Techmeme
November 21, 2020, 9:45 PM

Top News

Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch:
A look at the growing world of virtual HQs on services like Branch, Gather, and Huddle, which are using spatial tech to create a metaverse dedicated to work  —  ‘The future of transportation is no transportation’  —  In retrospect, 2019 feels like the working world's last dance with spontaneity.
Samuel Axon / Ars Technica:
Craig Federighi, Johny Srouji, and Greg Joswiak on how Apple designed M1, the importance of UMA, non-linear increase in performance at higher power levels, more  —  Craig Federighi, Johny Srouji, and Greg Joswiak tell us the Apple Silicon story.  —  Some time ago, in an Apple campus building, a group of engineers got together.
Nick Statt / The Verge:
A year in, Stadia's free-to-play and added phone support are great, but it needs a successful Cyberpunk 2077 launch to be seen as a true console alternative  —  Firing up a big-budget modern video game inside a Chrome browser window for the first time feels like you're tapping into some arcane magic …
David Jeans / Forbes:
Profile of Vishal Garg, CEO of Better.com, who is fighting lawsuits that accuse him of fraud and misappropriation of funds at previous business ventures  —  The $4 billion fintech startup is hurtling towards an IPO.  But its volatile leader is fighting multiple lawsuits that could complicate his ambitions.
TechCrunch:
a16z closes two new funds totaling $4.5B, focused on early and later-stage investments, bringing total assets under management to $16.5B  —  Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has closed a pair of funds totaling $4.5 billion, the firm confirmed in a blog post this morning.
Rolfe Winkler / Wall Street Journal:
Fourteen states and DC released their contact tracing apps so far, with CA and others to follow, but adoption has been uneven due to politicization of COVID-19  —  Exposure notification technology, now available to more Americans, shows promise  —  Covid-19 contact-tracing apps from Apple Inc …
Damian Radcliffe / ZDNet:
Report: in the Middle East, $704M was invested across 564 different startups in 2019, compared to only $15M in five venture deals in 2009  —  The coronavirus is having an impact, but the Middle East's startup scene is showing some unexpected trends.  —  At the end of last year, the Middle East's startup scene was on the up and up.

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Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Anthropic's Mythos Dilemma, Violence Against AI, Tokenmaxxing at Meta
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Hard Fork:
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The Upstarts Podcast:
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Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
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OpenClaw for normies is here
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Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
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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.
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More News

Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Hartley Charlton / MacRumors:

Earlier Picks

Sarah Emerson / OneZero:
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
BBC:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: