July 15, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode of #Trending, host Jim Love covers several key tech topics: Google confirms the merging of Chrome OS and Android into a unified platform, a new AI video tool by Moon Valley trains entirely on public domain content, Musk's X AI increases employee surveillance through tracking software, the rivalry between Starlink and Apple's satellite phone service intensifies, and Elmo's official X account is hacked with offensive posts. Each story highlights significant developments and challenges within the tech industry.
00:00 Introduction and Headlines
00:28 Google Merges Chrome OS and Android
02:14 AI Video Tool Uses Public Domain Content
04:12 X AI Increases Employee Surveillance
06:25 Starlink vs Apple on Satellite Phones
08:29 Elmo's X Account Hacked
10:04 Conclusion and Contact Information
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Google confirms that it willmerge Chrome OS and Android.
A new AI video tool uses only publicdomain content and training X AI increases
surveillance monitoring of its employees,starlink versus Apple on satellite phones.
And a hacker makes Elmo's X account.
(00:22):
X rated.
Welcome to hashtag Trending.
I'm your host, Jim Love.
Let's get into it.
Google is migratingChrome OS over to Android.
This confirms a story reported inNovember that Google was working on this.
The confirmation came when Samir Samat,Google's Android ecosystem president was
talking to a Tech Radar journalist andasked why they were using Apple devices.
(00:46):
The reason for his question was, and hesaid, we're going to be combining Chrome
OS and Android into a single platform,and I'm very interested in how people
are using their laptops these days.
The timing could align withAndroid sixteens rollout, which
includes desktop features like.
Proper windowing andexternal display management.
(01:07):
So Android is already gainingthe capabilities needed to
handle laptop style computing.
It's not a big reach to go toa Chrome OS merger, but how
will users view these changes?
according to a November pollreported in Android Authority,
half of polled readers supportedmerging the Chrome OS into Android.
(01:28):
Though others question whether itcould affect Chromebook updates
and hardware requirements.
So it looks like they have a 50 50chance on making users happy, but maybe
the chances are better than 50 50 . Itdoes create a unified operating system
across phones, tablets, and laptops.
And for consumers it means learningone less platform instead of two.
(01:51):
For developers, it means building appsthat work across all device types.
And for IT departments managingChromebook fleets, it means potential
hardware changes as the platforms merge.
And for Android users, having a seamlessmove from phone to big screen could
be what so many others have tried toachieve, albeit with limited success.
(02:14):
A startup called Moon Valley haslaunched an AI video generator,
which is aimed at blunting.
The protests about stealingcontent by training their model
entirely on public domain films.
The product Marey is now publiclyavailable after beta trials
started in March of this year.
The Los Angeles based company claims their3D Aware video synthesis model is 100%
(02:40):
trained on public domain films, and Thisdistinguishes them from most AI video
companies, which typically have trainedon copyrighted material and are probably
facing legal challenges as a result.
Moon Valley hired Ed Ulrich, aVFX artist, who worked on the
Titanic and Top Gun Maverick tobe the liaison with film studios.
(03:03):
Ulrich was previously skepticalof generative ai, but says Moon
Valley's approach changed his mind.
No stolen pixels, noscraping of the internet.
He said it's done in a great way.
This follows a similar project inJune where AI researchers trained a
language model on openly licensed data.
The team processed over eightterabytes of data to create an LLM
(03:27):
that matched me, Lama one and two.
In performance, if Moon Valley'sclaims hold up, it can challenge
the industry narrative that AIcompanies need to pirate copyrighted
content to build effective models.
And for content creators worried abouttheir work being used without permission.
This shows there's an alternativepath for AI companies facing lawsuits.
(03:49):
It demonstrates that clean trainingdata is technically feasible, even if
it does require a little more work.
The site, the samples look impressive,but that doesn't necessarily
mean that it's a great program.
We haven't had a chance tocheck it out yet, but we will
over the next coming days.
But you can also check itout yourself@moonvalley.com.
(04:12):
Elon Musk's ex AI told workers whotrain its Grok chatbot to download
employee tracking software calledHubstaff on their personal computers.
The software tracks URLs,applications, keystrokes, and
mouse movements during work hours.
It also requires workers toclock in and out and can capture
(04:33):
screenshots showing what theemployee is looking at or working on.
Originally, the deadline for doingthis was July 11th, but after Business
Insider inquired about the PolicyX, AI revised its approach allowing
employees to postpone installationif they were waiting for company lap.
Laptops to replace their personal laptops.
(04:54):
Before installing the software, atleast one employee has resigned over
the policy, calling it surveillancedisguised as productivity and
manipulation masked as Culture
XAI already uses multiple trackingsystems, including an HR manager
called Rippling for time tracking, andan in-house system called Star Fleet
(05:16):
that's supposed to monitor how longtutors spend on each task As for the
legality of this, at least one employmentattorney, David Lowe, says that The legal
risks of this type of surveillance areminimal if companies give proper notice.
Although he did suggestexploring less intrusive methods.
Musk is known for demanding longhours and absolute loyalty, and the
(05:39):
company has frequently blamed rogueemployees for issues related to Grok.
So it's not surprising to see himpushing the boundaries on employee
monitoring, But this could have animpact on remote workers elsewhere.
Setting a precedent about how farcompanies can push surveillance
especially if you work remotelyand use your own equipment.
(06:00):
And given the new strategy for manytech companies after massive layoffs
seems to be hitting targets thatidentify a predetermined number of
low performing employees, presumablyto pressure them into leaving, we
can almost certainly expect companiesare going to test similar programs.
The beatings will continueuntil morale improves.
(06:25):
We've done a couple of stories onhow Starlink is going to connect to
LT E's cell phones to offer at leasttexting in the next little while.
But here's a backstoryyou might not have heard.
turns out that back in 2022,before Apple launched the iPhone
14's emergency satellite feature,Elon Musk made Apple an offer.
(06:46):
SpaceX would provide Starlinksatellite connectivity for iPhones.
The deal was $5 billion upfront,plus a billion annually after
18 months of exclusivity.
Tim Cook turned it down Instead,Apple partnered with Global Star
for their emergency SOS feature.
(07:08):
But Musk didn't just walk away.
SpaceX partnered with T-Mobileto launch direct to cell service,
which let smartphones connectdirectly to starlink satellites.
this means iPhone users can nowaccess Starlink connectivity
through T-Mobile's network.
meanwhile, SpaceX has been legallychallenging Global star's wireless
(07:30):
spectrum rights, arguing thatthe company isn't fully using
the frequencies it was allocated.
This directly impacts Applesince their satellite service
depends on that same spectrum.
And here's what makes this interest.
Apple's own executives weren't entirelyhappy with Global Star as a Choice
(07:51):
Reports suggested that senior staff,had concerns about Global Star's Aging
network and limited upgrade path.
The bottom line.
This shows how satelliteconnectivity is becoming the new
battleground for mobile services.
Apple chose independence over capability,but Musk found a way to compete anyway
(08:12):
and with SpaceX's legalchallenges potentially disrupting
Apple's spectrum access.
This satellite war isjust getting started.
The real winner might be the consumerswho get better connectivity options
as these companies duke it out.
And finally, the official X accountfor the Sesame Street character
(08:32):
Elmo was hacked on Sunday evening.
What followed was a series ofgraphic and racist posts appearing
on the timeline before beingdeleted, after control was restored.
The posts were live for less than halfan hour, but spread quickly across
the platform through screenshots.
(08:53):
The hacked messages includedanti-Semitic content, anti-Israel
statements, and profane referencesto President Trump, as well as
calls to release the Epstein files.
We won't repeat what was said, butlet's just say that on X Sesame
Street was brought to you by theletter F. The account also appeared
(09:14):
to be replying to users during thehack before control was regained.
This highlights how high profilesocial media accounts remain vulnerable
to takeovers, even children'sentertainment brands, and for parents
following these accounts with kids.
It's a reminder that socialmedia feeds can change instantly.
(09:35):
For brands managing social accounts,it shows the importance of robust
security measures and rapid responseprotocols when accounts are compromised.
As of the time we recorded, neither theofficial Elmo account nor the Sesame
Street account has posted an explanationof how the hack occurred or what
security measures are being implemented.
(09:56):
But for now, no more tweets havebeen made on Elmo's account and the
offensive tweets have been removed.
And that's our show.
Hashtag Trending has beenbrought to you by the words,
oh my God, is nothing sacred.
Love to hear from you.
You can reach us on our new improvedwebsite@technewsday.com or.ca.
(10:19):
Take your pick and Just go to theContact us tab and drop us a note.
If you're watching this on YouTube, youcan put a note right under the video.
Um, keep it clean though.
I'm your host, Jim Love.
Have a terrific Tuesday.
Google confirms that it willmerge Chrome OS and Android.
A new AI video tool uses only publicdomain content and training X AI increases
surveillance monitoring of its employees,starlink versus Apple on satellite phones.
And a hacker makes Elmo's X account.
(00:22):
X rated.
Welcome to hashtag Trending.
I'm your host, Jim Love.
Let's get into it.
Google is migratingChrome OS over to Android.
This confirms a story reported inNovember that Google was working on this.
The confirmation came when Samir Samat,Google's Android ecosystem president was
talking to a Tech Radar journalist andasked why they were using Apple devices.
(00:46):
The reason for his question was, and hesaid, we're going to be combining Chrome
OS and Android into a single platform,and I'm very interested in how people
are using their laptops these days.
The timing could align withAndroid sixteens rollout, which
includes desktop features like.
Proper windowing andexternal display management.
(01:07):
So Android is already gainingthe capabilities needed to
handle laptop style computing.
It's not a big reach to go toa Chrome OS merger, but how
will users view these changes?
according to a November pollreported in Android Authority,
half of polled readers supportedmerging the Chrome OS into Android.
(01:28):
Though others question whether itcould affect Chromebook updates
and hardware requirements.
So it looks like they have a 50 50chance on making users happy, but maybe
the chances are better than 50 50 . Itdoes create a unified operating system
across phones, tablets, and laptops.
And for consumers it means learningone less platform instead of two.
(01:51):
For developers, it means building appsthat work across all device types.
And for IT departments managingChromebook fleets, it means potential
hardware changes as the platforms merge.
And for Android users, having a seamlessmove from phone to big screen could
be what so many others have tried toachieve, albeit with limited success.
(02:14):
A startup called Moon Valley haslaunched an AI video generator,
which is aimed at blunting.
The protests about stealingcontent by training their model
entirely on public domain films.
The product Marey is now publiclyavailable after beta trials
started in March of this year.
The Los Angeles based company claims their3D Aware video synthesis model is 100%
(02:40):
trained on public domain films, and Thisdistinguishes them from most AI video
companies, which typically have trainedon copyrighted material and are probably
facing legal challenges as a result.
Moon Valley hired Ed Ulrich, aVFX artist, who worked on the
Titanic and Top Gun Maverick tobe the liaison with film studios.
(03:03):
Ulrich was previously skepticalof generative ai, but says Moon
Valley's approach changed his mind.
No stolen pixels, noscraping of the internet.
He said it's done in a great way.
This follows a similar project inJune where AI researchers trained a
language model on openly licensed data.
The team processed over eightterabytes of data to create an LLM
(03:27):
that matched me, Lama one and two.
In performance, if Moon Valley'sclaims hold up, it can challenge
the industry narrative that AIcompanies need to pirate copyrighted
content to build effective models.
And for content creators worried abouttheir work being used without permission.
This shows there's an alternativepath for AI companies facing lawsuits.
(03:49):
It demonstrates that clean trainingdata is technically feasible, even if
it does require a little more work.
The site, the samples look impressive,but that doesn't necessarily
mean that it's a great program.
We haven't had a chance tocheck it out yet, but we will
over the next coming days.
But you can also check itout yourself@moonvalley.com.
(04:12):
Elon Musk's ex AI told workers whotrain its Grok chatbot to download
employee tracking software calledHubstaff on their personal computers.
The software tracks URLs,applications, keystrokes, and
mouse movements during work hours.
It also requires workers toclock in and out and can capture
(04:33):
screenshots showing what theemployee is looking at or working on.
Originally, the deadline for doingthis was July 11th, but after Business
Insider inquired about the PolicyX, AI revised its approach allowing
employees to postpone installationif they were waiting for company lap.
Laptops to replace their personal laptops.
(04:54):
Before installing the software, atleast one employee has resigned over
the policy, calling it surveillancedisguised as productivity and
manipulation masked as Culture
XAI already uses multiple trackingsystems, including an HR manager
called Rippling for time tracking, andan in-house system called Star Fleet
(05:16):
that's supposed to monitor how longtutors spend on each task As for the
legality of this, at least one employmentattorney, David Lowe, says that The legal
risks of this type of surveillance areminimal if companies give proper notice.
Although he did suggestexploring less intrusive methods.
Musk is known for demanding longhours and absolute loyalty, and the
(05:39):
company has frequently blamed rogueemployees for issues related to Grok.
So it's not surprising to see himpushing the boundaries on employee
monitoring, But this could have animpact on remote workers elsewhere.
Setting a precedent about how farcompanies can push surveillance
especially if you work remotelyand use your own equipment.
(06:00):
And given the new strategy for manytech companies after massive layoffs
seems to be hitting targets thatidentify a predetermined number of
low performing employees, presumablyto pressure them into leaving, we
can almost certainly expect companiesare going to test similar programs.
The beatings will continueuntil morale improves.
(06:25):
We've done a couple of stories onhow Starlink is going to connect to
LT E's cell phones to offer at leasttexting in the next little while.
But here's a backstoryyou might not have heard.
turns out that back in 2022,before Apple launched the iPhone
14's emergency satellite feature,Elon Musk made Apple an offer.
(06:46):
SpaceX would provide Starlinksatellite connectivity for iPhones.
The deal was $5 billion upfront,plus a billion annually after
18 months of exclusivity.
Tim Cook turned it down Instead,Apple partnered with Global Star
for their emergency SOS feature.
(07:08):
But Musk didn't just walk away.
SpaceX partnered with T-Mobileto launch direct to cell service,
which let smartphones connectdirectly to starlink satellites.
this means iPhone users can nowaccess Starlink connectivity
through T-Mobile's network.
meanwhile, SpaceX has been legallychallenging Global star's wireless
(07:30):
spectrum rights, arguing thatthe company isn't fully using
the frequencies it was allocated.
This directly impacts Applesince their satellite service
depends on that same spectrum.
And here's what makes this interest.
Apple's own executives weren't entirelyhappy with Global Star as a Choice
(07:51):
Reports suggested that senior staff,had concerns about Global Star's Aging
network and limited upgrade path.
The bottom line.
This shows how satelliteconnectivity is becoming the new
battleground for mobile services.
Apple chose independence over capability,but Musk found a way to compete anyway
(08:12):
and with SpaceX's legalchallenges potentially disrupting
Apple's spectrum access.
This satellite war isjust getting started.
The real winner might be the consumerswho get better connectivity options
as these companies duke it out.
And finally, the official X accountfor the Sesame Street character
(08:32):
Elmo was hacked on Sunday evening.
What followed was a series ofgraphic and racist posts appearing
on the timeline before beingdeleted, after control was restored.
The posts were live for less than halfan hour, but spread quickly across
the platform through screenshots.
(08:53):
The hacked messages includedanti-Semitic content, anti-Israel
statements, and profane referencesto President Trump, as well as
calls to release the Epstein files.
We won't repeat what was said, butlet's just say that on X Sesame
Street was brought to you by theletter F. The account also appeared
(09:14):
to be replying to users during thehack before control was regained.
This highlights how high profilesocial media accounts remain vulnerable
to takeovers, even children'sentertainment brands, and for parents
following these accounts with kids.
It's a reminder that socialmedia feeds can change instantly.
(09:35):
For brands managing social accounts,it shows the importance of robust
security measures and rapid responseprotocols when accounts are compromised.
As of the time we recorded, neither theofficial Elmo account nor the Sesame
Street account has posted an explanationof how the hack occurred or what
security measures are being implemented.
(09:56):
But for now, no more tweets havebeen made on Elmo's account and the
offensive tweets have been removed.
And that's our show.
Hashtag Trending has beenbrought to you by the words,
oh my God, is nothing sacred.
Love to hear from you.
You can reach us on our new improvedwebsite@technewsday.com or.ca.
(10:19):
Take your pick and Just go to theContact us tab and drop us a note.
If you're watching this on YouTube, youcan put a note right under the video.
Um, keep it clean though.
I'm your host, Jim Love.
Have a terrific Tuesday.
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