Techmeme
August 12, 2020, 10:20 AM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft is launching its Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone on September 10 for $1,399, with preorders starting today in the US  —  Microsoft is launching its Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone on September 10th, priced from $1,399.  After months of Microsoft executives teasing …
Scott Stein / CNET:
Hands-on with a non-functioning Surface Duo prototype, which has two 5.6-inch OLED screens forming a 8.1-inch display, bound together by a unique hinge  —  Inside a little white box in front of me is a gadget that looks like a little book.  The Microsoft Windows logo is embossed on top.
Erin Griffith / New York Times:
Former Pinterest COO accuses the company of gender bias in a new lawsuit, alleging she was fired in April after complaining about sexist treatment  —  Françoise Brougher, Pinterest's former chief operating officer, said she was fired after speaking up about mistreatment.
Francoise Brougher:
Former Pinterest COO provides a detailed account of her claims about gender discrimination and toxic workplace culture with recommendations for the company  —  Pinterest has always been about aspiration.  It is a platform for sharing beautiful images, curating galleries of an idealized world.
Wall Street Journal:
Analysis: TikTok used an Android security hole to collect MAC addresses, possibly for ad tracking, without an ability to opt out; the practice ended in November  —  The tactic, which experts in mobile-phone security said was concealed through an unusual added layer of encryption, appears to have violated Google policies
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Trump's executive order to ban TikTok by Sept. 20 is a gross abuse of power and sets an alarming precedent for the executive branch's control over software  —  An alarming precedent for government control over software  —  For months, President Trump has been teasing some kind of ban on TikTok …
Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
Biden's VP pick Kamala Harris, who has close ties with tech execs and has dodged questions about breaking up Big Tech, is likely to generate excitement in SV  —  Sen. Kamala Harris has had a close relationship with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.  Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft commits to launching the Xbox Series X in November and will delay Halo Infinite until 2021  —  Halo Infinite will not be available until 2021  —  Microsoft is committing to launching its next-generation Xbox Series X console in November.  The company had previously only confirmed a vague …
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
LinkedIn says it has sold presentation-sharing service SlideShare to Scribd, which will take over its operation on September 24  —  SlideShare has a new owner, with LinkedIn selling the presentation-sharing service to Scribd for an undisclosed price.  —  According to LinkedIn …
Andrei Frumusanu / AnandTech:
Samsung Display reveals new generation of variable refresh rate mobile display panels, making its debut in the Note20 Ultra, helping lower device power usage  —  By now we've become quite familiar with high refresh-rate displays in the mobile space, as the first pioneering 90Hz devices …
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Microsoft fixes 17 critical and two zero-day flaws, including an actively-exploited RCE flaw in IE that can compromise PCs when users visit malicious sites  —  Microsoft says attackers have used a Windows zero-day to spoof file signatures and another RCE in the Internet Explorer scripting engine to execute code on users' devices.
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Simpplr, which develops AI-powered intranet software for employee directories, raises $10M Series B led by Norwest Venture Partners  —  Simpplr today raised $10 million for its AI-powered intranet platform that is designed to streamline communications.  CEO Dhiraj Sharma says the funds …
Tweets: @ichetan
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Facebook says it removed 22.5M posts for violating hate speech policies in Q2, up 2x from Q1, and that 95% of the violations were caught using automated systems  —  - Hate speech removal has jumped nearly 10-fold since 2018  — Facebook to undergo third party audit for content in 2021
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
US judge sides with Google in a lawsuit brought by Genius, which alleged that Google scraped lyrics in violation of copyright law  —  Google may have been caught “redhanded,” but a federal judge rules that Genius hasn't alleged any viable claims not be preempted by copyright law.
Becky Ferreira / New York Times:
As Amazon joins SpaceX and OneWeb in launching satellite constellations, astronomers worry about the effects on astronomical observations and image quality  —  The F.C.C. approved the company's 3,236-satellite constellation, which aims to provide high-speed internet service around the world.
Leo Schwartz / Rest of World:
Interview with Jorge Ríos, co-founder and CEO of Bridgefy, a popular protest app which uses mesh-networking tech for messaging without an internet access  —  Without intending to, this startup developed a messaging app used in protests from Hong Kong to Minneapolis — and found a Twitter co-founder as an investor along the way.
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Gong, which uses AI to provide insights on customer behavior and improve sales, raises $200M Series D, at a $2.2B valuation, led by Coatue  —  Gong.io, a startup providing an “intelligence platform” for enterprise sales teams, today nabbed $200 million in funding at a $2.2 billion valuation …
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Routable, a startup focused on streamlining B2B payments, comes out of stealth with $12M Series A from Y Combinator, Founders' Co-Op, and others  —  Routable, a fintech startup with Seattle roots, came out of stealth mode this week and announced a $12 million Series A funding round.
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