Techmeme
February 4, 2021, 12:05 PM

Top News

The Information:
Source: Apple is planning a $3,000+ mixed-reality headset with 8K displays, eye-tracking tech, and 12+ cameras to track hand movements and show the real world  —  A mixed-reality headset Apple is developing will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements …
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Amazon has started deploying AI-powered Netradyne cameras, which are always on and automatically upload footage, in its US delivery vehicles to monitor drivers  —  - Amazon has begun rolling out AI-enabled cameras from Netradyne in vehicles at a handful of contracted delivery partners across the U.S., CNBC has learned.
Lauren Kaori Gurley / VICE:
Amazon is quietly transitioning its US warehouse workers to 10-hour graveyard shifts; labor experts say the move is to cut costs and pay for fewer benefits  —  The company has been quietly transitioning warehouse workers at Amazon warehouses nationwide to a 10-hour graveyard shift, known as the “megacycle.”
CNBC:
Sources: Apple and Hyundai-Kia close to a car manufacturing deal; first “Apple Cars” will be “designed to operate without a driver and focused on the last mile”  —  - Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle …
Ryan Tracy / Wall Street Journal:
Incoming head of Senate antitrust subcommittee Amy Klobuchar introduces an antitrust bill that would raise the bar for tech acquisitions  —  Incoming head of Senate panel will propose broad changes as Democrats press issue of perceived monopoly power  —  WASHINGTON—Sen. Amy Klobuchar …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Microsoft launches Viva, an employee intranet with LinkedIn integration, access to communication tools like SharePoint and Yammer, training content, and more  —  Microsoft today launched Viva, a new “employee experience platform,” or, in non-marketing terms, its new take on the intranet sites …
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
Canada's privacy authority says what Clearview AI does is mass surveillance, calls it illegal and unacceptable, and tells it to delete citizens' facial images  —  Canadian authorities declared that the company needed citizens' consent to use their biometric information, and told the firm to delete facial images from its database.
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Kuo: iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance thanks to a new lens supplier  —  The iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance …
The Information:
Carta, which launched a private stock exchange CartaX to help employees and investors sell stock in private startups, is now valued at $6.9B  —  Launching an exchange to help employees and investors sell stock in private startups may seem an odd choice for this year, given the boom in public listings that promise imminent cashouts.
Brian Flood / Fox Business:
In an internal memo, John Matze says he has been terminated as Parler's CEO by its board of directors  —  “The future of Parler is no longer in my hands,” Matze wrote  —  EXCLUSIVE - Parler has terminated CEO John Matze, according to a memo Matze sent to staffers that has been obtained by Fox News.
Bloomberg:
In an email to staff on February 1, Andy Jassy reaffirmed his commitment to making video games, following a scathing Bloomberg profile of Amazon Game Studios  —  One day before he was named the next chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc., Andy Jassy reaffirmed his commitment to making video games …
Kristen V Brown / Bloomberg:
23andMe to go public through a merger with VG Acquisition Corp., a SPAC founded by Richard Branson, at a valuation of $3.5B  —  - CEO Wojcicki and SPAC leader Branson each invest $25 million  — DNA-testing company has been expanding its health-care profile
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Myanmar's new military government has ordered local telecoms to block Facebook and its family of apps within the country until February 7  —  Myanmar's new military government has ordered local telecom firms to temporarily block Facebook in the Southeast Asian nation days after the military seized power …
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Drone mapping and analytics service DroneDeploy raises $50M Series E, bringing its total raised to $142M  —  DroneDeploy, a platform that offers businesses access to commercial drone operators to capture professional-grade imagery of an environment and carry out data analysis, has raised $50 million in a series E round of funding.
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Jeff Bezos departs as perhaps the best CEO in tech history, having created three huge businesses: Amazon.com, AWS, and Amazon's marketplace/fulfillment services  —  Manage your Stratechery subscription.  —  It's the refunds that blow my mind.  —  You may be surprised to know that …
Brad Stone / Bloomberg:

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