Techmeme
March 19, 2020, 11:50 PM

Top News

Financial Times:
EU calls on streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube to limit broadband use and offer programs only in standard, rather than high, definition  —  Brussels tells streaming companies to limit services as Facebook says managing traffic is a “challenge”  —  The EU has called on streaming services …
Reuters:
Netflix says it will reduce its bit rates across all its streams in Europe for 30 days, in effect cutting traffic on its European networks by 25%  —  Netflix said on Thursday it would reduce its bit rates across all its streams in Europe, in effect cutting traffic on its European networks …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Microsoft unveils DirectX 12 Ultimate, which promises to better unify the features and capabilities of PC gaming and the Xbox platform, coming later this year  —  Bringing a suite of software advancements in gaming graphics onto a single platform  —  Microsoft has a new version …
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Microsoft says Teams passed 44M DAUs, up from 32M earlier this month, unveils new features like real-time noise suppression that are coming later this year  —  Microsoft Teams, which launched worldwide in March 2017, passed 32 million daily active users (DAUs) this month.
Reed Albergotti / Washington Post:
Court filing: Anthony Levandowski, ex-Uber self-driving head, pleads guilty to trade secrets theft from Google in exchange for 32 other charges being dropped  —  The guilty plea, which could lead to a prison sentence, is the latest twist in a years-long saga of conflict and courtroom drama
Patrick Shanley / Hollywood Reporter:
GDC announces a new San Francisco event, GDC Summer, from August 4-6 after initially postponing the March event  —  The three-day event will be held at San Francisco's Moscone Center from August 4-6.  —  Informa Tech, the organizer of the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco …
Stefan Seltz-Axmacher / Starsky Robotics 10–4 Labs:
Self-driving truck startup Starsky Robotics is shutting down; CEO cites “unmet promise of AI” and says investors rejected the operator business model  —  In 2015, I got obsessed with the idea of driverless trucks and started Starsky Robotics.  In 2016, we became …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook starts rolling out its sweeping desktop redesign, which offers dark mode, tabbed home screen, larger fonts, and a cleaner profile, to all users  —  Facebook today officially rolled out its sweeping desktop redesign that offers dark mode, tabbed homescreen, and a cleaner profile.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Uber says ride volume is down by ~70% in cities like Seattle, it has “ample liquidity” with $10B in cash, and is considering delivering medicine; stock up 35%+  —  Uber — the on-demand transportation and food delivery behemoth — has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Torsten Ingvaldsen / HYPEBEAST:
Report: total streams for Spotify's top 200 most-streamed songs fell 23% in Italy from March 3 to March 17; US, UK, France, Spain markets have also decreased  —  Data from Spotify may suggest that widespread self-isolation is to blame.  —  Olly Curtis/Getty Images
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Twitter broadens its definition of harm to address content with deceptive language around COVID-19, including “denial of established scientific facts”  —  Site changes rules to ban content aimed at making people act against official advice  —  Twitter will remove tweets that run …
Bloomberg:
Sources: SoftBank is seeking to raise an additional $10B so its ~$100B first Vision Fund can support portfolio companies battered amid the coronavirus pandemic  —  SoftBank Group Corp. is seeking to raise an additional $10 billion so its first Vision Fund can support portfolio companies battered amid …
Ari Levy / CNBC:
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft have lost a combined $1.3T in value since the market peak on Feb. 19; Facebook led the decline, dropping ~30%  —  - Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook have lost a combined $1.3 in value since the market peaked on Feb. 19.

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:
Introducing Accessibility Controls in Zoho Vault  —  At Zoho Vault, we believe in security for everyone.  Our commitment to accessibility goes beyond compliance; it's about empowerment.
IDrive:
Geometric Grand Unification — Solving the Hubble Tension & Proton Mass  —  Physics solved?  AI verifies model unifying gravity & particles by deriving constants from vacuum geometry.  Identifies void-driven topology.

Featured Podcasts

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.
Grit:
The Truth Behind Automation Claims in Customer Support | Cresta CEO Ping Wu
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The rise of the professional vibe coder (a new AI-era job) | Lazar Jovanovic (Professional Vibe Coder)
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
Software In Shambles, OpenAI vs. Anthropic Super Brawl, Amazon's Struggles
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:
Elon Musk's Mega-Merger + We Test Google's Project Genie + What's Next for Moltbook Creator
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.
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 11:50 PM ET, March 19, 2020.

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

Bijan Stephen / The Verge:

Earlier Picks

Olga Khazan / The Atlantic:
Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi:
Emily Bary / MarketWatch:
Tom Warren / The Verge: