Open AI boss Sam Altman joins Microsoft, electric Toyota Celica promised
Sam Altman is joining Microsoft, the tech-giant has announced, ending speculation he might return to OpenAI just 48 hours after his chaotic ousting. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Mr Altman would be joining Microsoft to lead “a new advanced AI research team”. Meanwhile, ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear will become OpenAI’s new interim boss. Writing on X, he called the job a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”. But he added the way Mr Altman had been sacked was “handled very badly” and “seriously damaged our trust”. BBC
Jeremy Hunt will use this week’s Autumn Statement to unveil quantum computing “moonshots” in a bid to ensure leadership of what is seen as a nationally critical technology. The Chancellor is expected to outline a series of projects worth hundreds of millions of pounds, including proposals to build a national quantum supercomputer within a decade. Quantum computers, which exploit the peculiar properties of quantum physics, promise tremendous breakthroughs in engineering and science. Telegraph
Customers risk losing lifelong telephone numbers, or being stranded without a service, as analogue landlines are switched off over the next two years, according to campaigners. From December 2025, all households will have to use the internet to make and receive calls, as BT digitises the national network in a move, critics claim, that is happening too fast and too soon. Telecoms providers who use BT’s network will have to switch to an internet-based service, Digital Voice, which does not function during power failures and is incompatible with some panic button systems. The Guardian
A reborn Toyota Celica is being debated as part of a new era of electric sports cars from the Japanese manufacturer that will also include the return of the MR2. A more diverse range of new Toyota and Lexus models, encompassing everything from small ‘mid-engined’ sports cars to vast crossovers, has been made possible by a remarkable new modular electric car architecture that brings with it a level of flexibility never before seen in the industry. Autocar
Samsung is expected to host its next Unpacked on January 17, where the Galaxy S24 series will be introduced. The event is taking place in the United States, and now one leakster claims to reveal the pre-order and sales timeline. According to Tarun Vats, pre-orders will begin right after the event, with shipments expected to arrive between January 26 and 30, followed by a full market launch after that. The event will take place in San Jose, he says. GSM Arena
A media watchdog has branded Elon Musk a “bully” after he vowed to file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against it in a row about antisemitism on X, formerly Twitter. Watchdog group Media Matters for America said earlier this week that it had found that corporate advertisements for IBM, Apple, Oracle and Comcast’s Xfinity were being placed alongside antisemitic content on X. The analysis prompted a series of major companies – including Disney, Apple and IBM – to suspend their advertising on the platform. Independent
The richest 1% of humanity is responsible for more carbon emissions than the poorest 66%, with dire consequences for vulnerable communities and global efforts to tackle the climate emergency, a report says. The most comprehensive study of global climate inequality ever undertaken shows that this elite group, made up of 77 million people including billionaires, millionaires and those paid more than US$140,000 (£112,500) a year, accounted for 16% of all CO2 emissions in 2019 – enough to cause more than a million excess deaths due to heat, according to the report. The Guardian
