Celebrities and influencers create a "coolness" halo effect with Gen Z and millennial consumers, according to a recent survey by YPulse, a youth research organization.
Why it matters: 69% of 13 to 39-year-olds saythey are more likely to purchase brands that are considered cool, which is especially true in the age of the social media marketplace.
Hackers made off with roughly $1.1 billion from ransomware attacks in 2023 — setting a record, according to a new report from cryptocurrency tracing firm Chainalysis.
Why it matters: Hackers follow the money, and they're quick to adapt their tactics to counteract law enforcement attempts to squash ransomware.
What's happening: Swiss outlet Aargauer Zeitung published a story last week claiming that hackers had launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against roughly 3 million internet-connected toothbrushes, causing damage to the tune of millions of euros.
China has become the top hacking threat in 2024 with a recent series of attacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.
Why it matters: It's rare for public officials to share as many details as they have in recent weeks about ongoing cyber threats — underscoring just how concerned the Biden administration is about a Beijing-backed cyberattack.
The European Union this week tightened its antitrust screws on tech companies, announcing that it now will consider the impacts of free products and "digital ecosystems."
Why it matters: Antitrust disputes often boil down to how markets get defined, and this move broadly expands those definitions in Europe.
Meta will not "proactively recommend political content from accounts you don't follow" on Threads, the company said in a statement provided to Axios.
Why it matters: The policies, which are the same it currently uses to regulate political content on its Facebook and Instagram apps, fill in the details of how Threads and Instagram will handle political content as the election approaches.
About one-third of American professionals worry that artificial intelligence will make some jobs obsolete, and nearly half fear they could be "left behind" in their careers if they don't keep up, according to a recent Washington State University survey.
Why it matters: The results show a need for universities and companies to provide more training on the uses of generative AI programs like ChatGPT, Debbie Compeau, interim dean of WSU's Carson College of Business, told Axios.
When I used Meta's second-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses to broadcast my interview with Sam Altman at Davos live on Instagram, Altman called the experience "a little weird" — but I think the glasses pack some neat tricks for a device that doesn't feel much bigger or heavier than standard eyewear.
Why it matters: The design of many cutting edge devices, like Apple's Vision Pro, starts with a long list of tech features and then tries to make everything smaller and lighter. With the Ray-Bans, Meta is taking a different approach — choosing a size, weight and price that people actually want, then seeing what you can do with it.
