• The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to advance the DATA Act, which would give President Joe Biden the authority to effectively ban foreign-owned applications including TikTok. The bill passed by a vote of 24-16, with all Democrats on the committee voting no over concerns that fast-tracking the bill would supersede the ongoing security review of TikTok being carried out by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. (Politico)
• The White House announced its National Cyber Strategy, which will seek to establish a plan for how the Biden administration will handle online threats to national security. The strategy includes shifting the burden of cybersecurity from individuals, small businesses and local governments onto software developers and other institutions that better understand cyber risk, and also calls for legislation to establish liability for failures by software developers to reasonably secure products and services. (CNBC)
• Microsoft Corp. and Activision Blizzard Inc. met with the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority to discuss proposed remedies that would allow Microsoft to move forward with its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision, according to people familiar with the discussions. The antitrust watchdog previously said Microsoft’s purchase of the gaming giant could lead to higher prices and fewer choices for U.K. gamers. (Bloomberg)
• In order to help younger people limit their screen time and to quell concerns about harmful effects of exposure to social media, TikTok announced that it would set a default 60-minute time limit per day in place for users under the age of 18. The new restriction will serve a prompt that requires young users to enter a passcode in order to keep watching, and TikTok will introduce parental controls that will provide more details about their child’s activity on the app. (Axios)

Happening today: 

• The Center for American Progress, in partnership with​​ Public Knowledge, will host an event called “The Next Wave of Technology Regulation.” Speakers include former Federal Communications Commission Chair Tom Wheeler; former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr. Alondra Nelson; and former FCC commissioner Susan Ness.
• The Cato Institute is hosting a policy forum titled “Gonzalez v. Google at the Supreme Court” that will cover last week’s oral arguments and the potential implications of the case that could reshape Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that provides legal protections to online platforms. Speakers include Nicole Saad Bembridge, associate counsel at NetChoice; Jess Miers, legal advocacy counsel at the Chamber of Progress; and ​​Gabrielle Shea, senior policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
• The Brookings Institution will host an event titled “The future of remote work” with Professor Nick Bloom from Stanford University that will focus on the future of remote work and how it will affect employees and companies.

Voters Support Required Government Notice Before U.S. Companies Invest in China’s Critical Sectors

Morning Consult

Tesla stock falls more than 5% after hours as Investor Day falls short on specifics

Lora Kolodny, CNBC

Electric vehicle maker Tesla hosted a 2023 Investor Day presentation in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. CEO Elon Musk took the stage to share his “Master Plan 3,” and to discuss how Tesla plans to scale up in the face of increasing competition.

Salesforce stock soars as Benioff says goal is to be the ‘most profitable software company in the world’

Jeremy C. Owens, MarketWatch

Salesforce Inc. produced better adjusted earnings than expected in the fourth quarter and executives projected big profit gains amid layoffs this year in a Wednesday report, sending shares toward their biggest gain since 2020.

Tech Is Allowing Businesses to Overcharge You in Tips

Brian X. Chen, The New York Times

Payment apps and touch screens have made it easy for merchants to ask us for preset gratuity amounts. We don’t need to succumb to the pressure.

EU regulators extend deadline for Microsoft, Activision deal to April 25

Foo Yun Chee, Reuters

EU antitrust regulators have extended their deadline for a decision on Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of “Call of Duty” maker Activision to April 25, according to a European Commission filing on Wednesday.

EU Gears Up for Antitrust Abuses in the Metaverse

Stephanie Bodoni, Bloomberg

Margrethe Vestager, the European Union antitrust chief, warned that her team already has the Metaverse and AI in its crosshairs in a bid to head off potential competition abuses.

Activist investor Elliott nominates slate of directors to Salesforce board, sources say

David Faber and Ashley Capoot, CNBC

Activist investor Elliott Management has nominated a slate of directors for Salesforce’s board, sources told CNBC’s David Faber.

China leads US in global competition for key emerging technology, study says

Kirsty Needham, Reuters

China has a “stunning lead” in 37 out of 44 critical and emerging technologies as Western democracies lose a global competition for research output, a security think tank said on Thursday after tracking defence, space, energy and biotechnology.

The popularity of ChatGPT is a ‘milestone’ in establishing Qualcomm as an A.I. company, CEO says

Jenni Reid, CNBC

The explosive popularity of ChatGPT is an opportunity to show off the capabilities of artificial intelligence on smartphones, according to chip company Qualcomm’s chief executive.

Microsoft now lets you change Bing’s chatbot personality to be more entertaining

Tom Warren, The Verge

Microsoft restricted Bing AI in recent days after wild responses, but a new toggle lets the chatbot get more creative once again.

Addressing criticism, OpenAI will no longer use customer data to train its models by default

Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch

As the ChatGPT and Whisper APIs launch this morning, OpenAI is changing the terms of its API developer policy, aiming to address developer — and user — criticism.

Musk: ‘AI stresses me out’

Joseph White, Reuters

Elon Musk has clashed often with securities regulators and highway safety authorities, but there’s one area the Tesla and Twitter chief says the government should regulate now: Artificial Intelligence.

U.S., EU kick off AI research collaboration

Sam Sabin, Axios

The White House and the European Commission held their first meeting Tuesday to jumpstart a transatlantic AI research initiative aimed at both speeding up AI development and determining what regulations, if any, are needed, a senior administration official told Axios.

OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, plus dedicated capacity for enterprise customers

Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch

OpenAI is introducing an API that’ll allow any business to build ChatGPT tech into their apps, websites, products and services.

Microsoft unveils AI model that understands image content, solves visual puzzles

Benj Edwards, Ars Technica

Microsoft believes a multimodal approach paves the way for human-level AI.

YouTube’s new leader teases AI tools that can virtually swap creators’ outfits and locations

Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

Neal Mohan, the new head of YouTube, outlined his key priorities and teased some upcoming features for the media platform in his first address to the community since stepping up to the role last month. He teased one particularly interesting new one: YouTube is developing generative AI tools for content creators.

Microsoft Africa internet plan moves forward with fiber deal

Jeffrey Dastin, Reuters

Microsoft Corp has reached a deal with Africa’s biggest independent fiber network toward its goal of expanding internet access on the continent, its President Brad Smith said.

Google’s Sameer Samat on ecosystems, regulation and competition

Brian Heater, TechCrunch

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better person to speak on the subject than Sameer Samat; the former president of Jawbone now heads Android’s product and design team, as well as design and engineering for Google Play and Wear OS. We sat down with the executive on the third day of MWC to discuss Google’s consumer software plays.

Motorola confirms a new foldable version of the iconic Razr smartphone is coming this year

Arjun Kharpal, CNBC

A new version of the foldable Motorola Razr will be launched this year, according to the CEO of Chinese technology giant Lenovo which now owns the brand.

Former Facebook Execs Launch Startup, Adding to Efforts to Improve Ad Measurement

Salvador Rodriguez and Patience Haggin, The Wall Street Journal

Their company, Anonym, aims to tell advertisers how effective campaigns were while maintaining user privacy.

Belgium’s cyber security agency links China to spear phishing attack on MP

Yuan Yang, Financial Times

European governments are increasingly challenging Beijing over suspected cyber offences.

LastPass CEO takes ‘full responsibility’ for security breach comms

Sam Sabin, Axios

LastPass CEO Karim Toubba said in a blog post Wednesday he takes full responsibility for his company’s communications failures about recent cybersecurity incidents.

TikTok’s potential ban in U.S. could be boon for Meta and Snap

Ashley Capoot, CNBC

Investors in Meta, Snap and other U.S. digital media companies have been looking for signs of a rebound after a tumultuous 2022. They got some unexpectedly optimistic news this week.

TikTok’s U.S. Survival Plan Faces Potential Hurdle: Apple’s App Store Rules

Juro Osawa, The Information

TikTok faces a new potential hurdle to overcoming national security concerns in the U.S.: Apple and Google. TikTok, the popular video app owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, has begun talks with Apple and Google to ensure its proposed data security plan doesn’t get derailed by their app store rules, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

TikTok Earned $205 Million More Than Facebook, Twitter, Snap And Instagram Combined On In-App Purchases In 2023

John Koetsier, Forbes

TikTok primarily focuses on creator rewards, and it’s doing better than all the other social networks combined.

Twitter reverses suspension of Mike Lee’s personal account

Al Weaver, The Hill

Twitter reversed the suspension of Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) personal account on Wednesday afternoon, hours after it was locked for unknown reasons. 

Waymo Cuts Jobs as Parent Company Alphabet Focuses on AI

Davey Alba and Julia Love, Bloomberg

Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s driverless-vehicle unit, cut dozens of jobs as its parent company moves to control spending and focus more tightly on artificial intelligence.

Activision fired staff for using ‘strong language’ about remote work policy -union

Daniel Wiessner, Reuters

“Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard Inc has been accused by a union of illegally firing two video game testers for using “strong language” in a protest of a new company policy that limits remote work.

Alphabet venture arm CapitalG names Laela Sturdy new head of firm, David Lawee steps aside

Jennifer Elias, CNBC

Alphabet’s growth stage venture arm, CapitalG, has named Laela Sturdy its new leader. The move means CapitalG will be one of the few venture firms to be led by a female partner. The industry still has few women and people of color as partners, let alone in leadership positions.

Amazon Ring CEO Steps Aside for Former Microsoft, Meta Executive

Matt Day, Bloomberg

The chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc.’s video doorbell subsidiary Ring is stepping down, making way for an executive with experience at Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc.

Elon Musk Confirms Mexico Factory Plan in Mapping Out Costly Vision for Tesla

Rebecca Elliot, The Wall Street Journal

Tesla Inc. sought to quell shareholder concerns about the depth of its leadership team, calling on a range of Elon Musk lieutenants to lay out the company’s path to one day becoming the world’s largest car maker and explain its vision for accelerating a transition to sustainable energy.

Thoughtworks lays off around 500 employees amid ongoing slowdown

Jagmeet Singh, TechCrunch

Thoughtworks has emerged as the latest tech company to join the ongoing trend of laying off employees amid the global economic slowdown.