Techmeme
August 16, 2020, 1:40 AM

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:
Kim Lyons / The Verge:
Telegram has launched an alpha version of one-on-one video calls in its Android and iOS apps, says all calls will be end-to-end encrypted  —  The company plans to add improvements to the alpha feature in coming months  —  Secure messaging app Telegram has launched an alpha version …
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.
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 …
Parmy Olson / Wall Street Journal:
As companies start using AI-software to detect race or ethnicity, often as part of market research, researchers worry it will fuel bias and discrimination  —  When Revlon Inc. wanted to know what lipstick women of different races and in different countries were wearing, the cosmetics giant didn't need to send out a survey.
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.
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.

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More News

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Digiday:
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Earlier Picks

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