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Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Senior News Editor

    More From Richard Lawler

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Blue Apron’s new owner starts making changes as the delivery meal kit era fades out.

    Wonder, a delivery service that licenses recipes from restaurants, bought Blue Apron for $103 million and, where available, will now use its couriers to deliver BA kits.

    Of the five meal subscription services we reviewed in 2016, Plated and Peach Dish are out of business, Blue Apron and Purple Carrot have been acquired, and the winner, Hello Fresh, has seen its stock value drop by 55 percent in the last three years. This Washington Post article from last year has more info on what’s happened.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    What could possibly go wrong, again?

    Following a jury’s conviction of former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried on fraud charges, the Wall Street Journal reports that several former FTX employees, including former general counsel Can Sun, are involved in launching a new cryptocurrency exchange based on Dubai.

    Sun and Ferrante said they wanted to use the lessons they learned from FTX’s failure to protect user funds. Backpack Exchange, the name under which Trek Labs will do business, will use Backpack’s technology to allow users to hold funds in their own “self-custody” crypto wallets that the exchange itself wouldn’t be able to unilaterally access, they said.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    SpaceX hypes up its next Starship flight test while ignoring a report about workplace injuries.

    The FAA still hasn’t cleared SpaceX to attempt another Starship orbital launch from its Boca Chica, TX, site after the first one caused significant damage to the pad and surrounding environment. SpaceX’s website and this teaser trailer indicate it’s ready to try again as soon as November 17th.

    Those are also popping up on the same day as a report from Reuters documenting 600 injuries to SpaceX workers since 2014.

    The records included reports of more than 100 workers suffering cuts or lacerations, 29 with broken bones or dislocations, 17 whose hands or fingers were “crushed,” and nine with head injuries, including one skull fracture, four concussions and one traumatic brain injury.

    Musk himself at times appeared cavalier about safety on visits to SpaceX sites: Four employees said he sometimes played with a novelty flamethrower and discouraged workers from wearing safety yellow because he dislikes bright colors.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    “$8 billion is a lot of money.”

    With this stage of Sam Bankman-Fried’s big crypto fraud trial over after the jury found the former FTX boss guilty, The Verge reporter Elizabeth Lopatto joined the Crypto Critics’ Corner podcast to discuss everything that went on in the courtroom.

    Along with hosts Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey, they discuss not only the trial’s final moments but also what’s next for SBF.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    The ability to dual-boot Windows is still ‘high on the list’ of Steam Deck priorities.

    The Steam Deck’s initial Windows support lacked audio output before addressing that in May of last year, but we’ve been waiting for an update on dual-boot ever since.

    Now, Valve designer Lawrence Yang told IGN in an email that “Dual-boot support (and SteamOS general install) is very high on the list for folks working on SteamOS.” However, those OS folks have been working on the new OLED version. Now that it’s here, players should expect “meaningful updates” in the coming year.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Nothing OS 2.5 beta, take two.

    After launching the first public beta of its Nothing OS 2.5 update based on Android 14 last month, the clear phone company is back with a second beta test for Phone 2 owners.

    The video below includes a lot of the new additions that are in Nothing’s 2.5 update, but new additions for this beta round include several tweaks for the Glyph lights on the back of the phone, making them work with Google Calendar appointments, adding presets so you can quickly set up a timer, and a new animation for NFC usage.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Streaming ESPN without cable should launch in 2025.

    According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the company has targeted 2025 to launch a direct-to-consumer version of ESPN as the cable market continues to shrink. In a CNBC interview ahead of its earnings, he discussed the possibility of finding “one or two” strategic partners that could add support via either technology, marketing, or content.

    On the call with investors, Iger also hinted at how streaming ESPN could work:

    The technology that we will have for ESPN, DTC will give us the ability to provide local sports in a pretty robust way basically, what the RSN ends are doing, but we’re not really aiming to do so by taking on significant risk. So if we can find the right kind of business arrangements and partnerships I think we will look very seriously at providing local sports as part of their platform.

    That is even more interesting considering some RSN rights may return to the NBA and NHL next year.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Microsoft’s next Xbox Game Studios chief comes from Turn 10.

    Once Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal closed, Phil Spencer announced a slew of promotions and changes. One addition to the list shown below is that former Turn 10 studio head Alan Hartman will go from running the home of Forza Motorsport to leading all of Xbox Game Studios.

    That group covers the developers behind Halo, Gears of War, and Minecraft, as well as Compulsion Games, Double Fine, The Initiative, inXile, Ninja Theory, Obsidian, Playground, Rare, Undead Labs, and World’s Edge. Hopefully, all the shuffling means less crunch and less of whatever happened to Redfall.

    Organizational tree showing Phil Spencer as well as the other executives at Microsoft’s gaming business.
    Microsoft’s new Xbox / gaming leadership as of October 2023.
    Image: Microsoft
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    The Samsung / Qualcomm / Google mixed reality headset might be at least a year away.

    The three companies announced an Android AR / VR headset in February but with few details. UploadVR and Korean business outlet The JoongAng report rumors of a late 2024 launch, after Apple introduces its Vision Pro.

    Last month Samsung closed a $218 million deal to acquire eMagin, a US company developing Micro OLED tech that execs have said could surpass the panel in the Vision Pro, could be two to three years from being commercialized.

    The three executives standing on stage under their respective brand names
    Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Samsung Mobile president TM Roh, and Google Android senior vp Hiroshi Lockheimer on stage at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked February 2023
    Image: Samsung