Techmeme
January 19, 2016, 1:15 PM

Top News

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Amnesty International report alleges 16 companies including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft source cobalt from mines which employ child labor  —  Apple, Microsoft, Samsung And Other Tech Firms Implicated In Child Labor Report  —  Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are among a host of tech companies …
New York Times:
Microsoft acquires MinecraftEdu, a modified version of Minecraft tailored for use in schools, used in 7K classrooms in over 40 countries  —  Microsoft Acquires MinecraftEdu, Tailored for Schools  —  SEATTLE — When Microsoft acquired the creator of the game Minecraft in 2014 …
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
Google testing option to install apps directly from search results on Android without opening Play Store  —  Google Is Rolling Out The Ability To Install Apps Directly From Search Results  —  Google is always testing one or two little things in search results, but this is a more significant change.
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo joins Index Ventures as partner, cofounds new fitness startup  —  Six months after stepping down as CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo has revealed what his next move will be, now that he's handed control of the social network back to Jack Dorsey.
Richard Gray / Daily Mail:
Social networking site Friends Reunited shuts down after 15+ years as founder works on new private sharing site Liife  —  Friends Reunited founder Steve Pankhurst says the site is closing  —  It allowed countless adults renew friendships and even rekindle old relationships long before Facebook arrived on the scene.
Eric Newcomer / Bloomberg Business:
GM buys Sidecar assets for less than the company raised, hiring 20 including CTO, as it plans possible commute-sharing service for GM owners  —  General Motors Salvages Ride-Hailing Company Sidecar for Parts  —  The automaker is buying the startup's technology and assets
Frédéric Filloux / Monday Note:
Google's AMP, launching late February, will support native ads, paid subscriptions, analytics tools, and have positive effect on ranking  —  Google's AMP Poised To Take The Lead From Facebook's And Apple's Walled Gardens  —  By the end of February, Google will deploy at full scale …
Jordan Novet / VentureBeat:
Trello hits 12M users, launches Power-Ups Platform with partners Giphy, Join.me, SurveyMonkey, and Zendesk  —  Task management startup Trello is today launching a new Power-Ups Platform to make its app more powerful and useful through the integration of third-party tools.

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Featured Podcasts

The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'A Naughty Citizen', With Quinn Nelson
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
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Big Technology Podcast:
2025 In Review, 2026 Predictions — With Reed Albergotti
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Channels with Peter Kafka:
Podcast Pioneer PJ Vogt's Second Act: Less Budget, More Control
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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BG2 Pod:
AI Enterprise - Databricks & Glean
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
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Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
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Earlier Picks

Joseph Keller / iMore:
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Roger Fingas / AppleInsider: