Social media app Vero seemed to gain massive popularity overnight, and the #DeleteVero campaign came just as quick.
But CEO Ayman Hariri told Cheddar the backlash is over “incorrect information.”
“The things that transpired [at my old company] happened after I left,” he said.
Hariri, son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, has come under fire for alleged human rights violations at a now-shuttered Saudi Arabian construction company where he once served as deputy CEO.
Tens of thousands of workers at the family-run business reportedly filed complaints of unpaid wages, but Hariri, who left the firm in 2013, denied any involvement.
Vero was launched in 2015, but catapulted to the top of Apple’s app store in the past week. It reimagines Instagram by removing the square-image restrictions, making it a major draw for photographers. It’s also free of ads and allows users to post more than just images and videos.
“You can share anything from your camera roll. You can share any link to anything online. You can share any song, any movie or TV show, any book, and any place,” Hariri explained.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/vero-founder-and-ceo-addresses-controversy-over-past-company-and-deletevero).
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue. Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and help businesses integrate AI into daily operations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently emphasized improving ChatGPT, which now has over 800 million weekly users. Despite its success, OpenAI faces competition from companies like Google and concerns about profitability. The company earns money from premium ChatGPT subscriptions but hasn't ventured into advertising. Altman had recently announced delays in developing new products like AI agents and a personal assistant.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
U.S. sports betting is booming as NFL and college football fuel massive activity. BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt breaks down trends, growth, and what’s next.
