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Category: ves
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Unity Software to cut 3.8% of staff in ‘company reset’ mostly affecting WetaFX
https://www.reuters.com/technology/unity-software-cut-38-staff-company-reset-2023-11-28/
Tuesday’s announcement includes termination of the professional services piece of an agreement Unity struck with movie director Peter Jackson’s visual effects company Weta FX in 2021 after Unity purchased the technology and engineering division of Weta FX. As a result, 265 employees whose jobs are related to the agreement will be laid off, the company said.
UPDATE Statement from WētāFX
On November 25, 2023, Unity and Wētā FX mutually agreed to terminate Unity’s service agreement with Wētā FX effective December 10, 2023. This decision comes as Unity refocus their efforts on their core business. The termination of the agreement will see the reduction of 265 Unity roles. Wētā FX will be extending offers to as many of the team as possible as it looks to expand its research, development and support functions. Unity will retain ownership of the technology it acquired from Wētā in December 2021 and will be evaluating the best way to enhance its offerings with it over time. The technology will also remain fully available to Wētā FX. Wētā FX will continue to build and extend the IP, and develop its own tools and techniques, to continue its evolution as a leader in visual effects.
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Sports Illustrated published articles under fake author names and AI-generated profile photos
The magazine had repeatedly published articles whose authors could not be found online outside the Sports Illustrated website.
During the course of Futurism’s reporting, some of the alleged Sports Illustrated writers mysteriously vanished from the publication’s website — and their articles began appearing under the names of different authors who similarly didn’t appear to exist online and whose likenesses were also being sold on AI headshot marketplaces.
Following the publication of the report, a spokesperson for The Arena Group — which has operated and licensed Sports Illustrated since 2019 — told CNN that the deleted product review articles had been created by a third-party company, AdVon Commerce.
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How OpenAI so royally screwed up the Sam Altman firing and joining Microsoft
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/19/tech/sam-altman-open-ai-firing-board/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/18/tech/openai-sam-altman-shakeup-what-happened/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/sam-altman-joins-microsoft/index.html
A company’s board of directors has an obligation, first and foremost, to its shareholders. OpenAI’s most important shareholder is Microsoft, the company that gave Altman & Co. $13 billion to help Bing, Office, Windows and Azure leapfrog Google and stay ahead of Amazon, IBM and other AI wannabes.
So a day later, the board reportedly asked for a mulligan and tried to woo Altman back. It was a shocking turn of events and an embarrassing self-own by a company that its widely regarded as the most promising producer of the most exciting new technology.
The board angered a powerful ally and could be forever changed because of the way it handled Altman’s ouster. It could end up with Altman back at the helm, a for-profit company on its nonprofit board – and a massive culture shift at OpenAI.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67474879
But Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest investor, has decided not to take a chance on Mr Altman taking this tech elsewhere. He will be joining the Seattle-based tech giant, it has been announced, to lead a yet-to-be-created AI research team. His co-founder Greg Brockman goes with him, and judging from the number of staff members posting on X today, it looks like he’ll be taking some of OpenAI’s top talent too.
Many OpenAI staff members are sharing the same post on X. It reads: “OpenAI is nothing without its people”.
Is that a warning to Mr Shear that he might have some hiring to do? A BBC colleague outside OpenAI’s headquarters just told me at 0930 in San Francisco, there were no signs of people arriving for work.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/20/tech/openai-employees-quit-mira-murati-sam-altman/index.html
“Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” wrote the employees. “We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.”
The employees also warned that they would “imminently” follow Altman to Microsoft unless the board resigns and reinstates Altman and Greg Brockman, the former OpenAI president who was also removed by the board on Friday.
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Epic Games Store Still Makes No Money
https://80.lv/articles/epic-games-store-still-makes-no-money/
Recently, Epic Games has encountered financial challenges, leading to significant steps. Towards the end of September, the company laid off around 16% of its staff, which is approximately 830 employees. Subsequently, in early October, Epic Games announced a price hike for non-game developers utilizing Unreal Engine. During this announcement, CEO Tim Sweeney openly acknowledged the financial difficulties that the studio has faced since July.
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Quiet Quitting at work – Causes and remedies
Quiet quitting isn’t about leaving a job.
It’s when people stay but mentally check out. They do the bare minimum. No excitement. No extra effort.It’s a silent alarm. Your team may be losing interest right under your nose.
And it’s a big deal. Why?
- Because it affects:
- Your team’s morale
- Your team’s productivity
- Your company’s profitability
- And everyone’s overall success
- Resources are already stretched thin.
- You need to get the best from your team.
What can employers do? Many of the causes are within your control:
➡️ Listen Well
Talk to your team often.
Listen to what they say. Then take action.➡️ Recognize Efforts
Public recognition can boost morale.
A simple “thank you” goes a long way.➡️ Promote Balance
Allow time for life outside work.
Overworked employees burn out.➡️ Give Chances to Grow
Invest in them. Provide training.
Show them a career path.➡️ Build a Positive Culture
Ensure everyone feels valued and respected.➡️ Set Clear Goals
Clearly define roles. Tell them what you expect.➡️ Lead by Example
Show excitement. Work hard.
Be the way you want them to be.Quiet quitting isn’t just an employee issue. It’s a leadership opportunity. It’s a chance to re-engage, re-inspire, and revitalize your workplace.
Resources
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/workers-disengaged-quiet-quitting-their-jobs-gallup/
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
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TV/Theatrical 2023 – SAG-AFTRA Contract and Regulating AI
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/AI%20TVTH.pdf
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/sa_documents/TV-Theatrical_23_Summary_Agreement_Final.pdf
Mike Seymour : A Deep Dive into the New Laws around Governing AI
https://www.fxguide.com/fxpodcasts/fxpodcast-361-a-deep-dive-into-the-new-laws-around-governing-ai/Local copies
Studios Align With Big Tech in a Risky Bet
Under U.S. copyright law, directors and writers are not entitled to some rights that exist in other countries, including the U.K., France and Italy. This is because the contributions of writers and directors in America are typically considered “works-made-for-hire,” which establishes creators as employees and producers as the owner of any copyright.
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LasVegas’ Sphere and the Big Sky Camera
https://theasc.com/articles/sphere-and-the-big-sky-camera
Sphere is a 516′-wide, 366′-tall geodesic dome that houses the world’s highest-resolution screen: a 160,000-square-foot LED wraparound that fills the peripheral vision for 17,600 spectators (20,000 if standing-room areas are included). The curved screen is a 9mm-pixel-pitch, sonically transparent surface of LED panels with 500-nit brightness that produce a high-dynamic-range experience. The audience sits 160′ to 400′ from the screen in theatrical seating, and the screen provides a 155-degree diagonal field of view and a more-than-140-degree vertical field of view.
The image on the screen is 16K (16,384×16,384) driven by 25 synchronized 4K video servers.
https://nofilmschool.com/darren-aronofsky-sphere-camera
Cross section:
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Tom Hanks on his debut novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece”: Nothing comes easy if you learnt all through mistakes…
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-50-q/clip/16014382-tom-hanks
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, A League of Their Own) on his debut novel “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” the insecurities he’s felt throughout his career, and what drives his passion for filmmaking when it feels like “the odds are stacked against you.”
Nothing comes easy if you learnt all through mistakes…
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Epic is changing Unreal Engine’s pricing for non-game developers
The change will happen sometime next year and will charge some users on a per-seat model, similar to Photoshop pricing.
Game developers using Unreal Engine won’t be affected and will continue to pay for a license based on a royalty model. However, users in industries like film or automotive will be moved to per-seat pricing, meaning they’ll be charged for the subscription the same way someone might pay for Photoshop.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/5/23905082/epic-unreal-engine-pricing-change-film-automotive
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DNEG Canada is moving into unionizing
IATSE, which also runs the powerful Animation Guild Local 839 out of Los Angeles, says that organizing a union will give collective voice to workers’ concerns and requests. Some of the things it aims to achieve at DNEG Vancouver include:
- More transparency and consistency in the decisions that impact our daily lives
- Improvements to current working conditions (i.e. salary, vacation)
- Enhanced RRSP and health benefits
- Sustainability in the Canadian VFX industry as a whole
- Access to legal counsel
- Protections from sudden and unjust layoffs
- Strong representation and solidarity across the Canadian VFX industry
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Epic Games cuts around 16% work force, 830 jobs
https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/layoffs-at-epic
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894266/epic-games-layoffs-fortnite-unreal-engine
Tim Sweeney sent the following email to Epic employees:
As we shared earlier, we are laying off around 16% of Epic employees. We’re divesting Bandcamp and spinning off most of SuperAwesome.
For a while now, we’ve been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators. I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic.
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SAG-AFTRA Members Vote To Authorize Video Game Workers Strike
SAG-AFTRA members have voted to authorize a strike among video game voice actors and performers, a group of workers who weren’t part of the original actors strike that began back in July.
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