🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #54

Hope your Friday is as wonderful as you are!

#CopyCat - You know you have made it big when one of the BIG 4 in tech copies you. This week, Retro, a photo app got a surprise when Google Photos rolled out a feature that is practically a carbon copy. Google’s “My Week” is basically Retro’s brainchild, but bigger and shinier.

#BugBountyBonanza - Hold onto your hats, bug hunters! Google just upped the ante on their bug bounties, with top payouts now hitting a jaw-dropping $151K. They've juiced rewards by five times to snag those elusive bugs. It's a hacker's dream payday!

#MacSlowdown - Mac users are hanging onto their devices longer, with 68% now using Macs over two years old. CIRP reports that upgrades are seen as unexciting and unnecessary for most, despite AI enhancements. With Macs already AI-ready, will Apple feel the need to push new sales?

Intuit Announces 10% Workforce Reduction and Major Restructuring Effort
The CEO of Intuit, Sasan Goodarzi, announced that the company will be laying off 1,800 employees, or 10% of its workforce, while hiring the same number of new workers as part of a major restructuring effort focused on AI. The layoffs are not cost-cutting related, but rather an opportunity to allocate additional investments to critical areas and support customers and drive growth. The company will be hiring new talent in engineering, product development, data science, and customer-facing roles, with a focus on AI

WhatsApp Introduces Voice Message Transcripts
WhatsApp is introducing a new feature that lets users read voice messages instead of listening to them. With the latest Android beta update, some users have started receiving the voice message transcription feature, which currently only supports five languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Users will need to download a language pack to use this feature.

WhatsApp Introduces Business Authentication in India
WhatsApp now enables businesses to send authentication and login codes to users in India via its API, expanding its service from other regions like Malaysia. This move, starting July 1, aims to streamline user verification and increase revenue through messaging fees, leveraging its massive Indian user base of over 500 million.

Google Photos to iCloud Photos data transfer tool now available
Google took a step closer to Data Transfer Project's goal of making it easy to switch across platforms, allowing users to transfer their Google Photos collections to iCloud Photos. The process will begin rolling out over the next week, with users being able to transfer photos and videos directly from Google Photos to iCloud Photos.

SmartTube | An advanced player for set-top boxes and tvs running Android OS

TipTap | The headless rich text editor framework for web artisans.

Developer Roadmap | Interactive roadmaps, guides and other educational content to help developers grow in their careers.

Use Visual Filters For Visually Distinct Product Attributes
Baymard’s large-scale UX research into product lists reveals that users who struggle to effectively use filters with large product lists can become overwhelmed. Two-thirds of sites use unclear filtering terms that make it harder for users to find products. Users who bypass useful filters or misapply unsuitable ones can produce unexpected product lists, some of which lead to site abandonment.

Pain Points in 2024 As A Web Developer
A Reddit thread about what annoys web developers, despite the year being 2024. Some of them seem to agree that keeping always up to date with tech takes a toll while others talk about specific tooling that seems to affect their productivity.

Building Strong Manager Relationships
Your relationship with your manager is crucial for your growth and success. It's hard to learn how to build a strong relationship, but knowing what to do can make all the difference. Saumitra is sharing three powerful managing up lessons he wishes he knew sooner, including being clear about what you'll do, doing it well, and updating your manager regularly.