Techmeme
February 21, 2017, 7:55 AM

Top News

Susan Fowler / Susan J. Fowler:
Former Uber engineer says Uber HR repeatedly dismissed claims of sexual harassment by “high performing” manager  —  As most of you know, I left Uber in December and joined Stripe in January.  I've gotten a lot of questions over the past couple of months about why I left and what my time at Uber was like.
Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios:
Uber CEO says he was unaware of former employee allegations; board member Arianna Huffington to work with Uber's new HR chief on “independent” investigation  —  Another tale of sexism and unacceptable workplace behavior in Silicon Valley company has emerged.
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Travis Kalanick tells employees in memo former US AG Eric Holder has been hired to probe sexism allegations, and Uber will begin publishing diversity reports  —  The car-hailing company has tried to move quickly to quell the outrage over blog that alleges rampant sexism.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook-owned WhatsApp launches Status, an encrypted Snapchat Stories clone  —  WhatsApp could put the brakes on Snapchat's international growth with today's launch of WhatsApp Status, a new tab for sharing decorated photos, videos and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours.
Amar Toor / The Verge:
Harris Poll: Samsung's reputation drops to #49 among US consumers, from #3 in 2016, following Note7 fiasco, as Amazon tops list for second consecutive year  —  Korean smartphone maker ranks 49th in annual reputation ratings, after coming in third in 2016  —  Samsung's reputation among US …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Snap starts selling Spectacles online in the US for $130 at Spectacles.com  —  Snap wants to prove to investors in its upcoming IPO that Spectacles can earn money for its business, not just be a brand stunt.  So today, Snap begins selling its video-recording sunglasses Spectacles openly online …
Kelly Fiveash / Ars Technica UK:
Google and Microsoft's Bing agree to demote piracy search results in the UK by June 1, 2017, as part of a deal with the entertainment industry  —  Google and Microsoft's Bing have agreed to crack down on piracy sites in the UK after years of wrangling with film and music rights holders.
Shoshanna Solomon / The Times of Israel:
Report: Apple buys Israeli facial recognition startup RealFace  —  US giant acquires Tel Aviv-based Israeli cybertechnology startup for a couple of million dollars, Calcalist says  —  Apple Inc. has acquired Israel's Realface, a cybertechnology startup whose facial recognition technology can be used to authenticate users.
Brad Sams / Thurrott.com:
Sources: Microsoft shuffles HoloLens' roadmap, cancelling the planned second version of the device to focus on more ambitious hardware slated to launch in 2019  —  It was a little over two years ago that Microsoft first showed the world HoloLens and the company immediately grabbed headlines around …
Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Microsoft strikes exclusive cloud deal with Flipkart, Amazon's biggest online retail rival in India, as a first step in a broader strategic partnership  —  Flipkart, the top online marketplace in India, has agreed to adopt Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform …
Mike Wuerthele / AppleInsider:
Apple files 14-point appeal against European Commission's $14B tax edict, says the company's European HQ in Cork, Ireland was set up in accordance with the law  —  Apple has filed its appeal with the European court of appeals, all declaring that the European Commission's decision to levy $14 billion …
Katie Benner / New York Times:
Snap explains how it's unique in these five clips from its 35-minute IPO roadshow video  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Snap, the parent company of the ephemeral-message application Snapchat, on Friday revealed its own story: the video presentation it will use to pitch investors as it prepares to go public in a few weeks.

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's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Connecting, collaborating, and growing: Zoho Mail 2025 wrap-up  —  Your inbox has been home to a lot this year—quick updates, long threads, approvals, reminders, and the occasional late-night draft you weren't sure about.
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

Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
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.
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
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:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
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.
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 7:55 AM ET, February 21, 2017.

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

Rob LeFebvre / Engadget: