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AI Notetakers Rise, TikTok Falls, and Amazon's Melania Scores Big

Here's a news article synthesizing the provided information:

TikTok Restored After Outage; Amazon's 'Melania' Doc Exceeds Expectations

TikTok announced Sunday that its services were restored after an outage the previous week that impacted user experience, according to TechCrunch. The social network, which has over 220 million users in the U.S., attributed the disruption to a snowstorm that caused a power outage at an Oracle-operated data center responsible for TikTok operations in the U.S.

The winter storm led to network and storage issues at the site, affecting tens of thousands of servers that keep TikTok running in the U.S. "We have successfully restored TikTok back to normal after a significant outage caused by winter weather took down a primary U.S. data center site operated by Oracle," the company stated. The outage affected core features, including content posting, discovery, and the real-time display of video likes.

In other news, Amazon's documentary "Melania," about former First Lady Melania Trump, exceeded box office expectations, earning an estimated $7.04 million on its opening weekend, TechCrunch reported. The documentary ranked third overall for the weekend.

Amazon acquired "Melania" for $40 million and is reportedly spending $35 million to promote it. Despite outperforming pre-release estimates of a $3 to $5 million opening, it is unlikely to generate a profit in theaters. Amazon's bid was $26 million higher than the next highest bidder, Disney, leading some critics to suggest the deal was not solely based on the film's potential.

Meanwhile, the trend of companies citing artificial intelligence (AI) as the reason for layoffs is under scrutiny, according to a New York Times article referenced by TechCrunch. This practice, known as "AI-washing," involves companies using AI as an excuse to cover other problems, such as over-hiring during the pandemic. AI was the stated reason for more than 50,000 layoffs in 2025, with Amazon and Pinterest among the tech companies that blamed the technology for recent cuts. However, a Forrester report published in January argued that many companies announcing AI-related layoffs do not have mature, vetted AI applications ready to fill those roles.

Also making headlines, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has launched a full-scale media blitz, with appearances in Fortune, Bloomberg, Reuters, and TechCrunch. The increased visibility coincides with Tether's launch of USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin issued through Anchorage Digital Bank. This product is designed to comply with new federal rules and compete directly with Circle's USDC. Fidelity Investments also recently launched a competing stablecoin, joining JPMorgan Chase and PayPal in the expanding market.

Finally, the market for AI-powered meeting notetakers is growing, with companies offering both digital and physical solutions, TechCrunch noted. Physical notetakers transcribe audio and provide users with summaries and action items using AI. These devices range from wearable pins and pendants with dedicated mics to credit card-sized devices with dedicated mobile apps. Some even offer live translation. Examples include the Plaud Note and Plaud Note Pro, the latter of which is a credit card-sized notetaker with a small screen, four mics, and audio recording capabilities.

AI-Assisted Journalism

This article was generated with AI assistance, synthesizing reporting from multiple credible news sources. Our editorial team reviews AI-generated content for accuracy.

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