Techmeme
August 15, 2020, 8:00 PM

Top News

Nick Statt / The Verge:
Epic's Tim Sweeney says fight with Apple is about “the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers” to install and distribute apps as they choose  —  Sweeney says the explosive feud with Apple is not solely about money  —  Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has issued a series …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
With its ban on cloud gaming services and now the removal of Fortnite, Apple is at the risk of losing a generation of young, game-loving smartphone owners  —  Apple has always had a complicated relationship with the game industry, but this month that relationship slid into a bitter …
Kyle Orland / Ars Technica:
Most of Epic's complaints against Apple and Google apply to console makers, which Epic conveniently ignores; most gamers likely play Fortnite on consoles  —  Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo demand the same platform control—and the same 30% fee.  —  Yesterday, Epic used Fortnite …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Charlie Warzel / New York Times:
While social media platforms did not create QAnon, they helped it go mainstream via recommendation systems designed to prioritize engagement  —  A supporter of the dangerous conspiracy theory is most likely headed to Congress.  The social media platforms have some soul-searching to do.
Kim Lyons / The Verge:
In a new Instagram update, Facebook has started replacing the Instagram DM icon with Messenger's logo, although cross-messaging is still not functional  —  You might see this pop-up when you open Instagram  —  Facebook appears to flipping the switch on integrating the chat systems for Instagram and Messenger.
Biz Carson / Protocol:
Interviews with 20+ founders and investors provide an inside look at Y Combinator's virtual W20 Demo Day, which saw some companies lower their target valuations  —  It was four weeks before Y Combinator's scheduled March 2020 Demo Day, and the pressure was on Helena Merk as she tried to pivot her startup idea ahead of the big pitch.
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Facebook launches paid online events in 20 countries with waived fees during COVID-19, says Apple is hurting SMBs by refusing to waive its 30% cut on iOS  —  Facebook Inc. joined a growing list of developers to publicly criticize Apple Inc. over its revenue-sharing policy for in-app purchases …
Lora Kolodny / CNBC:
Trump's new EO forces ByteDance to sell or spin off its US TikTok business within 90 days instead of 45 days and destroy all copies of TikTok data of US users  —  - President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday that will force China's ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days.
Rob Pegoraro / Forbes:
Facebook's new policy to label promoted content with direct political ties won't affect sites, like Breitbart, which are funded by political actors  —  A new policy Facebook FB announced Tuesday suggests the social network will finally punish political propaganda disguised as news.
Angela Lashbrook / OneZero :
Quick Reactions to Instagram Stories convey little when used, confuse people when they're absent, make some people feel obliged to use them  —  Research shows that a modicum of extra effort in online conversations goes a long way  —  When Instagram introduced the option to “heart” …
Jacob Helberg / Foreign Policy:
To secure its supply chains and information networks against Chinese attacks, the US needs to reindustrialize and develop a skilled and innovative workforce  —  In 2011, then-President Barack Obama attended an intimate dinner in Silicon Valley.  At one point, he turned to the man on his left.
Chloe Hadavas / Slate:
A look at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, formed by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube in 2017, whose database helps fight misinformation  —  Last October, a neo-Nazi livestreamed his attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany.  The video of the shooting, which killed two people …

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's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review  —  As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People.  Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
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

Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
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:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
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:
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
"Neither Side Is Used to Losing." Lucas Shaw on What's Next for Netflix and Paramount in the Battle for Warner Bros.
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.
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 8:00 PM ET, August 15, 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

Will Oremus / OneZero :

Earlier Picks

Richard Waters / Financial Times:
Bloomberg:
Wall Street Journal:
Jason Schreier / Bloomberg: