Facebook says it will begin testing ads on Oculus headsets, starting with the shooter game Blaston, and won't use data stored on devices to target ads
- Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will begin testing advertisements that will appear within the company's Oculus virtual reality headsets.
Microsoft has named CEO Satya Nadella as chair of its board, replacing independent director John Thompson who succeeded Bill Gates as chair in 2014
- Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, is becoming the software company's chair, after running the company for seven years, when he replaced Steve Ballmer.
By acquiring promising VR games and software companies, Facebook seems to be cornering the VR market, reminiscent of its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions
A recent shopping spree is giving some folks Instagram-in-2012 vibes — Imagine that, over the past year, Facebook had managed …
Amazon Appstore unveils a new program that reduces its share of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers earning less than $1M per year, starting in Q4
The Amazon Appstore has announced that it will be reducing its cut of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers that earn less than $1 million in revenue per year.
Mark Cuban calls for stablecoin regulation, after trading Iron Finance's algorithmic stablecoin DeFi Titanium, which then crashed from $60 to $0 in a day
Here's a chart you never want to see. It's of the DeFi Titanium token, which in one day went from being valued around $60 to $0.
At the summit, Biden told Putin that certain critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyberattacks; Putin agreed to “begin consultations” on the issue
U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that certain critical infrastructure …
Wise, previously known as TransferWise, plans to go public on the LSE via a direct listing, the first company to choose an alternative listing in the UK
- Founders, employees get extra voting rights for limited time — Direct listings are becoming more popular among U.S. startups
In Q1 2021, global 5G smartphone shipments grew 6% QoQ, with Samsung up 79% QoQ and Vivo up 62% QoQ, while Apple maintained its lead despite a 23% dip
BOSTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)— According to new research from Strategy Analytics, Samsung and Vivo were the world's fastest growing 5G smartphone vendors in the first quarter of 2021.
Sources: Google is developing a conversational AI product, known internally as Tivoli, which aims to teach foreign languages through Google Search
Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month previewed an artificial intelligence model that he said would enable people to have open-ended conversations with technology.
In Xbox's June update, Microsoft adds a Stories-like feature to the Xbox mobile app and rolls out text-to-speech and speech-to-text accessibility features
June update is here, and Microsoft has — detailed the latest software tweaks Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can look forward to trying out on their consoles.
Instagram launches ads in Reels worldwide; the ads can be up to 30 seconds and vertical in format
Instagram Reels are getting ads. The company announced today it's launching ads in its short-form video platform and TikTok rival, Reels, to businesses and advertisers worldwide.
Unit, which helps companies build financial and banking products, raises $51M Series B led by Accel, bringing its total raises to ~$70M
We've all heard the phrase, “Every company is a fintech.” — But these days, that's becoming more and more true as an increasing number of companies …
Leaked memo: ByteDance says its annual revenue in 2020 grew 111% YoY to $34.3B, while gross profit rose 93% YoY to $19B
ByteDance's gross profit rose 93% to $19 billion last year, according to a memo to staff — ByteDance Ltd., the owner of popular short-video app TikTok …
Profile of Doug Guthrie, an advocate for doing business in China who advised Apple from 2014-2019, as he now warns of the risks of China's nationalist turn
Doug Guthrie, once one of America's leading China bulls, rang the alarm on doing business there. He spoke about his time at Apple. Tweets: @jacknicas , @jacknicas , and @nytimes Tweets: Jack Nicas / ...
Russian lawmakers pass legislation that would force US tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures
Russian lawmakers passed legislation on Thursday that would oblige U.S. tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures …
In an email to creators, Facebook says it will launch its podcast platform on June 22; podcasters can link up RSS feeds and decide if users can clip shows
Facebook Lance Ulanoff / @lanceulanoff : Somehow, I don't see myself going to Facebook for my podcasts. https://twitter.com/... Ashley Carman / @ashleyrcarman : probably most interesting to podcasters...
Rep. David Cicilline, leading a push for a new Big Tech antitrust legislation, says it will prohibit Apple from impeding users from removing pre-installed apps
distracting the company from its growth areas, risking regulatory retaliation, making its higher information users mad, and all not actually that much $$ in Apple terms. https://www.slowboring.com/......
Akur8, which uses AI to automate insurance claims, raises $30M Series B, bringing its total raised to $42M
Automating insurance claims is a big business, and the world of AI is coming at it ‘full pelt’. The latest is Akur8, an insurtech automating insurance platform whose ‘Transparent AI’ product …
Claroty, which develops security tech for industrial companies, raises $140M Series D, bringing its total raised to $235M, ahead of an IPO
'We are able to reverse-engineer OT protocols and use them thanks to help from Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Siemens.
Experts say India's courts, not India's government, have power to decide whether Twitter should keep its safe harbor protections in India under new IT rules
India's courts, not the government in New Delhi, have the authority to end ‘safe harbor’ protections for the platform. — • BANGALORE, INDIA
The recent surge in ransomware attacks has upended the cyber insurance industry, increasing costs and requirements just as more companies need it
Cyber insurance carriers are raising premiums and limiting coverage in the face of severe ransomware attacks, just as organizations are clamoring for more protection
Sources: Google is downsizing its health team, which was working on sensors and health records, and moving them to Fitbit as part of a major reorganization
- Google's young health division is splintering, according to employees and an email seen by Insider. Tweets: @dodgeblake , @hughlangley , and @counternotions Tweets: Blake Dodge / @dodgeblake : Anoth...
Amazon blames social media companies for its failure to remove fake reviews, saying they let bad actors use their platforms to buy and sell fake product reviews
After years of pop-up experiments, Google says its first retail store, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC, will open on June 17
a day in nearly post-pandemic NYC Tweets: @madebygoogle : Google's first ever retail store opens tomorrow in NYC! 😃Friendly staff ready to answer your questions 🎨A full selection of products and produ...
Spotify launches Greenroom, an app that lets Spotify users worldwide join or host live audio rooms and turn those conversations into podcasts
Nylas, an API platform that helps developers integrate features like email and calendar into apps, raises $120M Series C led by Tiger Global
Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. — Nylas, an API (application programming interface) …
Facebook launches a new suite of tools for admins of Groups, including AI-powered Conflict Alerts that identify “contentious or unhealthy conversations”
James Vincent / The Verge :
Apple's obsession with thin design has made the new M1-powered iMac less useful by removing ports and making it virtually impossible to replace components
Snap launches Creative Kit for Spotlight, which will let developers put their apps inside Snapchat's TikTok rival Spotlight
Ride the wave of virality for downloads — Snapchat is making it easier for developers to use viral content to directly promote their apps.
Filing shows that Confluent, which offers a streaming platform based on Apache Kafka, is seeking to raise $759M at ~$8.3B valuation in its US IPO
Sohini Podder / Reuters :
Facebook partners with Michigan State University to create a method for reverse-engineering deepfakes by using AI to reveal the ML model that created it
great for spotting coordinated behavior https://ai.facebook.com/... @facebookai : Our researchers have partnered with @michiganstateu to develop a method of detecting and attributing deepfakes that re...
Beamery, which develops software to manage hiring and retaining staff, raises $138M, sources say at a $800M valuation
Online job listings were one of the first things to catch on in the first generation of the internet. But that has, ironically, also meant that some of the most-used …
Interview with Apple's VP for Technology Kevin Lynch on Apple Watch's evolution, future health capabilities through sensor fusion with AirPods, and more
Around 150 of Mapbox's 222 US staff have signed CWA union cards; they assert maps are political, and workers should be able to refuse to work on some projects
Tractable, which uses computer vision and AI to help make damage appraisals for car insurance claims, raises $60M Series D, giving the company a $1B valuation
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch :
Tel Aviv-based WalkMe, which helps users navigate UIs of other software services, raised $287M in its US IPO at ~$2.4B valuation; stock fell 7.1% after debut
Bloomberg :
Waymo raises $2.5B from Alphabet, a16z, Tiger Global, and others, to advance its autonomous driving tech and grow its team
Lauren Feiner / CNBC :
Xiaoetong, which offers digital tools to coordinate brand marketing, online traffic, and sales channels, raises $120M Series D from Hillhouse Capital, more
Every day, 100k+ smart people read our newsletter. You can sign up here. Liya Su / DealStreetAsia : Tencent-backed XiaoETong bags $120m in a Series D round led by IDG Capital AJ Cortese / Tech in Asi...
Sources: China's market regulator has begun an antitrust probe into Didi Chuxing, as it prepares for a US IPO
Harry Stebbings, a 24-year-old Londoner with a popular podcast about tech investing, raises $140M fund from MIT, RIT Capital, and founders of Spotify and Calm
Twitch, where even niche artists can make thousands of dollars per month by cultivating fan tribes, is becoming increasingly attractive to musicians
and allows those connections to be efficiently monetized. https://www.nytimes.com/... @future_of_music : Ben's a great journalist and everyone should read everything he writes. But this piece leaves a...
Fleet management software provider KeepTruckin raises $190M led by G2 Venture Partners at a $2.3B valuation
Gillian Tan / Bloomberg :
With products like Dash Buttons and Echo Look, Amazon uses customers to test features then sunsets the devices too quickly due to low sales or negative feedback
Brian X. Chen / New York Times : Tweets: @elephantjournal , @rgmcgrath , @gregbensinger , and @chey_cobb Tweets: @elephantjournal : Amazon's experimental approach to product design can hurt your wall...
Vianai Systems, an AI startup founded by former Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka, raises $140M Series B led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2
The Economic Times :
Imply, which runs a real-time data analytics platform, raises $70M Series C led by Bessemer Venture Partners, at a $700M post-money valuation
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
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.