Techmeme
April 19, 2020, 1:40 AM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launch Rt.live, an up-to-date tracker of how fast COVID-19 is spreading in each US state  —  Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have teamed up to launch their first product together since leaving the Facebook mothership.
J. Edward Moreno / The Hill:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs an executive order allowing people to get a marriage license remotely and letting clerks perform ceremonies over video  —  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order Saturday allowing New Yorkers to obtain marriage licenses and perform ceremonies remotely.
James Batchelor / GamesIndustry.biz:
Pokémon Go developer Niantic names its current board member Megan Quinn as COO, who was most recently a partner at VC firm Spark Capital  —  Former employee leaves position at Spark Capital to return to Pokmon Go developer  —  Niantic has appointed a new COO — and it's a familiar face for the firm.
Ian Walker / Kotaku:
Riot launches one of the biggest bug bounty programs in gaming, offering up to $100K for finding security flaws in its controversial Vanguard anti-cheat system  —  Riot has posted one of the biggest—if not the biggest—bounties in gaming, offering people up to $100,000 if they can find …
Reuters:
Amazon has started replacing thermometers with thermal cameras at some of its US warehouses to speed up screening for workers with fevers  —  (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters.
Protocol:
A look at the challenges tech companies will face when they reopen their offices after the lockdowns lift, such as distancing, contact tracing, and mass testing  —  Tech companies starting to plan for how they will reintroduce employees to shuttered offices, warehouses and factories …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Spontaneous social apps that let users join video, voice, and chat rooms on a whim have become popular under lockdowns, like exclusive voice chat app Clubhouse  —  Forget the calendar invite.  Just jump into a conversation.  That's the idea powering a fresh batch of social startups poised …
Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE:
Uber's sick pay policy for drivers has changed several times amid the pandemic, excluding some who need it the most and increasing the documentation required  —  THE PANDEMIC MAKES CLEAR THAT UBER SEES ITS OWN WELL-BEING AS DIVERGENT FROM THAT OF ITS WORKERS.
Arielle Pardes / Wired:
Some Instacart workers are frustrated over the delay in safety kits the company promised them on April 2; Instacart says it caps the daily number of kit orders  —  Instacart promised it would provide masks and sanitizer kits weeks ago.  Now the company claims the delay is by design.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
The best time to become a Zoho Partner  —  The business world is not only changing but it is being rebuilt.  Customers want connected ecosystems that will help them automate, unify their data, and do more with less.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box 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:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
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:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
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.
Access:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
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.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:40 AM ET, April 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

Zach Schonfeld / VICE:
Tomislav Maljic / ReversingLabs Blog:

Earlier Picks

Maggie Miller / The Hill:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Eric Slivka / MacRumors:
Jeran Wittenstein / Bloomberg:
Jessica Guynn / USA Today:
Financial Times: