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Google Pauses In-Person Social Networking Experiment Over Health Concerns

By
Nick Bastone
· · Source: The Information

Shoelace, Google’s experimental social app meant to bring people together in-real-life, has suspended operations indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to notice sent to users on Wednesday.  Google’s in-house incubator, Area 120, launched the social networking app last July as an invite-only test in New York City. Shoelace allowed users to organize in-person events and helped...

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From left: Paul Graham, Garry Tan and Michael Seibel. Photos by Getty. Art by Mike Sullivan.
Exclusive startups ai
Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Goes to the Mat
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Dave Rogenmoser, cofounder of Jasper. Photo via Getty.
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Dave Rogenmoser, co-founder of Jasper. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.
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AI Startups Are Facing a Reckoning
By Stephanie Palazzolo
A reckoning may be coming for once-hot artificial intelligence startups. Among the most vulnerable: consumer apps (think Character.AI) and “thin wrapper” startups like CopyAI that merely provide a nice user interface on top of a third-party model from model developers like OpenAI.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty
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Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg. Photos via Shutterstock and AP.
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The X (formerly Twitter) office in San Francisco on July 29. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.
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