On average, tech giants are paying AI specialists between $300,000 to $500,000 in annual salaries, The New York Times reports. Meanwhile, “Well-known names in the A.I. field have received compensation in salary and shares in a company’s stock that total single- or double-digit millions over a four- or five-year period,” it writes. “And at some point they renew or negotiate a new contract, much like a professional athlete.”

When its iPhone X officially launches on Nov. 3, Apple is promising that the new phones will be available for walk-in customers. “Presumably, this will include both Apple's own retail locations and select authorized resellers,” MacRumors writes. Yet, “Due to a mix of reported production issues and strong demand, in-store availability of iPhone X will likely be extremely limited.”

People testing Google’s newest smartphone, the Pixel 2 XL, are noticing instances of “screen burn-in,” The Verge reports. “Multiple people have noticed that when you look at the screen with a gray background, you can see faint outlines of the phone’s navigation buttons on the bottom,” it writes. “If it really is genuine screen burn-in (and early indications do, in fact, seem to point in that direction), it’s a really big problem.”

The makers of Vine are hoping to strike gold for a second time with HQ -- a new trivia app that invites people to compete against strangers in a game for real cash prizes. “The show is hosted by Scott Rogowsky and consists of a dozen multiple-choice trivia questions,” according to Digital Trends. “Former Vine co-founders Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll have already gotten several million dollars in initial funding.”

Marketing activation platform ActionIQ just secured another $30 million in funding. According to CEO Tasso Argyros, ActionIQ gives marketers better audience insights in order to run their campaigns in a more effective way, corralling a vast trove of big data behind a "user-friendly interface built for marketers," TechCrunch reports. The startup raised $13 million this past March.

Authorities in San Mateo, California, have charged former Vungle CEO Zain Jaffer with sexually abusing his 3-year-old son. Vungle, a mobile video ad platform, placed Jaffer on a leave of absence last week. Jaffer has pleaded not guilty.

Just months after its debut, the cost of an Essential smartphone is being reduced from $699 to $499. “There are reports that the hyped epitome of what an Android phone should be isn’t as [sic] selling as well as many … hoped,” Slash Gear writes. “Essential, however, might simply be going for some aggressive marketing, perhaps prompted by those sales numbers as well.”

Targeting TV broadcasters and professional video publishers, Reuters is rolling out a live video service that offers real-time coverage of up to six news events. “The live video is available via the Reuters Connect platform,” Talking Biz News reports. “It allows publishers to stream live coverage to television, websites and social media platforms.” Of note, “The new platform uses cloud-based delivery systems.”

Some Facebook employees think the company is unduly blamed for Russian manipulation of the 2016 presidential election. “Inside Facebook, many in the company’s rank and file are frustrated,” BuzzFeed reports. “They view the events of the last month and those that preceded it as part of an unjust narrative that’s spiraled out of control, unchecked.”

Wired writer Issie Lapowsky isn’t impressed with a proposed bill in the Senate that would force online political advertisers to include additional disclosures. “The measure may prove to be a half-step toward preventing foreign adversaries from influencing US elections online,” Lapowsky writes. “Substantive as this legislation may be in addressing advertising, though, it’s far from comprehensive.”