Private equity firms are a blight on society, but Sony is hoping that its offer to buy Paramount for about $26 billion with the help of Apollo Global Management will be tempting enough to get the studio to consider biting — something Skydance and its private equity partner Redbird Capital Partners haven’t been able to do just yet.

A dam in the Philippines dried out, revealing the flooded town of Pantabangan. This is the sixth time the town has emerged, but Philippine officials believe this is the longest it has been visible.

Asia was named the most disaster-prone region in the world. Sweltering temperatures forced government officials in the Philippines to close schools.

I love a good iFixit teardown, and this one is super instructive. You can really see how much more polished and complex the AI Pin is, but both have a lot of tech and design even inside their cases. And if you’re thinking, gosh, there’s a lot of phone-like stuff in here... you’re getting it.

The effort may be an attempt to force a vote on KOSA, which has stalled in both chambers despite having broad support in the Senate. The FAA law expires May 10th.

A bipartisan group of legislators introduced a companion to the Senate’s KOSA bill in April, but the House has yet to vote on it.

Krispy Kreme is currently the most popular free iPhone app in the US. That puts it above Google and TikTok.

Wondering what sparked this rise? The company’s dozen days of deals, apparently.

Over on Google Play, Krispy Kreme is in the #25 slot. I’m not sure what that says about the donut intake between iOS and Android users, but there you go.

On today’s Decoder, Verge transportation editor Andy Hawkins and I try to figure out Tesla. The company has been on a real rollercoaster these past two weeks — in terms of its stock price, its basic financials, and well, its vibes. With Elon Musk saying he’s going all in on autonomy and announcing a robotaxi event in August, it seems like we’re getting closer to a make-or-break moment for the company.

Between when we recorded this episode and today, there have been more than a half dozen new updates in the Tesla saga, including another wave of layoffs. That is a lot of chaos for a company that is trying to execute a huge pivot to become a very different kind of business than it is today — and do so very quickly. Like I said, Andy and I tried to explain Tesla. You let us know if we succeeded.

Netflix is really making a meal out of the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai, which will total 15 episodes split into three parts. The first is out July 18th, followed by part two on November 28th. But for the “Finale Event” fans will have to wait until 2025.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition is leaving PlayStation Plus Extra on May 21st, as reported by Eurogamer and VGC. Subscribers did get the game for free in 2021, which will still be available. There’s speculation a previously reported remastered version is... on the horizon.

After dropping Discovery networks this week, Fubo co-signed a letter with Dish, DirecTV, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Markets Institute, and others asking Congress to hold hearings about the sports streaming joint venture “that would control 80% of national live sports broadcasts:”

We cannot think of any scenario in the history of the United States where consumer interests have been served when such an important industry — here, access to live sports — is effectively controlled by three programming giants.

That’s according to Apple’s Eddy Cue in court documents filed ahead of closing arguments in the DoJ’s antitrust case against Google. It’s the first time the number has been confirmed, and marks an increase from the $18 billion reportedly paid in 2021. The filing also shows that Google’s 2020 payments were 17.5 percent of the Apple’s operating income.

Microsoft is adding the ability to save and remember multiple Wi-Fi networks on Xbox consoles. With persistent rumors of an Xbox handheld on the horizon, this would be a very useful feature if such a device is on the way.

NYT tech writer Brian Chen reports Meta’s AI assistant (which is now available in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) excels at editing text, but like other chatbots, confidently makes up answers to basic questions:

When I asked it for suggestions for a romantic weekend in Oakland, its list included a fictional business. And when I asked it to tell me about myself — Brian Chen the journalist — it said I worked at The New York Times but incorrectly mentioned a tech blog I’ve never written for, The Verge.

An upcoming feature uncovered by @AssembleDebug suggests that Google Photos could soon add a “Show less” option that keeps certain people out of your Memories but still includes them in group photos. Google Photos currently only lets you block every photo with a person you don’t want to see.

I swear, I did not dress my daughter in Mario duds just so she could do real-life Mario Kart! It’s too perfect, I know, but she picked them out herself hours before she ever saw the toy.

(If you’re looking for the product, it’s here: note that if you buy something from that link, Vox Media might get affiliate revenue.)

You can now preview thousands of audiobooks from the Google Play Books channel on YouTube — in addition to the previews already available in the Play Store. Google has also expanded its selection of free nonfiction ebooks for kids.

The National Archives and Records Administration tells its employees that ChatGPT could leak confidential data. It will block access to the chatbot on agency-issued laptops. The agency is considering using Microsoft Copilot or Google’s Gemini instead “because they protect data input by federal agencies.”

It’s not alone in banning ChatGPT; the House of Representatives restricted access to the chatbot last year.