Meta

Meta plans to launch a California-focused PAC that will benefit state-level candidates who are in favor of lighter regulation of technology, especially artificial intelligence. Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California will work with candidates, regardless of their political party, who “advocate AI innovation over stringent rules,” the company said. Meta vice president of public policy Brian Rice will head the PAC alongside public policy VP Greg Maurer as principal officers, according to a company spokesperson. California’s government has aggressively pursued consumer protection regulations that Meta says could impact tech companies' products. "Sacramento's regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California's technology leadership at risk," said Rice.

REader

The Chicago Reader, an alternative newspaper that has been in operation since 1971, is acquired by Noisy Creek, a media company that includes The Stranger in Seattle and the Portland Mercury in Portland, OR. As part of the acquisition, the paper is introducing Noisy Creek’s event discovery platform, EverOut, as well as entertainment ticketing service Bold Type Tickets. In January, non-profit organization Reader Institute for Community Journalism, which has owned the paper since 2022, announced a round of layoffs due to "a combination of financial losses, operational challenges, and external pressures [that] has brought the Reader to an imminent risk of closure." At that point the Reader was forced to turn to its readers for support. “By diversifying our revenue sources, we will create the foundation for us to thrive in the long-term,” according to a post on the Reader web site.

YouTube

YouTube’s ‘Hype’ feature, which is meant to raise the visibility of videos from creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers, launches globally. The feature, which was launched as a test in Brazil, Taiwan and Turkey last September, is now available in 39 countries including the US, UK, India, Japan and South Korea. It lets viewers choose up to three videos to “hype” per week. When a video is hyped, it receives points. The videos that get the most points wind up on a new ranked leaderboard that is part of YouTube’s Explore menu. To give smaller creators more of a boost, those with fewer subscribers, get a bigger bonus, which according to the YouTube official blog, gives “the most authentic emerging creators a better opportunity to get noticed.”