Slack Billed Accounting For Air Premium.
Also a $5B Stock Oopsie and a Pre-Recorded AI.

The Annual Collaboration Budget Is Now An Emergency Loan

The communications platform Slack has apparently decided that a successful collaborative office environment is a premium feature, not a default setting, and is now charging its best customers accordingly. One enterprise customer reported receiving a $195,000 yearly increase; a sudden, six-figure invoice for simply continuing to use the software as they were. This massive surprise bill is not an isolated incident; other users in the comment threads noted their increases have been astronomical as well, with some citing the new pricing model as "untenable" for their companies.

It seems the Admin team over at Slack decided to clean out its digital desk drawers and found a decades-old policy that allows for aggressive price restructuring based on unannounced variables. The new tier structure is complicated; one must first hire a professional consultant simply to decipher the terms of service, and then likely take out a second mortgage to pay the new bill. It's the equivalent of the office landlord realizing the conference room is very popular and charging by the minute for "premium collaborative air" and then back-billing the tenants for the past year of unauthorized breathing.

Nvidia Buys A Stake In Intel; They Are Now Forced To Share A Cubicle

In news that confirms nothing is sacred and corporate blood feuds are only for public relations, chip titan Nvidia has bought $5 billion worth of Intel stock, which is basically the corporate equivalent of proposing marriage to your worst enemy. This financial maneuver, which feels like a last-minute panic purchase before the fiscal year closed, accompanies an agreement for joint development.

The two rivals will now be developing Intel x86 and RTX System-on-Chips, or SOCs, for desktop PCs. This means the two departments that have hated each other for decades are suddenly forced to work on a single, shared PowerPoint presentation. Employees are likely already filing complaints with HR about shared assets and incompatible methodologies. The deal also includes custom Nvidia data center x86 processors, which suggests that for a mere $5 billion, Nvidia has acquired a permanent seat at Intel's strategy table and an unlimited supply of their lukewarm coffee.

Meta’s Live Demo Exposed As A Badly Timed PowerPoint Animation

During a recent presentation attempting to showcase the latest, greatest in virtual reality AI, the entire exercise was instantly derailed when the "live" demo turned out to be a pre-recorded video clip that played ahead of the actual actor. Reports and videos of the Meta demo show the AI's response playing before the presenter even completed the action; catching the poor human off-guard.

Treating a live, high-stakes demonstration like a student's last-minute school project confirms the industry's approach to the current AI hype cycle. The technology is not actually thinking; it is merely a pre-baked script that, when the intern hits the 'Play' button too soon, exposes the wizard behind the curtain. The audience witnessed the AI already completing its assigned task, which was clearly a video clip, leaving the actor to scramble to complete the physical action. It's the technological equivalent of having to mime along to a song when the backing track has already skipped ahead.

Briefs

• Phishing Made Fun: A new tool lets users construct URLs that look legitimate but are actually malicious. Finally, IT Security can stop complaining about obvious scams and start complaining about aesthetically pleasing ones.
• CERN's Animal Shelter: A 2011 relic from the European Organization for Nuclear Research details a joke project called the CERN Animal Shelter for Computer Mice. At least someone is prioritizing the health and welfare of discarded hardware.
• The Unscreenshotables: A Show HN demonstrates a trick where text disappears when a screenshot is attempted. The paranoia department's newest obsession, ensuring no one can prove what they just said.