Techmeme
March 23, 2016, 6:20 PM

Top News

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google debuts Cloud Machine Learning Platform to assist in developing pre-trained machine learning models and building new models from scratch  —  Google launches new machine learning platform  —  Google today announced a new machine learning platform for developers at its NEXT Google Cloud Platform user conference in San Francisco.
Steve Kovach / Tech Insider:
Pebble lays off 40 employees, about 25% of staff, blames tough fundraising climate, has raised $26M over last 8 months on top of $20M Kickstarter campaign  —  Smartwatch company Pebble is laying off 25% of its staff  —  Pebble, the buzzy startup credited for being one of the first companies …
Kwame Opam / The Verge:
Pornhub launches new channel devoted to VR porn, offers free 180-degree, 360-degree content  —  Pornhub launches a new channel devoted to VR porn  —  Pornhub, one of the largest porn sites online, has just launched a new section devoted to VR porn.  The company is partnering …
Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:
Microsoft introduces Tay, an AI chatbot that's learned how to behave from young adults' online conversations and is debuting on Kik, GroupMe, and Twitter  —  Microsoft's New AI-Powered Chatbot Mimics A 19-Year-Old American Girl  —  Microsoft's new AI-powered chatbot, Tay …
New York Times:
Apple's lack of bug bounty program bucks industry norms of openness with security community  —  Apple Policy on Bugs May Explain Why Hackers Would Help F.B.I.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — After a third party went to the F.B.I. with claims of being able to unlock an iPhone, many in the security industry …
Joseph Cox / Motherboard:
US Government Charges Three Suspected Members of Infamous Syrian Electronic Army  —  On Tuesday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed myriad computer hacking charges against three men for their alleged links to the hacking group Syrian Electronic Army (SEA).
Joe Pompeo / Politico:
Blendle launches pay-per-story app in the US with articles from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Economist, and Financial Times, starting at $.09 each  —  Paid journalism startup Blendle launches in the U.S.  —  Blendle, the Dutch journalism start-up developing an iTunes-style payment method …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google Photos will automatically suggest new albums, curate what it thinks are the best shots, tag location, and add maps in new update  —  Albums in Google Photos get smarter, now let you add maps, locations, and captions  —  Google Photos launched last year with numerous smart features …
Brendan Klinkenberg / BuzzFeed:
Tinder introduces feature to let US users swipe through political issues and “match” with a presidential candidate  —  Tinder Adds “Swipe The Vote” So You Can Hook Up With Candidates  —  The dating app is introducing a feature to swipe through various issues and match with a presidential candidate.
Ian Cutress / AnandTech:
Intel says in 10-K filing it will move away from “tick-tock” development cycle as it utilizes process technologies for longer  —  Intel's ‘Tick-Tock’ Seemingly Dead, Becomes ‘Process-Architecture-Optimization’  —  As reported at The Motley Fool, Intel's latest 10-K / annual report filing …
Jordan Kahn / 9to5Mac:
Report: Apple is developing at least six cloud infrastructure projects, driven partly by the suspicion that servers from third parties can be compromised  —  Report: Apple developing at least 6 cloud infrastructure projects incl. servers to prevent snooping
Yoree Koh / Wall Street Journal:
Source: Pinterest, which projected $3B in 2018 revenues, made about $100M in US ad revenue in 2015, expects non-US users to become majority of audience in 2016  —  Pinterest Works to Pin Down Path to Wider International Audience  —  In an effort to grow, the company is trying to make the image-discovery site less U.S.-centric
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Google will kill its Chrome app launcher for Windows, Mac, and Linux in July  —  Google today announced plans to kill off the Chrome app launcher for Windows, Mac, and Linux in July.  The tool, which lets users launch Chrome apps even if the browser is not running, will continue to live on in Chrome OS.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
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.
IDrive:
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.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
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.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
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.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:20 PM ET, March 23, 2016.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Chris Williams / The Register:
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally: