Legacy media faced sharp declines in 2024, marked by layoffs at major outlets like Business Insider and TIME, while billionaire-owned ventures, including Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post, reported massive losses. Simultaneously, a MediaTech renaissance emerged, driven by startups like ElevenLabs (AI audio), HeyGen (AI video), and RecRoom (AR). Big Tech players, from OpenAI to Meta, partnered with publishers or innovated independently, blending generative AI, blockchain, and mixed reality into content ecosystems. Backed by VC giants like a16z and Lightspeed, this new wave redefines content creation and monetization, signaling a fragmented yet thriving media future.

Open-source AI faced a pivotal year in 2024, highlighted by Stable Diffusion CEO Emad Mostaque’s resignation amid commercialization tensions. Despite struggles to monetize, open-source gained traction as enterprise leaders leaned toward customizable, private solutions. Meanwhile, the Unified Acceleration Foundation, backed by Qualcomm, Google, and Intel, launched OneAPI to counter Nvidia’s dominance. As enterprises embrace open-source, innovative revenue models will determine its sustainability in 2025 and beyond.

In 2024, Anthropic's Claude 3 Opus LLM overtook GPT-4 on the LMSYS leaderboard, while Databricks unveiled DBRX, a 132B-parameter open-source LLM outperforming GPT-3.5 with faster, cheaper performance. These advancements signal a shift from OpenAI’s dominance toward customizable, enterprise-ready AI solutions.

Limitless unveiled a $99 wearable AI pendant and $20/month app, transforming personalized AI with "Consent Mode" and a privacy-first "Confidential Cloud." Positioned against Humane's lackluster AI Pin, Limitless focuses on meeting productivity, hinting at future integrations with visual tech.

The April 2024 Bitcoin Halving halved mining rewards, sparking debate on its impact. PlanB forecasted $100K BTC in 2024, while Goldman Sachs warned of differing macro conditions. Retail speculation surged, with $3B in Merlin Chain, outpacing Ethereum’s L2 Arbitrum.

Nuclear fission surged in 2024 as governments prioritized clean energy, AI-powered demand soared, and safety tech advanced. Key milestones included China's "meltdown-proof" reactor and Berkeley startup Deep Fission's $4M funding.

Apple's 2024 iPhone 16 launch, featuring groundbreaking "Glow" display and privacy-focused AI, positioned Apple as an AI leader, rivaling Huawei's Mate XT tri-fold phone. AI-driven Siri integration, wearables innovation, and ecosystem focus could reshape consumer tech's future.

The wearable neurostimulation market, valued at $13–$14B, is projected to reach $40B by 2030, driven by non-invasive devices addressing anxiety, depression, and chronic conditions. Startups like Neurovalens and Kernel lead innovations, despite regulatory and privacy challenges.

In 2024, Infinite Backrooms' AI agent Truth Terminal became a crypto millionaire, showcasing the disruptive potential of autonomous financial AI agents. Backed by a $50k Bitcoin grant from a16z's Marc Andreessen, it raised critical regulatory concerns amidst AI's rapid financial sector integration.

OpenAI’s rumored "NLWeb" browser (codenamed for its natural language capabilities) could challenge Google's dominance in AI-driven web interactions, leveraging ChatGPT and partnerships with Samsung and Apple. Amid the Google antitrust case, competition heats up as startups like The Browser Company pivot and giants like Anthropic and Mozilla innovate AI-centric browsers, signaling a transformative shift in how users engage with the internet.

AI "world models" took center stage in 2024, with Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs, DeepMind’s Genie 2, and OpenAI’s Sora leading innovation. World Labs' $230M Series B funding and DeepMind's real-time 3D simulations underscored market interest, while startups like VERSES bridged spatial AI with digital twins for adaptive, industry-wide applications. Despite progress, experts like Yann LeCun highlighted compute challenges, projecting a decade to human-level AI. The fusion of AI and dynamic 3D environments signals transformative potential for gaming, robotics, and industrial automation, sparking questions about scalability and adoption.

GM’s surprise shutdown of Cruise marked a pivotal 2024 robotaxi shakeup, as Tesla surged with bold service plans and a record valuation. Waymo leads, while Ford and GM pivot to personal autonomy. Incoming US regulations hint at renewed market momentum.

In 2024, AI catalyzed a resurgence in longevity tech, driving breakthroughs in anti-aging therapies, personalized medicine, and early diagnostics. Key developments included BioAge Labs' $150M IPO, Tempus AI's $8B market cap, and partnerships like Pfizer-Microsoft. The global market, projected at $1 trillion by 2030, signals transformative growth, blending AI's efficiency with biotech innovation.