Robotics Companies That Died In 2023

Today’s Menu 🥠

• Robotics Companies That Went Under

• The New York Times Demands Billions

• 5 Trending AI-Powered Tools

• 1980s Food Monster Invasion

Read Time: 3.5 minutes

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Goodbye Tech
Robotics Companies We Lost In 2023

We never want to see startups get canned, but inevitably, perhaps some lessons can be learned from those that didn’t survive…

Everyday Robots: This Alphabet subsidiary was shut down in February as part of a broader layoff at Alphabet, affecting 12,000 workers. Although some of the technology and team members were absorbed into Google Research, the specifics of these transitions weren't disclosed. Everyday Robots had been developing robots capable of performing tasks like cleaning and waste sorting but didn't reach commercialization.

Neato Robotics: Shut down by its parent company, Vorwek Group, in April, Neato was once a significant competitor in the robot vacuum market. Vorwek's decision to close Neato was part of a broader restructuring, with a commitment to support Neato's cloud-based service and spare parts for five years.

Karakuri: This startup, which focused on robotic meal assembly for the food industry, closed in June. Despite efforts to secure additional funding and potential negotiations with Henny Penny, a food-service equipment manufacturer, Karakuri couldn't secure the necessary investment to continue operations.

Zume: Known for its initial venture into robotic pizza making, Zume pivoted to sustainable packaging in 2020. Despite substantial venture capital investment, including $375 million from SoftBank, Zume struggled financially post-pivot, leading to its shutdown over the summer.

Skydio's Consumer Drone Business: While Skydio remains operational, it ceased its consumer drone segment to concentrate on enterprise and public sector clients. This decision marked a significant shift in the U.S. consumer drone industry.

XACT Robotics: This medical robotics company, which specialized in autonomous surgical robots, laid off its entire workforce and shut down in September. Despite developing innovative needle-steering technology for minimally invasive procedures, XACT struggled with revenue generation and securing additional funding.

PrecisionHawk: This commercial drone developer filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in December, signaling its shutdown. Once a promising drone startup, PrecisionHawk faced financial difficulties despite significant investment over the years.

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Money Hungry
New York Times Files Copyright Lawsuit For 'Billions' Against AI Companies

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their AI models, including the widely known ChatGPT, have infringed upon the newspaper's intellectual property.

According to the lawsuit, these AI models were trained using millions of copyrighted articles from The Times, which the newspaper argues has led to unfair competition.

Although the lawsuit does not specify a monetary claim, it suggests that the damages could amount to billions of dollars.

I guess the LLMs are able to get past that annoying NYT paywall that nobody actually subscribes to…

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for OpenAI stated that the company respects the rights of content creators and is committed to collaborating with them to ensure they benefit from AI technology. 

OpenAI mentioned that previous discussions with The New York Times were constructive, expressing surprise and disappointment at the lawsuit.

Most relevant media companies like the Associated Press and Axel Springer have formed agreements with OpenAI. However, approximately 600 media companies have taken steps to block AI technology from accessing their content without authorization.

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Old-School Horror
Food Monster Invasion Of The 80s

Snack Quiz Results
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