Techmeme
January 25, 2021, 9:00 AM

Top News

Clubhouse:
Clubhouse raises a new round of funding led by a16z, says it has 180+ investors, will test options for paying creators and soon begin work on an Android app  —  Clubhouse is moving quickly today, but in some ways it feels like the journey started a long time ago.
Steve Dent / Engadget:
Google pledges $150M in grants to promote COVID-19 vaccine distribution and converts some of its facilities into vaccination sites  —  Google will convert some of its facilities into COVID-19 vaccination sites starting in New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Kirkland, Washington.
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple warns magnets in iPhone 12 models and MagSafe devices may affect pacemakers and should be kept at least 6" away from medical devices or 12" while charging  —  Since the launch of iPhone 12 models in October, Apple has acknowledged that the devices may cause electromagnetic interference …
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Google workers across the world announce Alpha Global, an international union alliance comprising 13 unions representing workers in 10 countries  —  Alpha Global includes workers from 10 countries, including the United States and Germany  —  Google workers across the world are coming together to form a global union alliance.
Timothy B. Lee / Ars Technica:
In an interview, Waymo CEO dismissed Tesla as a competitor and argued that Tesla's current strategy, without lidar, wouldn't produce a fully self-driving system  —  Elon Musk and John Krafcik have very different theories about driverless tech.  —  Many Tesla fans view the electric carmaker …
Reuters:
Sources: Huawei is in early stage talks to sell its premium smartphone brands P and Mate to a Chinese consortium led by state-backed investment firms  —  (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is in early-stage talks to sell its premium smartphone brands P and Mate …
Wall Street Journal:
Research shows that hundreds of SPACs are looking to acquire tech companies in the coming months, heating up competition for startups and inflating deal values  —  ‘Blank check’ firms known as SPACs are in pursuit of America's hottest startups.  Is the invasion a sign of a market euphoria that can't last?
Microsoft On the Issues:
Microsoft confirms it halted all donations of its PAC while it decides by Feb. 15 whether to suspend donations to those who voted against election certification  —  Microsoft confirmed publicly today, as it announced internally on Jan. 8, that it has halted all donations of its PAC …
Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch:
Wolt, a Helsinki-based online ordering and delivery company, raises $530M led by Iconiq Growth  —  Wolt, the Helsinki-based online ordering and delivery company that initially focused on restaurants but has since expanded to other verticals, has raised $530 million in new funding.

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
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Niantic Spatial:
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Zoho:
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IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Apple After Tim Cook, OpenAI's New Mojo, Meta's Internal Tracking Escapade
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Hard Fork:
Tim Cook's Legacy + The Future of U.B.I. With Andrew Yang + HatGPT
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.
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The Upstarts Podcast:
Chapter's Cobi Blumenfeld-Gantz: From Palantir To $3B Medicare Disruptor
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.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
Lenny's Podcast:
How Anthropic's product team moves faster than anyone else | Cat Wu (Head of Product, Claude Code)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
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Access:
Silicon Valley finally has its "Succession"
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
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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.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

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More News

Nikkei Asia:
Dave Gershgorn / OneZero :
Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal:

Earlier Picks

Conor Hale / FierceBiotech:
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Crispian Balmer / Reuters: