Techmeme
May 15, 2020, 8:50 PM

Top News

Axios:
Facebook to buy Giphy, keep its branding, integrate with Instagram; sources say the deal is worth ~$400M, while Giphy was valued at ~$600M in its latest round  —  Facebook has agreed to buy Giphy, the popular platform of sharable animated images, Axios has learned from multiple sources.
Owen Williams / OneZero :
Facebook's purchase of Giphy gives FB insight into how and where gifs are shared outside of its own apps, including device IDs and keystrokes in Giphy tools  —  GIPHY joins Facebook's data collection arsenal  —  Facebook announced on Friday that it will buy Giphy, a popular GIF search engine …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: DOJ and state AGs are likely to bring antitrust lawsuits against Google as soon as this summer, focusing on its ad business and search dominance  —  Both the federal and state investigations are focused on Google's ad business  —  WASHINGTON—Both the Justice Department and a group …
Reuters:
US bans sales to Huawei of semiconductors and semiconductor designs made abroad using certain US software and technology  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Friday moved to block shipments of semiconductors to Huawei Technologies from global chipmakers, in an action that could ramp up tensions with China.
Global Times:
China signals it is ready to retaliate for US' Huawei ban by launching investigations or imposing restrictions on companies like Qualcomm, Cisco, and Apple  —  China is ready to take a series of countermeasures against a US plan to block shipments of semiconductors to Chinese telecom firm Huawei …
Alex Konrad / Forbes:
Sources: Clubhouse raised a Series A round from a16z, which includes $10M in primary capital and at least $2M in secondary shares, at a $100M valuation  —  Clubhouse is a voice-based social media app with about 5,000 beta test users.  Prospective listeners have to sign up for a waitlist via Google form …
Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac:
Netflix begins restoring full quality streaming in Europe; Apple TV+ restored 4K streaming in late April  —  Netflix is gradually lifting coronavirus-related streaming quality limits in Europe.  Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video has all complied with a European Commission request …
Saheli Roy Choudhury / CNBC:
Singapore state investor Temasek joins Libra, along with cryptocurrency investor Paradigm and private equity firm Slow Ventures  —  - Singapore state investor Temasek is one of the latest organizations to join the Facebook-backed digital currency project libra.
Kevin Roose / New York Times:
Members of the anti-vaccine community are experienced at exploiting weaknesses of social media platforms and are primed to sow doubts about a COVID-19 vaccine  —  Social media is already filling up with misinformation about a Covid-19 vaccine, months or years before one even exists.
Stratechery:
Forcing Facebook and Google to pay for news could lead to uncritical reporting on tech; better approaches would tackle roots of media woes, including ad markets  —  Exponent — as promised! — will be back tomorrow, talking about podcasting, Spotify, and working from home.  —  On to the update:

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Featured Podcasts

Cheeky Pint:
The world of voice AI, with Mati Staniszewski of ElevenLabs
Stripe cofounder John Collison interviews founders, builders, and leaders over a pint.
Subscribe to Cheeky Pint.
Invest Like the Best:
Scott Nolan - SpaceX, Founders Fund, and Rebuilding American Uranium Enrichment
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz on Sam Altman's Trust Problem
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.
Acquired:
Ferrari
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
Hard truths about building in the AI era | Keith Rabois (Khosla Ventures)
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.
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.
 

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Earlier Picks

Debby Wu / Bloomberg:
Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Wall Street Journal:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat: