Techmeme
July 31, 2019, 4:10 PM

Top News

Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Spotify reports 108M paying subscribers in Q2, up 31% YoY, and an operating loss of €3M on revenue of €1.67B, up 31% YoY  —  Spotify closed its second calendar quarter this year with 108m paying subscribers and 232m total Monthly Active Users (MAUs).
Cho Mu-Hyun / ZDNet:
Samsung posts Q2 operating profit of ~$5.6B, down 56% YoY, on revenue of ~$47.4B, down 4% YoY, after profits from its chip and mobile businesses declined YoY  —  Samsung expects “persistent uncertainties” in the memory business for the remainder of the year but will pursue an aggressive investment plan in the second half.
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Apple joins Google, Facebook, and Twitter in the open-source Data Transfer Project, will develop interoperable systems to bring data in and out of iCloud  —  Just over a year after its official launch, the Data Transfer Project is announcing a new set of partners and features.
Alex Heath / The Information:
Sources: Facebook is working on a new TV device that can stream video and make video calls using its Portal tech, and has approached Netflix, Disney, and others  —  Facebook has approached Netflix, Disney and other media companies about putting their streaming services on a new Facebook device …
Wall Street Journal:
Four major broadcast networks sue Locast, which is funded by AT&T, to try to stop it from freely retransmitting the signals of their local TV stations  —  CBS, ABC, NBCU and Fox say AT&T-funded Locast is retransmitting their signals without permission and in violation of copyright law
Raymond Zhong / New York Times:
Trump's ongoing trade war with China has been a boon for Vietnam, as some tech companies, like Apple and Nintendo, consider shifting production there  —  Samsung already assembles half of its handsets in the country, which got a big lift from U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.  Now Apple is homing in.
Anna Baydakova / CoinDesk:
Sources: Chinese importers in Russia buy ~$30M worth of tether, a USD pegged crypto coin, every day, to send large sums of money back home  —  The Takeaway  —  Chinese importers in Russia are buying up to $30 million a day of tether (USDT) from Moscow's over-the-counter trading desks.
Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
Lightricks, which makes the popular selfie editing app Facetune, raises $135M Series C led by Goldman Sachs at a post-money valuation of $1B  —  Facetune, a photo editing app that empowers users to cover their gray hairs, refine their jaw lines, and reshape their noses …
Megan Scudellari / IEEE Spectrum:
Researchers from UCSF and Facebook Reality Labs have successfully decoded question-and-answer dialogue from brain signals in real time, via brain implants  —  The project is the first to decode question-and-answer speech from brain signals in real time  —  In 2017, Facebook's Mark Chevillet …
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Samsung announces Galaxy Tab S6, its most high-end Android tablet, with a 10.5-inch OLED display and Snapdragon 855, coming September 6 for $649+  —  Thinner, lighter, and faster than the Tab S4  —  Samsung has officially announced the new Galaxy Tab S6, a high-end Android tablet that's designed …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google says its Titan security keys are now available in Canada, France, Japan, and the UK, expanding beyond the US  —  Google today announced that its Titan Security Key kits are now available in Canada, France, Japan and the UK.  Until now, these keys, which come in a kit with a Bluetooth key …
More: 9to5Google and ZDNet
Sarah Scoles / The Verge:
Newly-released documents on Sentient, the NRO's ambitious analysis tool meant to guide spy satellites to areas of interest, raise more questions than answers  —  Meet the classified artificial brain being developed by US intelligence programs  —  At the final session of the 2019 Space Symposium …
Apple:
Apple reports Q3 revenue of $53.8B, up 1% YoY, record Services revenue of $11.5B, up from $10.2B YoY, iPhone revenue of $26B, down from $29.5B YoY; stock up 4%+  —  Company Revenue Sets June Quarter Record Services Revenue Reaches New All-Time High  —  Apple today announced financial results …

Sponsor Posts

Clay:
Turn any GTM idea into reality  —  Clay helps GTM teams combine AI agents, enrichment, and intent data to move faster and turn insights into action.
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:
Zoho Books Banking just got smarter: Here's what's new  —  Banking and accounting are crucial parts of every business.  And with the right tools in place, they don't have to be complicated or time-consuming.
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

Hard Fork:
Moltbook Mania Explained
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.
Uncapped with Jack Altman:
The Benchmark Team
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Who is Josh D'Amaro and Why is He Disney's New CEO?
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.
The Social Radars:
Spenser Skates, Founder & CEO, Amplitude
Come be a fly on the wall as Y Combinator's Jessica Livingston and Carolynn Levy talk to some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley about how they did it.
Subscribe to The Social Radars.
Invest Like the Best:
Ben Horowitz - Backing America's Future
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
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 4:10 PM ET, July 31, 2019.

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

Dell Cameron / Gizmodo:
Rani Molla / Vox:
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Steve Dent / Engadget:
Devlin Barrett / Washington Post: