It stated breaches include the “deceptive” design of X’s blue tick, a lack of transparency in its advertising repository and a failure to provide access to public data for researchers.

The EC stated using the tick for verified accounts deceives users and violates DSA obligations for online platforms “to prohibit deceptive design practices on their services”. The regulator pointed out anyone could pay to obtain verified status without the company meaningfully proving who is behind the account.

On the second point, the EC explained X’s advertisement repository fails to meet DSA transparency and accessibility requirements, adding these are critical for researchers and civil society to detect scams and other threats.

Thirdly, the EC stated X fails to meet DSA obligations around access to public data, with its terms of service restricting eligible researchers, while its processes for researchers imposes unnecessary barriers.

Garbage
The sum of fine was calculated by considering the nature of the infringements, their gravity in terms of affected European Union (EU) users and their duration.

X has 90 days to submit an action plan to address its alleged infringements, however Musk already indicated he will oppose the penalty.

US Vice President JD Vance hit out at the fine, writing on X the EU should be “supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage”.

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According to Reuters, the company filed the petition against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in March, contesting the authority of government officials to issue takedown orders under the legislation and arguing that the case was defence of free speech against unconstitutional digital overreach.

However, senior judge M Nagaprasanna rejected the petition, highlighting the need for robust online controls particularly regarding content related to women’s safety. He stressed that that free speech rights must be exercised within the framework of Indian law, stating that “liberty is yoked with responsibility and the privilege of access carries with it the solemn duty of accountability”, local news outlet NDTV reported.

“Information and communication… has always been a subject matter of regulation,” Nagaprasanna added, cautioning against importing US judicial principles into the Indian legal context.

Reuters reported the Indian government has long maintained that its regulatory approach prevents spread of unlawful content and has backing from big tech players including Meta Platforms and Google.

The latest ruling comes on the back of X’s recent regulatory challenges globally. In Europe, the Musk-owned platform is under investigation for alleged violations of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) following a complaint by nine civil society groups accusing the platform of enabling targeted ads based on sensitive personal data.

Meanwhile in July, X refused to comply with a French criminal probe over suspected abuse of its algorithms and misuse of data, suggesting in a post on its social media platform that the inquiry was politically motivated.

The post X loses legal battle against India content rules appeared first on Mobile World Live.

xAI positioned its latest release as a “speedy and economical” model, stating it is optimised for responsiveness and real-world developer workflows.

It is designed to handle tasks ranging from codebase analysis to bug fixes and supports common programming languages Python, Java, TypeScript, Rust and C++.

The Musk-owned AI player explained the model’s strength “lies in delivering strong performance in an economical, compact form factor, making it a versatile choice for tackling common coding tasks quickly and cost-effectively”.

Agentic coding tools, or AI systems capable of autonomously executing coding tasks, have increasingly become a priority for leading tech players.

Microsoft introduced a coding agent in GitHub Copilot earlier this year, with CEO Satya Nadella stating 20 per cent to 30 per cent of code across Microsoft is now AI-generated, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s Codex, which powers parts of ChatGPT, was made available to the AI chatbot’s Plus users in June.

The post xAI upgrades Grok with agentic coding model appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a series of posts on X yesterday (11 August) and continuing into today (12 August), Musk attacked Apple for seemingly giving preferential treatment to OpenAI on the App Store, which he called “an unequivocal antitrust violation”.

He said xAI, which developed the Grok AI chatbot and also owns X, would launch immediate legal proceedings.

Musk took particular issue with a belief Apple “refused” to put X or Grok in its “Must Have” sections on the App Store, despite the social media platform being the number one news app and the AI chatbot ranking in fifth place among all apps.

In one post, Musk questioned if Apple is “playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know”.

The outspoken entrepreneur further questioned why Grok, which he claimed is the “smartest AI in the world”, is not mentioned at all under Apple’s AI section while OpenAI’s ChatGPT appeared prominently on most lists.

“Apple behaves like its owned by OpenAI, why?”

Apple and OpenAI struck an agreement in June 2024 for the vendor’s devices to include support for ChatGPT through Siri and other first party apps.

In response to Musk’s allegations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hit back: “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies.”

The two technology moguls have a long-running feud which has intensified in recent times.  

The post Musk threatens Apple over AI App Store rankings appeared first on Mobile World Live.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant noted the ruling confirms obligations to comply with the country’s regulations still apply, regardless of a “foreign company’s merger with another foreign company”.

The court also ordered X to pay eSafety’s costs.

X appealed the court’s decision from October in 2024, which found the company was required to comply with a transparency notice issued to Twitter in February 2023. Twitter became X in March 2023.

In early 2023 the body asked some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Twitter, to report on steps they were taking to comply with the Australian government’s basic online safety expectations regarding abuse material on their platforms.

eSafety’s civil penalty proceedings against X Corp, in relation to its alleged non-compliance with the transparency notice, are ongoing.

In 2023, it fined X AUD610,500 ($396,000) for failing to provide the requested information.

The post Australian court denies X online safety appeal appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a statement, X criticised the breadth of the law’s enforcement, stating that its “laudable intentions” are at risk of being overridden by regulatory overreach.

“When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of ‘online safety’,” the company posted on X. “It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made.”

X said the rollout has come with “unnecessarily tight” timelines and significant compliance costs. Despite meeting the obligations under the law, the company said it continues to face threats of fines and enforcement, pushing platforms toward “over-censorship.”

The Online Safety Act introduced wide-ranging rules for platforms including X, Meta, YouTube and TikTok as well as pornography sites to enforce age verification and remove harmful and illegal content. While the government maintains the measures are essential to protecting children and users, it has attracted criticism from free-speech activists.

More than 470,000 people have signed a petition calling for the law’s withdrawal, citing privacy concerns as users are required to upload personal data for age verification. However, the government confirmed earlier this week that it has “no plans to repeal” the legislation.

Technology secretary Peter Kyle defended the law in a post on X earlier this week, stating that those opposing the Online Safety Act are “on the side of predators”.

Heavy-handed approach
In its statement, Musk’s platform also flagged concerns about a new National Internet Intelligence Investigations unit established within the British Police to monitor online content for signs of unrest and hate speech, warning it could further curb free speech.

“Instead of specifically and collaboratively addressing a problem everyone agrees needs to be solved”, X stated that regulators have adopted a “heavy-handed approach by rapidly increasing enforcement resources, adding layers of bureaucratic oversight”.

“It’s safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK,” the platform concluded, calling for a balanced approach to ensuring online safety alongside personal liberties and innovation.

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In a post on its Global Government Affairs handle, X responded to a probe launched by the Paris prosector’s office last week to investigate suspected abuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction by the company and its executives.

X stated it “remains in the dark” as to the specific allegations made against the platform but based on what it knows so far it believes the investigation is “distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech”.

The company explained French authorities had requested access to its recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts on the platform in order for experts to analyse the data and purportedly “uncover the truth” about the operation of the X platform.

One of the experts in question is French politician Eric Bothorel who heads up French public institution Escape X, which X said is dedicated to encourage users to leave the platform.

Another expert is Maziyar Panahi, who has previously participated in research projects with Bothorel and has been known to “demonstrate open hostility towards X”, added the company.

“The involvement of these individuals raises serious concerns about the impartiality, fairness and political motivations of the investigation, to put it charitably. A predetermined outcome is not a fair one,” added X’s post.

X is also under fire from the European Commission over potentially breaching advertising rules under the Digital Services Act.

The post X will not comply with French probe as row deepens appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The campaigners, including NGOs such as AI Forensics, European Digital Rights and the Centre for Democracy and Technology, submitted a complaint to the European Commission (EC) and French media regulator Arcom this week. They allege that X enables targeted advertising using sensitive personal data linked to political views, religion, sexual orientation and health conditions – a practice banned under the DSA.

The findings emerged from evidence collected by AI Forensics through an investigation of X’s Ad Repository, a public database set up by companies under DSA rules. The research claimed major corporations such as Shein, McDonald’s and Total Energies ran ad campaigns on the platform that targeted or excluded users based on engagement with sensitive keyword categories.

AI Forensics also identified that Brussels Signal, a media outlet tied to European right-wing parties, ran ads aimed at users engaging with keywords related to far-right political content, a move seen as an attempt to sway civic discourse.

In a joint statement, the organisations expressed “deep concern” regarding the findings, stating that the sensitive user information used in X’s advertising practices “can reveal deeply personal aspects of an individual’s identity”, leading to an “increased risk of discrimination, harm and violations of users’ fundamental rights”.

The group urged EU regulators and Digital Services Coordinators to launch an investigation, emphasising that “platforms operating at the scale and influence of X must be held to the highest standards of compliance.”

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Yaccarino wrote on X that she was “immensely grateful to Musk” for entrusting her with the responsibility of protecting free speech, turning the company around and transforming X “into the Everything App”.

She also pointed to work under her stewardship around prioritising the safety of users, especially children, and restoring advertiser confidence.

Former NBCUniversal executive Yaccarino was appointed CEO by Musk to replace himself in May 2023, after he served as head of the company for more than six months following his buyout of the social media platform.

Yaccarino was charged with dealing with the aftermath of cost-cutting measures introduced by Musk including massive lay-offs, as well as an advertiser exodus.

In the statement announcing her departure, Yaccarino added that the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with xAI.

Musk announced a buyout of X by xAI in an all-stock transaction, valued at $45 billion, earlier this year.

The post X CEO Yaccarino becomes ex-CEO appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Trump tariffs take aim at tech

What happened: US President Donald Trump unveiled tariff rates which will impact imports from key smartphone manufacturing hubs including China and Vietnam in a move directly impacting top US vendors Apple and Samsung. Meanwhile, the UK government reportedly offered to reduce digital taxes for major US technology companies to avert the impact of the US tariffs.

Why it matters:  Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on countries including China and Vietnam with rates of 34 per cent and 46 per cent respectively. This will present a significant challenge for Apple and Samsung, both of which dominate the US smartphone market and depend on the countries for manufacturing. Financial Times reported that Apple saw its market value plunge by more than $250 billion on Thursday (3 April) due to Trump’s tariff offensive. CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood told Mobile World Live that resulting higher production costs could lead to price hikes for key consumer devices and slimmer profit margins for vendors.

Musk ties up xAI, X in $45B deal

What happened: Elon Musk merged his AI company, xAI, and his social media platform X in a $45 billion all-stock transaction, which includes $12 billion in debt.

Why it matters: The deal marks a strategic consolidation of Musk’s biggest technology ventures, valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion. The tech mogul stated the merger aims to combine the “data, models, compute, distribution and talent” from both companies. Financially, the merger could serve to protect investors who supported Musk’s initial acquisition of X, potentially mitigating previous financial losses. However, Angus Allan, senior product manager at tech consultancy CreateFuture, told Forbes the consolidation raises privacy concerns by “removing any remaining barriers between users’ social media activity and AI training data.” Meanwhile, Cheney Hamilton, analyst at Bloor Research, told the news outlet the move underscores Musk’s ambitions to “turn X into a hub for real-time interaction, content, and AI-powered experiences, essentially competing with the likes of Google, Meta, and OpenAI”.

Global genAI spending to hit $644B in 2025​

What happened: Research entity Gartner projected global spending on genAI to reach $644 billion in 2025, a 76 per cent increase from 2024 as industries accelerate their adoption of the technology across consumer products and business operations.

Why it matters: Hardware investments are expected to constitute 80 per cent of the projected expenditure, driven by the integration of AI capabilities into devices like servers, smartphones, and PCs. Gartner’s VP analyst John-David Lovelock highlighted that AI-enabled devices are forecasted to comprise almost the entire consumer device market by 2028. This shift is primarily driven by manufacturers embedding AI as a default feature, compelling consumers to adopt these advanced devices. Despite the optimistic investment outlook, high failure rates in initial proof-of-concept projects and unsatisfactory AI-generated results have led to declining confidence in the short-term efficacy of the technology. Nonetheless, foundational model providers will continue to invest heavily to enhance genAI model sizes, performance, and reliability. Lovelock noted that the paradox of substantial investment amidst cautious optimism is expected to persist through 2026.

The post The Friday File: US tariffs target tech; Musk merges Xes appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Musk confirmed the deal in a post on X, which includes $12 billion worth of debt, stating it would enable the combination of “data, models, compute, distribution and talent” from both companies.

The deal values the tech mogul’s AI company at $80 billion and X at $33 billion.

Both X and xAI are privately owned, with overlapping major investors and shared resources.

According to BBC, the acquisition could represent an effort to shield investors, who supported Musk’s acquisition of X, from financial losses.

In addition, the move could help enhance xAI’s capability to train its AI models. Sources told Reuters the tie-up is expected to allow for deeper integration of the company’s AI chatbot with X. xAI’s Grok chatbot, a significant feature on X, utilises posts from the social media platform as a key part of its training data.

According to Musk, the merger “will unlock immense potential by blending xAI’s advanced AI capability and expertise with X’s massive reach”.

The acquisition comes just over two years after Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion, marking a significant shift in the platform’s direction. Despite the challenges faced by X, including a reduction in its workforce and advertiser withdrawals, Musk touted it as “one of the most efficient companies in the world”.

The post Musk ties up xAI, X in $45B deal appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The news, first reported byWall Street Journal, marks an attempt by Musk to block OpenAI’s ongoing bid towards a for-profit structure and return it to its original nonprofit mission. The group of bidders includes Musk’s AI company xAI, as well as investment firms Baron Capital Group and Emmanuel Capital.

Altman swiftly rejected the offer, stating on Musk-owned platform X: “No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”

According to Reuters, the OpenAI CEO also informed employees that the company remains committed to its existing for-profit push. Musk responded by calling Altman a swindler.

Sources told Reuters that if Musk were to proceed with the acquisition, he would need to secure sizeable funding, possibly utilising his stakes in Tesla or SpaceX.

Long-running feud
In 2024, OpenAI initiated a restructure of the company, making its for-profit unit independent from its nonprofit parent to boost its ability to raise funds.

Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, left the organisation in 2018 over clashes with Altman and has since heavily criticised the company’s revised business model. For instance, he urged lawmakers in two US states to push OpenAI into auctioning large stakes in its business.

The pair also publicly clashed over US President Donald Trump-backed joint venture Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative involving OpenAI. The tech moguls took to X last month to spar over Musk’s allegations about the project’s financial viability.

The post Altman rebuffs Musk-led $97B bid for OpenAI appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The news agency stated if a deal was to be reached, X would take control of TikTok US, with about 170 million users, and operate the platforms together. The tie-up could be valued at between $40 billion and $50 billion.

A representative of ByteDance-owned TikTok, which is focused on fighting the ban, said it would not comment on “pure fiction”.

With China facing difficult negotiations with the in-coming Donald Trump administration over tariffs and export controls, Bloomberg wrote the government sees talks with Musk, a close adviser to Trump, as a potential area for China-US reconciliation.

The Chinese government made clear earlier it would have a say over any potential sale of TikTok.

Radio Free Mobile founder Richard Windsor stated in March 2024 China was unlikely to approve a divestment, as it would not allow critical algorithms to be in the hands of foreign-owned companies.

US Supreme Court justices reportedly are in favour of upholding a ban on TikTok, which goes into effect 19 January, due to national security concerns.

US President Joe Biden signed legislation in April 2024 which forces ByteDance to divest its ownership in TikTok or face a nationwide ban.

The post Musk emerges as potential TikTok saviour appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Bloomberg reported X and Google-run YouTube are yet to complete the process which will require both platforms to run in the country after a bill was passed last month by Malaysia’s parliament that amended laws around social media.

The updated policies, implemented by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, are designed to tackle online threats including scams and cyberbullying. Governments across Asia are taking aim at big tech companies for their accountability over content posted on their platforms.

X apparently claimed it did not need the licence as the amount of users it has in the country does not meet the threshold of eight million, set by the regulator.

Meanwhile, Google issued a statement to the commission stating it had concerns over the classification of YouTube’s video sharing features under the framework.

Bloomberg added Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok have obtained the licence already, while Telegram and Meta Platforms have started the process.

Those that breach the licence could be subject to investigation or supervision.

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xAI stated its Series B funding round included participation from a number of key investors, including capital investors Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, in addition to Saudi’s Kingdom Holding.

In a post on X, Musk revealed the pre-money valuation of $18 billion, before adding there will be more to announce in the coming weeks. He also pushed the company’s ethos on pursuing the truth, “without regard to popularity or political correctness”.

Established a year ago, xAI has made strides in generative AI, launching the Grok chatbot as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The model has been trained and integrated on to Musk’s social media company X and is available to the company’s premium subscribers.

xAI said it plans to use the cash infusion to take xAI’s “products to market, build advanced infrastructure and accelerate the research and development of future technologies”.

The company added it is seeking to grow its workforce, hiring for numerous roles.

The post Musk xAI venture secures $6B in funding appeared first on Mobile World Live.

EC stated it was looking at whether X has fallen foul of the DSA, which was implemented in November 2022, in areas linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns and data access for researchers.

Opening formal proceedings follows a preliminary investigation conducted by the European regulator, which included gathering information from a risk assessment report submitted by the company in September and a transparency report in November.

It also assessed the company’s replies to a formal request for information following the Hamas attacks against Israel in October.

Notably, commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, sent letters to large social media companies including X, Meta Platforms and TikTok following the attacks to remind them of DSA obligations to tackle harmful and illegal content.

So far, it appears only X has been hit with formal proceedings.

Too big to care
EC explained its probe would focus on areas around X’s compliance with DSA to counter the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, as well as effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation on the platform and steps taken by X to increase transparency of its platform.

The commission added it would continue to gather evidence and could take other enforcement steps such as implementing interim measures and non-compliance penalties.

Breton said opening proceedings against X makes it clear that “the time of big online platforms behaving like they are ‘too big to care’ has come to an end”.

The DSA complements the EC’s Digital Markets Act and focuses primarily on content moderation, user privacy and transparency.

X could be hit with a fine of up to 6 per cent of global turnover if found guilty of breaching the act.

The post EC slaps X with first probe under new rules appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The company told FT SMB’s had long been part of its strategy and it was now planning to go further with them.

X stated SMBs are already a “very significant engine” which it had “underplayed for a long time”, FT reported.

The advertiser backlash occurred after Musk appeared to support an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory in a post on the platform.

Musk apologised for the post during an appearance at The New York Times (NYT) Dealbook Summit last week, when he also slated big name advertisers and predicted the end of X.

NYT reported on 30 November at least six marketing agencies stated the brands they represent would not resume advertising on X, while others advised customers to stop posting on the platform.

Bloomberg reported on 1 December Walmart, the largest retail chain in the US, had pulled its adverts, joining a list of influential companies including Apple, Comcast, IBM and The Walt Disney Company.

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Speaking at The New York Times (NYT) Dealbook Summit, Musk addressed a recent exodus of big names including Apple, Comcast, IBM and The Walt Disney Company from X, stating the advertising boycott would kill the business.

“This is what everybody on earth will know. We’ll be gone and it’ll be gone because of an advertiser boycott.”

However, in bullish defiance, he also said: “I hope they stop. Don’t advertise. If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself. Go f*** yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”

The comments were met by silence from the summit’s audience, which included X CEO Linda Yaccarino, who later defended Musk on the platform.

Musk also appeared to single out Disney CEO Bob Iger, who had earlier stated at the same event he did not want to be affiliated with the billionaire.

X has been hit with an advertiser backlash after Musk appeared to support an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory in a post on the platform earlier this month.

The latest ado adds to the loss of many brands after the billionaire took control of the company in October 2022.

Musk said in July advertising revenue had halved since he bought the company, leaving it with negative cash flow and a heavy debt load.

Citing leaked internal documents, NYT reported X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the year-end due to the latest exodus.

During the interview, Musk apologised for his post about anti-Semitism, describing it as “perhaps one of the most foolish, if not the most foolish thing I’ve ever done on the platform”.

The post Musk unleashes attack on advertisers boycotting X appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The chatbot is dubbed Grok and will be available to X premium subscribers after testing,

In a post on X promoting the launch last week, Musk bragged about the potential of the unit’s output.He said some aspects of its AI are “the best that currently exists”.

When the start-up was unveiled, it stated its goal was “to understand the true nature of the universe” and highlighted the experience of its team, which are drawn from companies including DeepMind, OpenAI and Google.

Dan Hendrycks, director of US non-profit Centre for AI Safety, is listed as an adviser.

As one of the co-founders of ChatGPT parent OpenAI, Musk has a history of AI development, but Financial Times noted he stepped down from the board in 2018 after alleged clashes with management on its approach to safety.

Musk was one of the high-profile attendees at a UK AI summit held this week to tackle ethical and safety concerns, which was hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The post Musk promotes xAI launch appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The executive stated one option will offer ad-free access, with a lower-cost option offering the same features but with current levels of advertising.

Musk teased the idea of a monthly fee on 19 September, in a move he stated would be an effective method of fighting bots due to the increased cost.

The social media company already offers X Premium, an $8 per month subscription service enabling users to edit tweets, display official verification, see fewer adverts and have their posts promoted. 

CNBC reported on 18 October X had begun charging new customers in New Zealand and the Philippines $1 per annum as a test case for an anti-bot programme.

There has been an exodus of advertisers from X over concerns about the departure of executives and other top employees since Musk led an acquisition in October 2022.

In July, Musk revealed X had lost almost half of its advertising revenue, with added negative cash flow on top of a heavy debt load.

The post Musk advances X subscription plan appeared first on Mobile World Live.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant explained in a statement: “We really can’t hope to have any accountability from the online industry in tackling this issue without meaningful transparency.”

She added a new report reveals continued gaps in how five tech companies are dealing with the problem and how they are tackling the rise in sexual extortion.

In February, eSafety issued legal notices to Twitter, later rebranded X, Google, TikTok, Twitch and Discord requiring them to answer questions about measures they have in place to tackle the proliferation of child sexual exploitation.

The report found X failed to provide any responses to a number of key questions, including the time it takes to respond to reports of child sexual exploitation, measures in place to detect the abuse in livestreams, and the tools it uses to find related material.

X has 28 days to request the withdrawal of the infringement notice or to pay the penalty.

Google was warned for its failure to comply due to the company providing a number of generic responses to specific questions and providing aggregated information when asked questions about specific services.

Inman Grant noted X and Google’s non-compliance “was disappointing, especially as the questions relate to the protection of children and the most egregious forms of online harm”.

The post Australia fines X for anti-child-abuse failures appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a post on X, Musk revealed it will provide calling features across iOS, Android Mac and PCs, with the service not requiring a users’ phone number.

He did not provide a launch date, but stated X would effectively operate as a “global address book” and claimed it would be a unique offering.

Musk has indicated he wants to transform X into an “everything app”, offering services spanning messages and calling, banking and shopping, a set-up similar to Tencent’s WeChat.

During the process of rebranding, X CEO Linda Yaccarino also added the design overhaul was just the beginning of the company’s transformation into a “global marketplace”.

User data
In a separate update, X is to expand the amount of data it collects from users.

It began informing users of an updated privacy policy this week, explaining it may collect and use their biometric information “for safety, security and identification purposes”.

Musk has repeatedly stated he wants to rid the social media platform of unauthentic accounts and direct more users towards its paid service, which could be a reason why he wants to increase the amount of data X collects.

The company is also planning to begin collecting other information, including users’ employment and educational history, as well as job search activity.

Its new policy is scheduled to go into effect on 29 September.

The post Musk to launch X calling feature appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The move will mark Twitter’s first major visual rebranding in years and follows a series of tweets by Musk indicating plans to ditch the blue bird icon.

As part of the rebranding, posts on Twitter will be known as x’s, instead of tweets, according to Musk.

The X logo ties in with X Corp, a shell company formed in April that now houses Twitter. Bloomberg reported at the time Musk was exploring using the X brand to create an “everything app” similar to Tencent Holdings’ WeChat.

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino added the design overhaul is just the beginning of Twitter’s transformation into a “global marketplace” for various services spanning messaging to banking.

Poll
Musk hinted a rebrand was imminent through a poll to gather users’ votes on Twitter’s default colour, before asking them to suggest an X logo for the rebrand.

“If a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we’ll make it go live worldwide tomorrow”, said Musk on Sunday (23 July).

Pictures showing an X were also projected onto Twitter’s US offices, although Musk stated that logo is temporary.

He tweeted the design “probably changes later, certainly will be refined”, in response to a user providing the image.

The branding overhaul comes after Musk stated last week the company had lost almost half of its advertising revenue since he completed the takeover in October 2022, resulting in heavy debt and negative cash flow. During his ownership of the company, he has also moved to lay-off thousands of staff and pushed paid-for features.

While the rebranding will generate much hype, research director at Forrester Mike Proulx told Reuters it could also alienate “Twitter’s original, and once fiercely loyal user base”.

The post Twitter bird takes flight as Musk rebrands appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Musk made the admission in a tweet and followed up by stating an expected rise during June had failed to materialise, but the outlook this month is better.

Its Spaces discussion board offering is also not generating revenue, being “all costs” at this stage, he added.

Musk apparently recently stated Twitter is on track to post revenue of $3 billion in 2023, compared with $4.4 billion in 2022 and $5.1 billion in 2021.

In his nine months in charge, Musk has made several moves to improve the company’s financial situation, including laying-off thousands of staff and cutting cloud service bills.

During an interview with BBC News in April, Musk reportedly said things were going “reasonably well” and Twitter was roughly breaking even following the return of most advertisers.

Twitter is also facing increased competition, with freshly-minted rival Threads from Meta Platforms reportedly amassing more than 150 million users since launching earlier this month.

The post Musk claims Twitter ad revenue cut in half appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Publications including The Verge and The Wall Street Journal claimed Meta Platforms planned to release what chief product officer Chris Cox described as its response to Twitter.

In an apparent reference to changes to Twitter under Elon Musk, Cox reportedly said Meta Platforms planned to meet calls from creators and public figures for a platform which is “sanely run”.

Coding for the new app is said to have started in January and will be released as soon as the company is able.

Bloomberg noted Meta Platforms executives also outlined a series of planned updates for its products using AI.

These include chatbots for WhatsApp and Messenger claimed to have different personas and use cases, and an AI editing tool for Instagram Stories.

It also plans various internal AI applications including support bots.

The leaks illustrate the latest in the company’s AI push, having already revealed plans to upgrade infrastructure to support its moves in the hyped technology.

The post Meta leaks reveal Twitter competitor, AI push appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Publicaciones como The Verge y The Wall Street Journal explican que Meta Platforms quiere lanzar lo que Chris Cox, director de Producto, ha descrito como una respuesta a Twitter.

En lo que parece una alusión a los cambios efectuados en Twitter bajo las órdenes de Elon Musk, Cox ha afirmado que Meta Platforms atenderá a las peticiones de creadores y figuras públicas que solicitan una plataforma “gestionada con sensatez”.

Al parecer, la nueva aplicación comenzó a programarse en enero y se lanzará en cuanto esté en condiciones.

Bloomberg señala que los directivos de Meta Platforms también han resumido una serie de novedades que prevén para los productos que usan IA.

Así, por ejemplo, chatbots para WhatsApp y Messenger a los que se atribuyen diferentes personajes y casos de uso, así como una herramienta de edición mediante IA para Instagram Stories.

También están previstas varias aplicaciones internas de IA, como por ejemplo bots de soporte.

Las filtraciones en cuestión revelan las apuestas más recientes en IA por parte de Meta Platforms, que ya ha anunciado la intención de renovar sus infraestructuras a fin de disponer del equipamiento necesario en el desarrollo de una tecnología que ahora mismo está de actualidad.

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The news outlet stated Meta Platforms could be ready to launch the service next month, citing details provided by a teacher of social media marketing at a US college.

Bloomberg wrote accounts on the new platform will be separate from current Instagram profiles, though able to access existing connections.

Meta Platforms is reportedly also incorporating compatibility with platforms rivalling Twitter including Mastodon, enabling their users to interact with public accounts on its latest product.

The source told Bloomberg Meta Platforms’ keeps its development times short by borrowing features from other platforms and consolidating services.

Outgoing Twitter CEO Elon Musk last month reportedly advanced moves to create a so-called super-app, consolidating the business into a new parent company X Corp.

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Según dicho medio de comunicación, Meta Platforms podría lanzar el servicio en junio. La firma aporta detalles proporcionados por un profesor de marketing en medios sociales que trabaja en una universidad estadounidense.

Bloomberg especifica que las cuentas de la nueva plataforma estarán separadas de los actuales perfiles de Instagram, si bien se podrá acceder a las conexiones ya existentes.

Al parecer, Meta Platforms también incorporará compatibilidad con plataformas rivales de Twitter, como Mastodon, lo que permitirá que los usuarios interactúen con cuentas públicas en su producto más reciente.

La misma fuente ha destacado a Bloomberg que Meta Platforms acorta sus plazos de desarrollo a base de imitar funcionalidades de otras plataformas y concentrar varios servicios en uno.

Elon Musk, consejero delegado saliente de Twitter, avanzó en abril la creación de lo que llama una super-aplicación, así como la incorporación de la firma a una nueva empresa matriz llamada X Corp.

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In a tweet, he stated Yaccarino will take over as CEO in six weeks with a focus primarily on business operations while he will oversee product design and technology on the social media platform.

Musk also noted he looked forward to working with Yaccarino on transforming Twitter into “X, the everything app”.

Twitter ceased to be an independent company after it was merged with a newly formed shell company called X Corp in April 2023. At the time, Bloomberg reported Musk could use the X brand as part of an effort to create an ‘everything app’ similar to Tencent Holdings’ WeChat or use it as a parent structure for his various companies such as Tesla and SpaceX, which would be similar to Google parent Alphabet.

Late last year he tweeted “buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app.”

There has been media speculation that Musk’s decision to hire a CEO for Twitter will allow him to focus more on his role as CEO of Tesla.

Yaccarino joined NBCUniversal in 2011 and was previously with Turner Broadcasting. She brings much needed relationships with advertising executives to her new role at Twitter after some advertisers cut ties with the social media company following Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy it in October 2022.

Musk implemented various cost-cutting measures since he took over the company, including massive layoffs.

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In a tweet, Musk stated he hired a new female CEO for Twitter and, once they start, he will take on the roles of executive chair and CTO, overseeing product, software and system operations.

Musk didn’t disclose the identity of the incoming CEO, but The New York Times reported he was in advanced talks about the role with Linda Yaccarino, chair of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal Media.

Yaccarino joined NBCUniversal in 2011 and was previously with Turner Broadcasting.

Musk has overseen massive layoffs at Twitter since acquiring the company for $44 billion, part of a turnaround plan for the company, which has struggled to turn a profit.

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