Techmeme
March 8, 2021, 4:15 PM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
EU approves Microsoft's $7.5B deal to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, without conditions  —  Microsoft will have 23 first-party game studios  —  The European Commission has approved Microsoft's $7.5 billion deal to acquire ZeniMax Media …
Sarah E. Needleman / Wall Street Journal:
Source: Discord generated $130M in revenue in 2020, up from $45M in 2019, and isn't profitable; CEO Jason Citron says its focus will be subscriptions, not ads  —  The chat startup is leaning on its millions of passionate users to fuel growth after nearly tripling revenue last year
Jeff John Roberts / Decrypt:
PayPal says it acquired Tel Aviv-based Curv, which facilitates secure storage of cryptocurrency, source says for nearly $200M  —  PayPal announced on Monday it has acquired Curv, a Tel Aviv-based startup that uses a novel form of cryptography to safeguard customers' stashes of Bitcoin and other digital assets.
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
Microsoft took nearly two months to issue a patch after hearing of Exchange Server's flaws, even as a mass-hack unfolded; some of the flaws were 10+ years old  —  Sometimes when a complex story takes us by surprise or knocks us back on our heels, it pays to revisit the events in a somewhat linear fashion.
Nate Lanxon / Bloomberg:
GSMA says Mobile World Congress Barcelona will go ahead in June, with plans for up to 50,000 in-person attendees  —  - MWC Barcelona is industry body's main source of revenue  — Gathering was among first major Covid-related cancelations  —  The global mobile industry is planning …
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
The new Google Pay app that came out of beta this week replaces a perfectly fine service for P2P users with a less-functional service that has more fees  —  For P2P users, the new app has fewer features, is less convenient, and has more fees.  —  The new Google Pay app came out of beta this week …
New York Times:
The NYT editorial board calls for federal US privacy legislation mandating opt in as default on data collection practices by tech companies like Facebook  —  Using an opt-in approach will help curb the excesses of Big Tech.  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views …
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Secureworks: a second threat actor targeting SolarWinds flaws, by adding backdoors via Orion bugs, has characteristics that suggest the group is based in China  —  Back in December 2020, days after the massive SolarWinds supply chain attack came to light, Microsoft warned …

Sponsor Posts

Okara:
Meet Okara, the AI platform that doesn't train on your data  —  Chat with 30+ open-source models (Llama, Kimi, Qwen, DeepSeek) through encrypted infrastructure.  Used by teams handling proprietary code and strategy.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Saudi Arabia's data localisation era: Why compliance-ready clouds are now essential  —  Saudi Arabia is in a key phase in its digital transformation, where data governance, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty are as vital as innovation.
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:
Is Google's Gemini Winning?, Thinking Machines Drama, Claude Cowork's Potential
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Jonathan Haidt Strikes Again + What You Vibecoded + An Update on the Forkiverse
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.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Building an autonomous car utopia with Rivian's RJ Scaringe
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Lenny's Podcast:
How to show up in any room with a low heart rate: Silicon Valley's missing etiquette playbook | Sam Lessin
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
Three New Influencers
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.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:15 PM ET, March 8, 2021.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Dr. Ian Cutress / AnandTech:
Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Wall Street Journal:
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
New York Times:
NBC News:
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors: