Techmeme
April 17, 2020, 1:40 PM

Top News

Jessica Guynn / USA Today:
Facebook to add two new “Care Reactions”: an emoji hugging a heart on the main Facebook app and a pulsating heart on Messenger  —  Need a reassuring hug during the COVID-19 pandemic?  Facebook has a new feel-good reaction for that.  —  When even the smallest physical gesture …
Julia Carrie Wong / The Guardian:
Facebook to notify users who liked, commented, or reacted to COVID-19 misinfo and guide them to WHO resources, as report finds debunked claims on the platform  —  Users who have liked, shared or commented on posts with false claims will be directed to WHO's ‘myth busters’ page
Financial Times:
UK's competition watchdog provisionally approves Amazon's investment in Deliveroo, after concluding the startup risked collapse absent new funds  —  CMA says delivery group was at risk of failing without fresh funding  —  The UK's competition regulator has granted provisional approval …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: at virtual all-hands, Tim Cook reiterated Apple's strong financials when asked about job cuts, said he doesn't know when staff will return to offices  —  - Tim Cook: Apple to make ‘really significant’ R&D investments  — Company's retail staff begin preparing for store re-openings
Protocol:
Source: Airbnb is laying off contractors and postponing summer internships and undergrad hiring until 2021  —  During his weekly Q&A over Zoom on Thursday, Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky announced that the company was terminating contingent worker contracts early and postponing summer internships …
More: TechCrunch and Non-GAAP ThoughtsTweets: @bizcarsonThanks:@emilydreyfuss
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Microsoft claims it can use AI to distinguish between security and non-security bugs 99% of the time, plans to open-source the methodology in coming months  —  Microsoft claims to have developed a system that correctly distinguishes between security and non-security software bugs 99% of the time …
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Amazon introduces a long-form speaking style for news and music within third-party Alexa skills, making speech sound natural by inserting conversational pauses  —  Amazon today announced a long-form speaking style for news and music content within third-party Alexa skills (i.e., voice apps).
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Natalia Drozdiak / Bloomberg:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Sources: Google is working on a “Google card” co-branded with banks, including Citi and Stanford Federal Credit Union, to compete with Apple Card  —  Would you pay with a “Google Card?”  TechCrunch has attained imagery that shows Google is developing its own physical and virtual debit cards.
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
Analysis of Joe Biden's YouTube, which has just 32,000 subscribers, shows his weakness against Trump's online presence, especially as campaigning goes virtual  —  The coronavirus has forced the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee into an all-digital campaign, and he's struggling to break through.

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs  —  You know us for voice.  Now meet ElevenAgents — featuring Expressive Mode, our most human-sounding AI voice technology in 70+ languages with ultra-low latency.  Hear it for yourself.
Niantic Spatial:
World models need real-world data  —  Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics.  Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate.
Zoho:
Security update: Retiring weak TLS cipher suites  —  At Zoho Corp, we are dedicated to maintaining the highest security and compliance standards.  As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance security …
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:
Jensen On The Ropes, Sam Altman's Conflicts, Allbirds' GPU Pivot
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:
A.I. Backlash Turns Violent + Kara Swisher on Healthmaxxing + The Zuck Bot Is Coming
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:
Max Mullen from Instacart
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
Access:
Canva's CEO on what happens when AI does the design
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
The Upstarts Podcast:
Cohere's Aidan Gomez: The Canadian Founder Taking AI Models To The World, Not Just Big Tech
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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 1:40 PM ET, April 17, 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

CNN:
Jordan Novet / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Queenie Wong / CNET:
Jason Snell / Six Colors:
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
New York Times:
Dan Primack / Axios:
Matt Day / Bloomberg: