Techmeme
June 19, 2017, 6:15 AM

Top News

Kent Walker / Google:
Google's new anti-extremist steps: targeted AI algo training, more content flaggers, no inflammatory video monetization, ads targeting potential ISIS recruits  —  Editor's Note: This post appeared as an op-ed in the Financial Times earlier today.  —  Terrorism is an attack on open societies …
Tom Foster / Texas Monthly:
The story of Whole Foods, its founder John Mackey, and his battle with an activist hedge fund that led to the Amazon acquisition  —  Editor's Note: On June 16, 2017, Whole Foods agreed to sell itself to Amazon for $13.7 billion.  This is the exclusive story that led up to that momentous decision for the Austin-based grocery giant.
Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Instacart, with four years left in its Whole Foods contract, says “Amazon just declared war” on grocery stores, faces difficult opportunity after Amazon deal  —  Yesterday, Amazon and Whole Foods ruined a perfectly slow news day on a Friday in June with the announcement …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
WikiLeaks documents show how CIA infected WiFi routers from 10 manufacturers including D-Link and Linksys to monitor and manipulate traffic, infect more devices  —  Latest Vault7 release exposes network-spying operation CIA kept secret since 2007.  —  Home routers from 10 manufacturers …
Steve Dent / Engadget:
Qualcomm unveils reference design for smart speakers with support for Alexa and Google Assistant, also announces new chips for wireless audio products  —  The smart speaker trend started with Amazon's Echo, and now includes Google Home and Apple HomePod, but it could get a lot more crowded thanks to Qualcomm.
Harry McCracken / Fast Company:
How Susan Wojcicki has led YouTube: navigating the company through ad-positioning woes, keeping creators happy, and refining YouTube TV while growing revenue  —  To outmaneuver traditional TV—and secure Google's future—YouTube's CEO must satisfy homegrown creators, risk-averse advertisers …
Chris O'Brien / VentureBeat:
Snips raises $13M Series A for its smart assistant platform which works without the cloud  —  Snips announced today that it has raised $13 million to boost its launch of a new voice platform designed to give hardware makers an alternative to Google's Home and Amazon's Alexa.
More: Tech.eu
New York Times:
A look at Arianna Huffington's growing influence at Uber, where she has become one of Travis Kalanick's closest confidantes  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In April, Wan Ling Martello, the head of Nestlé in Asia, found herself seated across from Arianna Huffington, an Uber director and a founder …
Tweets: @danprimack
Kayla Matthews / Bitcoin Magazine:
A study of 100+ companies in 38 countries estimates 3M+ people are using cryptocurrencies  —  Bridging the gap between financial systems and computer whizzes, cryptocurrencies are poised to gain ground in today's markets.  These peer-to-peer systems utilize blockchain technology to conduct and verify transactions.

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