Memo: Apple delays its return to corporate offices to a “date yet to be determined”, after previously setting a February 1 return date
- Company had planned to bring corporate workers back by Feb. 1 — Delay comes in response to rising Covid-19 cases, new variant
A deep dive into an NSO zero-click iMessage exploit, captured in the wild by Citizen Lab and one of the most sophisticated Google's Project Zero has seen
We want to thank Citizen Lab for sharing a sample of the FORCEDENTRY exploit with us, and Apple's Security Engineering and Architecture …
Reddit confidentially files its S-1 with the SEC for an IPO; the number of shares to be offered and the price range have yet to be determined
Reddit, Inc. today announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission …
Apple closes three retail stores in Miami, Annapolis, and Ottawa, Canada after a rise in employee COVID-19 cases and exposures
Brickell in Miami, Annapolis in Maryland, and Rideau Street in Ottawa. Zoë Schiffer / @zoeschiffer : Apple is closing more stores amid a surge in COVID-19 cases among retail staff: https://www.nbcnews...
Eighteen Democratic lawmakers ask the Treasury and State Departments for Magnitsky rights abuse sanctions on four spyware firms, including NSO and DarkMatter
Interview with Nick Clegg, Meta's VP of global affairs, on moving from politics to Meta, the impact of Haugen's leaks, and the decision to ban Trump
Nick Clegg may be available in Berlin. He has a slot in Paris. He'll make time for lunch in Brussels.
Meta says a woman was groped on its Horizon Worlds platform on November 26; an internal review says she should have used its “Safe Zone” tool
Last week, Meta (the umbrella company formerly known as Facebook) opened up access to its virtual-reality social media platform, Horizon Worlds.
Apple releases Swift Playgrounds 4, which lets users develop apps on their iPads and upload finished apps to the App Store
Apple announced that it has officially released Swift Playgrounds 4. The tech giant first announced the upcoming launch of the new software at WWDC earlier this year.
Reddit, home to 100K+ active communities visited by 50M+ people every day, has raised $1B+ over its lifetime and was most recently valued at $10B+ in August
Reddit announced on Wednesday that it had confidentially filed paperwork for an eventual public offering of its stock …
TikTok says it will adjust its recommendation algorithm to avoid negative reinforcement and protect mental well-being
The app says it is working to diversify the content it pushes to individual users in order to protect their mental well-being — Popular video-sharing app TikTok …
Spotify rolls out a five-star ratings system for podcasts that will only let users rate a show after listening
Spotify is borrowing a page from rival Apple with the addition of a five-star user ratings system for podcasts — a new tool for sorting through the more than 3.2 million podcast titles …
Google's in-house incubator Area 120 launches Qaya, which helps US creators set up online storefronts to sell products and services directly to customers
A team at Google is today launching a new service called Qaya, which will allow creators to easily set up new web storefronts …
Sources: Indian edtech company Byju's is in advanced talks to go public via SPAC on the NYSE, raising around $4B and valuing it at about $48B
- Education startup is discussing deal with Churchill Capital — SPAC merger could value Byju's at more than $40 billion
Adidas Originals partners with Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney, and others to launch an NFT collection, including access to wearables in The Sandbox virtual world
Adidas Originals will launch its first nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as it dives into Web 3 and the metaverse.
Analysis: cryptocurrency scams cost owners $7.7B in 2021, up 81% from 2020, driven by DeFi-based “rug pulls”, where developers suddenly abandon projects
This blog is a preview of our 2022 Crypto Crime Report. Sign up here to reserve your copy and we'll email you the full report when it comes out in February!
An in-depth look at the events surrounding the deadly tornado that hit an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, leaving six dead, as workers sheltered in restrooms
A woman told 911 that one of the people sheltering with her had been ‘bent in half’ by rubble. A driver detailed his frantic flight to safety.
Microsoft and cybersecurity company Mandiant say state-backed hacking groups linked to China, Iran, North Korea, and Turkey are exploiting the Log4j flaw
some of these groups have been known to target think tanks, academic institutions, and NGOs. Assume compromise and back up your files frequently. https://twitter.com/... Dustin Volz / @dnvolz : New: H...
Uber says it plans to launch a driverless food-delivery pilot in Santa Monica next year in partnership with Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv
Uber Technologies Inc. plans to launch a driverless food-delivery pilot program in the U.S. next year, the company announced on Thursday.
Cockroach Labs, which makes the SQL database CockroachDB, raises a $278M Series F at a $5B valuation, after raising $160M at a $2B valuation in January
Cockroach Labs, makers of CockroachDB, has been raking in money this year. It started the year with a $160 million Series E …
Dutch startup Silverflow, which claims to be the first cloud-native card payments service, raises a $17M Series A led by Coatue
Quick Take — Dutch payment tech company Silverflow has closed a $17 million Series A round, led by Coatue Management. — The round was joined …
IBM and Samsung say Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistors, an alternative to FinFET chip designs, can offer 2x performance, amid similar claims from Intel
Amazon says it will reduce its Alexa skills commission from 30% to 20% for developers who earn less than $1M per year, starting in Q2 2022
Amazon is joining other tech giants by lowering its cut of developer revenue generated by voice apps, known as Alexa skills, which run on Amazon's smart speakers and other Alexa-powered devices.
Katie Haun is leaving Andreessen Horowitz to start a new firm focusing on crypto and Web3 startups; Haun's deals at a16z included OpenSea and Coinbase
they're like family. As a board partner I will continue to work on managing the existing a16z crypto portfolio and will keep my board seats Kathryn Haun / @katie_haun : 6/ This is an exciting new chap...
TikTok is testing TikTok Live Studio, a Windows app that lets users stream directly to TikTok Live from their computer
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch :
Source: grocery delivery service Gopuff, which recently launched in London and NYC, raised $1.5B in convertible notes at a ~$40B valuation
Gopuff, an instant delivery platform for everyday items, has raised $1.5 billion in new funding at around a $40 billion valuation, Axios has learned.
Stocktwits, a social network used by traders and investors, raises $30M, source says at a $210M valuation, led by Alameda Research and says it has 1M MAUs
Stocktwits, a social-media platform used by day traders and other retail investors, raised $30 million in a funding round led by Alameda Research Ventures.
Google's Manifest V3 rules for Chrome extensions won't stop malware, but will hurt innovation, reduce capabilities, and harm performance
Brazilian e-commerce startup Olist, which connects small sellers to large marketplaces, raises $186M Series E at a $1.5B valuation, after $80M Series D in April
Olist, a Brazilian e-commerce marketplace integrator, confirmed it is now valued at $1.5 billion after securing $186 million …
Nansen, a crypto analytics service known for its ability to track high-value investors, raises a $75M Series B led by Accel, sources say at a $750M valuation
Quick Take — Venture capital firm Accel led the fundraise, with participation from a16z and Tiger Global.
Dialpad, an enterprise voice, video, and contact-center service, raises $170M led by Iconiq at a $2.2B valuation, up from $1.2B last year
Cloud communications platform Dialpad has raised $170 million in a round of funding led by Iconiq Capital, valuing the company at $2.2 billion — roughly double its valuation on last year.
Malta's status as Europe's online gambling capital is under threat after it was added to the global money laundering watchdog FATF's “gray list” in June
Willem Marx / Bloomberg :
Meta adds Messenger support to Ray-Ban Stories via a software update, letting users send and receive messages, make calls, and have messages read aloud
Mitchell Clark / The Verge :
Elementary, which uses AI to automate product inspections in factories, raises a $30M Series B led by Tiger Global, bringing its total funding to $47.5M+
While it might not be the first example that comes to mind when thinking of AI applications, AI systems are increasingly being used in the manufacturing sector.
Redditors grieve as Reddit sunsets its beloved annual Secret Santa exchange platform Reddit Gifts, which facilitated anonymous giving between users globally
Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu / Financial Times :
Denver-based Gtmhub, which helps companies track objectives and results, raises a $120M Series C led by Index Ventures, bringing its total raised to ~$160M
Denver-based software startup Gtmhub announced this morning that it has closed a $120 million Series C. Index Ventures led the round …
North Carolina-based CData, which aggregates data from 200+ sources for businesses, raises a $140M Series B from Updata, bringing its total funding to $160M
Paul Gillin / SiliconANGLE :
Internal report: employees at Wildlife Studios, a Brazilian mobile game maker valued at $3B, have repeatedly alleged gender wage imbalances and discrimination
Rest of World :
Q&A with CEO John Hanke on Niantic's Lightship platform for building AR apps, why VR is an easier tech problem to solve than AR, the metaverse, and more
Recycling service Rubicon, which uses data to match waste with disposal sites, will go public via SPAC at a ~$2B valuation; Rubicon works with Apple and others
Rubicon, a software platform that manages waste and recycling, is going public in a $2 billion SPAC deal. Customers include Apple and Walmart and high-profile investors include Leonardo DiCaprio: http...
Samsara, which offers tools to manage IoT sensors in vehicle fleets, closes up 7.39% in its NYSE debut for a $12B+ market cap, after raising $805M in its IPO
Bloomberg :
Mavrck, a service that helps connect brands and influencers and offers an “Influencer Index”, raises $120M from Summit Partners
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch :
ShareChat, a social network offered in 15 Indian languages, raises a $266M Series G led by Alkeon Capital at a $3.7B valuation
Sources: the EU is set to approve Meta's acquisition of Kustomer after assurances rivals will still be able to work with Kustomer
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters :
Weight care management app Found raises a $100M Series B led by WestCap at a $600M valuation
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch :
German startup financing service Re:cap, which helps convert ARR into non-dilutive investment, raises a $111.5M seed
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch :
Rokt, which helps e-commerce companies make personalized marketing offers, raises a $325M Series E at a $1.95B valuation led by Tiger Global ahead of an IPO
Megan Graham / Wall Street Journal :
Sources: Dbt Labs, which develops an open-source data analytics tool, is in talks to raise a Series D at a $6B valuation, up from a $1.5B in June
Hamburg-based Taxdoo, which offers API-based tools for e-commerce tax and accounting, raises a $64M Series B led by Tiger Global, bringing total funding to $84M
Ingrid Lunden / 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.
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.