OpenAI’s Broken Promises & USB-C Victory | Tech News of the Week

Chaos Lever Podcast

Welcome to another week of tech news! Let’s dive into the biggest stories making waves:

📢 OpenAI promised a data opt-out tool for creators all the way back in May 2024... and where is it? Nowhere to be found! Despite pledging to let creators keep their work out of AI training, no tool has emerged. Critics argue that opting out shouldn't even be the creator's job—data collection should require explicit consent upfront. And while the online ad industry says, "That would destroy us!" many are saying, "Good." Meanwhile, sketchy companies like RHEI.ai are already trying to pay creators for their content. Suspicious much? LINK: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/01/openai-failed-to-deliver-the-opt-out-tool-it-promised-by-2025

🔌 The EU's Common Charger Directive is here! USB-C is now the standard for most wired gadgets sold in the EU—no more digging through piles of mismatched chargers. While laptops have until 2026, most other devices need to comply immediately. Even Apple has bowed to the USB-C mandate. This is a win for anyone tired of juggling countless proprietary cables! Time to responsibly recycle that drawer of tangled cords. LINK: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/usb-c-is-now-a-legal-requirement-for-most-rechargeable-gadgets-in-europe/

⭐ GitHub’s star system is in trouble! Stars are supposed to highlight popular open-source projects, but millions of fake stars from bot accounts have skewed the system. A recent study found that out of 610 million stars, 4.5 million were fake! There are even websites where you can *buy* stars. If fake reviews can plague Amazon, is it really a surprise that open-source projects are getting hit, too? LINK: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-31-million-fake-stars-on-github-projects-used-to-boost-rankings/

💻 Windows 10 isn’t going anywhere! Despite Microsoft’s push for Windows 11, over 62% of users are still sticking with Windows 10—and that number keeps growing. With stricter hardware requirements and user resistance to change, many can’t (or won’t) upgrade. Support for Windows 10 is set to end in October 2025... but will Microsoft extend the deadline, or will they finally give us Windows 12? The clock is ticking. LINK: https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/02/windows_10_grows/

Thanks for joining us—see you next time! 🎙️