Techmeme
November 21, 2019, 8:05 PM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is overhauling how it tests software, making daily builds disable unfinished features by default, after a swarm of bugs marred the iOS 13 debut  —  Apple Inc. is overhauling how it tests software after a swarm of bugs marred the latest iPhone and iPad operating systems, according to people familiar with the shift.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Twitter says users can now enroll in 2FA without a phone number and disable SMS-based 2FA as default, allows other methods such as mobile authenticator apps  —  And it only took Twitter's CEO getting hacked to happen.  —  Twitter announced today that users will finally be able to disable SMS-based …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter rolls out its “Hide Replies” feature to all users globally  —  Twitter's radical “Hide Replies” feature, one of the biggest changes to how Twitter works since the invention of the Retweet, is now available to Twitter's global user base.  The company says the feature …
Jack Nicas / New York Times:
Tim Cook and Apple did not correct Trump after he took credit for opening a Texas manufacturing plant that has been in operation since 2013  —  President Trump said on Wednesday that he opened a facility that makes computers for Apple.  It's been operating since 2013.
Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac:
Daniel Rubino / Windows Central:
Microsoft delays the release of Surface Earbuds, which it said earlier were coming in the fall, until Spring 2020  —  Microsoft's October hardware event brought many new devices to market, but it was Surface Earbuds that had an IOU for release.  While the original plan was to have at least …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google Duplex launches on the web as Google Assistant in Chrome, lets users buy movie tickets from 70+ cinemas and ticketing services in the US  —  At I/O 2019, Sundar Pichai announced that Google Duplex was “moving beyond voice” and coming to the web.  After publicly testing in late September …
Mehedi Hassan / Thurrott:
Google brings Smart Compose to Google Docs as a beta, initially available in English for G Suite users on the web  —  Google introduced an interesting new feature called Smart Compose on Gmail last year.  The feature uses artificial intelligence to automatically suggest sentences as you draft your email.
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
WeWork says it is laying off around 2,400 employees globally  —  - The beleaguered office-sharing start-up is laying off 2,400 employees in an attempt to right-size the business.  — The layoffs come after several tumultuous months for WeWork, which were marred by a botched IPO …
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Susan Wojcicki says YouTube is working to bring ads to edgier content and updating its policy to differentiate between real world violence and gaming violence  —  There's a difference between borderline and edgy content  —  YouTube is experimenting with placing advertisements …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Google increases rewards for Titan M secure element exploits on Pixels to $1.5M and to $750K for other exploits; Android hack rewards used to top out at $200K  —  Big bump coincides with investments Google has poured into securing its Pixel phone.  —  Google will pay up to $1.5 million …
NBC News:
President Donald Trump hosted an undisclosed dinner with Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel at the White House in October, Facebook confirmed on Wednesday  —  The meeting took place during Zuckerberg's most recent visit to Washington, where he testified before Congress about Facebook's new cryptocurrency Libra.
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Google reveals new details about Russia-linked “Sandworm” hacking group behind NotPetya, the attacks on Winter Olympics, French election, and more  —  The Kremlin's uniquely dangerous hacker group has been trying new tricks.  —  The Russian state-sponsored hackers known as Sandworm …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook brings Stories to Facebook Dating, letting users add their Facebook or Instagram Stories to dating profiles  —  Facebook Dating, an opt-in feature of the main Facebook app, will begin to tap into the content users are already creating across both Facebook and Instagram to enhance its service.
More: The Verge, CNET, and Engadget
Bloomberg:
A look at Google's work with US military, as senior military officials worry about parts of Google's employee base approaching a state of open rebellion  —  In early November several dozen experts from the American military industrial complex—including senior officers, defense contracting executives …

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:
8 years of PageSense: Introducing PageSense 3.0  —  PageSense was built eight years ago with a simple goal: to help businesses understand user behavior and improve conversion outcomes through experimentation.
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

Great Chat:
No one won the AI Bowl
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
Who's Winning The AI Race? + Software's Future — With Sridhar Ramaswamy
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
How Odd Lots' Joe Weisenthal Turned Curiosity Into a Career, and a Hit Podcast
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.
Access:
OpenAI's Fidji Simo on why ads are coming to ChatGPT
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Invest Like the Best:
Alex Behring and Daniel Schwartz - Inside 3G Capital
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 8:05 PM ET, November 21, 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

Amnesty International:

Earlier Picks

April Glaser / Slate:
Buster Hein / Cult of Mac:
Matthew Gault / VICE:
New York Times: