This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s meeting with top tech CEOs in New York set the stage for strengthened US-India collaborations in technology and innovation. Meanwhile, the tech industry saw major shifts in workplace policies, with Dell announcing a return to full-time office work for its global sales team, sparking employee concerns. Cybersecurity issues came to the forefront as popular YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia‘s channels were hacked and subsequently restored, while Telegram made a surprising policy change regarding user data disclosure, and more in this week’s top tech news of the week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with top tech CEOs in New York during his 3-day US visit, discussing technology, innovation, and opportunities in India. The roundtable included industry leaders such as Adobe‘s Shantanu Narayen, Google‘s Sundar Pichai, IBM’s Arvind Krishna, AMD‘s Lisa Su, and Moderna‘s Noubar Afeyan. He highlighted India’s progress in technology and noted the optimism towards India.
The meeting follows recent US-India collaborations in semiconductor supply chains and emerging technologies, including initiatives with GlobalFoundries and IBM.
Dell’s global sales team will be required to return to the office full-time starting September 30, 2024, ending the era of hybrid work. This decision, announced via email, has sparked significant backlash from employees concerned about commuting costs and potential layoffs. The company framed the shift as a “return to winning and taking share” in response to the rapidly evolving industry and technology landscape.
However, employees view it sceptically, with some suggesting it’s a tactic to encourage resignations and meet headcount reduction targets. The move follows a similar announcement by Amazon, which led to 73% of its workers considering job hunting according to a survey.
Dell’s email, signed by sales division presidents Bill Scannell and John Byrne, emphasises that remote work should be the exception rather than routine, but the decision has been met with criticism and concerns about hidden costs and potential pay cuts.
Influencer and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, known as BeerBiceps, has had his YouTube channels restored after they were hacked and renamed on September 25. The cyberattack had resulted in the deletion of all videos and the renaming of his channels to focus on Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
In a video update, Allahbadia thanked YouTube’s team for restoring his channels and expressed gratitude to his supporters. He used the incident to raise awareness about cybersecurity, urging followers to educate themselves on the topic. Allahbadia denied speculation that the hack was a publicity stunt, stating, “My work is my dharma. This is my faith.”
Telegram has announced a significant policy change regarding user data disclosure. CEO Pavel Durov stated that the company will now provide IP addresses and phone numbers of users in response to legal requests, marking a departure from its previous stance of non-cooperation with authorities. The company maintains that it has not disclosed any user messages to third parties, including governments. This policy shift comes after Durov’s arrest in France in August for alleged crimes committed on Telegram, charges which he denies.
Bharti Airtel has launched an AI-powered network solution to detect spam calls and messages for its customers. Developed in-house by Airtel’s data scientists, the AI algorithm analyses various parameters like usage patterns, call/SMS frequency, and call duration to flag suspected spam accurately. The solution also alerts customers to malicious links received via SMS and can detect anomalies like frequent IMEI changes.
Airtel’s Managing Director and CEO, Gopal Vittal, emphasised that this initiative aims to shield customers from unwanted communications and marks a significant milestone in addressing the spam menace in India.
Meta has announced significant upgrades to its AI capabilities, including the ability to converse using celebrity voices on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram in the US. The AI can now analyse and edit photos, answer questions about them, and even create personalised content for social media feeds. Powered by the new Llama 3.2 model, Meta AI can understand both images and text.
The company is testing AI-generated images for Facebook and Instagram feeds, including “Imagined for You” pictures that could feature users in various scenarios. Additional features include AI-created backgrounds for Instagram Stories, automatic translation for Reels, and enhanced capabilities for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, such as real-time translation and improved natural language interactions.
Apple has added nine Mac models to its ‘obsolete products’ list and three to its ‘vintage’ list, effectively ending support for these older devices.
Obsolete products, which Apple stopped selling more than 7 years ago, are no longer eligible for hardware repairs from Apple or third-party providers, except for battery-only repairs on Mac laptops for up to 10 years.
Vintage products, sold between 5 and 7 years ago, are still eligible for repairs but may have limited parts availability. The newly obsolete Macs include various models of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook, and iMac from 2015 and 2016, while the new vintage Macs are from 2017 and 2018.