Issue 2271 - Friday 14 February, 2025

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sizzlers ❤️

In Today’s Issue

The News

Tech cuts continue into 2025. Is AI to blame?

The wave of tech layoffs has continued into 2025, with 10,000 or so employees already cut this year from companies like Meta, Amazon and Salesforce (TechCrunch). It hasn’t reached the bloodbath levels of last year was but it marks a few years sustained of cuts. So, is this AI eating the industry?

The cuts are somewhat of a regression to the mean after the ballooning of tech companies’ headcount in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Buoyed by zero-interest rates and free flowing VC money, companies like Google and Meta literally hired staff with no work to do (Business Insider) just so they could hoard talent. Now that rates are up, belts are tightening. At the same time, I reckon the tech bro CEOs going “founder mode” (CNN) are slashing staff, including those involved in supposedly non-core operations like communications or DEI-related work, as a way of creating a [Elon Musk voice] “hardcore” workforce that does exactly as they say. Plus, they’re all AI-pilled so they’re pre-emptively doing things like hiring freezes (Entrenpeneur) as if AGI is just around the corner.

If I’ve sounded somewhat sceptical, it’s because I am. IMO these changes are less material — ChatGPT hasn’t rendered Instagram’s engineers useless yet — and more cultural swings. So yes, in a way, this is inspired by AI. But not because of how AI works, but because of how the rich guys who run these places want the world to be.

Healthcare providers penalised if they don’t upload data to My Health Record

Pathology and diagnostic imaging practices must upload their reports to the government platform My Health Record or lose their Medicare rebates (InnovationAus, $). This week, parliament passed a law forcing providers to upload this data (APH). That’s because the government says current rates — only half of pathology reports and one in five diagnostic imaging reports were uploaded in 2023 — are “too low and slow”. Apparently, groups like the doctors lobby AMA took issue with the penalties (AMA) but the law passed nonetheless. I can understand why individuals would want to opt-out of My Health Record — which they still can — but it is frustrating if you’re someone who’s opted in and the system doesn’t work as intended. Also, just for noting, the scam framework that I covered recently also passed parliament (Cyber Daily).

‘Retail intelligence’ platform reportedly leaked image of ex-MP

I got a tip about this story unfolding across the Tasman: footage of a former New Zealand Greens MP accused of shoplifting has leaked and the source appears to be Auror (NZ Herald). Auror is an NZ-founded “retail intelligence” company that provides a platform primarily for stores to host CCTV footage, among other things, that can be viewed by other stores and police, even without a warrant or a request.

I was the first Australian reporter to cover the fact that Auror is reportedly used in 40% of Australian stores, including Woolworths and Coles (Crikey, $). I reported on how the Australian Federal Police used Auror seemingly without any policies re: privacy (Crikey, $) which led to inquiries from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Anyway, I think it’s drastically underreported that police are able to access this wide network of CCTV, which includes automatic licence plate recognition capabilities, from all these stores without a warrant or even needing to flag with the retailer. It appears in this case, these wide and unchecked surveillance opportunities were used for exactly the wrong reasons.

Oh, Also

A cool-looking, self-hosted workout and health app

Since getting back into the gym this year, I’ve been cycling through really annoying and proprietary workout tracking apps. Plus, I always get a little bit icky putting any kind of health data into a service considering the ways it could be misused.Now, my interest has been piqued by this self-hosted fitness, workout, nutrition and weight tracker wger (wger, GitHub) which looks pretty neat.

Seems like you can sign up on their server or host it yourself. I’m going to give it a whirl next week and report back!

Bargains

Electrical & electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday afternoon. 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.