Shuttered Startups Are Selling Old Slack Chats, Emails To AI Companies

SlashDot - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 07:00
Some failed startups are reportedly selling old Slack messages, emails, and other internal records to AI companies as training data, creating a new way to cash out after shutting down. Fast Company reports: Shanna Johnson, the CEO of now-defunct software company Cielo24, told the publication that she was able to sell every Slack message, internal email, and Jira ticket as training data for "hundreds of thousands of dollars." This isn't a one-off scenario. SimpleClosure, a startup that helps companies like Cielo24 shut down, told Forbes that there's been major interest from AI companies trying to get their hands on workplace data. Because of this, SimpleClosure launched a new tool that allows companies to sell their wealth of internal communications -- from Slack archives to email chains -- to AI labs. The company said it's processed 100 such deals in the past year. Payouts ranged from $10,000 to $100,000. "I think the privacy issues here are quite substantial," Marc Rotenberg, founder of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, told Forbes. "Employee privacy remains a key concern, particularly because people have become so dependent on these new internal messaging tools like Slack. ... It's not generic data. It's identifiable people."

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The Help That Many Older Americans Need Most

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 05:02
With shortages of medical professionals and an aging population, thousands of community health care workers prevent older adults from falling through the cracks.

NASA Restarts Work To Support Europe's Uncrewed Trip To Mars After Years of Setbacks

SlashDot - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 03:00
NASA has revived support for the European Space Agency's long-delayed Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission. According to the space agency, the current plan is to launch via a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no earlier than 2028. Engadget reports: This is a partnership between NASA and the ESA, with the European agency providing the rover, the spacecraft and the lander. The US will provide braking engines for the lander, heater units for the rover's internal systems and, of course, assistance with the actual launch. The rover will be outfitted with scientific instruments to look for signs of ancient life on the red planet. These include a state-of-the-art mass spectrometer and an organic molecule analyzer, which will come in handy as the vehicle collects samples at the Oxia Planum landing site. The mission has been stuck in development limbo since 2001, with delays caused by budget problems, technical issues, shifting international partners, and geopolitical fallout. After NASA dropped out, Russia stepped in, then was cut loose after invading Ukraine, and now -- despite NASA rejoining in 2024 and fresh political budget threats -- the rover is tentatively back on track for a 2028 launch.

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Japan’s Cherry Blossom Database, 1,200 Years Old, Has a New Keeper

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 00:24
The remarkable catalog of dates is one of the longest-running records of climate change. Its creator died, setting off a search for a successor.

In Angola, Pope Leo XIV Faces the Legacy of Slavery

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 00:01
His visit includes a trip to a shrine where enslaved Africans were baptized before being forced into the treacherous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

A Potent Threat in Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s “Mosquito Fleet”

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 00:01
Separate from the regular Iranian Navy, with boats that often go more than 115 miles per hour, it’s what a retired U.S. official calls a “disruptive force.”

Trump Spat Gives Spain Leader Pedro Sánchez a Political Lifeline

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 00:01
To leftists abroad, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain is a hero for standing up to President Trump. At home, Mr. Trump is seen as Mr. Sánchez’s political savior from thorny domestic challenges.

How Trump Helped Pope Leo Find His Voice

NY Times - Sat, 04/18/2026 - 00:00
After his election last year, Leo XIV developed a reputation as a mild-mannered mediator. President Trump’s attacks have made him more combative.

Critical Atlantic Current Significantly More Likely To Collapse Than Thought

SlashDot - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 23:30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic. Scientists called the new finding "very concerning" as a collapse would have catastrophic consequences for Europe, Africa and the Americas. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is a major part of the global climate system and was already known to be at its weakest for 1,600 years as a result of the climate crisis. Scientists spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021 and know that the Amoc has collapsed in the Earth's past. Climate scientists use dozens of different computer models to assess the future climate. However, for the complex Amoc system, these produce widely varying results, ranging from some that indicate no further slowdown by 2100 to those suggesting a huge deceleration of about 65%, even when carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning are gradually cut to net zero. The research combined real-world ocean observations with the models to determine the most reliable, and this hugely reduced the spread of uncertainty. They found an estimated slowdown of 42% to 58% in 2100, a level almost certain to end in collapse. The Amoc is a major part of the global climate system and brings sun-warmed tropical water to Europe and the Arctic, where it cools and sinks to form a deep return current. A collapse would shift the tropical rainfall belt on which many millions of people rely to grow their food, plunge western Europe into extreme cold winters and summer droughts, and add 50-100cm to already rising sea levels around the Atlantic. The slowdown has to do with the Arctic's rapidly rising temperatures from global warming. "Warmer water is less dense and therefore sinks into the depths more slowly," explains the Guardian. "This slowing allows more rainfall to accumulate in the salty surface waters, also making it less dense, and further slowing the sinking and forming an Amoc feedback loop." The new research has been published in the journal Science Advances.

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Federal Court Temporarily Freezes Nexstar’s Merger With Tegna

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 23:22
The judge said the two television companies could not combine operations while an antitrust lawsuit proceeded. Nexstar said its deal was already done.

Trump Will Participate in a Marathon Bible Reading

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 23:15
He will read a passage from the Old Testament that his Christian supporters cite as a call to national repentance and divine blessing.

Trump Extends Sanctions Exemption on Some Russian Oil as High Gas Prices Persist

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 22:48
The Trump administration made the announcement hours after Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial ships.

Trump Is Urged to Move on Nuclear Site Thought to Be Beyond Reach of Bombs

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 22:39
Little is known about Pickaxe Mountain, but some experts say it illustrates the impossibility of relying on force alone to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.

With Vaccines Widely Popular, Kennedy Changes Tone, but Maybe Not His Plans

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 21:57
Several moves suggest Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could revive his campaign to question the safety and effectiveness of the shots after the midterm elections.

Trump’s Dispute With Pope Leo Deepens Divisions on the Right

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 20:56
Sean Hannity criticized the pope. Tucker Carlson attacked Mr. Hannity. And President Trump suggested ranking MAGA figures: “good, bad, and somewhere in the middle.”

Tornados Reported Across the Midwest as Powerful Storms Slam the Region

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 20:35
One reported tornado downed trees and damaged cars in Lena, Ill., an official said.

A Paris Court Just Rewrote the Rules of Corporate Morality

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 20:03
The profit motive was on trial. The verdict was scathing.

White House and Anthropic Hold ‘Productive’ Meeting, Aiming for a Compromise

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 19:45
Friday’s meeting at the White House followed the introduction of Anthropic’s powerful new artificial intelligence model, Mythos, which U.S. officials believe could be critical for security.

An Explosion Rattles a Toronto Neighborhood. A Drake Video Was to Blame.

NY Times - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 19:36
A blast on Thursday night turned out to be for a video shoot, but it unnerved residents who had lived through a propane plant explosion in 2008.

Online Personalities and Comedians Overtake TV and Newspapers as Primary News Sources

SlashDot - Fri, 04/17/2026 - 19:00
A new Ipsos poll finds Americans are increasingly getting news from online personalities and comedians instead of traditional TV or newspapers. The survey says nearly 70% get news online in a given week, versus 55% from TV and 25% from newspapers, with figures like Joe Rogan, Greg Gutfeld, Sean Hannity, and late-night hosts ranking prominently depending on political leanings. From the Hollywood Reporter: The poll, which was conducted in March, actually found the conservative politicians and cabinet members, including President Trump, were the top news influencers. When politicos were excluded, Joe Rogan led the list, followed by Fox News personalities Greg Gutfeld and Sean Hannity, and then TuckerCarlson and Ben Shapiro. The only three influencers to crack 10 percent were Trump, Rogan, and JD Vance. Among people who voted for Kamala Harris, the top news personalities were late night hosts, led by ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, followed by CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert, and Daily Show host Jon Stewart. Just under 70 percent of respondents said they get their news online in a given week, compared to 55 percent for TV, and 25 percent for newspapers. [...] Of traditional media outlets, TV dominated, with Fox News, the broadcast networks, and CNN topping the list of sources. Facebook, YouTube and Instagram were the most popular online news sources. "On these platforms opinionated personalities and comedians appear to drown out anyone who would fit in the traditional journalist category," said assistant professor of practice and Jordan Center Executive Director Steven L Herman. "Even in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, sensationalist and polarizing voices in print and later on air were among the most influential in the political landscape -- such as political satirist Mark Twain and populist Father Charles Coughlin."

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