Source: Facebook is planning to change its company name to reflect its focus on the metaverse as soon as next week at Connect, its annual AR/VR conference
Mark Zuckerberg wants to be known for building the metaverse — Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect …
ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF gained nearly 5% in its NYSE debut, with ~$981M in trading volume, making it the second most traded ETF debut ever per FactSet
Michael Wursthorn / Wall Street Journal :
UK's CMA fines Facebook £50.5M for breaching an order imposed during its ongoing Giphy acquisition investigation, saying Facebook refused to report information
Social media giant Facebook has been fined £50.5 million ($69.1 million) for breaching an order imposed … Source: GOV.UK .
ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF is akin to a commodities fund and will have the same risks that investors have been dealing with in the commodities markets
Jared Dillian / Bloomberg :
Q&A with Google executives on the Pixel 6's new Tensor SoC, which has two big ARM Cortex-X1 cores, 2 medium cores, and 4 efficiency cores
Learn more about the Google Tensor from the people that designed it. — The Pixel 6 is official, with a wild new camera design, incredible pricing, and the new Android 12 OS.
Bitcoin crosses $65,607, an all-time high, after the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF rose by nearly 5% on the NYSE
The latest rally appears fueled by the successful debut on Tuesday of the first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund. — Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency …
Google launches $599 Pixel 6, with 90Hz 6.4" display, and $899 Pixel 6 Pro, with 120Hz 6.7" display, both featuring an upgraded 50MP rear camera, coming Oct. 28
Microsoft begins letting Windows 11 beta testers try Android apps from the Amazon Appstore, starting with 50 apps
Beta Channel testers get access first — Microsoft is now allowing Windows 11 testers to try out Android apps. A preview version of the Windows Subsystem for Android … Source: Windows Blog .
Activision Blizzard says 20+ employees, including developers and supervisors, “exited” the company and 20+ faced disciplinary action after misconduct complaints
It reprimanded more than 20 others — Activision Blizzard says more than 20 employees have “exited” the company … Source: Activision Publishing .
Google debuts a Pixel Pass plan starting at $45/month for a Pixel 6 plus an upgrade in two years, 200GB of Google One, Play Pass, YouTube Premium, and more
Today, we introduced the new Pixel 6 and Pixel Pro …
District of Columbia AG Karl Racine plans to add Mark Zuckerberg to an ongoing privacy lawsuit, which began in 2018 following the Cambridge Analytica scandal
The District of Columbia case, which grew out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, could expose the chief executive to financial and other penalties.
Sources: China's Oppo is developing high-end mobile chips, using TSMC's 3nm tech, for its premium handsets due out in 2023 or 2024
China's top handset maker looks to use TSMC's cutting-edge 3-nm tech — TAIPEI — China's leading smartphone maker Oppo is developing high-end mobile chips …
Sources: PayPal has approached Pinterest about an acquisition, potentially valuing it at $39B; Pinterest stock has dropped 16% this year
PayPal Holdings Inc. is exploring an acquisition of social media company Pinterest Inc., people with knowledge of the matter said, Bloomberg News reports.
Apple botched the notch on the MacBook Pros by leaving out Face ID; the bezels are smaller but not ultrathin like on Dell and HP rivals
All the downsides of the notch, without the Face ID benefits — The day that many have been dreading has finally arrived. Apple has added a notch to its new MacBook Pros.
A look at Ask Delphi, a research project by the Allen Institute for AI that offers answers to ethical dilemmas, often with bewildering responses
A fascinating project that's best understood as a cautionary tale — Got a moral quandary you don't know how to solve? Fancy making it worse?
Brave replaces Google with its own privacy-centric Brave Search as the default search engine in its browser
As part of its ongoing push to eliminate Google as much as possible from our daily web experiences, Brave is removing Google Search as its default search engine. Source: Brave Browser .
A look at Pixel 6 and 6 Pro's cameras: main sensor takes in 150% more light, Real Tone can more accurately capture skin tones, Face Unblur, Magic Eraser, more
Samsung updates Galaxy Watch4 with Fall Detection, new watch faces, gesture controls, and more, rolling out in the US and South Korea
There have been a few minor updates to the Galaxy Watch 4 since the wearable's debut in August, but today Samsung is releasing its first major update for the product. Source: Samsung Global Newsroom .
Alongside Pixel 6, Google unveils Wait Times, which lists the current hold time for a customer support number, Hold for Me, Direct My Call, and more
Richard Lawler / The Verge :
US Commerce Department announces rules banning the export or resale of hacking tools, such as NSO's Pegasus, to China, Russia, and other countries of concern
The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced a long-awaited rule that officials hope will help stem the export or resale … Source: U.S. Department of Commerce .
Netflix reports Q3 revenue of $7.48B, up 16% YoY, operating income of $1.76B, up 33% YoY, and 214M paid subs, adding 4.4M YoY and beating estimates of 3.84M
- Netflix is set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday. — Netflix shares were up more than 2% after-the-bell Tuesday after the company posted third quarter results. Source: Netflix .
Spotify partners with Shopify to let artists list merch on profiles for $29/month to $299/month, starting in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Spotify on Wednesday announced a new partnership with ecommerce provider Shopify to let artists list merchandise directly on their profiles …
Sources: China tells McDonald's to expand its e-renminbi payments system ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics; source says Visa and Nike are also under pressure
Digital renminbi issued by central bank draws security concerns from US critics — China has told McDonald's to expand …
Google partners with Snap to bring exclusive Snapchat features to Pixel phones, including AR lenses and “Quick Tap to Snap”
Q&A with Sundar Pichai and Rick Osterloh on their ambitions with Pixel 6, Tensor SoC, Google hardware, and the Android ecosystem at large
Pinterest redesigns its home feed, adding a Watch tab for short videos and photo albums
The redesigned home feed includes two sections: browse and watch. — Pinterest said Wednesday it's revamping its home feed, adding a new tab called Watch where people can scroll through short videos ...
Facebook starts testing its Novi wallet in the US and Guatemala, letting users trade the Paxos Dollar; Coinbase will provide custody services
the US and Guatemala. People can send and receive money instantly, securely, and with no fees. 1/8 David Marcus / @davidmarcus : I do want to be clear that our support for Diem hasn't changed and we i...
Tel Aviv-based Deci, which helps build AI models that can work with available data and compute power, raises a $21M Series A led by Insight Partners
Building usable models to run AI algorithms requires not just adequate data to train systems, but also the right hardware subsequently to run them.
Profile of Asana as it announces an Enterprise Work Graph, APIs to integrate with CRM tools, and more
When people first started to take note of a fledgling company called Asana a dozen years ago, the big news was that it had been started by Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz along … Source: Asana .
UK's Royal Mint partners with Canadian startup Excir to extract and recycle gold and precious metals from old smartphones and laptops
BBC : Source: The Royal Mint .
Animoca Brands, which lets players own in-game items as NFTs, raises $65M at a $2.2B valuation, up from $1B in May
Animoca Brands, a prominent investor in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized gaming, has completed a capital raise of $65 million at a $2.2 billion valuation, the company announced Wednesday.
How Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon, and others increasingly rival states for geopolitical influence and are reshaping the global order as we know it
After rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, some of the United States' most powerful institutions sprang into action to punish the leaders of the failed insurrection. Tweets: @ianbremmer , @m...
Sources: Jack Ma has left China for the first time since Alibaba came under regulatory pressure last November, traveling to Europe to see friends
Keith Zhai / Wall Street Journal :
Invicti Security, which helps companies secure web apps, raises $625M led by Summit Partners; Invicti was created by merging Netsparker and Acunetix in 2017
Application security testing startup Invicti Security Ltd. will have bags of money to play with after raising a $625 million funding round led by Summit Partners.
Analysis: Andreessen Horowitz's investment team has grown to 70 in the past four years, up by 170%, outpacing Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed, and others
One of the running jokes among Silicon Valley venture capitalists is that, eventually, all of them will become partners at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Tweets: @jessicalessin and @amir Tweets: Jessica...
Sources: the recent ransomware attack against Sinclair is linked to Russian group Evil Corp., which changed names to avoid 2019 US sanctions
- Evil Corp. said to change names to avoid 2019 U.S. sanctions — Broadcaster hit with new ransomware strain called Macaw Tweets: @williamturton , @caseynewton , @williamturton , @williamturton , an...
Report: US memory chip maker Micron Technology to build a $7B plant in Hiroshima to make DRAM chips, with production set to begin in 2024
A look at the use of drones and online “in-play” betting at UK horse racing venues to gain a gambling advantage, which has angered many in the racing industry
Chris Stokel-Walker / Wired UK : Tweets: @raypaulick , @stokel , @stokel , and @stokel Tweets: Ray Paulick / @raypaulick : Like an episode from the Twilight Zone. The resourcefulness of horseplayers....
Internal doc: Amazon held talks with Starbucks to put its cashierless tech in a co-branded coffee shop, at one point aiming for a Q4 2020 launch
Snap, TikTok, and YouTube execs to testify at an October 26 Senate hearing about social media's impact on children convened by Senators Blumenthal and Blackburn
Flock Freight, which uses AI to help shippers pool goods, raises a $215M Series D at a $1.3B valuation led by Vision Fund 2, bringing total raised to $399M
Lydia O'Neal / Wall Street Journal :
Draft EU document: finalization of the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act has been pushed back further into next year from an initial spring 2022 goal
Bloomberg : Tweets: @nat_droz and @business Tweets: Natalia Drozdiak / @nat_droz : EU walks back its initial aim to finalise new rules against Big Tech by next spring - now the new vague goal is to d...
Saildrone, which develops autonomous boats for scientific and marine intelligence applications such as mapping the ocean floor, raises a $100M Series C
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch :
Prague-based Rossum, which uses AI to automate document processing, raises a $100M Series A led by General Catalyst, sources say at a $500M-$1B valuation
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat :
Comcast unveils XClass smart TVs starting at $298, available at Walmart, and offering 12 months of ad-supported Peacock Premium for free in the US
Todd Spangler / Variety : Tweets: @xpangler and @utcemi Tweets: Todd Spangler / @xpangler : In the next few months, Comcast said, it will launch pay-TV streaming services from Xfinity and Charter Com...
Republic, which lets non-accredited investors buy startup stakes as tiny as $10, raises $150M Series B led by Valor Equity Partners, after March's $36M Series A
HR Acuity, which develops employee relations and investigations management software, raises $47M from K1 Investment Management
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat :
Egypt's state-run e-payments company, E-Finance, rises 40% on its market debut, after raising $370M
Bloomberg :
Despite its years-long opposition to foreign VPNs, China says foreign entities can now invest in VPN services in the country, limited to a 50% stake
Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer :
Snap launches a global creative studio called Arcadia to help brands develop AR ads and experiences, partnering with companies like Verizon and WWE
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch : Source: Snap Newsroom .
Israel-based SeaLights, whose tech lets customers spot potential quality risks associated with their software changes in real time, raises a $30M Series B
Google says it updated its image search algorithms to show more racially diverse results, with the aim of promoting greater skin tone diversity
Amazon says third-party US sellers averaged $200K in sales in the year ended August 31, up YoY from $170K, amid scrutiny of boosting its own brands
Annie Palmer / CNBC :
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.