of course, will see Chrome as essential to the future of Gemini, and it won’t take this lying down. #AudaciousBid Read more here.

📲 App of the Week: Focus Friend

Productivity apps are ubiquitous right now, and we feel it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. One successful hook, though, is tying productivity in with a dose of cuteness. That’s the case with Focus Friend, an app that has been rocketing up the charts on the app stores. The app, launched by popular science YouTuber Hank Green, works on a timer system, keeping you off unproductive apps (social media, basically). If you break the rules, your cute little Bean Friend gets sad (it makes sense when you see the app). There’s loads more gamification, including customization options and rewards, but the crux is keeping that little bean happy by not procrastinating, and you’d be surprised how well it works. Get it on Android here and for iPhone here.

🧐 Stat of the Week: 10%

📈📉 Intel – US Government Weighs Up Taking 10% Stake

Chip-maker Intel’s star has been on the wane in recent years, after falling way behind global behemoths like Nvidia. Yet, its fortunes may be on the rise, especially given that the Trump Administration is reportedly considering taking a 10% stake in the company. The deal is complicated, tied in with the Biden Administration’s 2022 Chip Act, but the important thing to know is that it is not about profit, but security. Governments everywhere are scrambling to get “chip security,” and all admit openly that being too dependent on Taiwan, where the vast majority of the world’s chips are made, is risky. A revitalized Intel might help the US in that respect. #ChipSecurity. Read more here.

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📍 Meanwhile at 3Advance