TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigns, sources say after Trump threatened to ban the app; Vanessa Pappas, currently general manager of TikTok, will become interim head
Former Disney executive resigns just months after appointment by Chinese video platform — Kevin Mayer has quit TikTok …
Facebook users reported Kenosha Guard's Page and event to Facebook before the shootings but were told it did not violate its policies; the Pages are now gone
Multiple users reported the account for inciting violence, but were told it did not violate platform policy
Amazon announces Halo, a $99.99 fitness band with an app to track emotional tone and create 3D scans for body fat, with a $3.99/month subscription service
It makes a 3D model of your body and tracks the emotional tone in your voice — Amazon is getting into the health gadget market …
Epic says Fortnite gamers on iOS and macOS will not be able to play the game's next season, arriving Thursday, and will lose cross-play with non-Apple platforms
Apple players are losing cross-play — Fortnite's next season arrives tomorrow, but if you're on iOS or macOS, you won't be able to play it, Epic announced today.
Walmart says it is working with Microsoft on the TikTok deal, sources say with the idea of turning TikTok US into an e-commerce app for creators and users
Microsoft is working with Walmart on its efforts to buy TikTok's U.S. business from China's ByteDance, Axios has learned from multiple sources close to the process.
Facebook warns publishers that Apple's upcoming privacy changes in iOS 14, which clamp down on ad tracking IDFA usage, will make Audience Network less effective
Facebook is warning advertisers that they can expect weaker ad performance from iPhone users once iOS 14 comes out next month …
Sources: TikTok likely to announce a sale of US, Canada, Australia, and NZ operations in a deal worth $20B to $30B as soon as next week
- TikTok is nearing an agreement to sell its U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand operations in a deal that could be announced as soon as next week, sources say.
Report: Oracle has taken the lead position to acquire TikTok and is offering $10B in cash, $10B in stock, and 50% of TikTok's annual profit to ByteDance
The Wrap reports that Oracle is offering $10 billion in cash, $10 billion in Oracle stock, and an agreement that 50% of TikTok's profit will go to ByteDance. Source: The Wrap .
Fairphone debuts modular €469 Fairphone 3+ with 40% recycled plastics, launching on September 14; Fairphone 3 users can upgrade camera module for €70
Fairphone is a Dutch social enterprise that's trying to improve supply chain and labor conditions in the tech industry.
Salesforce to cut ~1,000 jobs, 1.8% of its workforce, including some Tableau employees, and will give those affected 60 days to find a new role in the company
- The cuts amount to about 2% of Salesforce's workforce, but employees affected will have 60 days to find a new position at the company.
Counterpoint: Apple's AirPods are expected to sell 82M pairs this year, but their worldwide market share of true wireless earphones will drop from ~50% to 35%
- AirPods maker is projected to sell 82 million pairs this year — Wider market growing even faster, driven by cheaper models
Amazon opens its first Fresh grocery store in Los Angeles to select customers, equipped with Dash Carts and voice-activated Echo Show displays
- Amazon is opening the first location of its new chain of Fresh grocery stores. — The store, located in Los Angeles' Woodland Hills neighborhood …
A few lessons for the events industry from digital turning points in music, video, and news industries, as Zoom transforms events like Napster changed music
All types of business events are in danger of their revenue streams of tickets, sponsorships, memberships, and other types of fees being eroded. Tweets: @waxy , @ruudwjanssen , @rashmi , @chr1sa , @ck...
Opensignal report: US average 5G speeds (50.9 Mbps), just 1.8x 4G speeds (28.9 Mbps), lag behind the rest of the world; South Korea and Saudi Arabia lead
It's no surprise at this point that United States rollouts of 5G networks haven't delivered on the next-generation cellular standard's promise …
A look at the vast Unreal Engine ecosystem, from game developers to Hollywood studios to car makers, that may be affected if Apple bans Epic's developer account
Nick Statt / The Verge :
reMarkable 2 E Ink tablet review: enjoyable writing experience, and excellent display, but limited capabilities, no backlight, and expensive at $399
Swapping pen and paper for E Ink — The pen, as the saying goes, is mightier than the sword. And modern computers, apparently …
Messaging app LINE launches a blockchain platform where developers can tokenize digital assets and run dapps, plus a wallet for users to manage digital assets
Messaging giant LINE has launched a wallet for users to manage digital assets and a blockchain platform where developers can issue …
Joe Budden, one of Spotify's biggest exclusive podcasters, is leaving Spotify on Sept. 23, claims it “is pillaging” his audience and won't give him a bonus
“I cannot tell you where this podcast will be.” — Joe Budden, one of Spotify's biggest exclusive podcasters, is leaving the platform.
Sony opens registration for invite-only PlayStation 5 preorders, says supply will be limited and invitation program is aimed at existing PlayStation customers
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge :
German food ordering group Delivery Hero acquires grocery app InstaShop, which operates in the MENA region, for $360M
Purchase by German food ordering group follows moves by rivals into rapid grocery delivery — The German food ordering group Delivery Hero has acquired …
Sources say problems at Intel are likely to delay the DoE's exascale supercomputer project, which was scheduled to be installed near Chicago in 2021
The chip maker was selected for an Energy Department project meant to show American tech independence. But problems at Intel have thrown a wrench into the effort. Tweets: @donal888 Tweets: Don Clark ...
Restream, a service that helps creators stream to around 30 platforms simultaneously, raises $50M Series A co-led by Sapphire Ventures and Insight Partners
Live streaming of video has come into its own during the coronavirus pandemic, with services like Zoom, YouTube, Twitch …
Most of Scots Wikipedia appears to be written by an American attempting a Scottish accent, not Scots, Scotland's official language; the user has 23K+ articles
not the Scots language—with misspellings to imitate a Scottish accent. https://www.vice.com/... Evan Greer / @evan_greer : Tbh it's just nice to know the internet can still be weird https://twitter.co...
Visa says it has developed a more advanced AI system that can approve or decline credit and debit transactions on behalf of banks whose own networks are down
The deep-learning application makes more accurate decisions on behalf of banks experiencing network disruptions, Visa says Tweets: @visanews Tweets: @visanews : .@Visa harnesses #data and #deeplearnin...
Rep. David Cicilline says recommendations from House antitrust inquiry could come as soon as Sept. and a Glass-Steagall-like law for tech might be an option
David McLaughlin / Bloomberg :
Kioxia Holdings, the memory chipmaker spun out of Toshiba in 2018, wants to raise $3.3B in Japan's biggest IPO of 2020 that could value the company at $19.79B
Bloomberg :
Broadly enacted WeChat ban would hurt US firms operating in China by hindering staff communication, say members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai
Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal :
New Zealand's stock exchange halted trading for more than three hours on Wednesday after experiencing its second cyber attack in two days, likely DDoS
Tracy Withers / Bloomberg :
Smartsheet to buy Brandfolder, a Denver-based startup that sells digital asset management software, for approximately $155M in cash and stock
Taylor Soper / GeekWire :
US says three members of international piracy ring Sparks Group have been arrested, in coordination with 18 countries, and charged with copyright infringement
Karl Bode / VICE :
Substack to support paid subscriptions for writers based in India; the feature is in beta and Substack will waive its 10% fee during the beta period
Substack Blog : Tweets: @akm1410 , @smc90 , @anmolm_ , @reddymadhavan , @iruhdam24 , @pankajontech , @hamishmckenzie , and @patio11 See also Mediagazer Tweets: Ashish K. Mishra / @akm1410 : Super new...
Google announces updates for its Nest Hub aimed at hotels, including adding wake-up calls along with weather and local information
Brian Heater / TechCrunch :
Ten VC firms say they're adding “diversity riders” in term sheets, pledging startups and lead investors will try to include underrepresented investors in deals
Dan Primack / Axios : Tweets: @vusithembekwayo , @lolitataub , @mexicalial , @aape , @jorgemtorres , @firstround , @maveron , @plexocapital , and @themollette Tweets: Vusi Thembekwayo / @vusithembekw...
China's social credit system will soon share data across platforms and provinces using blockchain technology called “Remin Chain”, according to a report
Sources: Alibaba pauses investments in Indian companies for at least six months, but has no plans to lower stakes or exit investments, amid India-China tensions
Box reports quarterly revenue of $192.3M, up 11% YoY, vs $189.6M est., free cash flow of positive $13.3M up from negative $19M YoY
Stephanie Condon / ZDNet : Tweets: @alex Tweets: @alex : also raised guidance, which is what every analyst wants to hear https://twitter.com/...
A look at startups aiming to build better digital calendars, with faster ways to create meetings, optimizing schedules, analytics for corporate calendars, more
David Pierce / Protocol : Tweets: @protocol , @pierce , and @protocol Tweets: @protocol : Right now, calendars are based on old, outdated technology. They're like SMS. So a bunch of companies are vyi...
Habi, a Colombia-based residential real estate marketplace with automated pricing tech, raises $10M Series A to fuel Latin American expansion
Kirsten Korosec / TechCrunch :
Shopify's new AI commerce stack
Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control
Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data
Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.