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Zuckerberg vs Musk: Twitter CEO threatens to sue Meta over Threads

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1 year ago

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Following the launch of Threads, considered by many to be a substitute for Twitter, latter’s CEO Elon Musk — in a letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg by Twitter’s lawyer Alex Spiro — has threatened to sue Meta over its new platform.

Meta looks to take on Elon Musk’s Twitter by leveraging Instagram’s billions of users and already Threads — which launched on Wednesday — has logged more than 30 million signups.

In his letter, Spiro accused Meta of hiring former Twitter employees who “had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information,” News website Semafor first reported.

“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 in the letter.

A Reuters source with knowledge of the letter confirmed its contents on Thursday. Spiro did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

“No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a Threads post.

A former senior Twitter employee told Reuters they were not aware of any former staffers working on Threads, nor any senior personnel who landed at Meta at all.

Meanwhile, Twitter owner Musk said, “Competition is fine, cheating is not,” in response to a tweet citing the news.

Meta owns Instagram as well as Facebook.

Since Musk’s takeover of the social media platform last October, Twitter has received competition from Mastodon and Bluesky among others. Threads’ user interface, however, resembles the microblogging platform.

Still, Threads does not support keyword searches or direct messages.

To press a trade secret theft claim against Meta, Twitter would need much more detail than what is in the letter, said intellectual property law experts, including Stanford law professor Mark Lemley.

“The mere hiring of former Twitter employees (who Twitter itself laid off or drove away) and the fact that Facebook created a somewhat similar site is unlikely to support a trade secrets claim,” he said.

Jeanne Fromer, a professor at New York University, said companies alleging trade secret theft must show they made reasonable efforts to protect their corporate secrets. Cases often revolve around secure systems that were circumvented in some way.

The newest challenge to Twitter follows a series of chaotic decisions that have alienated both users and advertisers, including Musk’s latest move to limit the number of tweets users can read per day.

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Balochistani Graduates Selected for NUTECH Islamabad’s Mining Program

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For 18 graduates of the Reko Diq Mining Project, the National University of Technology, Islamabad, has started a training program. These graduates will complete an 18-month on-the-job training program at Barrick’s International Mining Sites after completing a two-month course at NUTECH.

The graduates will acquire proficiency in mining and associated technical domains during the training program. The chosen graduates will also get specific instruction on environmental protection, safety, exploration, and geology.

Along with the development of communication skills, the curriculum will also emphasise the most recent advancements in the mining industry. Barrick’s International Graduate Development Program for 2024 includes the Balochistani graduates.

Additionally, nine Baloch graduates were selected in 2023 and transported to Barrick’s facility in Argentina for on-the-job training.

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WhatsApp will improve the updates tab by introducing new shortcuts and a revamped interface.

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WhatsApp is implementing a new upgrade to refine the Updates tab interface, hence boosting accessibility for status and channel updates.

WABetaInfo reports that the upgrade introduces expedited shortcuts that streamline the updating of statuses and channels. Users can now select and upload photos and videos directly from the interface, reducing the steps involved in choosing media from the gallery.

The Meta-owned messaging application has also revamped the button for generating text-based status updates and introduced a feature for recording and sharing voice status updates. This offers customers a more expedient method to disseminate text and speech updates without depending on the floating action button.

The revisions correspond with recent modifications to other tabs, ensuring a modernised interface that improves navigation and update creation. WhatsApp is modifying the floating action button to facilitate content sharing within channels.

When selecting the floating action button, users will see several options, including creating status updates, starting new channels, or sharing photos, videos, voice, and text in existing channels. This revamp integrates all content-generating options into a singular section.

The new shortcuts are anticipated to be accessible to a broader user base in the forthcoming weeks. Beta testers can currently access them in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, version 2.24.26.13, available on the Google Play Store.

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China and Pakistan Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Launch AI-Powered Agricultural Equipment

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Through Chinese expertise, the arrangement, which was made possible by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), intends to increase Pakistan’s agricultural output.

The Punjab government and China’s “AI Force Tech” company have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce advanced agricultural machinery during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s visit to China.

Through the use of advanced robotic technology, the MoU seeks to transform Pakistan’s agricultural industry, guarantee economic growth, and boost farmers’ wealth with China’s assistance.

Through the partnership, Pakistan would also have the chance to absorb knowledge about China’s sophisticated farming methods.

In the meantime, plans have been revealed by the Federal Minister of Planning to send 1,000 agricultural experts to China to study contemporary farming methods.

A Chinese business and the Punjab government previously inked an agreement to introduce cutting-edge cancer treatment technologies to Punjab.

Maryam Nawaz signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hygea Medical Technologies while she was in China in order to introduce cutting-edge cancer treatment equipment and techniques to Punjab.

This equipment will make it feasible to treat cancer without the need for chemotherapy or surgery.

Following a meeting with Hygea Medical Technologies President Dr. Luo Fuliang, Maryam Nawaz said the organization has promised expert assistance for the establishment of the Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital.

She went on to say that the hospital will work with China to treat cancer patients utilizing the newest equipment and techniques following the agreement.

Maryam Nawaz and a high-level delegation are present. From December 8 to December 15, the chief minister will go to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

CM Maryam Nawaz is expected to attend a number of conferences, events, and meetings with the goal of enhancing bilateral relations and looking into potential joint ventures in the areas of infrastructure development, technology, agriculture, and governance.

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