Techmeme: CommonGround, a stealth startup aiming to debut a product in 2021 that rethinks online communication with “4D collaboration”, raises $19M led by Matrix Partners (Anthony Ha/TechCrunch)

Top News

Leaked docs: Lens, a supplier for Apple, Tesla, Amazon, used alleged forced Uighur labor; Apple says it has confirmed its suppliers have not used forced labor — New documents show Lens Technology, which makes iPhone glass and is owned by China's richest woman, received Uighur Muslim laborers transferred from Xinjiang.

More: 9to5Mac, Engadget, CNET, Business Insider, AppleInsider, The Mac Observer, iPhone Hacks, and Input

Tweets: @benlovejoy, @chuckrossdc, @bubbaprog, and @reedalbergotti

Reed Albergotti / Washington Post:

Federal judge dismisses Apple lawsuit accusing mobile device virtualization company Corellium of violating copyright law for its software that runs iOS on PCs — Corellium helps customers find bugs in Apple's mobile operating system. Apple aimed to shut it down.

More: MacRumors and 9to5Mac

Tweets: @pwnallthethings, @grhmc, @pwnallthethings, @pwnallthethings, @pwnallthethings, @pwnallthethings, @pwnallthethings, @pwnallthethings, and @reedalbergotti

CoinDesk:

Coinbase says it will suspend trading of XRP on January 19, 2021, following the SEC's suit against Ripple — Coinbase said it will suspend trading of XRP, the cryptocurrency the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claimed last week is really a security.

Bloomberg:

Source: Ant Group is planning to fold its financial operations into a holding company that could be regulated more like a bank — - Financial units face stricter regulation in planned structure — Lifestyle businesses to be excluded from holding company

More: Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, TechCrunch, The Guardian, PYMNTS.com, South China Morning Post, Tech in Asia, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg

Tweets: @jchengwsj, @vusithembekwayo, @jchengwsj, @niubi, and @bloombergquint

Ron Miller / TechCrunch:

VMware sues its former COO Rajiv Ramaswami, claiming that his taking a job as CEO of Nutanix was a breach of contract — Earlier this month, when Nutanix announced it was hiring former VMware COO Rajiv Ramaswami as CEO, it looked like a good match. What's more, it pulled a key player from a market rival.

More: VMware and Silicon Valley Business …. Tweets: @aaronbuley

Svea Herbst-Bayliss / Reuters:

In a letter, an activist hedge fund pushes Intel to explore strategic alternatives, like whether it should remain an integrated device manufacturer; stock up 5% — (Reuters) - Activist hedge fund Third Point LLC is pushing Intel Corp to explore strategic alternatives, including whether …

More: Tom's Hardware, AppleInsider, and MSPoweruser. Tweets: @markhachman

Olivia Solon / NBC News:

Police rely heavily on car sensor and infotainment system data, including GPS and call records, to challenge alibis, thanks to looser privacy standards for cars — On June 26, 2017, the lifeless body of Ronald French, a bearded auto mechanic with once-twinkling eyes, was mysteriously found in a cornfield in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

More: Slashdot and The Verge

Tweets: @fabiochiusi, @lam_barrett, @saramorrison, @chris_chmura, and @mslods

Wall Street Journal:

Unredacted draft version of the lawsuit filed by 10 states earlier this month details a Google-Facebook ad deal that allegedly constituted illegal price fixing — Lawmakers have called for an investigation into the tech giants' contract, dubbed ‘Jedi Blue,’ which allegedly allowed for auction rigging

More: The Irish Times and New York Post

Tweets: @paulnemitz and @bowknowsbiz

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:

Graphcore, which designs chips designed for AI workloads, raises $222M Series E led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan at a $2.77B post-money valuation — Applications based on artificial intelligence — whether they are systems running autonomous services, platforms being used …

More: SiliconANGLE, VentureBeat, Tech.eu, CNBC, coinspeaker.com, PR Newswire, Forbes, Crunchbase News, and Financial Times. Tweets: @jwangark. Thanks:@ingridlunden

Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:

CommonGround, a stealth startup aiming to debut a product in 2021 that rethinks online communication with “4D collaboration”, raises $19M led by Matrix Partners — CommonGround, a startup developing technology for what its founders describe as “4D collaboration,” is announcing that it has raised $19 million in funding.

Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:

A look at a center for young people with disabilities in Georgia that Google and others have used as a place to test products for accessibility — Google and Tommy Hilfiger get feedback from residents on their accessible products — When Matthew Thompson graduated from high school in 2010 …

Tweets: @ipoupyrev and @wsj

Bloomberg:

Sources detail Reliance Industries' plans for 2021 after raising $27B this year: support for 5G, integration of WhatsApp payments into its services, and more — - Asia's richest man is trying to transform his business empire — 5G, WhatsApp integration, energy unit deal are 2021 priorities

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