Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite tech-savvy ice cream cone, Mochi, back with another deliciously chaotic serving of today's wildest digital drama! From Instagram's shameless Snapchat copying spree and Google's "we're totally not killing your website traffic" denial to crypto Ponzi schemers begging for mercy and OpenAI's government charm offensive, we've got enough plot twists to make a soap opera jealous. So grab your favorite beverage and get ready for a wild ride through today's tech mayhem!

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INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Instagram launches Instagram Map to compete with Snapchat's popular location-sharing feature, while also rolling out reposts and expanding its Friends tab globally.

🟧 Google vehemently denies that AI features are tanking website traffic, claiming clicks remain "relatively stable" - but publishers' plummeting visitor numbers suggest otherwise.

🟧 HashFlare's co-founders are begging for time served after admitting to a $577 million crypto Ponzi scheme, while prosecutors demand 10 years behind bars for their "horrible crime.”

🟧 OpenAI is practically handing ChatGPT Enterprise to the federal government for just $1 per agency annually, making a bold play to dominate the government AI market.

Instagram Shamelessly Copies Snapchat Map Feature Because Innovation is Hard

Meta's golden child just dropped Instagram Map, and if you're getting serious déjà vu vibes, that's because you've basically seen this exact same thing on Snapchat for years.

Remember when Instagram "borrowed" Stories from Snapchat back in 2016? Yeah, they're pulling the same move with Snap Map, which has been crushing it with over 400 million monthly users.

Instagram Map lets you share your location with friends and discover content based on where you are. Your location is off by default (thank goodness), and it only updates when you actually open the app - no creepy real-time stalking here. Though let's be honest, Snapchat still has the upper hand since they give users the choice between app-only or real-time updates.

The feature is supposedly all about helping friends coordinate hangouts and discover cool spots. Picture this: your bestie posts from that trendy new ramen joint, and boom - it shows up on your map for future foodie adventures. You can even drop little "Notes" on the map, which is basically Instagram's version of leaving digital breadcrumbs.

Instagram might be targeting former Zenly users who got left high and dry when Snap acquired and then brutally shut down the beloved social map app in 2023. Smart play, Instagram!

The map is rolling out in the US starting Wednesday, with global expansion coming soon. You'll find it chilling at the top of your DM inbox, probably plotting its next world domination move.

Oh, and because Instagram apparently had some extra copying energy left, they also launched "Reposts" (totally not inspired by Twitter's retweets or TikTok's sharing features, we're sure) and made their Friends tab available worldwide.

Instagram Map launches as a direct competitor to Snapchat's popular Snap Map feature

Location sharing is off by default and only updates when you open the app (not real-time)

Also rolling out reposts and expanding Friends tab globally - because why stop at one copycat feature?

Google Says We're Not the Problem While Publishers Watch Traffic Vanish

In a blog post that screams "methinks the lady doth protest too much," Google VP Liz Reid insists that total organic click volume has been "relatively stable" year-over-year. She even threw some shade at third-party reports, calling their methodologies "flawed" and their examples "isolated." Google! Tell us how you really feel about independent research.

Google can't completely deny reality. Reid admits that "user trends are shifting traffic to different sites," which is corporate speak for "yeah, some of you are getting absolutely demolished while others are thriving."

The truth is, Google has been slowly strangling website traffic for years by answering questions directly on search results pages. Remember when you actually had to click on websites to get information? Those were simpler times! Now with AI Overviews sitting pretty at the top of search results, users are getting their answers without ever leaving Google's ecosystem.

Google's trying to move the goalposts by focusing on "click quality" instead of actual click volume. They're basically saying, "Sure, you might be getting fewer visitors, but the ones you do get are really into your content!"

Google recently launched a product helping publishers monetize their "dwindling traffic" through micropayments and newsletters. If traffic wasn't actually declining, why would they need such a product?

Meanwhile, studies show that 69% of news searches now result in zero clicks to news websites - up from 56% when AI Overviews launched. But sure, Google, everything's totally fine!

Google denies AI features are killing website traffic, claims clicks are "relatively stable"

Publishers report massive traffic drops - one study shows 69% of news searches now result in zero clicks

Google launches new monetization tools for publishers' "dwindling traffic" - which seems to contradict their denial

HashFlare Scammers Beg Judge for Mercy After Half Billion Dollar Fraud

Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turõgin, the masterminds behind HashFlare's $577 million Ponzi scheme, are basically asking a Seattle judge to give them a participation trophy and send them home. Their lawyers are pulling out the most audacious defense strategy.

According to their sentencing memo, those 390,000 customers who got scammed out of $487 million have since withdrawn $2.3 billion. Their argument? "Sure, we lied about our mining capacity and ran a classic Ponzi scheme.

The sheer audacity is almost impressive. Investing the stolen money in Apple stock, and then claiming you're actually a financial advisor when it pays off big time.

But prosecutors aren't buying this "accidental financial advisor" narrative one bit. They're demanding 10 years in prison for each founder, calling HashFlare the largest fraud the court had ever tried. Between 2015 and 2019, the duo sold mining contracts to about 440,000 customers worldwide, posting fake returns and paying early investors with money from newer victims - you know, Ponzi Scheme 101.

The prosecution isn't impressed by the defense's creative math either. They point out that the scheme caused around $300 million in victim losses, with much of the proceeds funding the founders' "lavish lifestyles.”

Both founders are currently out on bail in the US but have received a letter from Homeland Security telling them to "deport immediately." They spent 16 months in Estonian custody before being extradited to the US in May 2024, and now they're desperately trying to get back home.

The sentencing hearing is set for August 14, and frankly, we can't wait to see if this "we made everyone rich by accident" defense actually works in federal court.

HashFlare founders admit to $577M Ponzi scheme but claim customers made money due to crypto price increases

Prosecutors want 10 years in prison for each founder, calling it the largest fraud the court has tried

Defendants want deportation to Estonia despite court orders to stay in US - creating legal confusion

OpenAI Practically Gives Away ChatGPT to Government for One Dollar

OpenAI just pulled the most aggressive pricing strategy! The AI powerhouse is offering ChatGPT Enterprise to federal agencies for the bargain-basement price of $1 per agency for an entire year. Yes, you read that right - ONE DOLLAR.

This isn't just a discount; it's practically corporate charity with a side of strategic brilliance. OpenAI just struck a deal with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) that makes their enterprise offering cheaper.

This comes right after the GSA added OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to their approved vendor list through the Multiple Award Schedule program.

OpenAI isn't just giving away access - they're throwing in unlimited use of advanced models for an additional 60 days, plus a government user community and tailored training resources. It's the "everything must go" sale of AI partnerships.

GSA commissioner Josh Gruenbaum is basically peer-pressuring other AI companies to match this generosity, encouraging them to "follow OpenAI's lead." We can practically hear Anthropic and Google's executives having emergency board meetings right about now.

The security angle is particularly interesting here. Government agencies are understandably paranoid about sensitive data ending up in training sets, so OpenAI is taking a "security-first approach" that keeps sensitive information locked down.

This move comes hot on the heels of Trump's AI Action Plan and his executive order banning "woke AI" from government contracts. OpenAI is clearly positioning itself as the ideologically neutral option that can play nice with whatever administration is in power.

Smart money says this $1 pricing is about as sustainable as a chocolate teapot, but if OpenAI can get federal agencies hooked on their platform, they'll have customers for life once the real pricing kicks in.

OpenAI offers ChatGPT Enterprise to federal agencies for just $1 per agency annually

Deal includes unlimited access to advanced models plus 60 extra days and government training resources

Strategic timing follows Trump's AI Action Plan and executive order against "woke AI" in government

And that's a wrap, my brilliant PoI readers! 💫 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe just a little bit more cynical about Big Tech's latest shenanigans (in the best possible way, of course). Remember to stay curious, stay skeptical, and keep your BS detectors finely tuned in this wild world of tech and web3!

Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five and a gentle reminder that no company is ever "just borrowing inspiration" - they're totally copying!

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community! 📣❤️ Share the newsletter

🍨📰 Catch you in the next issue! 📰🍨