Techmeme
February 4, 2021, 8:05 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 …
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 …
Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
Google says Pixel users will be able to use their phone cameras to measure pulse and breath rates through the Google Fit app, starting next month  —  Like many of us, Google is getting more interested in our health.  The company is announcing today new features that will allow …
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.”
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Bloomberg:
Sources: Google is exploring a less-stringent Android alternative to Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature, resembling planned Chrome changes  —  - Internet giant mulls bringing web privacy approach to Android  — Google balancing user privacy with developer, advertiser needs
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 proposes broad changes as Democrats press issue of perceived monopoly power  —  WASHINGTON—Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D. …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Unity reports Q4 revenue of $220.3 million, up 39% YoY, on net loss of $83.5M; stock falls 11% after hours on slowing revenue forecast  —  - Unity reported fourth-quarter revenue growth of 39%, topping analysts' estimates.  — Its forecast for the first quarter was in the middle of the expected range.
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter took coordinated action to take down top members of account hijacking forum OGUsers and seized hundreds of accounts  —  Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter this week all took steps to crack down on users involved in trafficking hijacked user accounts across their platforms.
Kyle Bradshaw / 9to5Google:
Google delists the popular Chrome extension The Great Suspender for containing malware and is disabling the extension for those who installed it  —  This afternoon, Google has delisted the popular extension The Great Suspender for containing malware and is proactively disabling the extension for those who have it.
Josh Eidelson / Bloomberg:
In a NLRB filing, the Alphabet Workers Union accuses Google vendor Adecco of violating US labor law by forbidding contract workers from discussing their pay  —  - New labor group accuses Google vendor of violating labor law  — Worker says Facebook post got her suspended by contractor
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google starts rolling out Google News Showcase in Australia, paying local and regional publishers, amid an ongoing dispute over Australia's proposed media rules  —  Google has a $1 billion plan to pay publishers for content that appears in a cross-service “News Showcase” product.
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Twitter will move its offline analytics, data processing, and ML workloads to Google's Cloud after agreeing to an expanded multiyear partnership  —  Twitter is upping its data analytics game in the form of an expanded, multiyear partnership with Google Cloud.
More: ZDNet
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Activision Blizzard reports Q4 net revenue of $2.41B, up 21% YoY, driven by a record year for Call of Duty, which had full year premium unit sales up 40% YoY  —  Activision Blizzard reported earnings today that beat Wall Street's expectations with 21% revenue growth to $2.41 billion for the fourth quarter ended December 31.
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Q&A with mobile marketing analyst Eric Seufert on the Facebook-Apple conflict, Apple's real motives for iOS privacy changes, and potential harm to businesses  —  In yesterday's Article The Relentless Jeff Bezos, I called the Amazon founder “arguably the greatest CEO in tech history.”
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
Hamish McKenzie / Substack Blog:
Substack co-founder says Facebook and Twitter getting into paid newsletters is a positive thing for writers and the media ecosystem, implores them to go all in  —  When Twitter announced that it had acquired the email newsletter provider Revue to create a Substack competitor, I tweeted a smartass response:
Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
Pinterest reports Q4 revenue of $706M, up 76% YoY and beating estimates of $645.6M, and 459M global MAUs, up 37% YoY and above estimates of 449.4M; stock up 7%+  —  - Pinterest reported fourth quarter 2020 results on Thursday.  — The company beat on both the top and bottom lines.

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