Instagram Co-Founder Claims Mark Zuckerberg Viewed App’s Success as a ‘Threat’

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Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom has testified in an antitrust trial, claiming that Instagram could have thrived independently and that its growth was viewed as a “threat” by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms. Systrom’s testimony comes as part of the U.S. government’s monopoly case, which aims to reverse Meta’s 2012 acquisition of Instagram. The case, led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), suggests that Meta’s purchase of Instagram, now a social media giant with nearly three billion users, was part of a strategy to stifle competition. Instagram is projected to generate a substantial portion of Meta’s U.S. ad revenue this year, underlining its importance to the company’s business model.

During his testimony, Systrom highlighted Instagram’s rapid growth leading up to the acquisition, noting how the app saw a 13-fold increase in users in 2011 alone, the year before the purchase. This surge in popularity, he suggested, indicated Instagram’s potential to succeed on its own. Despite this, Zuckerberg’s approach to Instagram after the acquisition took a more adversarial turn, with Systrom claiming that Meta’s CEO saw Instagram as a competitive threat. Systrom testified that Instagram was starved of resources once it was acquired, and despite the app’s potential, it struggled to get the support it needed from Meta, particularly when it came to hiring additional staff for key initiatives.

Systrom expressed confidence that Instagram could have continued to evolve without the acquisition, including adding crucial features like video support and private messaging. He argued that the company had the necessary infrastructure to support its growth, particularly pointing out that Instagram relied on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for its operational needs. Even when it came to tackling spam and harmful content, Systrom believed that Instagram could have handled these challenges independently, suggesting that scaling the platform’s content moderation efforts was not an insurmountable challenge.

However, when cross-examined by Meta’s lawyers, Systrom admitted that the company’s success was never guaranteed. “It could have gone either way,” he said, acknowledging the inherent risks in the startup world. Despite this, Systrom remained firm in his belief that Instagram had a solid foundation to continue growing. After the acquisition, Systrom described a fluctuating relationship with Zuckerberg, who oscillated between supporting and viewing Instagram as a threat. Systrom also mentioned that after the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, Instagram faced a lack of new resources, with no additional employees allocated to crucial areas like video development or data privacy efforts. This resource deprivation, Systrom suggested, played a key role in hindering Instagram’s full potential post-acquisition.

Realme Launches Buds Air 7 Pro with Active Noise Cancellation and IP55 Water Resistance

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Realme has unveiled its latest true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, the Buds Air 7 Pro, in China. The new headset, launched alongside the Realme GT 7 smartphone, brings several impressive features for audio enthusiasts and users looking for high-performance wireless earbuds. With an in-ear design, the Buds Air 7 Pro offers active noise cancellation (ANC) that can reduce unwanted sounds by up to 52dB, providing an enhanced listening experience. Additionally, these earbuds come with dual dynamic drivers, an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, and an impressive total battery life of up to 48 hours when including the charging case.

Priced at CNY 449 (around Rs. 5,000), the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro is available in four vibrant color options: Blazing Red, Fengchi Green, Silver Lime, and Speed White. The earbuds are now available for purchase through Realme’s official website in China, catering to users looking for an affordable yet feature-packed audio solution. While the price point is attractive, the earbuds offer a range of specifications that are usually found in higher-end models, making them an appealing option in the TWS market.

Under the hood, the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro boasts a robust 11mm woofer and a 6mm micro-plane tweeter, supported by dual N52 neodymium magnets that enhance the bass response. The earbuds offer a wide frequency response range of 20Hz to 40,000Hz, ensuring a rich and immersive audio experience. The addition of 3D spatial audio support and dual DAC audio processing chips helps deliver high-quality sound by processing different frequency bands separately. The earbuds also feature advanced ANC technology that effectively blocks out ambient noise, along with Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity, supporting AAC, LHDC5.0, and SBC codecs for seamless audio transmission.

Beyond sound quality, the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro is equipped with innovative features that set it apart. The earbuds support AI-assisted real-time conversation translation in 32 languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. This feature is particularly useful for travelers or anyone engaging in cross-lingual communication. The earbuds also come with intuitive touch controls for easy call management, volume adjustments, and playlist navigation. Designed with gamers in mind, the Buds Air 7 Pro offers a 45ms low latency mode for a lag-free gaming experience. Moreover, the earbuds are Hi-Res Audio certified and support adaptive noise reduction during calls for crystal-clear communication. Additionally, the earbuds can pair easily with both Android and iOS devices via the Realme Link app, and they support Microsoft’s Swift Pair feature for faster connectivity.

New Features Unveiled for xAI’s Chatbot: Grok Vision, Multilingual Audio Support, and Real-Time Search

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xAI’s Grok chatbot has just received a major update, introducing new features aimed at improving user experience and functionality. One of the standout additions is Grok Vision, a cutting-edge computer vision tool, which is now available to iOS users. This feature allows Grok to process real-time video from the device’s camera, offering users the ability to point their phones at objects and ask the AI for detailed information about them. This marks a significant leap in AI capabilities, giving users a more interactive and immersive way to engage with the chatbot.

In addition to Grok Vision, xAI has rolled out multilingual audio support, expanding the chatbot’s language capabilities. Now, Grok can understand and respond in five new languages: French, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish, and Turkish. This is a big step forward from the previous version, which could only handle multilingual text input. With the new update, Grok can process spoken language in these languages, making it a more versatile tool for a global audience. Users can speak to Grok in their preferred language, and the AI will respond accordingly, offering a seamless multilingual experience.

Furthermore, xAI has introduced real-time web search functionality to the Grok app, enabling users to access up-to-date information through the chatbot. This feature ensures that Grok can provide the latest answers and insights by tapping into the vast resources of the internet. It adds a layer of dynamism to the chatbot, allowing it to stay current with evolving topics, events, and news. While iOS users can access these features for free, Android users will need to subscribe to SuperGrok, which is priced at Rs. 700 per month or Rs. 6,500 annually.

This latest update demonstrates xAI’s commitment to enhancing Grok’s capabilities, making it a more powerful and accessible AI tool. Whether for personal or professional use, users on iOS can enjoy these new features without any extra cost, while Android users can opt for the premium SuperGrok subscription. With Grok Vision, multilingual audio, and real-time search, the chatbot is poised to offer an even richer and more intuitive experience for its growing user base.