🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #266

Good morning, Tuesday! Let's make the most of it!

#Apple - A new report claims that Apple will change the release cycle for its smartphones. Three unnamed supply chain sources detailed that the more expensive models will launch first. The Pro models will keep the fall release window and the standard model iPhones will get pushed to the following spring.

#MetaAI - Meta's new site, a bold experiment having a social feed but only with content generated using AI, is a hot mess, with people sharing weird AI experiments and getting stuck in a loop of repetitive posts.

#Signal - It appears that top members of USA’s government used a modified version of the popular Signal App, except, it appears to have been hacked

Swiggy Shuts Down Genie Service
Swiggy is a big food delivery company in India, and Genie was their hyperlocal delivery service that delivered anything from groceries to packages. Today, they announced that they're shutting down Genie across multiple cities citing “operational reasons”. It's a big move, and it could be because they want to focus on their core food delivery business.

BluSmart, EV Ride-hailing Startup, Abruptly Shuts Down
BluSmart is an Indian electric vehicle ride-hailing company that had gained popularity for its sustainable approach. Unfortunately, it has ceased operations, leaving around 10,000 drivers and 800 employees without jobs due to financial issues and alleged corporate governance failures.

Skype Shuts Down After 23 Years
Skype, a popular video-calling service, shut down yesterday, May 5, 2025, after 23 years. Microsoft, its parent company, is encouraging users to migrate to Microsoft Teams, where they can transfer their contacts and chat data for free. Alternative video-calling apps like Google Meet, Zoom, and Webex are also available.

Largest Deepfake NSFW Site Shuts Down
Mr. Deepfakes, a platform notorious for hosting deepfake AI-generated explicit content, has shut down, but experts warn that this won't solve the problem as the community will likely find a new platform to continue generating illicit content, with many already reconnecting on Telegram.

OpenAI - Provided documentation to clearly describe which of their models to use when along with their capabilities and use cases

Google Gemini - Introduces AI chatbot feature for children under 13 with parent-managed Family Link accounts.

Meta Edits - Added 125 new fonts and 15 voice effects, along with a new "Apply all" option to simplify the editing process.

Web Eval Agent | An MCP server that autonomously evaluates web applications.

Tilt | Define your dev environment as code. For microservice apps on Kubernetes.

Spectacle | A React-based library for creating sleek presentations using JSX syntax that gives you the ability to live demo your code.

Deno's Downward Spiral
Deno Land Inc's commercial product Deno Deploy has significantly reduced its global presence, from 35 regions to just 6, sparking concerns about the company's future and the accuracy of its marketing claims, including "edge hosting" and "global scale".

Namma Yatri Disrupts India's Ride-hailing Sector
Namma Yatri, a 3-year-old Indian startup, has revolutionized the ride-hailing industry with a subscription-based model, forcing rivals like Ola and Uber to adapt.

Effective Staff Meetings
Manager shares 7-year refined approach to staff meetings, shifting focus from updates to team-building and problem-solving, using icebreakers, open agendas, and AI notetakers to encourage collaboration and productivity.