TECH ROUNDUP: Meta begin third round of layoffs

• Meta has begun its third round of layoffs

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• A new report alleges that Binance mixed customers’ funds with its revenue

• OpenAI executives have called for the regulation of “superintelligent” AIs

• Safaricom says that Kenya’s .32 mobile phone is a pipe dream 

Meta has begun its third round of layoffs as part of the company’s plan to layoffs about 10,000 workers between April and May. The layoffs are part of Meta’s so-called year of efficiency, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg pitched as necessary for the company to slim down and become more nimble amid a challenging economy and weakened digital advertising market.

A new report alleges that Binance mismanaged customers’ funds and mixed customers’ funds with the company’s revenue. This act violates the US financial laws which require both funds to be separated. 

Also Read: TECH ROUNDUP: MTN among top 5 companies that pay high salaries to staff

OpenAI executives have called for the regulation of “superintelligent” AIs, to protect humanity from the risk of accidentally creating something with the power to destroy it. “It’s conceivable that within the next 10 years, AI systems will exceed expert skill level in most domains, and carry out as much productive activity as one of today’s largest corporations,” they write.

Safaricom says that the possibility of assembling a $36.32 mobile phone in Kenya with the proposed increase of import duty, excise duty and value-added tax (VAT), is a pipe dream. Safaricom said the proposed taxes will raise the cost of locally assembled smartphones to $85.74. 

POLITICS

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami asked President Muhammadu Buhari to absorb the 27-member Nigerian Startup Implementation Committee (an ad-hoc committee set up to develop a framework for implementing the startup act) into the Nigeria Startup Act Council.

Digital Bank, Eyowo said that transactions will be halted for 24 to 72 hours after CBN revoked its licence. “Over the next few hours, you will experience challenges sending and receiving money with Eyowo…We recognize the significance of open communication during this period,” it said. 

The Central Bank of Nigeria has increased the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 18.5%, to curb rising inflation.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Apple is planning a new interface for iPhones that shows information such as calendar appointments, the weather and notifications in the style of a smart-home display.

Chinese hackers targeted Kenya’s government in a widespread, years-long series of digital intrusions against key ministries and state institutions, according to three sources, cybersecurity research reports and analysis of technical data related to the hacking. 

ENIGERIA NEWSPAPER