Techmeme River
Techmeme River
Friday, December 3, 2021
1:55 PM
FBI says the “Cuba Ransomware” gang earned about $43.9M from ransom payments and breached at least 49 US critical infrastructure organizations this year
The Record
1:05 PM
Sources: Sony plans to launch a subscription service, codenamed Spartacus, next spring that merges PlayStation Plus and PS Now, to compete with Xbox Game Pass
Bloomberg
12:35 PM
The US plans to work with friendly nations to limit the export of surveillance tools and other tech used by authoritarian governments to suppress human rights
Wall Street Journal
11:51 AM
Sources: the iPhones of at least nine US State Department employees were hacked using NSO's spyware in the past several months
Reuters
11:20 AM
YouTube bans streamer Ludwig Ahgren days after his highly publicized move from Twitch; Ahgren blames DMCA notices for listening to Baby Shark while streaming
dexerto.com
11:05 AM
Google says it will not require US employees to return to the office on January 10 as expected but encourages them to come in to build “muscle memory”
CNBC
10:55 AM
Insurance company Sogaz, founded by state firm Gazprom, gains control of Russia's largest social media network VKontakte after buying a 45% stake in the company
The Moscow Times
10:10 AM
DocuSign reports Q3 revenue of $545.5M, up 42% YoY, with subscription revenue of $528.6M, up 44%, and 1.11M customers; stock is down 35%+ after weak Q4 guidance
CNBC
9:25 AM
An anti-fascist researcher says Twitter suspended her account after someone reported a 2019 tweet of hers following Twitter's updated Private Information Policy
Washington Post
8:50 AM
Instagram has quietly rolled out a pop-up over the past year encouraging users to “try a new account” so they can “keep up with a smaller group of friends”
Wall Street Journal
8:25 AM
Microsoft backtracks on Windows 11's controversial default browser changes, adds a “Set default” button for browsers in a preview build
The Verge
7:50 AM
A draft EU proposal would force food delivery and ride-hailing apps to reclassify as many as 4.1M workers as employees, costing the sector up to €4.5B per year
Bloomberg
7:15 AM
Journalists and activists worry Twitter's new privacy policy will be weaponized and make their jobs harder, due to vague terms like “the public interest”
Columbia Journalism Review
6:15 AM
Analysis: SoftBank could lose ~$74B if Nvidia's Arm acquisition is blocked; an Arm IPO would likely value it at far less than Nvidia's offer
Bloomberg
5:45 AM
Some citizens are skeptical of China's digital yuan, e-CNY, preferring Alipay and WeChat Pay; e-CNY has seen 150M transactions worth nearly $10B so far
Wall Street Journal
2:50 AM
Singapore-based LingoAce, which helps students learn Mandarin from native speakers, raises a $105M Series C led by Sequoia Capital India
Tech in Asia
12:45 AM
Clarity AI, which uses AI to assess the environmental impact of companies, raised $50M in August, from Vision Fund 2, Jony Ive, and others, at a $450M valuation
Reuters
Thursday, December 2, 2021
11:15 PM
British asset manager Abrdn to buy Interactive Investor, an online investment platform, for $1.98B in cash
Reuters
10:45 PM
Records show at least three US federal agencies bought Lorex video surveillance equipment from Chinese firm Dahua Technology despite a government ban
TechCrunch
10:00 PM
US prosecutors charge two men with running a music royalty scam, collecting $20M+ from YouTube, by falsely claiming rights to 50,000 Spanish language songs
MarketWatch
8:45 PM
Didi Global says it will begin the process of delisting from the NYSE and listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, in an attempt to appease Chinese regulators
Reuters
7:35 PM
A look at the Xbox Series X and PS5 markets, as holiday shoppers navigate a world of “purchase bot” resellers, retail memberships, and social media tips
New York Times
6:45 PM
Uber says it is launching an optional audio recording pilot program to enhance safety in three US cities this month, following a Latin America rollout in 2019
Reuters
5:50 PM
Crunchbase: investments in crypto-based gaming and commerce startups increased 26x YoY, totaling $3.7B so far in 2021
The Information
5:00 PM
Marketers are reacting to privacy laws and Big Tech policy changes with quizzes and other events to collect their own customer info and build detailed profiles
Wall Street Journal
4:00 PM
Panther Labs, which helps companies detect and respond to security threats in real time, raises a $120M Series B led by Coatue at a $1.4B valuation
Reuters
3:41 PM
The FTC sues to block Nvidia's acquisition of Arm, arguing the chip deal is anticompetitive; the $40B deal has risen to ~$75B due to Nvidia's share price
Wall Street Journal
3:30 PM
The four leading virtual worlds recorded over $100M in NFT land sales in the past week, with The Sandbox alone seeing trading volumes of over $86M
DappRadar
2:55 PM
Sources: Goldman Sachs is among a handful of tier-one US banks working on ways to use bitcoin as collateral for cash loans to institutions
CoinDesk
2:36 PM
Report: Google's Pixel hardware group is working on the company's first smartwatch, internally codenamed “Rohan”, which it plans to launch next year
The Verge
2:20 PM
Meta's NPE team recently set up an office in Lagos and plans another in Asia as it changes strategy to include making seed investments in small teams
TechCrunch
1:25 PM
AWS announces Amplify Studio, a Figma-connected low-code service to help developers build cloud apps, as an extension of its AWS Amplify service
TechCrunch
1:05 PM
London-based Glorify, a Christian app that offers audio prayers and more, raises a $40M Series A led by a16z at a $250M valuation
Financial Times
12:30 PM
Interviews with 16 current and former Apple retail, support, and sales employees detail harsh working conditions, poor pay, and little interest from HR
The Verge
12:15 PM
Square's Block rebranding comes after years of making crypto integrations mainstream, although Block has downplayed the crypto elements so far
CoinDesk
11:55 AM
Jokr, a rapid grocery delivery service in the US and Latin America, raises a $260M Series B at a $1.2B valuation, five months after raising a $170M Series A
TechCrunch
11:30 AM
Mendel, which offers corporate spend management tools for companies in Latin America, raises a $15M Series A led by Allvp and Infinity Ventures and $20M in debt
TechCrunch
11:10 AM
In a filing in the Epic lawsuit, Apple says it “could charge a commission” if developers use a competing payments platform, following a similar Google policy
9to5Mac
11:05 AM
DeFi protocol BadgerDAO is investigating after security researchers say $120.3M was stolen from users via its compromised front end
The Block
10:40 AM
100 Thieves, which manages professional esports teams and 15 video game streamers, raises a $60M Series C at a $460M valuation, up from $160M in July 2019
Forbes
10:30 AM
Five major education publishers sue Shopify for $500M+ over failing to remove pirated textbooks and other content that violate their trademarks and copyrights
The Verge
9:55 AM
Sources: as SenseTime prepares for an IPO, its plan for the world's first “AI casino” in Singapore's Genting resorts is delayed due to technical issues
Financial Times
9:30 AM
Mexico City-based buy now, pay later service and online consumer lender Kueski raises $102M in equity and $100M in debt, bringing its total funding to $300M+
TechCrunch
9:25 AM
Smartling, which offers automated cloud-based translation tools, raises $160M led by Battery Ventures, bringing its total funding to over $220M
VentureBeat
9:20 AM
Meta partners with UK nonprofit Revenge Porn Helpline to let victims get their intimate images “hashed” and prevent them from appearing on online platforms
NBC News
9:15 AM
Facebook makes 2FA mandatory for high-risk accounts, an expansion of Facebook Protect, which covers 1.5M accounts and will be in 50 countries by the end of 2021
TechCrunch
8:45 AM
Investigation finds US predictive policing tool PredPol, used countrywide, often perpetuates biases by directing police to poor, Black, and Latino neighborhoods
The Markup
8:25 AM
AI researcher Timnit Gebru, who left Google last year, launches Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research, an institute focused on the responsible use of AI
Wired
8:20 AM
Canadian video platform Rumble, popular with right-wing users, will go public via a SPAC at a $2.1B valuation and expects to raise around $400M
Reuters
8:15 AM
Shiftsmart, a labor marketplace that matches workers with shifts, raises a $95M Series B led by D1 Capital, bringing its total funding to $117M
TechCrunch
7:45 AM
Grab closes down 20.53% in its Nasdaq debut, after a SPAC merger valuing it at $40B and raising $4.5B, the largest US listing by a Southeast Asian company
Reuters
6:20 AM
Goalsetter, which offers a financial literacy education app for kids, raises a $15M Series A led by Seae Ventures
TechCrunch
5:40 AM
LinkedIn adds support for Hindi, spoken by about 600M people globally and 500M+ in India; English is spoken by less than 20% of India's 1.3B people
TechCrunch
5:35 AM
UN report: 2.9B people, or 37% of the world's population, have never used the internet, while internet users rose from 4.1B in 2019 to 4.9B in 2021
Gizmodo
5:25 AM
Indian food delivery service Swiggy invests $700M in its express delivery business Instamart, currently available in 18 cities and seeing 1M orders per week
TechCrunch
5:20 AM
Sources: Weibo and its shareholder Sina plan to price its Hong Kong second listing at HK$272.80 (~$35), seeking to raise around HK$3B ($385M)
Bloomberg
3:12 AM
Apple announces the best apps and games of 2021, across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, and the most downloaded apps of the year
TechCrunch
3:04 AM
Sources: Instacart is planning to launch a 15-minute-or-less grocery delivery pilot for US customers, from existing partner stores
The Information
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
11:31 PM
Uber adds ride booking via WhatsApp in India, starting with the city Lucknow, in a first for Uber and an expansion of WhatsApp's capabilities in the country
Bloomberg
11:20 PM
The CFPB's rule that lets debt collectors send texts, emails, and private social media messages to debtors, and requires opt-out instructions, goes into effect
Washington Post
10:40 PM
DOJ charges an ex-employee of IoT manufacturer Ubiquiti with data theft and for attempting to extort his employer while posing as a whistleblower and a hacker
BleepingComputer
10:30 PM
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform for Android gaming devices, partners with Razer on a handheld dev kit with a 6.65" 120Hz OLED display
TechCrunch
10:15 PM
Sources: Apple, which cut its projected iPhone 13 production targets for 2021 by up to 10M units, tells suppliers that it may not make up the shortfall in 2022
Bloomberg
10:10 PM
Planned Parenthood Los Angeles says a hacker gained access to its network in October, compromising the information of ~400,000 patients including clinical data
Washington Post
10:00 PM
Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, a 5nm chip with 5G and Wi-Fi 6, promising up to 85% better CPU and up to 60% faster GPU performance compared to Gen 2
The Verge
9:40 PM
Federal judge blocks a Texas law that limits large social media platforms' ability to moderate content, saying it violates the platforms' First Amendment rights
The Verge
9:20 PM
Qualcomm's new G3x platform could usher in a new wave of Nintendo Switch-alikes
The Verge
8:55 PM
Sounding Board, which operates a marketplace that connects employees with leadership coaches, raises a $30M Series B led by Jazz Venture Partners
TechCrunch
8:30 PM
Meta expands the number of eligible regulatory licenses for running crypto ads on Facebook and Instagram from three to 27
CNBC
7:35 PM
Meta will no longer block searches nor remove praise of Kyle Rittenhouse on Facebook and Instagram, after designating him a shooter in a “mass murder” in 2020
BBC
6:40 PM
In its end-of-year threat report, Meta says it took down several global disinformation networks, including anti-vaccine groups and groups linked to state actors
Washington Post
5:40 PM
Congress will hold a hearing with CEOs from Coinbase, Circle, FTX, Bitfury, Paxos, and Stellar on December 8 to discuss digital assets and the future of finance
Cointelegraph
4:40 PM
Square is changing its name to Block, effective December 10, and renaming Square Crypto to Spiral, as its business shifts toward technologies like blockchain
CNBC
4:05 PM
A look at China's extensive tech investments in Africa, including undersea cables, data centers, and fintech apps, as part of its “Digital Silk Road” initiative
Rest of World
2:55 PM
AWS announces SageMaker Studio Lab, a free version of SageMaker in public preview to help customers with little experience build, train, and deploy ML models
ZDNet
2:25 PM
In an internal Slack message, Marc Benioff says Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor will continue to report to him
The Information
12:30 PM
TikTok adds monetization tools for creators, including Stripe-powered Tips and Video Gifts, starting in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain
TechCrunch
12:05 PM
A look at Particle, founded by an ex-Christie's exec and others, which plans to split Banksy's Love Is in the Air into 10,000 pieces to be sold as NFTs
New York Times
11:45 AM
The Facebook Papers offer glimpses into how users perceive Meta's ad products, like the impact of its reaction emojis, and the concerns raised by employees
Forbes
11:15 AM
Microsoft announces Teams Essentials, a standalone version of Teams for SMBs with a simplified UI, focus on meetings, and no Office apps for $4 per user/month
The Verge
11:10 AM
Reddit announces real-time features, including live upvote, downvote, comment, and viewer counts, a typing indicator, and notifications for top-level comments
The Verge
10:55 AM
Crypto trading in Indonesia reached ~$50B by October this year, up over 10x YoY, despite the government and the Islamic Ulema Council forbidding crypto payments
Rest of World
10:35 AM
Research: Amazon revenue from third-party sellers will reach $121B in 2021, up from $60B in 2019, as seller fees reach 34%, up from 30% in 2018 and 19% in 2014
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
10:25 AM
Match Group will pay $441M to settle claims by Tinder founders and executives that Match avoided paying them up to $2B by undervaluing the app in mid-2017
Wall Street Journal
10:00 AM
Tel Aviv-based Frontegg, which helps SaaS companies track user data, raises a $25M Series A led by Insight Partners
TechCrunch
9:55 AM
Meta selects AWS as its “long-term strategic cloud provider”, a partnership that includes helping AWS customers run the PyTorch framework more effectively
Protocol
9:45 AM
US investing platform Republic acquires UK crowdfunding service Seedrs for $100M, after UK's CMA blocked a planned Seedrs-Crowdcube merger
Financial Times
9:20 AM
Blockchain audit service CertiK raises an $80M Series B2, following $61M across B and B+ rounds, at a nearly $1B valuation led by Sequoia Capital
The Block
9:15 AM
CyCognito, which helps eliminate critical security risks in IT ecosystems, raises a $100M Series C at an $800M valuation led by The Westly Group
VentureBeat
8:50 AM
1inch Network, which offers the popular DEX aggregator app 1inch, raises a $175M Series B led by Amber Group, bringing its total funding to $190M
The Block
7:30 AM
Anchor, which offers cloud-based autonomous billing tools for companies, raises a $15M seed led by Rapyd Ventures, Entrée Capital, and Tal Ventures
TechCrunch
7:25 AM
24 Exchange, which wants to let users trade stocks 24/7 like crypto, raises $14.25M led by Point72 Ventures; the SEC's approval or rejection is expected in 2022
Wall Street Journal
7:20 AM
Vancouver-based Klue, which offers AI-powered insights into competitors, raises a $62M Series B led by Tiger Global, following a $15M Series A in September 2020
TechCrunch
6:45 AM
Brazilian neobank Nubank lowers its IPO range from $10-$11 to $8-$9, aiming to raise up to $2.6B with an implied market cap of up to $41.5B
Financial Times
6:30 AM
Niels Juul, who produced Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, launches NFT Studios and hopes to raise $8M-$10M to fund a feature film by selling 10,000 NFTs
The Guardian
5:35 AM
Sources: Indian food delivery service Swiggy is raising $600M-$700M at a $10.5B valuation led by Invesco, up from $5.5B in April
Bloomberg
5:30 AM
GlobalFoundries reports Q3 net revenue rose 56% YoY to $1.7B as profit reached $5M, up from a $293M loss YoY, in its first post-IPO earnings report
Wall Street Journal
5:25 AM
Spain-based Jobandtalent, a marketplace matching temporary workers with employers, raises a $500M Series E at a $2.35B post-money valuation led by Kinnevik
TechCrunch
5:20 AM
Crypto.com plans to acquire the North American Derivatives Exchange (Nadex) and a ~40% stake in Small Exchange from IG Group for $216M in cash
Bloomberg
4:20 AM
Foldable smartphone shipments reached a record 2.6M units in Q3, up 480% YoY, with Samsung accounting for a 93% share followed by Huawei at 6%
Display Supply Chain Consultants
2:55 AM
Sources: China plans to ban companies from going public on foreign markets through variable interest entities, closing a loophole used by local tech companies
Bloomberg
2:45 AM
Q&A with Frances Haugen on becoming a whistleblower, leaving Facebook after moving to Puerto Rico, the Meta rebrand, and plans to run simulated social networks
Wired
2:10 AM
Sydney-based Harrison.ai, which uses AI-based tools to help improve the diagnosis process in health care, raises a $92.3M Series B led by Horizons Ventures
TechCrunch
1:00 AM
The “omicron” crypto token soaring in value following news of the COVID-19 variant is yet another example of how cryptocurrencies create artificial scarcity
Bloomberg
12:25 AM
Qualcomm plans to integrate Google's Vertex AI NAS into its Neural Processing SDK, starting with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, to automate the creation of AI models
ZDNet
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
11:55 PM
PeopleFund, a South Korea-based P2P lending service, raises a $63.4M Series C led by Bain Capital, as it looks to beef up its ML-powered credit scoring system
TechCrunch
11:25 PM
Jack Dorsey joins other tech leaders who seem to have grown tired of managing their platforms, amid increasing political controversy and hard-to-fix problems
New York Times
11:15 PM
Simpl, a Bangalore-based buy now, pay later service, raises a $40M Series B led by Valar Ventures and IA Ventures, bringing its total funding to $83M
TechCrunch
10:35 PM
Sources: Zappos CEO Kedar Deshpande is stepping down, a year after replacing Tony Hsieh; Scott Schaefer, VP of finance, will take over as interim CEO
Forbes
10:05 PM
The NY Federal Reserve launches an innovation center to support the agency's analysis of digital currencies, including CBDCs, and improve cross-border payments
Cointelegraph
9:10 PM
Dubai-based iMile, a courier startup for Chinese vendors, raises a $40M Series A at a $350M valuation; sources: ByteDance invested ~$10M at a lower valuation
Bloomberg
8:40 PM
Oculus rolls out v35, adding a mixed reality camera feature that requires an iPhone XS or above, Messenger Calling in VR, a new cloud backup system, and more
UploadVR
7:30 PM
Adobe: US consumers spent $10.7B online on Cyber Monday, below expectations and down 1.4% from $10.8B in 2020, as many shoppers returned to physical stores
CNBC
7:15 PM
Bitcoin mining firm Griid says it will go public via a SPAC in Q1 2022 at a valuation of around $3.3B, including debt
The Block
6:55 PM
Goldman Sachs partners with AWS to provide its market data and software tools to hedge funds and asset managers as a new service, GS Financial Cloud for Data
CNBC
6:35 PM
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with improved camera and AI processing and up to 20% better performance and 30% better power efficiency over Snapdragon 888
The Verge
6:20 PM
Jana Partners urges Zendesk to abandon its plans to acquire Momentive, which owns SurveyMonkey, rather than wait for a shareholder vote; Zendesk closed up 7.36%
Wall Street Journal
5:50 PM
Microsoft shareholders approve a proposal asking the company's board to publish a workplace sexual harassment report, in a rare win for activists
CNBC
5:35 PM
Box reports Q3 revenue of $224M, up 14% YoY, vs. $218.6M est., and billings of $231.5M, up 25% YoY, and a net retention rate of 109%, up from 103% YoY
ZDNet
5:30 PM
Twitch unveils Suspicious User Detection, a tool for streamers and moderators that uses ML to detect users attempting to evade bans
The Verge
5:15 PM
Twitch rolls out support for SharePlay on iPhone and iPad, allowing up to 32 participants to watch and move between streams together
Engadget
5:05 PM
HPE reports Q4 revenue of $7.35B vs estimates of $7.38B, Compute unit revenue of $3.2B, up 1.1% YoY, and Storage revenue of $1.3B, up 3% YoY
ZDNet
4:37 PM
Salesforce reports Q3 revenue of $6.86B, up 27% YoY, subscription and support sales of $6.4B, up 25% YoY, and Slack “saw another strong quarter”; stock down 5%+
MarketWatch
4:26 PM
Salesforce promotes Bret Taylor to Vice Chair of the Board and co-CEO alongside Marc Benioff, effective immediately
CNBC
4:10 PM
Amazon touts “record-breaking Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales”, in sharp contrast to reports of lackluster sales for the broader e-commerce industry
CNBC
3:20 PM
The Amazon Appstore and apps downloaded from it are broken on Android 12, despite the new OS version launching over a month ago
Liliputing
2:45 PM
Amazon announces AWS IoT TwinMaker to help developers create digital twins of real-time systems like buildings, factories, equipment, and product lines
VentureBeat
2:15 PM
Microsoft's inclusion of buy-now-pay-later app Zip in Edge is seen by some as heavy-handed, adding bloatware that may lessen the browser's privacy and security
Ars Technica
1:55 PM
Twitter should consider changing its business model as its ad revenue remains weak, despite its locked-in userbase, indispensability, and impenetrable moat
Stratechery
1:35 PM
Amazon unveils SageMaker Canvas, which lets business users build ML prediction models with a point-and-click UI, following similar offerings by Azure and others
TechCrunch
1:25 PM
SEC filing: Satya Nadella last week sold half his Microsoft stock, worth over $285M, before Washington state implements its new capital gains tax on January 1
GeekWire
1:18 PM
AWS says four of its cloud-based analytics services, Redshift, EMR, MSK, and Kinesis, are now available as serverless and on-demand services in public preview
TechCrunch
1:01 PM
David Marcus, the co-creator of Diem and head of Novi, will leave Meta at the end of the 2021; current Novi VP of Product Stephane Kasriel will lead Novi
Bloomberg
12:57 PM
Amazon unveils AWS Private 5G, a service providing hardware, software, and SIMs for deploying private mobile networks, without upfront or per-device charges
TechCrunch
12:35 PM
Privacy-focused cryptocurrency startup Iron Fish, which launched its IRON coin in April 2021, raises a $27.6M Series A led by a16z
Forbes
12:30 PM
AWS launches its ARM-based Graviton 3 processor, claiming it will be 25% faster than Graviton 2 and three times faster for ML workloads
TechCrunch
11:00 AM
Twitter bans sharing private images and videos without consent, with exceptions for newsworthiness and public figures, and will remove content that users report
Engadget
10:45 AM
Fundbox, which offers SMBs up to $150K in lines of credit using AI to automate loan decisions, raises a $100M Series D at a $1.1B valuation
TechCrunch
9:45 AM
Lessen, which offers a marketplace for every stage of home services and repair, raises a $170M Series B at a $1B+ valuation led by Fifth Wall
Forbes
9:25 AM
CloudTrucks, which helps truck operators manage cash flow, insurance, and more, raises a $115M Series B led by Tiger Global, bringing its total funding to $142M
TechCrunch
9:20 AM
Israeli DevOps security startup Cycode, which helps protect source code, raises a $56M Series B led by Insight Partners, following a $20M Series A in May 2021
SiliconANGLE
8:50 AM
Chicago-based ThreeFlow, which offers tools to insurance brokers selling employee benefits, raises a $45M Series B led by Accel after an $8M Series A in January
TechCrunch
8:45 AM
Via, which offers cities software and operations services to manage transit, raises a $130M Series G at a $3.3B valuation led by Janus Henderson
Bloomberg
8:40 AM
Abacum, which offers medium-sized companies financial planning and analysis tools, raises a $25M Series A led by Atomico, bringing its total funding to $32M
TechCrunch
8:15 AM
Profile of FTC Chair Lina Khan, as some longtime staffers worry she is underestimating the risks of pursuing aggressive antitrust cases that are likely to fail
New Yorker
7:55 AM
Finland is working to stop millions of text messages with links to the FluBot malware, which started spreading late last week
Bloomberg
7:50 AM
South Korean company Naver, which runs the popular Zepeto metaverse platform with 3D avatars, raises a $150M Series B at a $1B valuation from Vision Fund 2
Wall Street Journal
7:35 AM
FIFA is using 10 to 12 cameras, collecting up to 29 data points per player 50 times per second, to make semi-autonomous offside decisions at the Arab Cup
BBC
7:20 AM
Raycast, which helps developers manage SaaS tools, raises a $15M Series A led by Accel and Coatue
TechCrunch
7:15 AM
London-based Plum, a money management app, raises a $24M Series A from Dmg ventures and others, bringing its total funding to $43M
Finextra
6:45 AM
Adobe: US consumers spent $7.1B online by 9PM ET on Cyber Monday, below expectations and down from $10.8B in 2020, as many shoppers returned to physical stores
Wall Street Journal
6:02 AM
Chinese agencies issue the most comprehensive guidelines yet to protect drivers in the ride-hailing industry, including setting up local supervisory offices
Bloomberg
5:50 AM
Wise reports H1 2022 revenue rose 33% YoY to £256.3M as pre-tax profits dropped to £18.8M from £20M in H1 2021; headcount grew 32% YoY to 2,883
Financial Times
5:40 AM
Singapore-based YouTrip, which helps make multi-currency transactions less costly, raises a $30M Series A led by anonymous prominent family offices in Asia
TechCrunch
5:28 AM
UK's CMA orders Meta to sell Giphy, after finding the deal could harm rival platforms by denying access to GIFs, social media users, and UK advertisers
The Verge
2:50 AM
Melbourne-based Mr Yum, which lets diners order food and drink using QR codes, raises a $65M Series A led by Tiger Global
The Age
2:35 AM
Mainframe Industries, which develops cloud-native MMOs, raises a $23M Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing its total funding to $33.7M
SiliconANGLE
2:20 AM
Former Citi exec Matt Zhang announces Hivemind Capital Partners, a $1.5B VC fund to invest in blockchain startups, selects Algorand as a strategic partner
CoinDesk
2:00 AM
Stockholm-based Quinyx, which helps companies schedule gig work, raises $50M Series C led by Battery Ventures at $550M valuation, bringing its funding to $89M+
VentureBeat
1:55 AM
Twitter's new CEO has to steer a company that has underperformed the market, haltingly introduced new products, and struggled to moderate harmful content
Bloomberg
1:25 AM
Endowus, a Singapore-based robo-advisor app, raises $25.6M to bring its total funding to $49M, as it looks to speed up its hiring for geographic expansion
TechCrunch
Monday, November 29, 2021
11:45 PM
Possible reasons Dorsey stepped down, including activist investors and disinterest in the role, and what to expect from Parag Agarwal, who has focused on crypto
The Verge
10:25 PM
Filing: HashiCorp aims for a valuation of up to $13B in its IPO, reveals $82.2M in revenue, up 49% YoY, and a $22M net loss in its latest quarter
CNBC
7:30 PM
Upbound, which created the open-source multi-cloud management project Crossplane, raises a $60M Series B led by Altimeter Capital
TechCrunch
6:55 PM
Profile of Twitter's new CEO Parag Agrawal, little known to the public and a Jack Dorsey confidant who has been involved in many big strategic initiatives
New York Times
6:05 PM
Researchers find Google Play apps with 300K+ downloads that stole bank credentials, posing as QR and PDF scanners, exercise apps, and cryptocurrency wallets
Ars Technica
3:30 PM
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union says the NLRB has authorized a new election for Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama
CNBC
3:20 PM
Yassir, an Algerian startup with 3M+ users offering on-demand services such as ride-hailing and last-mile delivery, raises a $30M Series A
TechCrunch
3:05 PM
Amazon debuts AWS IoT RoboRunner to simplify building apps for managing robot fleets and AWS Robotics Startup Accelerator to offer AWS credits and expert advice
VentureBeat
2:30 PM
Citing “alleged serious breaches” of data protection laws, UK's ICO notifies Clearview AI of its provisional intention to fine the company £17M+
TechCrunch
11:35 AM
Chegg acquires Busuu, an online language learning startup with 120M+ users across 160+ countries, for €385 million
TechCrunch
10:00 AM
Documents: China's Henan province commissions a 3,000-camera surveillance system to track journalists, international students, and other “suspicious people”
Reuters
9:45 AM
Analysis: Amazon has built more than 450 warehouses in the US since the end of 2019, doubling its fulfillment capacity in the country to over 930 facilities
Wall Street Journal
9:24 AM
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey resigns, CTO Parag Agrawal takes over effective immediately; Dorsey to quit the board in 2022, Salesforce's Bret Taylor to become chair
CNBC
9:15 AM
Armis, which provides enterprises with IoT device security software, raises $300M at a $3.4B post-money valuation, up from $2B in February 2021
VentureBeat
9:05 AM
Russia's Roskomnadzor regulator says it will continue slowing down Twitter on mobile, in force since March, until all content deemed illegal is deleted
Reuters
9:01 AM
Intel is stockpiling ~3,000 pieces of its hardware and software going back a decade in Costa Rica for security research, with plans to expand to ~6,000 in 2022
Wall Street Journal
8:40 AM
Australia PM Scott Morrison proposes defamation legislation that would mandate social media companies reveal the identities of anonymous trolls or face fines
ABC
8:15 AM
Q&A with Forte founder and CEO Josh Williams on Forte's $725M Series B, adding “real purpose” to speculative crypto tokens via games, potential regulation, more
VentureBeat
7:40 AM
Clearlake Capital to buy Quest Software, which makes tools for IT departments, from Francisco Partners, sources say at a $5.4B valuation including debt
Wall Street Journal
7:10 AM
Thought Machine, which helps banks launch cloud-based services, raises a $200M Series C led by Nyca Partners at a $1B+ valuation
TechCrunch
5:35 AM
Booking.com plans to acquire Sweden-based Etraveli Group, one of its flight-booking partners, from CVC Capital for €1.63B
skift.com
Sunday, November 28, 2021
11:45 PM
Sources: UK's CMA is expected to block Meta's proposed acquisition of Giphy in the coming days
Financial Times
10:15 PM
A look at the challenges spies face with biometrics, smartphones, and surveillance cameras, and how AI sifting through data changes espionage
Wall Street Journal
7:35 PM
UK-based Motorway, a second-hand car auction site used by 4,000+ car dealers, raises a $190M Series C at a $1B+ valuation after a $67.7M Series B in June
TechCrunch
6:35 PM
Bangalore-based Slice, which lets its 5M+ credit card users pay bills in instalments, raises $220M Series B led by Tiger and Insight at a $1B+ valuation
TechCrunch
4:35 PM
Vestager asks the EU Parliament and Council to approve the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act as a matter of urgency, even if they are imperfect
Financial Times