Techmeme
November 12, 2018, 6:10 AM

Top News

Dan Primack / Axios:
SAP announces it will buy user experience management platform Qualtrics, which had planned to go public later this month, for $8B  —  SAP on Sunday night announced that it will purchase Qualtrics, a U.S.-based maker of survey software that had been expected to go public this week, for $8 billion in cash,
Alex Konrad / Forbes:
Qualtrics had 2017 revenue of $289.9M; with the $8B acquisition, Accel and IVP's stakes are each worth $1B+, and the Smith family's stake is ~$2.6B after taxes  —  Utah-founded cloud unicorn Qualtrics was set to have one of tech's most hotly-anticipated initial public offerings this week.
Wall Street Journal:
A look at the tug of war between the data driven tech team and the relationship-oriented Hollywood team at Netflix  —  As the company plunges deeper into originals, its L.A. wing is doing the once-unthinkable: overriding the metrics  —  Netflix Inc.'s executives were torn.
CoinDesk:
A look at the heated debate raging in the Bitcoin Cash community ahead of the contentious hard fork that may split the cryptocurrency's blockchain on Nov. 15  —  “Do not come crying when you are bankrupt.”  —  Lobbed at those bitcoin cash enthusiasts supporting Bitcoin ABC …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Facebook pressured Palmer Luckey to say he supported libertarian Gary Johnson despite his years-long support of Trump; Luckey's exit package was $100M+  —  Palmer Luckey, co-founder of virtual-reality pioneer Oculus, was ousted after his political activity sparked a furor within the social-media giant and Silicon Valley
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Cloudflare launches Android and iOS apps for its privacy-focused DNS service 1.1.1.1  —  Months after announcing its privacy-focused DNS service, Cloudflare is bringing 1.1.1.1 to mobile users.  —  Granted, nothing ever stopped anyone from using 1.1.1.1 on their phones or tablets already.
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:
Alibaba sold $30.8B worth of goods during the 24-hour Singles' Day shopping event, topping the 2017 Singles Day sales of $25.3B  —  - Singles Day got off to a strong start with sales hitting $1 billion in one minute and 25 seconds.  —  Alibaba on Sunday tore through last year's Singles Day sales record …
Daniel Oberhaus / Motherboard:
Researchers warn so-called “perceptual” ad blockers, which aim to visually recognize ads on a page to block them, are ineffective and create new attack vectors  —  Perceptual ad blockers will come out on the losing side in the war against internet advertisers and expose users …
Alfred Ng / CNET:
Waitlisting apps like Yelp's Nowait are increasingly popular with customers and businesses but critics wonder if the convenience is worth the privacy trade-offs  —  I hate having to wait.  But do I hate it enough to give up my privacy?  —  This dilemma popped up on a Wednesday night in October …
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Microsoft XO18 roundup: Microsoft acquires game studios inXile and Obsidian, announces 91M+ MAUs for Minecraft, and says Minecraft Marketplace has 77 partners  —  Microsoft is throwing a big fan bash in Mexico City, and it made a lot of news announcements about new games, services, and acquisitions at its XO18 fan event.
Morgan Little / CNET:

Sponsor Posts

Okara:
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data  —  Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure.  Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Saudi Arabia's data localisation era: Why compliance-ready clouds are now essential  —  Saudi Arabia is in a key phase in its digital transformation, where data governance, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty are as vital as innovation.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce 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:
Is Google's Gemini Winning?, Thinking Machines Drama, Claude Cowork's Potential
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:
Jonathan Haidt Strikes Again + What You Vibecoded + An Update on the Forkiverse
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:
Building an autonomous car utopia with Rivian's RJ Scaringe
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Lenny's Podcast:
How to show up in any room with a low heart rate: Silicon Valley's missing etiquette playbook | Sam Lessin
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.
The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
Three New Influencers
Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 6:10 AM ET, November 12, 2018.

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