Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

OpenAI and Microsoft may be reaching an inflection point in their relationship, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The report, citing anonymous sources, says OpenAI executives have considered publicly accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior throughout their partnership. OpenAI executives also mulled whether to seek a federal regulatory review of their contract with…

In an effort to resonate with younger users amid declining user engagement, Tinder announced on Tuesday the launch of a new Double Date feature, which allows users to team up with friends and chat with potential matches together. Double Date lets users pair up with a friend and browse through other paired users who share…

Patreon, a creator monetization platform that offers membership programs and digital goods, announced on Monday that it is changing its pricing structure. Currently, Patreon takes an 8% cut or a 12% cut from creators, depending on their selected tier — though the 8% plan is far more popular. The new pricing plan instead offers one universal…

Food distribution giant United Natural Foods (UNFI) said it is making “significant progress” in recovering from a cyberattack that occurred almost two weeks ago, as grocery stores across North America reliant on the distributor continue to report food shortages. UNFI said in an update on Sunday that it was restoring its electronic ordering systems, which…

ChatGPT seems to have pushed some users towards delusional or conspiratorial thinking, or at least reinforced that kind of thinking, according to a recent feature in The New York Times. For example, a 42-year-old accountant named Eugene Torres described asking the chatbot about “simulation theory,” with the chatbot seeming to confirm the theory and tell…

While Silicon Valley executives like those from Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI are grabbing headlines for trading their Brunello Cucinelli vests for Army Reserve uniforms, a quieter transformation has been underway in the U.S. Navy. How so? Well, the Navy’s chief technology officer, Justin Fanelli, says he has spent the last two and a half years…

It’s been 10 years since Alexa von Tobel sold her financial planning startup Learnvest to Northwestern Mutual for $250 million. Since then, von Tobel became Northwestern Mutual’s first chief digital officer, then chief innovation officer, before launching an early-stage venture firm of her own, Inspired Capital, with former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. She’s…

Alphabet-owned robotaxi company Waymo is limiting service due to Saturday’s scheduled nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump and his policies. A Waymo spokesperson confirmed the changes to Wired on Friday. Service is reportedly affected in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and is entirely suspended in Los Angeles. It’s not clear how long…

DNA testing service 23andMe has undergone serious upheaval in recent months, creating concerns for the 15 million customers who entrusted the company with their personal biological information. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, the company became the center of a bidding war that ended Friday when co-founder Anne Wojcicki said she’d successfully…

Meta’s big investment in Scale AI may be giving some of the startup’s customers pause. Reuters reports that Google had planned to pay Scale $200 million this year but is now having conversations with its competitors and planning to cut ties. Microsoft is also reportedly looking to pull back, and OpenAI supposedly made a similar…