Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition after a 20-month battle with regulators in the UK and US; Bobby Kotick will remain CEO until the end of 2023
The Verge exclusively reported last week that Microsoft was planning to close today, and now it's official.
The UK CMA approves Microsoft's ~$69B Activision acquisition, after Microsoft restructured the deal to sell some of Activision's cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft
The final roadblock has been removed. — What you need to know — UK regulatory authority the CMA granted Microsoft approval to purchase Activision Blizzard.
In five hours of cross-examination, SBF's lawyers did not elicit any revelations or inconsistencies from Caroline Ellison, who said SBF made “terrible mistakes”
Mr. Bankman-Fried's lawyers sought to poke holes in Ms. Ellison's testimony, but her account remained largely consistent.
CD Projekt used AI to recreate the voice of Miłogost Reczek, a Polish voice actor who died in 2021, for Cyberpunk 2077's new Polish DLC, after asking his family
Gamemaker says it consulted with family of the late Miłogost Reczek — Polish video game developer CD Projekt SA …
In a letter to Thierry Breton, X CEO Linda Yaccarino says X has removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts, labeled tens of thousands of posts, and more
The X social media platform has removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and taken action to remove or label tens of thousands …
The EU opens an investigation into X over hosting disinformation tied to Hamas' Israel attack and sends X a formal request for information under the DSA
'In this particular case, the Commission services are investigating X's compliance with the #DSA, including with regard to its policies and practices regarding notices on illegal content, complaint ha...
Tether promotes long-time CTO Paolo Ardoino to CEO, starting in December, and envisions becoming a “tech-centric organization”; current CEO will be an advisor
- Stablecoin issuer Tether promoted its long-time CTO Paolo Ardoino to CEO as it envisions becoming a “tech-centric organization.”
Meta responds to EU misinformation concerns regarding the Israel-Hamas war, saying it has created a new operations center, restricted some hashtags, and more
The company has created a new operations center with experts fluent in Hebrew and Arabic. — Meta has shared an updated content …
How Microsoft placated EU and UK regulators via private deals with its rivals, got a US labor union support, and beat FTC in court to close the Activision deal
New York Times :
Google vows to defend users of generative AI tools in Google Cloud and Workspace from copyright claims; Microsoft, Adobe, and others have made similar pledges
Google (GOOGL.O) said on Thursday that it will defend users of generative artificial-intelligence systems in its Google Cloud …
Hands-on with Sony's PlayStation Access and a Q&A with PlayStation executive Alvin Daniel on designing the customizable accessibility controller, cost, and more
And the “upward trend” of accessibility across the industry. — I recently got to test out PlayStation Access at a hands …
TSMC expects to receive US permission to supply its China plant with US chipmaking tools indefinitely, in an easing of US restrictions on chipmakers in China
Taiwan's TSMC (2330.TW) said on Friday it expects to receive permission from the United States to supply its China plant …
Over 220 VC firms, including Bain, Bessemer, and GGV, sign a statement supporting Israel and call for the investor community to support Israel's tech ecosystem
Sources: the Biden administration is considering ways to close a loophole that gives Chinese companies access to US AI chips through their overseas subsidiaries
Israeli tech founders and investors say that 10% to 15% of their staff are among the country's 360K reservists, a potentially unprecedented industry disruption
This means more than you can imagine and we are proud to have you as partners. Laurel Touby : Supernode Ventures is a proud signer of this public statement in support of Israel. VCs, you may Sign als...
India rolls back plans announced on August 3 to impose restrictions on laptop imports, saying it “only wants importers to be on close watch”
India is rolling back its earlier plan to impose restrictions on laptop imports, months after abruptly announcing such plans …
Sources: Didi plans a 2024 Hong Kong IPO, after delisting from the NYSE in 2022, and is valued at ~$16B, down from $80B when Chinese regulators opened a probe
- Ride-hailing pioneer has market share of about 70% in China — Business improving in China and abroad in places like Brazil
PitchBook and NVCA report: in Q3 2023, US VC deal value fell to its lowest level since Q2 2018, and US deal count is on track for its lowest year since 2019
Venture capital funding in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in six years in terms of venture deal value and the lowest level …
Canon begins selling nanoimprint chip machines, which skip photolithography to impress circuit patterns on the wafer, likely avoiding trade curbs, to rival ASML
- Japanese optics specialist seeks to close gap with Dutch rival — Chipmaking machinery has been focus of US sanctions on China
Netflix plans to open Netflix House, permanent stores where fans can buy clothes, eat themed food, and try live experiences, starting with two US venues in 2025
but don't expect a ‘Blockbuster’ revival Mat Smith / Engadget : The Morning After: Netflix's next big thing is branded retail stores Andrew Webster / The Verge : Netflix is planning to launch retail d...
SpaceX plans to offer its Starlink Direct to Cell service to LTE phones, starting with texting in 2024, and adding voice, data, and IoT device support in 2025
what you need to know Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica : SpaceX details Starlink-for-phones plan, launching in 2024 Andrew Tarantola / Engadget : Starlink's satellite cell service is set to launch in 2024, b...
Threads rolls out voice posts and a free edit button that lets users edit a post repeatedly within five minutes of sending; Threads doesn't show an edit history
and you don't have to pay for it Megan Ellis / MakeUseOf : You Can Now Edit Your Threads Posts (if You're Quick) Saurav Dey / KnowTechie : Threads is rolling out its new “Edit” button (and for free!) ...
The UN's top internet governance body plans to hold its 2024 conference in Riyadh, despite Saudi Arabia's surveillance, censorship, and extrajudicial killing
I spoke to WIRED about the news that the Internet Governance Forum will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2024. … Asela Waidyalankara : The United Nations' top internet governance body will allegedly host ...
Google updates its Search Generative Experience with the ability to generate images using prompts and to write drafts that can be customized for tone and length
here's how Benson Mawira / Cryptopolitan : Google Introduces New Generative AI Features in Search Livemint : Google introduces image-generating enhancements to Search Generative Experience: All detail...
Filing: Qualcomm plans to cut 1,258 jobs in California, including 750+ from its engineering ranks, starting in mid-December 2023; the company has ~50,000 staff
Ian King / Bloomberg :
Atlassian plans to acquire video messaging platform Loom for ~$975M, split as ~$880M in cash and the rest in stock, set to close in Q1 2024; Loom has 25M+ users
Loom changed the game with tapping the PLG market. Now, with atlassian all enterprise doors could open as well. [embedded post] @manpageman.bsky.social : Pivot! To! Video! [embedded post] X: Phil ...
Antenna: YouTube's NFL Sunday Ticket attracted an estimated 1.3M signups, vs. 1.2M reportedly under DirecTV; ~41% of the NFL subscribers are new to YouTube TV
Rob Golum / Bloomberg :
The CFTC charges Voyager Digital co-founder Stephen Ehrlich with fraud, saying he and Voyager lied to clients and hid the crypto lender's true financial health
like taking deposits and providing loans. This is an overreach and would disrupt financing. @cftc : Today, @CFTC charged the former chief executive officer of a digital asset platform with fraud in a ...
Elliptic: the FTX hackers who stole $415M to $432M in crypto in November 2022 used Russia-linked money launderers in October 2023 after moving the funds in 2022
Andy Greenberg / Wired :
Filing: Caltech settles a patent lawsuit against Apple and Broadcom, after suing them in 2016 over devices with chips that allegedly infringe its Wi-Fi patents
Blake Brittain / Reuters :
Flexport plans to cut ~20% of its global workforce, part of a new round of layoffs set to begin on October 13, and return to profitability by the end of 2024
Annie Palmer / CNBC :
China-based EHang received approval from Chinese regulators for its fully autonomous drone that carries two passengers, the first such approval in the world
Evelyn Cheng / CNBC :
Mojo Vision, which pivoted from smart contact lenses to making microLED display tech, raised a $21.1M Series A extension, bringing its Series A to $43.5M
Brian Heater / TechCrunch :
Q&A with Roblox CEO David Baszucki on launching the game on PlayStation, ads that leverage a 3D experience, building an “autonomous network” for China, and more
The Verge :
Sources: Sam Altman told staff that OpenAI is generating revenue at a $1.3B/year pace, implying the company now generates $100M+/month, up 30% in three months
CCData: Coinbase's spot trading volume fell 52% YoY to $76B in Q3 2023, likely the lowest quarterly volume since Coinbase's Nasdaq direct listing in April 2021
Filing: Sam Altman is the largest investor in Humane, which plans to unveil its AI Pin in November, with a 14.93% equity; Humane's two co-founders own 13% each
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26
Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
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.