TikTokers offered $5,000 to join Meta, Mr Beast joins bid to buy TikTok in US
Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up to $5,000 (£4,040) to popular creators in the United States who join Facebook and Instagram. It says those joining from “third-party social apps” will get cash based on “an evaluation of your social presence”. Though it does not mention TikTok by name, the timing would suggest Meta is attempting to capitalise on the uncertainty surrounding its rival, as questions swirl about whether President Trump can find a way of preserving it for US users. TikTok says it has 170 million users in the US – with many of them relying on it for their livelihoods – meaning lots of people would be seeking an alternative place to post if the platform disappeared. BBC
OpenAI and SoftBank on Tuesday said they would launch a massive US artificial intelligence infrastructure project, in a move Donald Trump lauded as a “declaration of confidence in America”. The joint venture, dubbed Stargate, plans to spend $100bn on Big Tech infrastructure projects, with the figure rising to as much as $500bn over the next four years, the groups said. It was not immediately clear how Stargate would obtain funding, but one person involved in the project said they intended to bring on additional investors. FT.com
Crypto may have just got one of its most powerful backers in the newly appointed president. On the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the price of Bitcoin hit an all-time high of more than $109,000, as investors waited to see how he would boost the industry – although they were left disappointed when he did not mention it at all. President Trump and his first lady Melania also just launched their own cryptocurrencies, $TRUMP and $MELANIA, signalling their enthusiasm. Sky News
MrBeast, the YouTube star and highest-earning creator on the internet, has officially joined a bid to buy TikTok’s US operations. The 26-year-old has teamed up with the tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, the founder of the online HR company employer.com, to make an all-cash offer for the social video app’s American unit. The approach was announced as Donald Trump said he was open to the US tech billionaires Elon Musk and Larry Ellison buying TikTok in the US. MrBeast – whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson – has floated his interest in acquiring TikTok in a number of social media posts. The Guardian
A leaker known as “Majin Bu” today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air” model.
The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an LED camera flash and a tiny microphone hole. The ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air” is the only iPhone 17 model that is expected to have a single rear camera, so the shell could be for that device. Mac Rumors
The best smartwatches are those that manage to perfectly blend smart functionality, sports tracking, and health metrics. In my experience, smartwatches shine in one or maybe two of these areas but rarely all three. That is true of the Apple Watch Series 10 and the recently released Huawei Watch D2. Could the GT5 Pro buck the trend? The Watch GT5 Pro, you guessed it, is the advanced or “pro” version of the Huawei Watch GT5, a more expensive watch aimed at serious fitness enthusiasts. Enhancements include dedicated golf and diving modes as well as the ability to measure both ECG and arterial stiffness. The build quality is also superior with a titanium case and sapphire glass. T3.com
