Interview with Microsoft's Phil Spencer on why he thinks the metaverse is an extension of gaming, sexual misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard, and more
When you walk in the room, do you have sway? — I'm Kara Swisher, and you're listening to “Sway.”
Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike steps down; WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton will act as the interim CEO as the search for a permanent replacement begins
It's a new year, and I've decided it's a good time to replace myself as the CEO of Signal. — I have now been working on Signal for almost a decade.
Apple will let developers use alternative payment systems in South Korea, complying with a law banning app store operators from forcing their own IAP systems
Apple will allow alternative payment systems in South Korea in compliance with a new local law that bans app store operators …
Android lead Hiroshi Lockheimer says Apple is “holding back” the messaging experience for not just Android but its own users by not supporting RCS in iMessage
Android boss says it's not about iMessage — it's about RCS — On Saturday, Android boss Hiroshi Lockheimer accused Apple of … Source: @lockheimer and @lockheimer .
Report: European carriers voice opposition to Apple's Private Relay, as T-Mobile and others begin blocking the VPN-like service in the US and parts of Europe
Earlier today, a report indicated that some European carriers were blocking the Private Relay feature introduced by Apple with iOS 15.
Meta delays a full return to the office until March 28 and will require COVID-19 booster shots for returning staff
- Facebook parent Meta Platforms said on Monday that it will require Covid-19 booster shots for employees. — It is also delaying employees' return to U.S. offices until March 28 from Jan. 31.
The Associated Press will launch a photojournalism NFT marketplace built by blockchain tech provider Xooa on Jan. 31, with proceeds used to fund its journalism
It's offering collectors ‘exclusive, historic, and stunning visual content’ — The Associated Press, or AP … Source: Associated Press .
Apple shares 2021 highlights: developers made $260B+ via the App Store since its debut, up from $200B+ YoY, US and Canadian consumers used 30M tickets in Wallet
Apple today highlighted the continued growth and expansion of its services in 2021, including the App Store, Apple Music … Source: Apple .
YC announces a new standard deal: a $125K investment for 7% of the startup and a further $375K at terms founders can negotiate with future investors
We have a new standard deal at Y Combinator. When a company is accepted into the YC batch program, we now invest a total of $500,000.
Report: the number of cyber attacks per week on corporate networks globally grew 50% YoY in 2021, peaking towards the end of Q4, largely due to the Log4j flaw
Check Point Research said that among its customers, there was a 50% increase in overall attacks per week on corporate networks compared to 2020. Source: Check Point Software .
Ransom DDoS attacks in Q4 2021 rose 29% YoY and 175% QoQ; China has the highest percentage of originating network traffic for application-layer attacks
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Mozilla's data sharing project Rally and The Markup launch Facebook Pixel Hunt, a study to investigate Meta's data collection and tracking practices
Firefox users who opt into ‘Facebook Pixel Hunt’ will use tools in the Rally browser extension
Brex, which offers online financial tools for SMBs, raises a $300M Series D-2 at a $12.3B valuation, bringing its total funding to $1.2B
In the latest fintech megaround, Brex has confirmed that it has raised $300 million in a Series D-2 round that ups its valuation to $12.3 billion.
As the EU finalizes its Digital Markets Act, Google is making a last-ditch lobbying effort with ads, emails, and social media posts targeted at politicians
Group targets Brussels officials and politicians with advertising, emails and social media posts — Google is making a last-ditch effort …
Miami-based Novo, a neobank for SMBs, raises a $90M Series B led by Stripes at a $700M valuation
Novo, the startup building a new kind of banking service from the ground up for small and medium businesses, has closed a significant round of funding to take the next step in growing its platform.
Sources: Trump declined offers from Gettr and Parler in favor of his own social media startup, and is frustrated with the slow development of TRUTH Social
Advisers say the former president is frustrated by the pace of development of his promised website, still months away from its launch
Research: Huawei received 2,770 US patents in 2021, behind Samsung, Canon, TSMC, and IBM; US companies received under half of 327,329 US patents issued in 2021
Huawei Technologies Co. is continuing to move up the list of companies getting the most U.S. patents, according to a new study …
Qonto, a French challenger bank focused on business accounts for SMBs and freelancers, raises a $552M Series D led by Tiger Global and TCV at a $5B valuation
French startup Qonto has raised a $552 million Series D funding round (€486 million). Following this investment …
Peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace Turo files its S-1, showing it had a $97.1M net loss on net revenue of $149.9M in 2020, up 6% YoY
Peer-to-peer car-sharing startup Turo has released its filing to become a publicly traded company in the United States, a process the company began confidentially in August.
Take-Two will acquire Zynga for $12.7B, or $9.86 per share, a 64% premium on Zynga's January 7 closing price; Take-Two develops GTA, Red Dead, and other titles
Sarah E. Needleman / Wall Street Journal :
Automotive supplier Aptiv to buy Wind River, which makes embedded and edge computing software, from TPG for $4.3B in cash; Wind River had ~$400M in 2021 revenue
- Aptiv PLC (NYSE:APTV) is acquiring Wind River from TPG Capital for $4.3B in cash. — Wind River is delivering software for the intelligent edge.
Ride hailing and food delivery app Bolt raises €628M at a €7.4B valuation co-led by Sequoia Capital and Fidelity Management
Economies of scale are an essential cornerstone for on-demand companies, and to that end one of the hopefuls in the space has raised a big round to grow its business.
Intel names Micron's David Zinsner as CFO, replacing George Davis on January 17, and announces the exit of Gregory Bryant as GM of its Client Computing Group
Dr. Ian Cutress / AnandTech :
Profile of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, worth an estimated $96B, as the company generated an estimated $20B+ in revenue in 2021
cryptocurrency pioneer Changpeng Zhao.” https://twitter.com/... @bbgneweconomy : Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has amassed the biggest crypto fortune on the planet — vaulting him into the ranks of the wo...
Court documents show Google ran a campaign from 2018 to 2020 to “convince” staff that “unions suck”; Google refuses a judge's order to produce more documents
employee resource groups and other tools deployed by corporate diversity initiatives are technologies of union-busting. https://twitter.com/... Daisuke Wakabayashi / @daiwaka : In documents that Googl...
Pakistan seeks records from Binance as part of a probe into a scam alleging Binance wallets and integrated apps were used to defraud ~$100M from Pakistani users
Aislinn Keely / The Block :
Vienna-based GoStudent, which connects K-12 students with online tutors, raises €300M led by Prosus NV at a €3B valuation
Ivan Levingston / Bloomberg :
Jakarta-based KoinWorks, a P2P lending service for SMBs, raises a $108M Series C, made up of $43M in equity and $65M in debt, bringing its total raised to $180M
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch :
Career Karma, which helps employees find educational resources and courses, raises a $40M Series B as it looks to become a common company-provided benefit
Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch :
Honor debuts Magic V, its first foldable phone, with 7.9" inner and 6.45" outer displays, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and up to 12GB of RAM, coming to China for ~$1,570
Jon Porter / The Verge :
Paris-based Back Market, an online marketplace for refurbished iPhones and other devices, raises $510M led by Sprints Capital at a $5.7B valuation
Fresh funding for electronics reseller underscores heady market for startups in Europe — Back Market, an online marketplace …
As Uber and Didi's 99 grapple with driver shortages and high fuel prices in Brazil, Taxi.Rio, an app developed by the Rio city government, is gaining riders
less than half of what Uber was asking.” Uber faces an unlikely competitor in Brazil: the government's taxi app https://restofworld.org/...
Transcarent, an app-based medical concierge service for businesses, raises a $200M Series C led by Kinnevik and Human Capital, sources say at a $1.62B valuation
Alex Knapp / Forbes :
Indonesia-based eFishery, which offers financing and software for shrimp and fish farmers to monitor their operations, raises a $90M Series C
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch :
A look at the US government's growing use of facial recognition, including contracts at agencies like the FBI and ICE with Clearview AI, Trust Stamp, and others
A look at China's HSMC and QXIC, now-defunct chipmakers that received hundreds of millions of dollars from the Chinese government yet failed to make any chips
Yoko Kubota / Wall Street Journal : Tweets: @jchengwsj and @wsj Tweets: Jonathan Cheng / @jchengwsj : Blocked by the U.S. from buying many of the chips it needs, Huawei is stepping up investments in ...
Supply chain visibility company Project44 raises $240M led by TPG, Thoma Bravo, and Goldman Sachs at a $2.4B valuation
Gillian Tan / Bloomberg :
Tul, a Colombian e-commerce startup specializing in construction materials, raises $181M led by 8VC, source says at an ~$800M valuation
Gillian Tan / Bloomberg :
Sources: Tiger Global Management's hedge fund tumbled 7% last year, its first annual loss since 2016 when it declined 15%
Hema Parmar / Bloomberg :
A roundup of computer monitors launched at CES 2022, with some featuring “smart” functions, mini-LED displays, higher refresh rates, new form factors, and more
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.