Issue 2306 - Friday 4 April 2025

The News

Trump’s tariffs bring back American content and chip manufacturing

Talk about delivering results! OK, tech stocks have slumped (CNBC) and US billionaires did lose A$330 billion in one day (Bloomberg, $) but Trump’s tariffs are already bringing back one type of manufacturing to the US: content. Trump is reportedly set to announce “TikTok America” before the ban is supposed to kick in this weekend. It will be a new American company that will license the TikTok algorithm with 50% as-yet-unanounced US owners, 33% for existing investors and 19.9% for ByteDance (The Verge). No, these numbers do not add up and I do not get it. Also on the protectionism front, Intel and TSMC are doing a joint venture in the US (Reuters) as a way to bolster the US company’s sagging production with those Taiwanese chip wizards.

Androids have become iPhones, which are installing random apps

I came across this thought provoking essay on how Android has undergone a “iPhone- ification” (How To Geek). The case is Android has gone from supporting hardware variations, open software guardians and a belief in customisation to adopting Apple-like qualities. Gone or going are bootloaders, custom ROMs, ports, weird designs and even side-loading is under attack. I am not an Android user so I’m curious to hear from you if you’ve noticed the same thing. Over in Apple’s closed garden next door, people are finding that their iPhones are downloading random apps after updating to iOS 18.4 (TechRadar). Wouldn’t be a huge surprise to me — after all, this is the company that once forced everyone to download a U2 album.

Companies keep accidentally hiring North Koreans

North Korean scammers keep tricking US and EU companies into hiring them under false pretences. This week, Google’s threat team put out an update to a previous warning in 2024 about DPRK IT workers applying for remote jobs using false identities, earning salaries, stealing data and then eventually extorting the companies (Google). Sometimes they even use deepfakes for video calls (WSJ, $)! Here’s my take: if you’re good enough to fool me, you’re good enough to work here. (A joke, the Sizzle’s hiring guidelines are very stringent). They aren’t the only ones being fooled online, either: two Americans are suing OnlyFans because they found out that an agency was responding to messages on behalf of the creator whose account they had subscribed to, and not the creator themselves (404 Media, $).

Leftovers

Oh, Also

There’s nothing better than a nice, meaty URL

I’d tricked myself into thinking that innovation was dead. All you see these days is people slapping AI onto things. Then, I came across something I never knew I needed: a link lengthener (loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.ong).

Bargains

Electrical & Electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius.

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Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land

The Sizzle is created on Gadigal land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.