Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With Apple announcing the annual developer’s conference dates, Canva acquiring Affinity through a new deal, UnitedHealth Group paying millions after a harmful cyberattack, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
Apple Announces Annual Developers Conference
On Mar. 26, Apple revealed on Tuesday that its annual developers conference, WWDC, is scheduled for June 10-14. While the conference will be live-streamed on Apple’s website, the company mentioned that it will welcome select software developers to its campus on the first day for an in-person celebration.
During this year’s conference, Apple may unveil its highly anticipated artificial intelligence tech strategy alongside new consumer features. In February, Cook emphasized Apple’s substantial investment in AI and hinted at an AI-related announcement slated for “later this year,” a move many analysts expect to occur at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Canva Acquires Affinity Through New Deal
Canva has acquired Affinity, a renowned design platform. Known as the world’s sole all-in-one visual communication platform, Canva announced on Mar. 26.
This acquisition marks a significant step towards Canva’s goal of offering the most extensive array of visual communication tools globally. While Canva has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, particularly among non-designers, integrating Affinity’s professional design software expands Canva’s reach to designers at all proficiency levels.
UnitedHealth Group Pays Millions After Cyberattack
On Mar. 27, UnitedHealth Group announced that it has disbursed an additional $1 billion to providers affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack since last week, bringing the total advanced funds to over $3.3 billion.
In February, UnitedHealth, the parent company of Change Healthcare, uncovered a tech breach in part of the unit’s IT network by a cyber threat actor. Change Healthcare, which handles over 15 billion billing transactions annually and processes 1 in every 3 patient records, according to its website, was impacted.
Amazon Backs Artificial Intelligence Startup
Amazon disclosed plans to allocate an additional $2.75 billion towards supporting Anthropic, a startup based in San Francisco recognized for its advancements in generative artificial intelligence. Anthropic’s foundational model and chatbot, Claude, are considered formidable contenders against OpenAI and ChatGPT.
Amazon will retain a minority stake in Anthropic and will not hold a seat on the company’s board, according to their statement. The deal was made based on Anthropic’s last valuation, which stood at $18.4 billion, as per a reliable source.
Same-Day Prescription Delivery Launches
Amazon has expanded its initiative to provide customers in the two largest U.S. markets with same-day delivery for a wide range of products, now including prescription drugs. Amazon announced on Mar. 26 that it is introducing same-day delivery for prescription medications in New York City and the greater Los Angeles area.
These prescriptions are accessible through Amazon’s online pharmacy service, which debuted in 2020. Amazon Pharmacy, a result of the tech company’s acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack in 2018, enables customers to order prescription medications for home delivery, with complimentary shipping for Prime members.
