tech:

taffy

Endeavor Robotics awarded $100M Department of Defense contract

Endeavor Robotics, a U.S.-based company building tactical ground robotics, was awarded the United States Department of Defense’s Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc. II) contract. Endeavor was one of several companies to bid on the $100 million contract.  The contract has an option for an additional $58 million worth of deliverables.

The program, MTRS II, called for bids to build medium-weight, remotely operated, man-transportable robotic systems that provide stand-off capability for the American warfighter. The primary use for the UGVs will be to detect and confirm potentially lethal threats, such as IEDs, chemical hazards and other biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) situations, said the company in a statement.

[Image courtesy: Endeavor Robotics]

Just in

Apple sued in a landmark iPhone monopoly lawsuit — CNN

The US Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday, accusing the giant company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market, writes Brian Fung, Hannah Rabinowitz and Evan Perez.

Google is bringing satellite messaging to Android 15 — The Verge

Google’s second developer preview for Android 15 has arrived, bringing long-awaited support for satellite connectivity alongside several improvements to contactless payments, multi-language recognition, volume consistency, and interaction with PDFs via apps, writes Jess Weatherbed. 

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is paid more than the heads of Meta, Pinterest, and Snap — combined — QZ

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman has been blasted by Redditors and in media reports over his recently-revealed, super-sized pay package of $193 million in 2023, writes Laura Bratton. 

British AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft — BBC

Microsoft has announced British Artificial Intelligence pioneer Mustafa Suleyman will lead its newly-formed division, Microsoft AI, according to the BBC report. 

UnitedHealth Group has paid more than $2 billion to providers following cyberattack — CNBC

UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare, writes Ashley Capoot.