Watch Elon Musk’s TED talk live for free

It’s a busy time in the world of Elon Musk. On the same day it emerged he made a bid to buy Twitter, he’s giving a TED Talk. The organizers of TED are opening up the conference’s livestreaming channel to all, so anyone can watch the talk for free. 

As ever, Musk should have plenty to talk about. He recently became Twitter’s largest shareholder. He was offered a seat on the board but turned it down. Soon after, Musk was hit with a class action lawsuit relating to how he disclosed his investment. And that’s not to mention his own companies, SpaceX and Tesla, which he might discuss as well.

Grab some popcorn. You can watch the talk below.

Update 4/15 12:43PM ET: Added the archived version of the talk.

Alexa devices now support TuneIn Premium radio streaming

TuneIn is bringing its paid service to Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. You’ll be able to access TuneIn Premium content such as live sports from any Alexa smart speaker or display.

You’ll be able to listen to MLB, NHL and college sports games featuring your favorite team simply by saying “Alexa, listen to sports.” TuneIn Premium also offers more than 600 commercial-free radio stations, and you won’t hear pre-roll ads for the tens of thousands of other radio stations on the platform. Additionally, you’ll be able to listen to ad-free news.

TuneIn Premium typically costs $10 per month. However, Amazon and TuneIn are offering new members a three-month trial. Existing TuneIn Premium members can connect their accounts to Alexa to help them get the most out of their subscription. Alexa has supported TuneIn’s regular service for years, so having access to the Premium service is a welcome upgrade.

YouTube gives Shorts creators the ability to remix most videos

YouTube is giving Shorts creators access to a much larger toolkit. Creators will be able to clip and remix up to five seconds of any eligible video or Short in their own shorts. The feature should be available for everyone on iOS in the coming weeks, and it’ll come to Android later this year.

The tool builds on an audio remixing option YouTube added last year. To remix a regular video, tap the Create button and then Cut from the remix options. You can then choose which part of the video that you want to use in your Short. If you’d like to remix someone else’s short, tap the three-dot menu button, then select Cut.

Shorts that remix other videos will automatically include attribution for the original. Those who don’t want their videos to be remixed can opt out in YouTube Studio.

Adding a video remix tool is a smart move. Remixing options played an important role in TikTok’s success, while Instagram added a similar option in January. The feature will give current Shorts creators a much bigger palette and it might entice some newcomers to try making Shorts as well. Limiting the length of remix clips to five seconds might seem a little constricting, but inventive creators should still be able to make the most of it.

On top of that, it’ll now be somewhat easier for Shorts creators to find an audience. Those videos will be available to view on the web and YouTube’s tablet app in the coming weeks. Until now, they’ve only been viewable in the mobile app. 

Peloton increases its subscription fees for the first time

Peloton is bumping up subscription fees for the first time in the US and Canada. It’s balancing out those increases (at least for newcomers) by reducing the prices on some hardware: the Bike, Bike+ and Tread.

Starting on June 1st, the cost of the all-access plan is going up by $5 per month to $44 in the US and by $6 CAD to $55 in Canada, as CNBC reports. The company won’t change pricing for users elsewhere for now. The cost of the digital-only plan will remain the same.

From 6PM ET today, Peloton will cut prices on some of its products. The price of the Bike will be reduced from $1,745 to $1,445 (which includes shipping and setup). The company is lowering the price of Bike+ by $500 to $1,995. As for Tread, Peloton is cutting the price by $200 to $2,695.

The company is hoping that reducing the upfront cost of its fitness equipment will lower the barrier to entry and help it find more customers. “The pricing changes being announced today are part of CEO Barry McCarthy’s vision to grow the Peloton community,” a spokesperson said.

Peloton’s share price has dropped significantly over the last year, in part due to a pandemic-driven spike in demand for its products tapering off. Reports earlier this year suggested Peloton had thousands of products sitting in warehouses and on cargo ships and that it was changing its production levels.

In February, Peloton replaced its CEO at the same time it cut 2,800 jobs (around 20 percent of its corporate workforce). Only a few days before that, rumors suggested the likes of Amazon, Apple and Nike were interested in buying the company.

By shaking up the pricing structure, Peloton is hoping it can correct course. Focusing on recurring revenue from subscriptions and lowering the cost of hardware could help. The company had already showed a willingness to reduce the price of its devices. It started selling the Peloton Guide set-up camera (which comes with its heart-rate monitor) this month for $295. It initially said the system would cost $495.

Juul will pay $22.5 million to settle a Washington state lawsuit

Vape pen maker Juul has agreed to settle another state lawsuit alleging that it targeted minors with its marketing. It will pay $22.5 million and undertake measures to prevent underage use and sales to settle a suit filed by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in September 2020. Juul admits no wrongdoing under the settlement, though it told the Associated Press the agreement marked “another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company and resolve issues from the past.”

The AG claimed that when Juul debuted in 2015, it promoted itself with colorful ads on social media, leading to an increase in nicotine use and addiction in teens. Ferguson also claimed in the filing that the company deceived consumers about the addictiveness of its product. His office said the money from Juul’s settlement will be used to establish a health equity unit that will “respond to deceptive and discriminatory health care practices that disproportionately impact vulnerable communities and communities of color.”

Under the consent decree, Juul is not allowed to promote its products on social media and can’t use advertising that appeals to youths. It agreed to monitor and report social media posts from underage users about its products and to require an adult’s signature when delivering products that it sells online. Additionally, it must run a secret shopper program in the state for at least two years to ensure retailers aren’t selling its products to underage users.

Over the last year, Juul has settled several cases brought by state AGs. It agreed to pay $40 million to settle a case in North Carolina and $14.5 million to settle one in Arizona. The company says it has also resolved a suit in Louisiana but lawsuits in several otherstates remain active. “We will continue working with federal and state stakeholders to advance a fully regulated, science-based marketplace for vapor products,” the company said.