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Here's the latest tech news from the last 24 hours:

🔁 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella 'open' to Sam Altman's return to OpenAI
🔥 OpenAI in ‘intense discussions’ to prevent staff exodus
🤫 Google's secret deal allowed Spotify to bypass Play Store fees
🔒 Discord, Snap and X CEOs subpoenaed to testify at US hearing on child exploitation
💵 Crypto firm Tether says it has frozen $225 mln linked to human trafficking
🐋 Microsoft releases Orca 2, a pair of small language models that outperform larger counterparts
⚠️ AI hallucinations pose ‘direct threat’ to science, Oxford study warns

🔁 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella 'open' to Sam Altman's return to OpenAILINK

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is open to Sam Altman returning to OpenAI after his recent departure from the AI research company.

Nadella's stance comes as Microsoft, a significant investor in OpenAI, also considers hiring employees who might leave OpenAI in the wake of Altman's departure.

While addressing the potential return of Altman to OpenAI, Nadella also emphasizes the need for governance evolution at OpenAI and maintains a commitment to the ongoing Microsoft-OpenAI partnership.

🔥 OpenAI in ‘intense discussions’ to prevent staff exodusLINK

OpenAI is undergoing "intense discussions" to resolve internal conflict and prevent a mass employee resignation after CEO Sam Altman's ousting.

The situation at OpenAI has escalated to the point where over 95% of employees are threatening to leave, prompting urgent efforts to stabilize the company.

In response to the potential staff exodus, OpenAI's leadership and board are in urgent talks to address the internal discord and retain their workforce.

🤫 Google's secret deal allowed Spotify to bypass Play Store feesLINK

Google's executive revealed in court that Spotify has a special agreement to skip Play Store fees or pay only a 4% fee when Google handles transactions.

The deal between Google and Spotify includes a joint "success fund" where both companies contribute $50 million each.

Google has negotiated similar deals with other large firms, offering reduced fees for companies that invest in Android and integrate with its services.

🔒 Discord, Snap and X CEOs subpoenaed to testify at US hearing on child exploitationLINK

A Senate panel subpoenaed top executives from Discord, Snap, and X for a hearing on children's online safety after earlier cooperation was deemed insufficient.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg from Meta and CEO Shou Zi Chew from TikTok are also expected to voluntarily testify at separate hearings next year.

In an unusual step, U.S. Marshals were used to serve subpoenas to certain CEOs who did not comply with the Senate Judiciary Committee's requests.

💵 Crypto firm Tether says it has frozen $225 mln linked to human traffickingLINK

Tether has frozen $225 million of its cryptocurrency over an alleged connection with a human trafficking group in Southeast Asia.

The U.S. Secret Service, participating in a months-long investigation with Tether and crypto exchange OKX, requested the freeze of assets.

The frozen funds are supposedly tied to a "pig butchering" scam, a form of fraud involving gaining victims' trust before conning them into bogus investments.

🐋 Microsoft releases Orca 2, a pair of small language models that outperform larger counterpartsLINK

Microsoft introduced Orca 2, featuring 7B- and 13B-parameter language models that outdo much larger models in complex reasoning tasks.

The Orca 2 models use novel training strategies, potentially offering cost-effective AI solutions for enterprises with their advanced reasoning capabilities.

The models have been open-sourced by Microsoft to encourage further research and diversification in the use of compact, high-performance language models.

⚠️ AI hallucinations pose ‘direct threat’ to science, Oxford study warnsLINK

Large Language Models used in AI like chatbots can generate false information, which researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute claim is a direct threat to scientific truth.

The researchers suggest using LLMs as "zero-shot translators" where they convert provided data into conclusions, rather than as independent sources of knowledge, to ensure information accuracy.

Oxford researchers insist that while LLMs can aid scientific workflows, it is vital for the scientific community to employ them responsibly and with awareness of their limitations.

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Microsoft emerges as ultimate winner in OpenAI power struggle.LINK

Binance may sacrifice $4 billion to settle DOJ case.LINK

Discord’s founder: We have gamers to thank for the AI revolution, now it’s time to push it to better places.LINK

AI can 'lie and BS' like its maker, but still not intelligent like humans, argues researcher.LINK

These AI agents could cut your workweek to just 3 days.LINK

X CEO keeps getting texts from colleagues telling her to resign.LINK

US SEC sues Kraken crypto exchange over failure to register.LINK

Meta is giving researchers more access to Facebook and Instagram data.LINK

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