The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint Friday against X — formerly known as Twitter — alleging the company illegally fired a worker over a tweet that challenged its return-to-office mandate.
Why it matters: It's the first time the NLRB has issued a formal complaint against X.
There's a new way to describe something funny on social media: "IJBOL," or "I just burst out laughing."
Why it matters: People online constantly look for ways to express exactly how they are responding to content, MaryLeigh Bliss, the chief content officer for youth research organization YPulse, told Axios.
Recording artists like Lady Gaga, Drake and Nicki Minaj should unionize, argues one longtime music industry exec.
"Artists were not involved in negotiating the rates that they get [for streaming]," Steve Stoute, CEO of digital music distribution startup UnitedMasters, said at the Axios BFD conference in New York yesterday.
Employees across Israel's cybersecurity industry navigated an emotional, anxiety-ridden landscape as they attempted to keep their businesses operating normally this week.
The big picture: Executives at cybersecurity companies with a presence in Israel told Axios their offices have hardly shifted their workflows or development deadlines since Hamas' surprise attack.
Robotaxi company Cruise is tweaking how its self-driving cars interact with and respond to emergency vehicles.
Why it matters: As robotaxis roll out in cities like San Francisco and Austin, Texas, they've sometimes been getting in the way of firetrucks, ambulances and police cars.
The latest generation of AI is so good at generating translations that it can do a pretty good job of turning a video shot in one language into another, while largely preserving the voice of the speaker and modifying the lip movements to match the new dialogue.
Why it matters: In the short term, the new technology should allow for far more videos to be dubbed — and not just subtitled — into other languages. Like many other generative AI technologies, though, it raises a host of longer-term issues around misinformation and job displacement.
The European Commission announced an investigation into X on Thursday over allegations that the platform spread disinformation about the war between Hamas and Israel.
The big picture: Misinformation and disinformation about the conflict could amplify political divisions globally, as false and misleading reports have multiplied online in the wake of escalating fighting in the region.
A Montana judge questioned Thursday the state's new TikTok ban, which will prohibit the Chinese-owned app statewide beginning in January.
Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy heard arguments challenging the ban after TikTok and various creators filed a lawsuit against the state in May, alleging First Amendment violations, among other laws.
A yearlong wave of layoffs is rattling video game developers, some of whom are struggling to reconcile the industry's success with the abundance of cuts, they tell Axios.
Driving the news: More than 6,000 games industry jobs have been eliminated since the start of the year across more than 100 studios, according to VideoGameLayoffs.com, a site managed by game developer Farhan Noor.
The U.S. commodities regulator has sued the former chief executive of crypto lender Voyager Digital for fraud.
Why it matters: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today alleged that Stephen Ehrlich "fraudulently solicited participation in and operated" Voyager in a way that led to its bankruptcy in July 2022, owing U.S. customers over $1.7 billion.
Some viral posts purporting to show military engagements in the conflict between Israel and Hamas are actually just clips from video games, mainly the 2013 PC game Arma 3.
The big picture: Misinformation about the conflict has been rampant on social media this week.
Axios BFD returned to New York to bring you exclusive conversations with industry leaders who are driving headlines, markets and the most consequential deals of the year.
Inflection AI co-founders Reid Hoffman and Mustafa Suleyman urged government regulation of powerful AI, at the Axios BFD event in New York City, Thursday, despite risks of ineffectiveness.
Why it matters: The White House is preparing an AI executive order, expected in coming weeks.
New York-based tech firms and investors see the advent of AI as the latest opportunity to try to unseat the Bay Area as tech's global capital.
What's happening: To achieve its potential, the generative AI industry must win adoption in key industries concentrated in the New York area — finance, communications and media, law and medicine.
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