The crypto winter might not be over, but there could be signs of spring.
Why it matters: Crypto was in freefall in late 2022 as faith in digital assets suffered amid the FTX scandal and the collapse of other notable crypto companies.
Recent attacks linked to North Korean state-backed hackers are spotlighting how technically adept and creative the regime's cyber activity has become.
The big picture: Experts say public perception of North Korea's cyber threat risks painting the regime as an underfunded country solely focused on cybercrime to fund its government, but those perceptions aren't quite right.
A network of Chinese-language Twitter accounts appears to be spreading disinformation to discredit two well-known Chinese activists and dissidents, including one who was the focus of a recent Axios investigation, researchers at NewsGuard first told Axios.
What's happening: NewsGuard has detected 18 coordinated and "seemingly inauthentic" Chinese-language Twitter accounts that are sharing disparaging messages advocating against the work Chinese human rights activist Wang Qingpeng and political dissident Wang Jingyu have done to hold Beijing accountable, according to a note sent to NewsGuard clients last week.
The French Competition Authority is likelyto move forward soonwith an antitrust investigation into Apple over complaints tied to 2021 changes to its app tracking policies, sources told Axios.
Why it matters: A formal investigation would mark the first major government move taken globally against Apple related to privacy rule changes that upended the digital advertising world.
Donald Trump has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Facebook and Google ads in recent weeks, leveraging the chaos around his indictment to fundraise and collect data ahead of his 2024 run.
Why it matters: Trump used the exact same playbook ahead of the 2020 election.
The federal government is taking what could be the first steps toward requiring safer, more transparent AI systems as a Commerce Department agency invited public comment to help shape specific policy recommendations.
Why it matters: The move is far short of the comprehensive AI legislation critics have advocated. But with the frenzy over generative AI continuing to grow, the Biden administration is trying to get a head start on a government response to the fast-moving industry.
Some venture capitalists are nurturing small upstarts amid the ongoing crypto winter.
Zoom in: Rarely as of late is the venture capitalist making it rain on the crypto sector. Rather, investments are small and are going to smaller operations whose missions are pointed at boning up the crypto ecosystem, VCs tell Axios.
There are many theories out there that say crypto could ruin everything — and now the U.S. has given one firm the nod to study how.
Why it matters: The same government agency credited with developing life-changing technologies like, GPS, Siri and the internet, is digging in to further its understanding of digital assets.
The PC sector has been suffering a similar fate as retail — too much inventory and too little demand.
Why it matters: No major brand has been spared from the slowdown, Bloomberg notes, which comes after the industry saw explosive growth during the earlier part of the pandemic.
Twitter's ex-CEO Parag Agrawal and two other former executives accused the social media company in a lawsuit Monday of failing to reimburse them for more than $1 million in legal expenses.
Driving the news: Agrawal, former Twitter chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde and ex-chief financial officer Ned Segal, who were fired after Elon Musk took over the platform allege the company "refused to acknowledge its obligations and to remit payment of any invoices," per the filing.
Nintendo has asked a court to subpoena the online community platform Discord to divulge the identity of user Julien#2743, who recently posted leaked images of the official art book for this May’s Switch mega-release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Why it matters: Nintendo isn’t just sending a message to leakers, but through court filings is showing how far it’ll go to squelch leaks.
You might want to think twice about plugging your devices into public charging stations, according to the FBI.
Driving the news: "Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers," the FBI cautioned on Twitter recently. "Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices."
Video game movies were already a hot trend, and then “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” came around and melted box office records.
Driving the news: Nintendo and Illumination’s animated feature brought in $377 million in global box office in its first five days of release, through Sunday, according to Comscore.
Prominent tech investor Ron Conway's firm SV Angel will convene top staffers from AI companies in San Francisco on Wednesday to discuss AI policy issues, a source familiar with the group told Axios.
Why it matters: The meeting shows that as AI keeps getting hotter, top companies are realizing the importance of consistent public policy and shared standards to keep use of the technology responsible.
Elon Musk’s impulsive reactions to competitive products or opinions he dislikes are having an outsized impact on the media industry, which represents some of Twitter’s most hyper-engaged users.
Why it matters: Musk has forced news companies to choose between their commercial interests and their values. Until now, business needs have won out, but the industry is beginning to reach a breaking point.
Walmart's plan to dramaticallyexpand its electric vehicle (EV) fast-charger network is a big deal for the country's quickly developing car-charging infrastructure.
Why it matters: 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart, the company says — a statistic that underscores Walmart's potential to put fast EV charging within reach of far more drivers, including in underserved areas.
A new mobile app from TikTok-parent ByteDance is gaining traction in the U.S., despite growing national security concerns around ByteDance's China ties.
Why it matters: Lemon8's impressive growth at such an early stage demonstrates the power Chinese apps have over American users, even as skepticism of China grows.
