Meta Launched Threads and Twitter Reportedly Threatened To Sue in This Week’s Tech Roundup

This week, the tech industry was struck by the launch of Meta’s Threads, a text-based app set up to give Twitter a run for its money. Just a day after the launch, Twitter’s lawyer reportedly sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, accusing the Meta CEO of using “trade secrets” to build the app.

Elsewhere in tech, OpenAI announced that it’ll be dedicating a team of engineers and computer scientists to control advanced AI with “superintelligent” properties. And on the product side, Nothing released its popular Ear (2) buds in a new black colorway.

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.

OpenAI Shared Its Assembling a Team To Control ‘Superintelligent’ AI

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OpenAI is working to address concerns about potential risks that exceeding intelligent Artificial Intelligence may pose. The company is creating a team solely dedicated to curbing “superintelligent” AI from becoming dangerous.

“Superintelligence will be the most impactful technology humanity has ever invented, and could help us solve many of the world’s most important problems,” the company wrote in a blog post. “But the vast power of superintelligence could also be very dangerous, and could lead to the disempowerment of humanity or even human extinction.”

Dubbed Superalignment, the team will be composed of scientists, developers and engineers, who will collectively work on building an automated AI researcher that can address the faults of its fellow systems. Once built, OpenAI plans to run the researcher on purposefully problematic models to teach it how to recognize if and when the AI starts “going rogue.” Tech professionals who think they’re up to the task can apply to join OpenAI’s Superalignment team now.

Take a Detailed Look at the Nothing Ear (2) in Black

Nothing

Nothing has been making waves for its sleek, cutting-edge hardware. For its newest product, the London-based tech company is simply offering a new colorway of its popular Ear (2) buds.

The earbuds, which initially debuted in white, now also come in a deep black colorway contrasting glossy and matte shades. The shell of the bud itself is made out of graphene and polyurethane shell. Nothing says the shell is designed to improve sound frequency, while 11.6mm drivers maximize sound quality. The black colorway of the Ear (2) is priced at $149 USD and available on the Nothing webstore now. The earbuds will also be sold at the brand’s London flagship beginning on July 13.

Meta Officially Launched Threads

Meta

Following Elon Musk’s limit imposed on how many Tweets one can view in a day, Instagram rolled out its competing text-based app, Threads. So far, the app seems to be gearing up to be a success for Meta with company shares increasing by 3% immediately after Threads hit app stores on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg himself reported that Threads surpassed five million sign ups in the first four hours of launching. He also took to Twitter for the first time in a decade to post a meme alluding to his triumph. Hypebeast also joined in on the fun, debuting its own Threads account.

Twitter Then Reportedly Responded by Threatening To Sue Meta

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Twitter, meanwhile, isn’t too happy about Meta’s new Threads. After Meta launched the app earlier this week, a lawyer for Twitter named Alex Spiro reportedly sent a letter on behalf of the company to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accusing him of illegally making use of Twitter’s trade secrets and threatening to sue. He also accuses Meta of hiring former Twitter employees to build the app in order to access the alleged secrets in the first place.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” Spiro wrote, per news outlet Semafor. “Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta.”

A source for Meta, meanwhile, told Semafor that the allegations are completely false and that no former Twitter employees worked on Threads.