How Much Valve Pays Its Staff and Its Small Team Size Here’s How Much Valve Pays Its Staff — And How Few People It Employs Valve is a famously secretive company with an enormous influence on the gaming industry, particularly because it runs the massive PC gaming storefront Steam. But despite that influence, Valve isn’t a large organization on par with EA or Riot Games’ thousands of employees: according to leaked data we’ve seen, as of 2021, Valve employed just 336 staffers. The data was included as part of an otherwise heavily redacted document from Wolfire’s antitrust lawsuit against Valve. As spotted by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik, some data in the document was viewable despite the black redaction boxes, including Valve’s headcount and gross pay across various parts of the…

The Making of Eno: The First Generative Feature Film The Making of Eno: The First Generative Feature Film Director Gary Hustwit tells us about his living documentary and the technology that changes it for every screening. Image: First Film Corp. In a groundbreaking development in the world of cinema, director Gary Hustwit has embarked on an ambitious and pioneering project: Eno, the world's first generative feature film. This living documentary employs cutting-edge technology to ensure that no two screenings are ever the same. Continue reading to find out more about the revolutionary methods Hustwit has utilized to bring this innovative concept to life, and how it promises to challenge and transform traditional storytelling in the film industry. source: https://www.theverge.com/24197153/eno-documentary-generative-film-gary-hustwit-interview

Engwe P20 Folding E-Bike Review: How Forgiving Are You? Fully equipped direct-to-consumer e-bikes still require compromises at $1,000. While the Engwe P20 offers numerous features at a tempting price point, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons before making your decision. Let's delve into the specifics of this affordable yet feature-rich folding e-bike. Design and Build Quality The Engwe P20 boasts a compact and foldable design, which is particularly advantageous for urban commuters and those with limited storage space. The matte black finish gives it a sleek look, but it’s the build quality that stands out. Despite being a budget-friendly option, the P20 feels robust and well-constructed. Motor and Performance Equipped with a 250W motor, the Engwe P20 is designed for moderate commutes. It delivers a top speed of…

OpenAI is plagued by safety concerns OpenAI is plagued by safety concerns Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge OpenAI is a leader in the race to develop AI as intelligent as a human. Yet, employees continue to show up in the press and on podcasts to voice their grave concerns about safety at the $80 billion nonprofit research lab. The latest comes from The Washington Post, where an anonymous source claimed OpenAI rushed through safety tests and celebrated their product before ensuring its safety. “They planned the launch after-party prior to knowing if it was safe to launch,” an anonymous employee told The Washington Post. “We basically failed at the process.” Safety issues loom large at OpenAI — and seem to just keep coming. Current and former employees at OpenAI…

Moft's New MagSafe Accessory Adds a Notepad to Your iPhone Moft's New MagSafe Accessory Adds a Notepad to Your iPhone Now your iPhone can have a Notes app and a notepad! Introducing the latest innovation from Moft: the Snap Flow, a revolutionary MagSafe accessory that attaches a physical notepad and pen to the back of your iPhone. Moft is renowned for its slim, magnetic origami kickstands, and the Snap Flow is no exception. This accessory not only serves as a kickstand but also opens up like a book to reveal a paper pad and a truly nifty ballpoint pen that folds into a prism shape. It's hard to believe there's a product in 2024 that lets you take handwritten notes while using a revolutionary pocket computing device as a clipboard.…

SpaceX Falcon 9 Experiences In-Flight Failure SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rockets Grounded After In-Flight Failure SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket experienced an engine failure after it launched late Thursday night from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, Starlink Group 9-3, was carrying Starlink satellites and failed to reignite its upper second stage after developing a leak. “Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown,” Elon Musk said overnight, confirming that the engine experienced a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” SpaceX reported: Falcon 9’s second stage performed its first burn nominally, however a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage. After a planned relight of the upper stage engine to raise perigee – or the lowest point of orbit – the Merlin Vacuum engine…

The Best iPhones: Navigate Apple’s Lengthy iPhone Product Catalog Like a Pro Whether you want a battery that lasts for days or the very best deal, we’ve got some recommendations for an iPhone you’ll love. Continue reading… source: https://www.theverge.com/23618862/best-iphone-camera-battery-screen-guide

Drone Photographer Pleads Guilty to Espionage Act Charges Newport News Shipbuilding, a defense contractor whose shipyard is alleged to have been photographed by drone. | Getty Images A foreign graduate student has pleaded guilty to crimes under the Espionage Act for photographing classified US Navy ships with a drone. The case appears to be a first-of-its-kind prosecution by the Department of Justice. Fengyun Shi, a Chinese citizen and graduate student at the University of Minnesota, was arrested in January after a drone he was flying got stuck in a tree in Newport News, Virginia. A suspicious resident called the police and Shi was questioned before abandoning the drone and fleeing. After the FBI seized the drone and pulled the images off it, investigators discovered that Shi had photographed Navy vessels…

The Verge’s Guide to Amazon Prime Day 2024 The Verge’s Guide to Amazon Prime Day 2024 Image: Shira Inbar for The Verge Amazon Prime Day 2024 is nearly here. The annual two-day super sale will start on July 16th and run through July 17th, bringing with it a treasure trove of discounts, promos, and exclusive deals for Amazon Prime subscribers. It may not be the only Prime Day event we see this year — Amazon has recently taken to hosting a second shopping event in the fall — but it will likely remain one of the best opportunities of the year to score discounts on a range of tech outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Like in previous years, we’re highlighting the best deals on a variety of Verge-approved…

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Amazon Devices Amazon’s throwing in free smart bulbs with some Echo devices, including the latest Echo Show 8. Image: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Amazon Prime Day may not officially kick off until July 16th, but that hasn’t stopped the retailer from dropping prices on a variety of items ahead of the two-day sale. We’ve already published a detailed guide to the best early Prime Day deals, but if you’re just interested in Amazon devices, this is where you’ll find the ones that are actually worthwhile. From Alexa-based Echo smart speakers to video doorbells, Amazon is discounting a wide range of gadgets, some of which are currently seeing their lowest prices to date. Of course, the main caveat here is you’ll have…