Tag: Tech

Amazon workers ‘terrified’ by top executives’ explanation of 5-day back-to-office policy

More than 500 Amazon employees sent a letter Wednesday to the CEO of its AWS unit calling for the cancellation of a full back-to-office policy and refuting his assertion that the rule had broad support and opponents should leave Amazon Web Services.

“We were horrified to hear the clueless explanation you gave for Amazon imposing a five-day office mandate,” the letter begins.

AWS CEO Matt Garman said at an Oct. 17 plenary meeting of the cloud computing unit that nine out of 10 workers he spoke with support the back-to-office policy, which will take effect early next year.

The CEO of Amazon Web Services said earlier this month that nine out of 10 workers he spoke with support the back-to-office policy. AFP via Getty Images

Those comments are “contrary to the experiences of many employees” and “misrepresent the reality of working at Amazon,” according to the letter, which Reuters reviewed after it was sent to Garman.

An Amazon spokesman said the company offers commuter benefits, elder care and subsidized parking rates, among other things, to help with office work.

Garman had said he was “pretty excited about this change” and that, under the current three-day-a-week policy, collaboration was very difficult because people could be in the office on different days.

The company-wide policy, announced in September by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, has been controversial within Amazon, with many calling it wasteful because it adds travel time and costs when telecommuting has been effective. Some say they plan to leave the company. Amazon has implemented the policy by asking many workers to go to regional offices, move to Seattle or “voluntarily resign.”

Garman’s comments do not reflect any independent data, the letter states, and “undermine the confidence of your employees, who not only have personal experience that demonstrates the benefits of remote work, but have seen extensive data that supports that experience.” . €

Requiring five days in the office each week also particularly affects protected classes of workers, such as those with neurodiversity or childcare responsibilities, and “does not support the ‘Strive to be the Earth’s Best Employer’ leadership principle espoused by Amazon.” .according to the letter.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy ordered employees to return to the office five days a week starting next year. Getty Images for the New York Times

Attached to the letter were anonymous stories from a dozen Amazon workers who said adhering to a five-day office policy would be difficult or impossible due to, among other things, family obligations, travel schedules or medical needs.

One said the nearest office is four hours away; another said their spouse would have to quit her job to accommodate a move across the country; and another said they are more efficient working from home.

“I used to be proud of my job and excited about my future here,” said one. â€œI don’t feel it with this.â€

Attached to the letter were anonymous stories from a dozen Amazon workers who said adhering to a five-day office policy would be difficult or impossible due to, among other things, family obligations, travel schedules or medical needs. AFP via Getty Images

The letter linked to a 2020 blog post in which Garman wrote that AWS had operated effectively early in the pandemic when most workers were remote.

Amazon has taken a stricter approach to back-to-office mandates than many of its tech peers who are implementing two- and three-day policies. The company has said the policy helps workers “invent, collaborate and connect,” and Garman suggested “we didn’t really accomplish anything” under the three-day policy.

#Amazon #workers #terrified #top #executives #explanation #5day #backtooffice #policy
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novembro 2, 2024
Boston Dynamics releases video of Atlas robot that now doesn’t need help from humans to complete tasks

Robotics company Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its Atlas humanoid robot – now performing tasks with zero human intervention.

In the video released by the futuristic lab – the robot can be seen performing physical tasks by rote with ease and without any help from the humans driving it.

The Atlas humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics is hard at work demonstrating the breadth of its new capabilities. Boston Dynamics/YouTube

The bolt-on bag moves the engine covers between shipping containers and during navigation with a mobile sorting dolly — simulating what it would be like to work in a factory, according to the video’s caption.

The company emphasized that the humanoid is “Fully Autonomous” – using machine learning vision modeling to adapt to changing conditions.

The video includes footage of what Atlas sees as it performs its tasks – revealing a somewhat fish-eye field of view that includes sharp recognition of the objects it’s handling.

The Atlas was able to complete mundane tasks without human intervention by being powered by a fully electric motor. Boston Dynamics/YouTube

“There are no prescribed or teleoperated movements; all movements are generated autonomously online. The robot is able to detect and react to changes in the environment as well,” explained the engineers from Boston Dynamics.

Earlier this month, Boston Dynamics introduced the world to Atlas – whose head is vaguely reminiscent of the Pixar lamp.

Atlas is intended for commercial use and is designed to handle “real-world applications,” according to Boston Dynamics. In the video, the cable worker shows that he can be fully functional when left to his own devices, as he is simply presented with a “list of bin locations.”

This new version of Atlas is now also fully electric, allowing for a wider range of motion than previous generations of humanoids, the company said on their website.

This all-electric model is a departure from previous versions that operated using hydraulics.

Atlas is able to identify the objects it sees, shown here as the part it’s moving is highlighted in blue (left) in its field
of vision. Boston Dynamics/YouTube

Social media called out Atlas for being creepy — specifically, in a video posted on X, the robot stands up by placing its legs behind its head and stands up and inverts its body while reorienting its spine.

This new breakthrough comes after Elon Musk’s Tesla unveiled the new Optimus humanoid robot.

At the unveiling ceremony earlier this month, Optimus models were sipping pints and mingling with guests in shrill conversational tones – in part because the ‘worlds were being remotely controlled by humans.

The Post reported that experts say it will take a decade before robots are released and functioning in society.

#Boston #Dynamics #releases #video #Atlas #robot #doesnt #humans #complete #tasks
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novembro 2, 2024
Meta warns of ‘significant acceleration’ in AI-related costs after strong third quarter

Facebook owner Meta Platforms beat analysts’ estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday, but warned of “significant acceleration” in artificial intelligence-related infrastructure spending.

The results sent mixed signals to investors about whether digital ad sales from Meta’s core social media business would continue to cover the cost of its massive AI build.

Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based firm fell 2.9% in after-hours trading.

Facebook parent Meta warned of “significant acceleration” in infrastructure spending related to its AI build. Above, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wearing Orion AR glasses. Reuters

“Meta needs to prove it can continue to cover its AI costs as they rise next year, and any weakness in its core advertising business could make investors nervous as they continue to wait for a return on higher bets Meta’s AI giants,” said the director of Emarketer. analyst Jasmine Enberg.

Like its Big Tech peers, Meta has invested heavily in data centers to take advantage of the generative AI boom. Unlike cloud service providers, however, it does not expect to monetize these investments immediately and is therefore subject to more scrutiny from investors about its spending.

The world’s largest social media company, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, kept costs under control in the third quarter, with total expenses of $23.2 billion and capital expenditures of $9.2 billion. He projected a slightly improved spending picture for the year as well, narrowing the total spending forecast to $96 billion to $98 billion.

In its press release, however, it warned of “a significant acceleration in infrastructure spending growth next year as we recognize higher growth in depreciation and operating expenses of our expanding infrastructure fleet.”

Investors have been wary of Meta’s spending in recent months. Its shares sank in April after it revealed a higher-than-expected spending forecast, knocking $200 billion off its stock market value.

That capped a string of strong quarters for Meta, which has bounced back from a share price slump in 2022 by trimming its workforce, building on investor enthusiasm for AI and earlier this year issuing a dividend of her first ever.

Advertising accounts for the vast majority of Meta’s revenue, meaning higher marketing spend during the holiday season could provide a crucial boost to the company’s bottom line. AP

Meta’s earnings follow encouraging results from digital ad companies Alphabet and Snap, both of which beat third-quarter revenue estimates on Tuesday thanks in part to growth in AI-assisted ad sales.

Meta reported third-quarter earnings of $6.03 per share, compared with estimates of $5.25 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. Third-quarter revenue came in at $40.59 billion, compared with analysts’ estimates of $40.29 billion.

The company also forecast fourth-quarter revenue of between $45 billion and $48 billion, compared with analysts’ estimates of $46.31 billion, according to data from LSEG.

According to analysts, advertising accounts for the vast majority of Meta’s revenue, meaning higher marketing spending during the holiday season could provide a crucial boost to the company’s bottom line.

Meta’s earnings follow encouraging results from digital ad companies Alphabet and Snap, both of which beat third-quarter revenue estimates on Tuesday thanks in part to growth in AI-assisted ad sales. Reuters

Meta’s daily active people (DAP), a metric it uses to track unique users who open one of its apps in a day, rose 5% in the third quarter to 3.29 billion. DAP increased by 7% in the previous June quarter, to ALL 3.27 billion.

Meta is well-positioned to squeeze more revenue from users as user growth slows, given its AI tools to show people more content that matches their interests, Enberg said.

The company’s Reality Labs division, which makes the Quest virtual reality headset, EssilorLuxottica’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and upcoming augmented reality glasses, lost $4.4 billion in the third quarter, narrower than analysts’ estimates. for a loss of 4.7 billion dollars.

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novembro 2, 2024
Exclusive | Chip-making giant Nvidia in talks with Elon Musk to invest in xAI: the source

Chip-making giant Nvidia is in talks with Elon Musk to invest in his fast-growing artificial intelligence startup xAI, a source close to the situation said.

XAI — which powers the Grok chatbot on Musk’s X social network — is in talks with several investors to raise several billion dollars at a roughly $40 billion valuation, the WSJ reported this week.

The Information reported that he was talking to strategic investors — meaning technology companies as opposed to investment firms — but did not provide any names.

Venture firms including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Vy Capital have been involved in recent funding talks, the tech news site reported.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has sung Musk’s praises. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Nvidia — which under CEO Jensen Huang last week surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization of more than $3.5 trillion — declined to comment when contacted by The Post.

The company had strongly denied similar rumors in the spring.

Musk expects to hold a major new fundraising round in January that could value xAI at up to $75 billion, two sources said.

It’s not uncommon for chipmakers like Nvidia to co-invest with their customers in projects, according to industry insiders.

An Nvidia analyst, who asked not to be named, said xAI’s competitors would still buy Nvidia’s chips even if it invested in xAI.

“If not, this transaction would never go forward,” the analyst said.

In a December 2023 blog post, Nvidia said it had made investments in more than two dozen companies last year as the pace of innovation in AI and computing accelerates.

“Nvidia’s corporate investment arm focuses on strategic collaborations,” Nvidia said in the blog post. “These partnerships stimulate joint innovation, enhance the Nvidia platform and expand the ecosystem.”

Elon Musk is in serious talks with Nvidia to invest in xAI. NurPhoto via Getty Images

Some insiders say an xAI-Nvidia partnership would be a natural fit, given Musk’s extensive collaboration with Nvidia across his business empire.

In an Oct. 17 podcast, Huang praised Musk for building the fastest supercomputer on the planet with his company’s help in 19 days.

In April, Nvidia shares rose after Musk said Tesla would need access to more high-end Nvidia chips to power the electric carmaker’s AI plans, Barron’s reported.

Musk also said in April that xAI would need 100,000 Nvidia H100 chips to train improved versions of its Grok 3 chatbot.

Musk’s robots at an Oct. 10 Tesla event weren’t too impressive as humans reportedly helped control them. via REUTERS

The current version, Grok 2, received around 20,000 chips.

Musk was even quoted in an Nvidia press release following the launch of its advanced Blackwell AI chips.

“There is currently nothing better than Nvidia hardware for AI,” Musk said in the announcement.

Musk’s XAI is a direct competitor to Google’s Gemini AI platform and OpenAI-backed ChatGPT.

#Exclusive #Chipmaking #giant #Nvidia #talks #Elon #Musk #invest #xAI #source
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novembro 2, 2024
Nvidia replaces fallen Dow icon after 25 years

Intel will lose its place in the Dow Jones Industrial Average after a 25-year run with Nvidia, S&P Dow Jones Indices said on Friday, the latest blow to the struggling chipmaker that was among the first two technology firms to be included on the blue chip. index.

Once the dominant force in chipmaking, Intel has in recent years ceded its manufacturing advantage to rival TSMC and missed out on the AI-generating boom after missteps, including passing on an investment in OpenAI, owner of ChatGPT.

Intel shares have fallen 54% this year, making it the worst performer in the index and leaving it with the lowest-priced stock in the price-weighted Dow.

Intel shares have fallen 54% this year, making it the worst performer on the index. Above, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger at an Arizona plant with President Biden in March. AP

The stock fell about 1% to $22.79 in extended trading on Friday, while Nvidia rose more than 2% to $139.17.

The development comes a day after Intel expressed optimism about the future of its PC and server businesses, forecasting current-quarter revenue above estimates but warning it had “a lot of work to do.”

“Losing Dow Jones inclusion status would be another reputational blow for Intel as it faces a painful transformation and loss of confidence,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.

“It will also mean that Intel is not included in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index, which could further affect the share price.”

Launched in 1968, the Silicon Valley pioneer sold memory chips before moving into processors that helped launch the personal computer industry.

Launched in 1968, the Silicon Valley pioneer sold memory chips before moving into processors that helped launch the personal computer industry. Reuters

In the 1990s, Intel Inside stickers turned commodity electronic components into premium products and eventually became ubiquitous in laptops.

Intel’s revenue was $54 billion in 2023, down nearly a third from 2021, when Pat Gelsinger took over as CEO. Analysts expect Intel to report its first annual net loss this year since 1986.

The company is worth less than $100 billion for the first time in 30 years.

That pales in comparison to Nvidia, which is valued at $3.32 trillion, making it the second most valuable company in the world.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang left with Danish AI Innovation Center CEO Nadia Carlsten and Denmark’s King Frederik X last month. AP

Nvidia’s AI Driver

Nvidia has emerged as a cornerstone of the global semiconductor industry, thanks to the essential role its chips play in powering AI-generating technologies, which have fueled a sevenfold rise in its shares over the past two years.

The company’s stock has more than doubled this year alone.

Once popular only among gamers looking for PCs with Nvidia graphics processors, the company is now the second most valuable in the world and seen as a barometer for the AI market.

Jensen Huang’s Nvidia is now the second most valuable in the world. Getty Images

The company’s 10-for-one stock split that took effect in June also helped pave the way for its addition to the index, making its rising stock more accessible to retail traders.

Intel, on the other hand, has struggled to gain a share of the Nvidia-dominated AI chip market, with the first chips hard to come by and even harder to replace in data centers. AI, due to the technological advantage of processors and high costs. of their replacement.

#Nvidia #replaces #fallen #Dow #icon #years
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novembro 2, 2024