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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against Grindr. According to Bloomberg, the agency alleges that a return-to-office (RTO) mandate that limited remote work and effectively meant a relocation requirement for many workers was an attempt to fend off a unionization drive. Around 80 of Grindr's 178 employees quit as a result of last year's RTO demand, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The NLRB's general counsel office has accused Grindr of violating labor law by retaliating against workers who were attempting to organize. Per Bloomberg, the agency additionally claims the company refused to recognize the union or to negotiate with it in good faith, which would also be a violation of labor law. A Grindr spokesperson told the publication that the claims were "meritless." They added that some employees started signing union cards "only after it was known that the transition back to in-office work was underway." According to the CWA, the company announced on August 4 last year that workers would have to attend its offices at least two days a week. A supermajority of workers announced their unionization in July. The union claims that, by the end of August, around half of the staff had been forced to resign. This, in part, was said to a result of relocation requirements. Among other issues, having to relocate would have required some of Grindr's trans employees to find alternate healthcare providers, the union has said. "The RTO mandate gave workers two weeks to choose between ending their tenure at Grindr or relocating to their respective teams newly assigned 'hub' city to work in-person twice a week," the CWA said when it filed an Unfair Labor Practice against Grindr in September 2023. As CNN noted, many of the workers who had been hired remotely were suddenly required to report to a Grindr office in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Washington DC. This is hardly the first time Grindr has been in hot water lately. Earlier this year, the company was sued for allegedly sharing personal information including HIV statuses and test dates, ethnicity and sexual orientation with advertising companies without users' consent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nlrb-accuses-grindr-of-using-a-return-to-office-mandate-to-upend-a-unionization-drive-211507122.html?src=rss
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Have you ever started a show, stopped mid-season and then struggled to get back into it because you have no idea exactly where you stopped watching or what was going on? Amazon just might have you covered. The company just launched a new tool for Prime Video that uses AI to generate personalized recaps. X-Ray Recaps uses generative AI to create brief, easy-to-digest summaries of entire TV seasons, single episodes or even portions of episodes. All of this is personalized, so the recap will go up to the exact minute of where you are watching. The company promises short textual snippets of key cliffhangers, character-driven plot points and other details. Adam Gray, vice president of product at Prime Video, says that this tool will help customers quickly jump back into what they were watching or rediscover why they fell in love with a series in the first place. Its powered by Amazon Bedrock, the companys proprietary AWS service for building and scaling AI applications. For those worrying about spoilers, the AI has been trained to avoid them at all costs. Amazon This is an extension of the pre-existing X-Ray feature, which offers trivia and cast information during the stream. I love this tool and am constantly flabbergasted that other streamers havent adopted something like it. X-Ray Recaps launches today for Fire TV customers, though in a beta format. Additional devices will receive support by the end of the year. Right now, it only works with content made by Amazon MGM Studios, like Upload, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Wheel of Time and The Boys.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/amazon-will-now-use-ai-to-recap-what-youre-watching-194551857.html?src=rss
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Heres some bad news for those who thought the future would include streaming versions of Choose Your Own Adventure books. Netflix is deleting much of its interactive content, according to reporting by The Verge. The platform currently lists 24 Interactive Specials, and only four of them will remain after December 1. Luckily, its the only four most people have heard about. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls and You vs. Wild will all continue to be available for streaming. The same cannot be said for specials based on Carmen Sandiego, Boss Baby and Puss in Boots. Incidentally, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale was the very first Netflix special to feature this interactive technology, which was a couple of years before Black Mirror: Bandersnatch wowed the world. This is a fairly disappointing end for a technology that Netflix once promised it would be doubling down on. Company spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher told The Verge that the feature served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas. Former Netflix gaming honcho Mike Verdu also told Game Files Stephen Totilo that it wasnt making any more of these interactive titles. Despite putting the kibosh on streaming content with gamified elements, the platforms still dipping its toes into gaming itself. Netflix has a diverse array of mobile titles available for subscribers, and even some legit bangers. However, the company did just shut down its AAA game studio before it even released a single game.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-removing-much-of-its-interactive-content-185557989.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Portable Bluetooth speakers are always a good option to pick up for a special someone (or yourself) when early Black Friday tech deals start to pop up. One model worth paying attention in the sales is the JBL Clip 5, which has dropped to an all-time-low price of $50. That's 30 bucks off the regular price. We often recommend JBL products in our buying guides, such as our ones on the best portable Bluetooth speakers and best travel gifts. They're by and large durable devices that deliver ample volume for the beach or a cookout, for instance (but maybe don't use it on public transit if you don't want to risk the ire of your fellow passengers). As the name suggests, the JBL Clip 5 has a built-in carabiner, making it a cinch to attach to a backpack or belt loop, to name a couple of options. JBL said it redesigned the carabiner this time around to make the opening wider. As such, it'll be easier to attach the speaker to a wider range of things. Although the speaker measures just 1.75 inches, it's said to deliver solid audio with punchy bass and a maximum output of seven watts. The JBL Clip 5 should be durable as well, since it has a IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating. It's claimed that the speaker will run for up to 12 hours on a single charge but there's a Playtime Boost option that adds up to three extra hours of listening time. In addition, you can pair two Clip 5s for stereo audio or connect the speaker to other Auracast-enabled models from JBL to boost the sound. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/jbl-early-black-friday-deals-include-the-clip-5-bluetooth-speaker-at-an-all-time-low-price-184135106.html?src=rss
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Meta is opening up its Llama AI models to government agencies and contractors working on national security, the company said in an update. The group includes more than a dozen private sector companies that partner with the US government, including Amazon Web Services, Oracle and Microsoft, as well as defense contractors like Palantir and Lockheed Martin. Mark Zuckerberg hinted at the move last week during Metas earnings call, when he said the company was working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government. Now, Meta is offering more details about the extent of that work. Oracle, for example, is building on Llama to synthesize aircraft maintenance documents so technicians can more quickly and accurately diagnose problems, speeding up repair time and getting critical aircraft back in service. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, according to Meta, are using Llama to support governments by hosting our models on their secure cloud solutions for sensitive data. Meta is also providing similar access to Llama to governments and contractors in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Bloomberg reported. In a blog post, Metas President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, suggested the partnerships will help the US compete with China in the global arms race over artificial intelligence. We believe it is in both America and the wider democratic worlds interest for American open source models to excel and succeed over models from China and elsewhere, he wrote. As an American company, and one that owes its success in no small part to the entrepreneurial spirit and democratic values the United States upholds, Meta wants to play its part to support the safety, security and economic prosperity of America and of its closest allies too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-opens-its-llama-ai-models-to-government-agencies-for-national-security-182355077.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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