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February 13, 2019, 2:40 PM
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| Sara Salinas / CNBC: |
SEC charges Gene Levoff, Apple's ex-VP of Corporate Law, with insider trading, alleging he traded on earnings info in 2015 and 2016; Levoff was fired in Sept. — - Gene Levoff, senior director of corporate law and corporate secretary until September, “traded on material nonpublic information …
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Reuters, The Register, Daring Fireball, The Verge, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Washington Post, Business Insider, MacRumors, Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac, Financial Times, The Hill, PYMNTS.com, iPhone Hacks, SEC, and iPhone in Canada Blog
Tweets: @markgurman, @eamonjavers, @markgurman, @ericnewcomer, @kifleswing, and @reformedbroker
| Kate Fazzini / CNBC: |
Google says it will spend $13B this year on expanding data centers and offices across the US, doubling its workforce in Virginia — - Google doubled capital spending in 2018, but CFO Ruth Porat said that should “moderate” this year. — The company said it's expanding its presence …
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The Keyword, Fox News, TechCrunch, SiliconANGLE, CNET, VentureBeat, Engadget, The Hill, 9to5Google, and Reuters
Tweets: @sundarpichai, @mikeisaac, @ron_miller, @mylesudland, and @hshaban
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
In filing to CA's DMV, Apple says its test drivers disengaged its self driving vehicles' autonomous mode about once per mile, compared to Waymo's ~11,017 miles — - California disengagement report suggests company is lagging — Tech giant has worked on the technology for about three years| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Amazon now lets users create and submit custom Alexa skills for certification and publication in the US Skills Store — Anyone can create a trivia game and share it on the Alexa store — Amazon is now letting anyone create and publish Alexa skills into the Alexa skills store.
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Amazon Developer Services, SiliconANGLE, Thurrott, ZDNet, 9to5Toys, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, ZDNet, and CNET
Tweets: @tomwarren and @marshallk
| Matt Day / Bloomberg: |
Amazon and Google are asking smart gadget makers to continuously send status updates to Echo and Home devices, even if customers aren't interacting with devices — As Amazon.com Inc. and Google work to place their smart speakers at the center of the internet-connected home …
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Telegraph, Engadget, Wired, CloudWedge, Quartz, iPhone in Canada Blog, and Fast Company
| Axios: |
After Khashoggi's murder, Saudi Arabia and SoftBank seem unlikely to lose out on many deals; sources say a $500M Softbank-led investment in Flexport is underway — Let's call it: Neither SoftBank nor Saudi Arabia will face any significant U.S. investment losses over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.| John Paczkowski / BuzzFeed: |
Sources: Apple plans to hold a special subscription services-focused event on March 25 at its Apple Park campus to announce a subscription news service — The company is expected to show off a long-rumored news subscription service. — Reporting From San Francisco, CA
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The Verge, VentureBeat, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, Stock Market News …, MacRumors, Forbes, Firstpost, Insanely Great Mac, 9to5Mac, Mashable, Gizchina, Macworld, Boing Boing, Cult of Mac, Quartz, SlashGear, BGR, Tom's Guide, Pocket-lint, CNET, and iPhone Hacks
Tweets: @johnpaczkowski, @dcseifert, @lucasmtny, @johnpaczkowski, @neilcybart, and @neilcybart
| Wall Street Journal: |
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Stratechery, The Verge, Ad Age, Financial Times, SiliconANGLE, Axios, Philip Elmer-DeWitt, MSPoweruser, Boing Boing, Daring Fireball, Ars Technica, Fortune, Silicon Valley Business …, Android Authority, TechSpot, Silicon Republic, Neowin, New York Times, Thurrott, PYMNTS.com, Inquirer, The Mac Observer, Forbes, Gizmodo, The Hill, Cult of Mac, Engadget, Business Insider, SlashGear, CNET, and MacRumors
Tweets: @_alastair, @tapbot_paul, @caseynewton, @trippmickle, @mikeisaac, @shiraovide, @markgurman, @wblau, @joshuatopolsky, @calumcameron, @ourmaninchicago, @mikeisaac, @anandwrites, @mgsiegler, @mariainnyc, @sbassopb, @iainthomson, @mims, @markgurman, @hakeemangulu, @panzer, @sam_l_shead, @gregwildsmith, @ow, @viticci, @nathanblawrence, @jtemple, @parismarx, @mikeisaac, @caseynewton, @_alastair, @caro_milanesi, @nickheer, @caseyayers, @backlon, @geoffreyfowler, @caseynewton, @baekdal, @todd_dybas, @benmullin, @kantrowitz, @shiraovide, @carnage4life, and @robpegoraro
| Michael Futter / Variety: |
Activision Blizzard announces record $1.8B net income in 2018, but says it is laying off 8%, or ~800 of its staff, amid internal changes and unmet expectations — UPDATED: Activision Blizzard is laying off approximately 775 people — 8% of its 9,600-person staff — as it refocuses its efforts …
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Kotaku, CNBC, The Verge, VentureBeat, Tubefilter, VentureBeat, Ars Technica, The Wrap, Business Wire, Inquirer, Geek.com, Silicon Republic, destructoid, Pocket Gamer.biz, TechSpot, Waypoint, Blizzard News, IGN, USgamer.net, GameSpot, GamesIndustry.biz, Reuters, GeekWire, Fortune, Polygon, The Verge, Engadget, VentureBeat, USgamer.net, Gamasutra, Gamasutra, PC Gamer, GameSpot, and CNET
Tweets: @jasonschreier, @thejenya, @_cingraham, @turnislefthome, @austin_walker, @genepark, @toadsanime, @shotbyfinnegan, @kobunheat, @grummz, and @domsplaying
| Lily Hay Newman / Wired: |
Researcher finds remote exploit in Xiaomi's popular M365 scooter, used by Bird, Lime, and others, letting hacker install malware over Bluetooth and gain control — The fleets of electric scooters that have inundated cities are alarming enough as is. Now add cybersercurity concerns to the list … | Alex Sherman / CNBC: |
Sources: Apple plans an April or May launch date for its video streaming service, but Netflix won't participate and HBO hasn't committed — - Apple is targeting April to debut a new streaming product that will include original content free for Apple device owners and a platform to subscribe to other digital media services.
More:
MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Bloomberg, and iPhone Hacks
| Erin Griffith / New York Times: |
CB Insights predicts 50 startups that might eventually become unicorns, many of them niche software startups focused on farming, banking, and life sciences — Uber and Airbnb were part of an early generation of tech start-ups that quickly reached $1 billion in value. The up-and-coming generation is looking very different.| Cecilia Kang / New York Times: |
Democratic lawmakers step up scrutiny of T-Mobile-Sprint merger, which they say reduces competition, as two days of Congressional hearings begin — WASHINGTON — When T-Mobile announced its intention to buy Sprint last April, the prospects for the $26 billion deal winning regulatory approval appeared strong.
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GeekWire, CNET, Washington Post, Axios, The Verge, Axios, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNET, Washington Post, and Android Central
Tweets: @jivedurkey, @nytimesbusiness, @b_fung, @reckless, @b_fung, @b_fung, @b_fung, and @fahrenthold
| The Guardian: |
Facebook criticized by health experts for allowing the rise of closed groups rife with anti-vaccination misinformation, some with 150,000+ members — Experts are calling on company to counter closed groups where members can post misinformation without challenge
More:
Washington Post and Silicon Republic
Tweets: @drrobertoconnor, @peterjukes, @noupside, @corkskeptics, and @drg1985
| Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch: |
US DOJ charges former Air Force counter-intel officer Monica Witt with aiding Iranian cyber operations against the US and sanctions two Iranian companies — Prosecutors have brought charges against a former Air Force officer for allegedly spying for Iran, the Justice Department confirmed Wednesday.
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U.S. Department of Justice, Gizmodo, CyberScoop, New York Times, Wired, Mashable, U.S. Department …, Politico, Associated Press, Washington Times, NPR, and Reuters
Tweets: @zackwhittaker, @dnvolz, @zackwhittaker, @w7voa, @gregotto, @gregotto, @kaitlancollins, and @ustreasury
| Mark Suster / Both Sides of the Table: |
Seed investing cooled after 2015 as Series A and B investing failed to match its growth, but is here to stay given its necessary delineation from traditional VC — Seed investments are down by any measure (funds, deals, dollars) over the past 3 years in deals < $1 million AND in deals between $1-5 million.| Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch: |
British mobile banking startup Starling Bank raises £75M for European expansion, says it now has 460K consumer and 30K SME accounts — Starling Bank, founded by banking veteran Anne Boden, has raised £75 million (~$97m) in further funding. The new capital breaks down as £60 million …
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Starling Bank, FinSMEs, Tech.eu, PYMNTS.com, City A.M., The Irish Times, Finextra Research Headlines, Telegraph, Financial Times, and Crowdfund Insider. Tweets: @sohear
| Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat: |
Affinity raises $26.5M Series B led by Advance Venture Partners and Sway Ventures for its AI-enhanced CRM platform — Relationships are a tricky thing — and particularly fraught in the enterprise world, where the right connection or second-degree contact can make the difference in a high-stakes deal.
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FinSMEs and PE Hub Blog
| Manish Singh / VentureBeat: |
UK-based Rapyd, which helps companies integrate a range of payment services into their platforms, raises $40M Series B led by General Catalyst and Stripe — Rapyd, a U.K.-based firm that helps companies and merchants of all sizes integrate a range of payment services into their platforms …
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TechCrunch, FinSMEs, PYMNTS.com, and Crowdfund Insider
| Khari Johnson / VentureBeat: |
Slack makes Block Kit, its tool for building visually appealing apps, generally available and introduces Block Kit Builder, for designing and testing apps — Slack today made its Block Kit tool for building more visually appealing apps generally available.
More:
TechCrunch and The Next Web
| Peter Bright / Ars Technica: |
Researchers find a way to run malicious code on Intel-based systems using the SGX feature, preventing antivirus software from identifying or analyzing malware — Processor protects malware from attempts to inspect and analyze it. — Researchers have found a way to run malicious code …
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arXiv.org
| Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: |
Q&A with the president and COO of mobile gaming company Scopely on its business model; Scopely says it has a $400M run rate and increased revenues 80% in 2018 — Scopely isn't the most well-known mobile game company. But it scored a couple of hits with Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem and Star Trek … | Phil LeBeau / CNBC: |
San Diego-based autonomous trucking startup TuSimple raises $95M Series D, led by Sina Corp. and Composite Capital, at a $1B valuation — - It's preparing to expand its testing of self-driving semis on highways in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. — Autonomous trucking company TuSimple …
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PR Newswire, Axios, Xconomy, TechCrunch, and Reuters
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