Techmeme River
Techmeme River
Monday, September 23, 2019
3:35 PM
Twitter says it is expanding its policies to explicitly prohibit financial scams on the platform and details the kind of scams it's banning
TechCrunch
3:25 PM
Samsung Galaxy S10 gets the Galaxy Note 10's camera features like AR Doodle and DeX for PC support with an update
XDA Developers
3:05 PM
Sources: Amazon is developing Alexa-enabled wireless earbuds with an accelerometer that monitors things like calories burned and the pace and distance of runs
CNBC
2:50 PM
Microsoft previews Dynamics 365 Commerce, which lets brands create product web pages with customer ratings and reviews, an expansion of Dynamics 365 for Retail
CNBC
2:25 PM
China's social credit system extends to businesses, with 33M recently rated; some US firms were warned ratings may be affected by their stances, like on Taiwan
New York Times
2:05 PM
NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange launches long-awaited bitcoin futures as part of its Bakkt venture
Wall Street Journal
1:45 PM
Drum, a marketplace connecting businesses to customers through an on-demand network of salespeople, raises $11M seed round
TechCrunch
1:30 PM
Facebook page with 1.1M followers called “I Love America” is one of many Ukrainian-run pages now pushing pro-Trump propaganda and recycling 2016-era IRA memes
Popular Information
1:15 PM
Code deployment toolmaker Chef says it will not renew contracts with ICE and CBP, after an ex-employee deleted his open-source code leading to customer downtime
VICE
1:05 PM
Hyundai Motor Group to invest $1.6B in cash and $400M in R&D in a $4B self-driving vehicle joint venture with Dublin-based Aptiv, with both owning 50% stakes
Reuters
12:20 PM
Apple says it will assemble the new Mac Pro in Austin, TX, after it received federal product exclusions enabling it to import some parts without paying tariffs
CNBC
12:05 PM
Google Play Pass unveiled as a $4.99/mo. subscription for access to 350+ unlocked Android apps and games that are free of ads and IAPs; first year to be $2/mo.
The Verge
11:55 AM
Amazon debuts a feature called Show and Tell, which helps blind and low vision customers with an Echo Show smart display identify common household pantry goods
VentureBeat
10:50 AM
Binance launches fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-crypto trading in the US, with support for bitcoin, Binance coin, ether, XRP, bitcoin cash, litecoin, and tether
Morning Brew
10:13 AM
Samsung says Galaxy Fold will go on sale in the US on September 27 for $1,980 and will be available at AT&T, Best Buy, and Samsung stores
9to5Google
9:55 AM
Cloudflare enables a new “bot fight mode” as a opt-in feature for all accounts, which will frustrate bots via computationally intensive challenges
TechCrunch
9:30 AM
Sources: Facebook's competitors are talking to FTC about the company's hardball tactics, some of which Snap compiled in a dossier called Project Voldemort
Wall Street Journal
9:20 AM
Canada's state pension fund invests CAD$53M in jobs website Neuvoo; Neuvoo operates in 77 countries and has annual revenues of CAD$75M+
Bloomberg
8:45 AM
Report: global sales of robots reached 422K units worth $16.5B in 2018; 74% of global robotics installations were in China, Japan, South Korea, US, and Germany
Robotics Business Review
7:45 AM
Vouch Insurance, an online platform offering insurance policies tailored for early-stage tech start-ups, raises $24.5M Series A
ReinsuranceNe.ws
7:10 AM
Google says it doesn't retain Assistant audio recordings by default and it is increasing privacy protections for the transcription process used with a small set
The Keyword
6:55 AM
Viral selfie app ImageNet Roulette demos biases in AI by surfacing labels applied by anonymous workers to a database of 14M photos, used to train AI for 9 years
New York Times
5:50 AM
AllinMD Orthopaedics Hospital, a China-based online platform to match patients with orthopaedics hospitals and doctors, raises $100M Series B
South China Morning Post
2:55 AM
Profile of Rideshare Drivers United, a group of Uber and Lyft drivers in California who played a key role in getting recent gig economy labor legislation passed
New York Times
1:30 AM
The number of $5M+ seed rounds in the US has risen steadily, from 45 in 2014 to 180 in 2018, but the trend may be cooling off, with 110 such rounds in 2019 YTD
Crunchbase News
12:15 AM
Rental property platform AvantStay, which owns and runs 150 high-end properties and focuses on group travel, raises $20M Series A led by 3L Capital
Los Angeles Business Journal
Sunday, September 22, 2019
11:20 PM
A look at Peloton, which may raise $1.2B in this week's IPO and sells $2.3K iPad-equipped stationary bikes and $40/mo. cycling video subscriptions to 510K+ subs
TechCrunch
9:55 PM
Korean exchange Upbit says it is delisting six “privacy coins” including Monero, Dash, and Zcash following June's FATF guidance and a similar delisting by OKEx
CoinDesk
8:35 PM
Facebook will sunset its group stories feature, available globally since December of last year, on September 26
CNET
8:10 PM
Legalist, which funds lawsuits for a cut of settlements based on algorithmically calculated chances of winning, raises a $100M legal fund, ~10x its first one
TechCrunch
7:55 PM
JD.com launches Jingxi, its online group-buying service focused on China's lower-tier cities and rural areas, to compete with Pinduoduo
KrASIA
6:50 PM
Streaming services are gambling big on old shows, like AT&T's $1B for Big Bang Theory and Netflix's $500M for Seinfeld, with no way to know their actual worth
Washington Post
4:35 PM
Apple Arcade may break the iOS game industry's risk-averse focus on in-app purchases, promoting games with higher quality than free-to-play games
Los Angeles Times
3:10 PM
Der Spiegel: US dollar could make up 50% of the basket of currencies backing Libra, followed by 18% of euro, 14% yen, 11% British pound, and 7% Singapore dollar
Reuters
1:30 PM
Sources: several WeWork directors, including SoftBank members, plan to push for Adam Neumann to step down as CEO
Wall Street Journal
12:30 PM
A look at STOP ransomware, which has been one of the most actively distributed ransomware in the past year, according to the ID Ransomware database
BleepingComputer
10:40 AM
Sources: anti-Amazon “grass roots” non-profit FFMI, which actively lobbies and influences media op-eds, is funded by Walmart, Oracle, other Amazon competitors
Wall Street Journal
8:15 AM
New data from Kruze Consulting finds 60% of funded startups paid for Slack, while only 12% paid for the Office software bundle that includes Teams
Vox
5:10 AM
Singapore-based AI startup Advance.ai, which helps banks and other clients with fraud detection and credit scoring, raises $80M Series C to fuel Asia expansion
The Business Times
2:05 AM
Contrary to hype around big data, the explosion of available information amid eroding trust in media makes it harder, not easier, to achieve consensus on truth
The Guardian
12:00 AM
Facebook acquires Servicefriend, a startup that builds customer service AI chatbots for messaging apps; founders now work for Facebook's Calibra, per LinkedIn
TechCrunch
Saturday, September 21, 2019
9:10 PM
YouTube Music rolling out “Discover Mix”, a personalized playlist mostly focused on evergreen tunes and artists that the user might not have heard before
9to5Google
6:05 PM
AMD says it is delaying release of its Ryzen 9 3950X until November due to high demand and the time needed to ensure sufficient stock availability
AnandTech
4:39 PM
How Neil Young's reluctance to embrace streaming doomed his company PonoMusic, even as the company helped the industry to adapt high-resolution music
Quartz
2:25 PM
Polling of US adults shows that most, across party lines, support breaking up Big Tech, such as reversing Facebook's Instagram purchase, to improve competition
Vox
11:25 AM
TiVo confirms it is planning to place pre-roll video ads before DVR recordings for all customers, even those with a lifetime subscription plan
The Verge
10:10 AM
Sources: many Airbnb employees are frustrated they can't sell company stock; to compensate, management has offered more perks to keep longtime employees happy
New York Times
6:05 AM
A look at Sign in with Apple, which is available for users with iOS 13 for a small number of apps including Nike, Instacart, Bird, and Kayak at launch
Wall Street Journal
2:00 AM
Profile of Adrian Lamo, a famous hacker in the early 2000s who died mysteriously in 2018 and was decried by the hacking community for turning in Chelsea Manning
NPR
12:50 AM
Netflix CEO warns of a “whole new world” when streaming services from Disney and Apple drop in November, reiterates that Netflix isn't in “acquisition business”
Variety
12:05 AM
Amid rising competition and a dramatic fall in US subscribers during Q2, doubts arise over the sustainability of Netflix's debt-driven business model
Financial Times
Friday, September 20, 2019
10:35 PM
Minecraft's latest beta update introduces a character creator that allows players to change body types and wear accessories
Polygon
9:05 PM
Lookiero, a Paris-based personal clothing and accessory shopping service, raises $19M, bringing its total raised to $23M
TechCrunch
7:55 PM
Roku study: 2M people in the US moved from traditional pay TV to streaming in 2019; up to 60M US households will exclusively use streaming in the next 5 years
Fox Business
6:37 PM
YouTube reverses course, says channels with verification badges will keep them without appeal and channels that reach 100k subs can still apply for verification
Variety
6:15 PM
Apple's implementation of STIR/SHAKEN protocol in iOS 13 doesn't display “Caller Verified” notice on call screen, making it useless for identifying robocalls
The Verge
5:50 PM
IBM sues Zillow for infringing on its patents, including one about list-based searches that let users see the results on a map that fits within their screen
GeekWire
4:50 PM
HP acquires endpoint security startup Bromium from which it has been licensing anti-malware technology since 2017; Bromium has raised $115.8M, per Crunchbase
CRN
4:10 PM
Samsung releases a new care guide instructing Galaxy Fold users to “just use a light touch” and keep the phone free of water and dust
9to5Google
3:20 PM
YouTube CEO apologizes to creators and users over the company's decision to revoke verification statuses and says it is working to address creator concerns
The Verge
3:05 PM
Source: Fitbit has hired investment bank Qatalyst Partners to explore a sale; stock closes up 11.72%
CNBC
2:40 PM
Huawei says it is planning to let users unlock the Mate 30 bootloader, which will make it easier for them to sideload Google Play and other apps onto the device
Android Authority
2:15 PM
Facebook says it has removed tens of thousands of apps from about 400 developers to date, as part of its investigation following the Cambridge Analytica scandal
New York Times
1:45 PM
In an interview, Google CEO Sundar Pichai argues against knee-jerk regulation and blanket vetting of AI algorithms, advocates for sector-by-sector approach
Financial Times
1:10 PM
Apple says the new iPhones include a new software and hardware system to reduce performance impacts as battery ages, making them less susceptible to throttling
9to5Mac
12:10 PM
Interview with Google News VP Richard Gingras on the algorithm change to spotlight original reporting, the difficulty of defining the term, raters, and more
Global Editors Network
11:35 AM
Sources: Procore has hired Goldman Sachs in preparation for an IPO that could value the construction-management software platform at more than $4B
Bloomberg
10:50 AM
Sources: Tinder will release a six-episode choose-your-own-adventure series in October and intends to use viewers' choices to make matches
Variety
10:05 AM
Vianai, a startup launched by former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka that wants to simplify building AI products for the enterprise, raises $50M seed funding
TechCrunch
9:45 AM
UK supermarket Tesco shuts down its parking validation web app after tens of millions of photos of cars with visible license plates were left unsecured online
The Register
9:20 AM
Google updates Chrome with customizable themes on desktop and tab grouping on Android
Android Central
8:50 AM
Twitter suspends more state-backed accounts for information operations; this batch originated in China, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Ecuador
Twitter
8:15 AM
On-demand storage and removals company Clutter acquires The Storage Fox, which offers self-storage services in urban areas, for $152M
TechCrunch
7:20 AM
Google says it will invest €3B over the next two years to expand its data centers across Europe, and €600M in 2020 to expand its data center in Hamina, Finland
The Keyword
2:50 AM
Survey: 47% of enterprises across a variety of industries now have cyber insurance, up from 34% in 2017, as execs' concerns over cyberattacks increase
ZDNet
Thursday, September 19, 2019
11:25 PM
Identity management company Ping Identity closes up 30% on its first day of trading after raising $188M in its IPO, which valued the company at $1.16B
Reuters
9:20 PM
Court dismisses the sex-abuse lawsuit against Michael Goguen, which was the reason the venture capitalist was fired from Sequoia Capital in 2016
Bloomberg
9:05 PM
French court rules that European consumers can resell games they bought on Steam, just as they are able to resell packaged, physical games
Polygon
8:50 PM
Twitter's controversial “Hide Replies” feature launches today in the US and Japan after earlier tests in Canada
TechCrunch
7:44 PM
Mark Zuckerberg met with President Trump during his visit to Washington, where the Facebook CEO also met with a number of members of Congress
Bloomberg
6:40 PM
HappyOrNot, a Finland-based customer survey platform, raises $25M Series A led by Verdane, bringing its total raised to $40M
TechCrunch
6:02 PM
A Facebook employee has died in an apparent suicide at the company's Menlo Park headquarters; Facebook says it is cooperating with the police
Business Insider
5:15 PM
Datadog, an app performance monitoring and analytics platform, closes up 39% on its first day of trading, after raising $648M in an IPO at a $7.8B valuation
Forbes
4:15 PM
Postmates, which confidentially filed for an IPO in February, raises $225M from private equity firm GPI Capital at a $2.4B valuation, up from $1.85B in January
Forbes
3:25 PM
Skout Cybersecurity, a NYC-based cloud-native cybersecurity provider for SMBs, raises $25M Series B
FinSMEs
2:50 PM
A look at the new privacy features in iOS 13, including reminders about app location track, one-time location sharing, and removing metadata from images
TechCrunch
2:35 PM
YouTube to tighten creator verification in October, focusing on channels with a need for proof of authenticity and clarifying verification isn't an endorsement
TechCrunch
2:05 PM
Alphabet's Wing says it will test drone delivery in Christiansburg, Virginia with Walgreens, FedEx, and local retailer Sugar Magnolia
TechCrunch
2:00 PM
Huawei announces Watch GT 2, available in two sizes, running its LiteOS with Kirin A1 chipset and claimed two week battery life, shipping in October for €229
The Verge
1:45 PM
Extensive iOS 13 and iPadOS review: Apple clearly considers iOS to be a platform, not just an OS, and is building upon that with updates for everyone
MacStories
1:40 PM
YouTube creators may lose verified badges as company makes verification program even stricter
The Verge
1:35 PM
Groww, a Bangalore-based investment app for millennials, raises $21.4M Series B led by Ribbit Capital, bringing its total raised to $29M
TechCrunch
1:32 PM
Apple brings the release date of iOS 13.1 and iPadOS forward by six days to September 24
The Verge
1:16 PM
Apple releases watchOS 6 with new watch faces and built-in app including Calculator, Noise, Cycle Tracking, and Audiobooks
9to5Mac
1:12 PM
Stripe raises $250M from Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, and a16z at a $35B valuation, up about 50% from an early 2019 funding round
Wall Street Journal
1:07 PM
iOS 13 review: has some much needed quality-of-life improvements, Dark Mode and new Photos app are great, but it's buggy and there are few truly new features
The Verge
1:02 PM
Apple releases iOS 13 with Dark Mode, QuickPath swipe keyboard, a redesigned Reminders app, and more
The Verge
12:45 PM
Checkr, which runs background checks for companies that use gig economy workers, raises $160M Series D at a $2.2B valuation, bringing its total raised to $310M
Forbes
12:30 PM
GroupM forms New Majority Ready Coalition with media and tech companies, excluding Facebook, to help brands adapt to US's changing demographics in advertising
The Drum
12:00 PM
An in-depth look at Apple's six-core A13 Bionic processor, found in the new iPhones, which promises 30% more efficiency than last year's A12 chip
Wired
11:55 AM
Hamburg-based Wunder Mobility, a platform for municipalities and companies like BMW to create urban mobility services, extends its Series B by $30M to $60M
VentureBeat
11:40 AM
Nintendo Switch Lite review: streamlined, sturdier design, excellent directional pad, and improved battery life, but no TV connectivity or kickstand
The Verge
11:11 AM
Airbnb, which generated revenue of more than $1B in Q2, says it intends to go public in 2020
Skift
11:10 AM
Jeff Bezos announces the Climate Pledge, for businesses like Amazon to commit to meet the Paris Agreement's zero-carbon goal by 2040, 10 years ahead of schedule
VentureBeat
10:40 AM
Google announces Vodafone-Idea Phone Line, a free phone number for the carrier's feature phone users in India to talk to Google Assistant in Hindi or English
BuzzFeed News
10:05 AM
New Relic updates its app monitoring platform with programmability features that enable developers to build native apps on it, new AI troubleshooting tool, more
SiliconANGLE
9:55 AM
Built Robotics, which makes autonomous construction equipment, raises $33M Series B led by Siemens-backed Next47, bringing its total raised to $48M
TechCrunch
9:40 AM
Roku unveils smaller $29.99 Express, a faster $99.99 Ultra with a customizable remote, and Roku OS 9.2 with new content discovery tools and voice capabilities
The Verge
9:07 AM
Automattic raises $300M Series D from Salesforce Ventures at a post-money valuation of $3B
TechCrunch
8:50 AM
Huawei unveils its first flagship without Google-licensed apps, the 6.53" Mate 30 Pro with Kirin 990 chip, 8GB RAM, 4,500mAh battery, fast 27W wireless charging
9to5Google
7:55 AM
Google says Google Pay in India has 67M monthly active users and has processed transactions worth $110B+ in the last 12 months and unveils Pay for Business
Official Google India Blog
4:35 AM
Book excerpt: as he exits Apple's board, Disney's Bob Iger recounts talks with Steve Jobs before Disney bought Pixar, and how their friendship grew
Vanity Fair
12:10 AM
Datadog, an app performance monitoring and analytics platform, raises $648M in US IPO, valuing the company at $7.83B, after rejecting Cisco's acquisition offer
Bloomberg
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
10:00 PM
Sources: Cisco approached Datadog recently with a takeover offer significantly higher than the $7B valuation it is aiming for in an IPO expected this week
Bloomberg
8:40 PM
Dental Intelligence, a Utah-based analytics and workflow automation platform for dental practices, raises $34M Series A
FinSMEs
7:50 PM
GitHub buys code analysis tool Semmle, which helps identify security vulnerabilities and has Microsoft, Google among clients; Semmle raised $31M in VC funding
TechCrunch
7:30 PM
Nielsen acquires a minority stake in OpenSlate, which evaluates brand safety of video content on YouTube and Facebook; source: deal values OpenSlate at $100M+
Wall Street Journal
6:40 PM
DCVC, which focuses on early-stage “deep” technology startups, closes a $725M fifth fund; the fourth DCVC fund, raised in 2016, topped out at $212M
Crunchbase News
6:00 PM
Sources: AT&T is considering parting ways with its DirecTV unit, including spinning it off into a separate public company or combining assets with Dish
Wall Street Journal
5:00 PM
Medium adds a “Save to Medium” bookmarking feature that lets users save articles to a reading list via sharing extensions on mobile and in Chrome
The Verge
4:20 PM
Another push by tech giants to weaken the California Consumer Privacy Act, set to go into effect Jan. 1, has failed as it survives legislative sessions intact
Electronic Frontier Foundation
3:43 PM
Apple's VP of communications Steve Dowling is leaving the company after five years in the role; Dowling joined the company 16 years ago
Vox
3:35 PM
Inside the growing split between Silicon Valley and the Democratic Party, once allies, as leading presidential candidates express extreme worries about Big Tech
New York Magazine