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General Motors has laid off more than 10% of its IT department, or about 600 salaried employees — in a deliberate skills swap: clearing out workers whose expertise no longer fits and making room for some with AI-focused backgrounds. GM confirmed to TechCrunch that it had conducted layoffs; they were first reported by Bloomberg News. In an emailed statement, the automaker framed the layoffs as means to prepare it for the future, without providing specifics. “GM is transforming its Information Technology organization to better position the company for the future,” the company said. These layoffs are not all permanent headcount…
At long last, Android and iPhone users will be able to send each other end-to-end encrypted text messages. On Monday, end-to-end encrypted messaging is starting to roll out in beta for conversations between iPhone and Android users running the most up-to-date software. End-to-end encrypted (e2ee) messaging is an important privacy feature that makes users far less susceptible to surveillance by hackers, governments, or the companies that make these communication platforms. When these messages are sent between devices, they’re encrypted while in transit, making it near-impossible for anyone else to intercept and read the message. But until now, messages sent between…
Last year’s rollout of iOS 26 was striking, with the translucent Liquid Glass aesthetic. Apple has since iterated on its smartphone’s software, though some users continue to voice their displeasure. If you’ve held out, this latest version—iOS 26.5—includes a new feature that’s worth updating your smartphone for right now: end-to-end encryption for RCS messaging.Apple rolled out the latest version of its iPhone operating system on Monday. Now, if an iPhone owner sends or receives green bubbles, aka RCS texts, in Apple’s Messages app with an Android owner, those chats may be encrypted. “Conversations labeled as encrypted are encrypted end-to-end, so…
When Asha Sharma took over as CEO of XBox in February, many worried her lack of a gaming background was a bad portent for a brand already trounced by Sony’s PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. But in the space of weeks, Sharma has muted most critics with popular reforms such as dropping the price of Game Pass and sacking Copilot, the AI-powered “personal gaming sidekick.”But most visible change has been a new logo.This latest badge (XBox’s eighth since its debut 25 years ago) marks the retirement of Microsoft Gaming and a return to the standalone XBox name and its signature…
The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There’s a key problem: There aren’t enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they’re too expensive. Most of the players are hoping that SpaceX’s Starship — expected to make its 12th test flight as soon as this weekend — will solve the problem. But once the vehicle is operational, it may be years before it is commercially available, given SpaceX’s internal satellite business. The same is true for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which failed to deliver a satellite during its…
US-based pharmaceutical company Moderna confirmed that it has been working on the development of hantavirus vaccines in collaboration with the Vaccine Innovation Center of Korea University College of Medicine (VIC-K). This comes after an outbreak of hantavirus occurred on a Dutch cruise ship that sailed from Argentina and disembarked its passengers and crew in the Canary Islands on May 10. At least three people aboard the MV Hondius died, and several cases were reported as serious.Moderna is the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company that perfected messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the announcement that Moderna was developing a…
TelevisaUnivision’s John Kozack is ready.Recently, ADWEEK had the exclusive on Kozack taking over as TelevisaUnivision’s ad sales leader following the surprise exit of Tim Natividad, mere weeks ahead of the company’s upfront event. Though annual TV upfront events for advertisers typically take months to put together, Kozack—who’s spent more than two decades at TelevisaUnivision before taking the role as the ads president—says he’s unfazed.“I’m energized to lead this team, so that is very helpful,” Kozack said. “But being two decades here, it’s not really three weeks for me.”Though Kozack is making his debut as the ads leader onstage, he’s been…
Digg is back from the dead. Again. Just months after launching, the reboot of Kevin Rose’s once-popular link-sharing site shut down in March, as the company shifted course. Originally redesigned as a competitor to the massive community forum site Reddit, the new Digg found that it wasn’t able to effectively manage the bot traffic invading its platform and hadn’t differentiated itself enough from the competition to make an impact. The startup laid off staff and said it was time to go back to the drawing board. Rose, a partner at True Ventures, returned to work full-time on a new version…
Even before Bad Bunny took to the field, his Super Bowl halftime performance drew controversy, especially from MAGA influencers upset over the Puerto Rican star’s comments against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the fact that he sings in Spanish.Following the performance, which was watched by more than 128 million people, those complaints continued—but they were largely focused on perceived vulgarity in the artist’s performance.Following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from WIRED, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates communications including broadcast, released 2,155 complaints the agency received about the Super Bowl, most of which were about the halftime show.…
Longtime marketing executive Seth Matlins has a new podcast, called Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing, created in partnership with Vox Media and its podcast network.The show is produced in partnership with Matlins’ new venture, The Wisdomous Company. It will feature conversations with CMOs, CEOs, founders, and other cultural figures, including Gary Vaynerchuk, LVMH brand advisor Mathilde Delhoume, and political strategist David Axelrod, among others.The premise, according to Matlins, is that marketing has been miscast as a tactical function rather than a core driver of enterprise value. Prior to founding the Wisdomous Company, Matlins served as the managing director of the…
It’s about time that the microdrama trend has gone mainstream. As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that’s launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream on its app. These are vertical video series, with episodes around 60 to 90 seconds, are designed for a quick, TikTok-like viewing experience. “Salon Confessionals with Madison LeCroy” will feature the “Southern Charm” star as she gives her clients a makeover while they tell her their most dramatic stories. “Campus Confidential: Miami” spotlights a group of college students including Georgia Gay, daughter of Heather Gay from…
For decades, assessing cholesterol risk has been built around a simple idea: Lower “bad” cholesterol, lower your chance of a heart attack. The test at the center of that approach measures how much low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, is circulating in part of the blood. It has shaped everything from clinical guidelines to the widespread use of statins, medications that reduce LDL.It works. Lowering LDL cholesterol reduces heart attacks, strokes, and early death. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.The LDL cholesterol test measures the amount of cholesterol inside the low-density lipoprotein particles circulating in the bloodstream. Those LDL particles…
The quick summary:The event itself wasn’t very “Fast and Furious,” but NBCUniversal covered a lot of ground in its upfront week kickoff.Starting upfront week 2026 with a presentation that lasted around two hours, NBCU looked to put a modern spin on its 100 years as a legacy media brand. Las Culturistas’ Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang kicked off the event with a song-and-dance routine about NBC ads before Mark Marshall, president of NBCU advertising, took the stage to announce the new adtech and outcomes offerings. Meanwhile, the company noted how it’s evolving its brands, including creating Fast and Furious Peacock…
Five-year-old European military drone startup Helsing is reportedly close to raising a new $1.2 billion round at about an $18 billion valuation. The round is expected to be led by Dragoneer and co-led by existing Helsing investor Lightspeed, the Financial Times reported. Helsing last raised just under a year ago, in June 2025, in a deal that was led by billionaire Spotify founder Daniel Ek. That was a €600 million investment at an estimated €12 billion valuation ($14 billion USD). So this new round is a step-up. While Helsing isn’t the only European unicorn defense tech, it is by far the…
A new video game about President Donald Trump’s war in Iran features fights with the pope and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. It’s impossible to win, and that’s the point.The game, Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell, was developed by Secret Handshake, an anonymous group of artists behind a handful of satirical works mocking the Trump administration. The group previously installed a gold statue of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on the National Mall; it portrayed Trump holding onto Epstein in a pose reminiscent of Jack and Rose from the movie Titanic.The game is available to play online, but three…
WPP U.S. president Michael Houston will step down from his role, according to an internal memo obtained by ADWEEK.Houston, a 24-year veteran of the holding company, will transition to a new role as senior advisor in what marks a “natural and planned evolution for WPP, as our operating model continues to evolve,” WPP CEO Cindy Rose wrote in a note to employees and leadership.Starting at Young & Rubicam and Landor in the 1990s, Houston spent his career at WPP. He joined Grey in 2007, where he rose to worldwide CEO over 15 years, leading the agency through a period of…