GoKawiil
Tech News
Paramount, now controlled by Skydance, has officially closed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The combined company will operate under the Paramount Skydance banner, according to the announcement.
Tom Matthesen, who leads business advisory at Balentine, says business owners commonly overlook four areas—capital planning, talent, earnings quality, and succession planning—because daily operational pressures crowd out longer-term review. He argues these issues are interconnected, so weakness in one area tends to create problems in the others. Matthesen recommends owners address capital strategy proactively rather than waiting until a funding need arises from an acquisition or shortfall.
Google's comparison highlights that Photos automatically backs up images to the cloud via a toggle in account settings, while Gallery requires manual backup. New Google accounts created after March 9, 2026 will get only 5GB of free storage by default, down from the current 15GB, though verifying a phone number unlocks an extra 10GB. Storage is shared across Gmail, Drive, WhatsApp and Photos, and additional space can be purchased through Google One starting at $2 per month for 100GB.
Retailers are discounting smart home products for Prime Day 2026, including Eufy outdoor security cameras with local hub storage, on-device AI detection, and solar charging, and Amazon's Echo Spot and Echo Show 11 smart speakers and displays. The Eufy cameras support up to 4K resolution and face recognition without requiring a subscription, though AI accuracy and frame rate remain limited.
Amazon is offering discounts on several Yeti products during its Prime Day sale, including the Roadie 32 and 48 coolers, the Tundra 45 cooler at $244 (down from $325), and the Daytrip Insulated Soft Cooler Tote Bag at $110 (down from $145). WIRED reviewers note these items are rarely discounted and tend to sell out quickly once on sale.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event includes discounts on espresso machines, pod coffee makers, drip machines and grinders that WIRED's testers have previously recommended, including Breville's Barista Express, the Keurig K-Café, the Aiden drip maker, and a budget-friendly grinder picked by reviewer Matthew Korfhage. WIRED says it will keep updating its broader deals guides throughout the 48-hour sale.
Startup Hark, founded less than a year ago by Brett Adcock, released Hark Pro to the public today with a free tier and a paid subscription for heavier use. The app presents a full-screen interface with a central chat window, a feed of suggested actions, and visual 'panels' showing dashboards for things users care about, and it can connect to email, calendars, hard drives and payment accounts to carry out digital tasks on a user's behalf.
Apple announced a new Apple Watch Activity Challenge available exclusively to users in Japan. Completing any workout of at least 30 minutes on October 10, logged through an app connected to Apple's Fitness app or through Apple Fitness+, unlocks a virtual achievement badge and exclusive Messages stickers.
Cedana released a web tool that converts reported token-processing volumes into estimated GPU requirements. Users enter a token figure and select a model, and the calculator returns a GPU estimate with a confidence range, accounting for differences in hardware, model type, and workload such as chat or agentic coding. Default assumptions are sourced and can be replaced with custom measurements.
A business analysis argues that customer satisfaction metrics are a poor predictor of loyalty, since satisfied customers will still defect for a lower price or better feature. Instead, it proposes measuring 'life share'—the degree to which a product or service becomes embedded in a customer's daily habits and routines—as a better gauge of retention and revenue stability.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told staff at an internal all-hands meeting that Microsoft has struck a deal giving Xbox Cloud Gaming exclusive rights to stream Grand Theft Auto VI when it launches in November. Rockstar has not yet announced a PC release for the game, and the timing coincides with Microsoft's rollout of a pay-as-you-go option for Xbox Cloud Gaming alongside new limits on streaming hours for Game Pass subscribers.
Citi is shortening its investment banking analyst program from three years to two, speeding up the path from analyst to associate. Co-head of North America investment banking David Friedland said the change aligns Citi with promotion timelines at some rival banks and comes as private equity firms increasingly recruit junior bankers early in their careers.