Techmeme
March 12, 2021, 3:05 PM

Top News

Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says Microsoft's support of a bill for greater bargaining power for news pubs is “self-serving” and intended to distract from the SolarWinds hack  —  Google has always been committed to providing high-quality and relevant information, and to supporting the news publishers who help create it.
Brad Smith / Microsoft On the Issues:
In House hearing, Brad Smith says monetizing referral traffic has become increasingly difficult for news pubs because Google squeezes out most of the profit  —  Editor's Note: On Mar. 12, Microsoft President Brad Smith testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
Marco Rubio / USA Today:
Marco Rubio says he is endorsing Amazon workers' unionization efforts in Alabama because Amazon leadership is waging “culture war against working-class values”  —  Amazon is waging a culture war against working-class values and is not helping workers or our economy.
Matt Burgess / WIRED UK:
UK Home Office confirms trial of web surveillance tool that can track users' browsing history in partnership with two unnamed ISPs and National Crime Agency  —  The Investigatory Powers Act, or Snooper's Charter, was introduced in 2016.  Now one of its most contentious surveillance tools is being secretly trialled by internet firms
James Tarmy / Bloomberg:
MetaKovan, an anonymous digital asset investor and founder of NFT focused crypto-based investment fund Metapurse, is the buyer of the $69M Beeple NFT  —  A digital asset investor who goes by the handle Metakovan and refuses to give his full name, announced that he is the buyer …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Epidemic Sound, a marketplace for online creators looking for background music, raises $450M from Blackstone and EQT Growth, at a valuation of $1.4B  —  The popularity of video and other streamed content like podcasts is continuing to grow at a breakneck speed, and today a startup called Epidemic Sound …
Eric Martin / Bloomberg:
Sources: the Biden administration has informed some Huawei suppliers it is imposing more explicit prohibitions on the export of 5G components to the company  —  - Conditions for licensed exporters went into effect this week  — Move builds on Huawei prohibitions implemented under Trump
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
A look at the history of Twine, an open-source tool for producing web-based interactive fiction and games with text, as it remains a significant force in gaming  —  IN THE VIDEO GAME Howling Dogs, released in 2012, players wake up in a prison with few options: a shower, a nutrient dispenser …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple sues its former materials lead Simon Lancaster for allegedly stealing trade secrets and leaking them to the media  —  Apple is taking legal action against its former materials lead, Simon Lancaster, over allegedly leaking trade secrets to the media.  The lawsuit accuses Lancaster of abusing his …
Daniel McCoy / Wichita Business Journal:
Boston-based Valo Health, which analyzes clinical data to identify molecules and predict their chances for use in drugs, raises $300M Series B  —  A Boston-based company working to improve the way drugs are brought to the market has secured $110 million in Series B funding from Koch Disruptive Technologies.
More: FinSMEs
Bloomberg:
Sources: Bilibili has received a nod for its proposed $3B second listing in Hong Kong; its US shares are up ~10x since US IPO, giving it a market value of $39B  —  - Streaming platform's U.S. shares up ninefold since 2018 IPO  — U.S.-listed Chinese technology firms flocking to Hong Kong
Karen Hao / MIT Technology Review:
Facebook sidelined AI experts and weakened initiatives to clean up misinfo because leadership didn't want to hurt Zuckerberg's desire for growth  —  Joaquin Quiñonero Candela, a director of AI at Facebook, was apologizing to his audience.  —  It was March 23, 2018 …
The Markup:

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box 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:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
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:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
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:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:05 PM ET, March 12, 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

Sam Biddle / The Intercept:
Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
Christian Peña / NBC News:
Justin Bariso / Inc.com:
Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Mitchell Clark / The Verge:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge: