Techmeme
May 2, 2020, 8:45 PM

Top News

New York Times:
How Eric Schmidt is reinventing himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the US military  —  The former Google C.E.O. has reinvented himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the military-industrial complex.  —  In July 2016, Raymond Thomas …
Drew Harwell / Washington Post:
Companies are turning to intrusive monitoring of work-from-home employees, with always-on webcam rules, daily check-ins, and not-so-optional company happy hours  —  Always-on webcams, virtual “water coolers,” constant monitoring: Is the tech industry's new dream for remote work actually a nightmare?
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Researchers detail the increasingly prevalent LockBit ransomware, which may one day reach parity with other feared ransomware packages like Maze or Ryuk  —  You've probably never heard of LockBit, but that's likely to change.  —  Ransomware has emerged as one of the top threats facing large organizations …
Emily Birnbaum / Protocol:
A look at TikTok's efforts to repair its reputation in DC, where Bytedance has spent $300K on lobbying in 2020 and has hired former Internet Association chief  —  For hundreds of millions of fans around the world, TikTok is the place to go for videos of dancing celebrities, cooking advice and teenage hormones on overdrive.
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Sources: the owners of Virgin Media and O2 are discussing a merger to create a new TV and mobile company that would challenge BT and Sky in the UK  —  Owners of telecoms giants set to team up and challenge major sector players  —  The owners of Virgin Media and O2 are in talks to create …
More: Engadget
Sirin Kale / WIRED UK:
An inside look at the dropshipping scene in Bali, where expats typically purchase items on AliExpress and have them shipped directly to buyers in the West  —  In Bali, western immigrants are selling products they've never handled, from countries they've never visited, to consumers they've never met
The Economic Times:
India's government has mandated all private sector employees to download its COVID-19 contact tracing app, following its mandate for all the public sector staff  —  Privacy activists said a diverse group of organisations and individuals had endorsed a representation to the Prime Minister's Office …
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Automatic Labs, which was recently acquired by SiriusXM, shuts down its vehicle-tracking service, tells users to remove its connected car adapters from vehicles  —  Automatic has announced that it'll be abruptly shutting down on May 28th because “the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted our business.”

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Featured Podcasts

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2025 In Review, 2026 Predictions — With Reed Albergotti
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Channels with Peter Kafka:
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BG2 Pod:
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Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
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How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
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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.
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Earlier Picks

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
David Heaney / UploadVR:
Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
ICANN: