🚨New job alert: I’m now a technology and innovation reporter at
@BostonGlobe
!
I’ll be focusing on Boston tech news, culture/trends, diversity, and how technology impacts the way we live.
Send tips, secrets, or just say hi:
anissa.gardizy
@globe
.com
telegram: anissagardizy
Some personal news: After three wonderful years, I'm leaving
@BostonGlobe
this month.
✨Joining
@theinformation
(where I was a former intern) in San Francisco as a reporter covering Amazon Web Services + other major cloud providers and customers.
Let's connect/stay in touch!
breaking: Microsoft and OpenAI are drawing up plans for a $100 billion AI supercomputer
The supercomputer, codenamed "Stargate," would contain *millions* of GPUs and require several gigawatts of power
Full story here w/
@amir
for
@theinformation
:
It’s official…I’m the
@BostonGlobe
’s new general assignment business reporter!
For the past eight months I’ve been in a hybrid digital producer/reporter role, and now I get to spend more time writing stories.
So excited for my next chapter at the Globe :)
breaking
@theinformation
:
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is rejoining the board of directors
- 3 new directors: Sue Desmond-Hellmann (ex Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation CEO), Nicole Seligman (ex president of Sony Entertainment), Fidji Simo, (Instacart CEO)
NEW: The AI boom is causing a surge in demand for GPUs, specialized server chips that can train and run machine-learning software.
Now, major cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft, Google are limiting access to them.
w/
@aaronpholmes
@theinformation
I started reporting this story more than a year ago, and today it is on
@BostonGlobe
’s front page!
Here’s a look at the virtual/ghost restaurant scene in Boston — what it is and how it got here.
(CloudKitchens content included)
OpenAI Interim CEO Mira Murati told staff in a companywide meeting that its relationship w/ Microsoft—its biggest outside source of capital and computing power—was stable following the sudden firing of CEO Sam Altman.
@erinkwoo
@amir
Biden plans to name
@Ginkgo
VP
@rwegrzyn
as the director of new federal agency.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will focus on biomedical research and innovation.
more:
NEW: Before OpenAI Ousted Altman, Employees Disagreed Over AI Safety
OpenAI cofounder + board member Ilya Sutskever (who was responsible for limiting societal harms from AI) took questions on this during today's all-hands
w/
@amir
@jon_victor_
@steph_palazzolo
@theinformation
Sadly, today marks the end of my time at
@BostonGlobe
on the business team. Huge thanks to all of the editors and reporters who have supported me. You are all amazing and I’ve learned so much.
NEW: Tonight, dozens of people, including some OpenAI employees, left Sam Altman's $27 million mansion in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood
They gathered there to learn more about OpenAI's future and Altman’s situation:
@theinformation
🔥
@steph_palazzolo
with the OpenAI scoop of the day:
OpenAI’s board of directors approached Dario Amodei, the co-founder and CEO of rival large-language model developer Anthropic, about a potential merger of the two companies
@theinformation
Today is my first day at
@TheInformation
! I'm covering Amazon Web Services + other major cloud providers.
Are you a (current or former) AWS employee? Does your company work with AWS or a competitor? Let's chat.
Send your best tips: anissa
@theinformation
.com / DM for Signal
Today is my first day as an intern
@theinformation
! I’ll be covering food delivery, ride-hailing, virtual restaurants, and other tech news. Send tips or say hello: anissa
@theinformation
.com or DM for Signal.
scoop: Anthropic is in talks to raise $750 million in a round led by Menlo Ventures that values the AI startup at at least $15B pre-money
The deal comes after Anthropic raised big rounds from cloud providers Amazon and Google
w/
@heetermaria
@nmasc_
My family sent this package and now it feels official: After my co-op at The Boston Globe I’ll be heading to San Francisco this summer to join
@theinformation
as an intern covering the tech industry!
So excited that today is my first day back at
@BostonGlobe
!
- I’ll be on the business desk w/ a digital focus
- Send tips/ideas to the email in my bio
I’ll be writing for the Boston Globe as the business co-op starting in January! I’ll be taking a leave from school and working full time for six months. A huge thank you to everyone who has prepared me for this new adventure.
@NPKnightCrier
@telegramdotcom
@NPTV
Over the past 7 months,
@RecordedFuture
has been donating software to agencies in Ukraine, w/ access to cyber, disinformation, and geopolitical intelligence to fight Russia.
Now, it's hiring 100 more people there.
"We believe in these guys" -
@cahlberg
Update:
@BostonGlobe
delayed its May 3 return-to-office plan indefinitely "due to rising BA.2 counts in our region."
Employees will get two weeks' notice when the next date is set
I’ve been asking Boston companies about their RTO plans for the past two years…
This is the
@BostonGlobe
’s plan, starting May 3:
🏢Tues, Wed, Thurs: office
🏠Mon, Fri : flexible (for now)
Sadly, today is my last day with
@theinformation
! I highly recommend this internship. You’ll learn a lot about the tech industry and work with talented/supportive editors and reporters. See thread below for highlights⬇️
Up next: I’m returning to
@BostonGlobe
’s business desk!
People inside Microsoft were blindsided by Altman’s sudden ouster on Friday, including people who work on teams tasked with building Microsoft products based on OpenAI’s technology
Just sat down with Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan to talk about their goal to study human and artificial intelligence at Harvard.
They’re celebrating launch of the Kempner Institute, funded by their $500m gift and named after Mark’s family.
It’s Dec. 29 and I’m already back in Boston! Tomorrow I’ll be starting my co-op at the
@BostonGlobe
in the business section! I will be putting my academics on hold while I work full-time for six months.
🌱Boston’s
@Ginkgo
and German conglomerate
@Bayer
are planning to enter a multiyear collaboration as part of a series of transactions announced Friday
Terms not disclosed, but the $ is expected to help Ginkgo expand its ag business
Weekend “research” on Boston’s new proof-of-vaccination mandate:
✅1st bar (Saturday): checked
❌2nd bar (Saturday): did not check
❌Gym (Sunday): did not check
❌Cafe (Sunday): did not check
✅Gym (Monday): checked as I was leaving
✅Cafe (Monday): checked
I’ve been asking Boston companies about their RTO plans for the past two years…
This is the
@BostonGlobe
’s plan, starting May 3:
🏢Tues, Wed, Thurs: office
🏠Mon, Fri : flexible (for now)
Scoop: Boston employees resign from Twitter
"It’s becoming a toxic place to work," a source said.
Based on the Boston office Slack channel, headcount has gone from ~300 to 100 since the 11/4 layoff, a # that does NOT include those who resigned Thursday
Our latest story here:
OpenAI’s ouster of CEO Sam Altman on Friday followed internal arguments among employees about whether the company was developing artificial intelligence safely enough, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
NEW: Tonight, dozens of people, including some OpenAI employees, left Sam Altman's $27 million mansion in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood
They gathered there to learn more about OpenAI's future and Altman’s situation:
@theinformation
Tonight at work I told a guy sitting the bar that I was a journalism major—he told me that I’m important enough to be included in the first amendment and that I’m a friend of the people, not an enemy—I’d say it was pretty good night.
Caroline Ellison, a Newton native and child of MIT faculty members, ran
@SBF_FTX
's crypto trading firm, Alameda.
Interviews paint a picture of a brainy, well-educated woman who was bred for success, but (for now) is associated with a spectacular failure.
Going to (my first!) AWS re:Invent this year in Las Vegas
Let's meet up and chat about the cloud, chips, and AI
(🥳bonus points if you have reccs for the best events and parties, calendar is filling up fast)
NEW: Microsoft plans to unveil its first chip designed for artificial intelligence next month
The move could help Msft lessen its reliance on Nvidia GPUs, which have been in short supply
(
@theinformation
reported the existence of the chip in April)
Here’s a visual representation of today’s Big Tech antitrust hearing. I counted the number of questions each CEO was asked (and how many were related to antitrust issues). [a thread]
@theinformation
The business page of the
@BostonGlobe
is very crypto today.
I highlight FTX’s connections to Boston/MIT, and
@ampressman
explores what this all means for Boston’s
@circle
.
🌴I’ll be in San Diego this week and have some extra time during the day on Wed and Thurs!
Who should I meet with?
As a reminder, I write about cloud computing for
@theinformation
! Happy to chat about cloud providers, chips, AI, etc
NEW: Amazon Web Services plans to reorganize its more than 60,000-person team to address problems that have pierced the world’s biggest cloud provider
Read for details on AWS headcount, sales goals, and customer complaints:
@theinformation
Ran the Boston 10k for Women this morning!
The race was founded in 1977 by Dusty Rhodes, who had the idea of bringing an all women’s race to Boston. She’s been the race director since.
(Photo credit: )
Hundreds of people are gathered outside of the Massachusetts State House, calling for the end of COVID-19 related restrictions. Signs say “end the lockdown” and protesters are wearing Trump 2020 gear.
#mapoli
Being the North Penn football reporter for the past two years has taught me so much about journalism and my passion for it. Here's an article about what my journey has been like, from game one to the last one 🏈
My first story for
@theinformation
! SoftBank-backed
@gopuff
is enjoying surging growth in demand for fast delivery of beer and ice cream. But 30-minute delivery comes at a price for residents who live near its distribution centers.
Yesterday was my last day at
@telegramdotcom
! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience this summer. I’ve learned so much from the talented reporters, editors and photographers at the paper. Thanks to
@markconti11
,
@GerardFRussell
, and
@RickCinclair
for all of your support!
🥩The plant-based food startup that spun out of
@Ginkgo
in 2019 is getting ready to unveil its first product.
With $$226 million in new funding,
@motiffoodworks
plans to release its alternative meat tech later this year.
🚨reporting trip alert: I'll be at Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas next week
Let's meet IRL and chat about cloud computing, data centers, AI, chips, etc. (If you're based in SF, also happy to meetup anytime)
@theinformation
Scoop: Nvidia quietly bought an AI startup that helps ML models run on devices, rather than in the cloud. (cars, drones, cameras, robots, etc)
Nvidia already has a stronghold data center chips (GPUs).
AI chips for the "edge" could be just as lucrative.
Meet Molly White, a 29-year-old Wikipedia enthusiast and ex-HubSpot employee, who has emerged as one of the most listened-to crypto critics.
“The more informed people are, the better off they are,” said White, who runs
@web3isgreat
.
@BostonGlobeTech
Scoop: MIT Media Lab cuts ties with FTX
It's no longer supporting the "FTX Future Fund," which was set to host its first class of fellows in fall 2023.
Fellows would have received "full stipend and tuition" + $25k/year in research costs for "ambitiously benevolent projects."
Crews are filming scenes for the movie “Free Guy” starring Ryan Reynolds in Worcester this morning. The crowd gathered at the top of Franklin Street heard the sound of gun shots and saw a controlled fire in the Worcester Common.
@telegramdotcom
📍 On assignment this week in Hawaii for
#PTC24
! Talking to people about data center and power constraints in the age of AI, and what the largest cloud providers and companies think about all of it.
@theinformation
⬇️Story updated with details from my interview w/ Renee in March about Ginkgo's COVID-19 testing platform + ongoing biosecurity effort
“[
@Ginkgo
] built the infrastructure we wished we had two years ago. We don’t want to be caught flat footed.”
Biden plans to name
@Ginkgo
VP
@rwegrzyn
as the director of new federal agency.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will focus on biomedical research and innovation.
more:
After
@theinformation
reported (first!) that Ilya Sutskever told staff Sam Altman would NOT return as CEO, I saw employees stream out of the OpenAI office in SF
Ilya, who left the office just before 10pm, didn’t want to say more about what happened
@theinformation