Techmeme
May 16, 2021, 7:05 PM

Top News

José Adorno / 9to5Mac:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Clubhouse, which launched its Android app in beta in the US last week, to expand the app to Japan, Brazil, and Russia on Tuesday, and globally by Friday  —  Voice social network Clubhouse said on Sunday it will expand its Android app worldwide in a week, days after launching a beta version …
Joshua Swingle / PhoneArena:
Jon Prosser leaks what he claims are Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro renders, as well as a promo video and images of Android 12, ahead of Google I/O  —  Google is rumored to be revamping Wear OS this year and the update is said to be so substantial that even Samsung is on board with the plans.
New York Times:
Sources: long after his marriage, Bill Gates would pursue women at Microsoft, at times creating an uncomfortable workplace environment  —  Melinda French Gates voiced concerns about her husband's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and a harassment claim against his money manager.
Stephanie Chan / Sensor Tower Blog:
After WhatsApp's privacy policy changes, in the first four months of 2021, Telegram's installs rose 98% YoY and Signal's first-time downloads were up 1,192% YoY  —  Popular mobile messenger WhatsApp encountered backlash in January when it was announced that users would need to accept …
Zeke Faux / Bloomberg:
An examination of Chamath Palihapitiya-sponsored SPACs, including Clover Health, which have plunged 50% on average after the SPAC market hit its peak in mid-Feb  —  One morning last October, as wildfires raged across Northern California, President Donald Trump convalesced from Covid‑ …
Clive Thompson / New York Times:
A brief history of NFTs and cryptoart, including interviews with artists who kickstarted the NFT boom, as celebrities and major brands fuel the frenzy  —  Digital creators used the blockchain to create a whole new art scene.  Then their work started selling for thousands — sometimes millions of dollars.
Adriana Hamacher / Decrypt:
Q&A with Dogecoin developer Ross Nicoll about its coming upgrade, and working with Elon Musk, who Nicoll says has been in touch with Doge developers since 2019  —  Dogecoin developers have turned down funding from Elon Musk, choosing instead to tap his brain to make the cryptocurrency a greener …
Matt Burgess / Wired UK:
A look at WhatsApp's approach to detecting child porn, as police worry that wider use of end-to-end encryption online will make it harder to catch predators  —  A trail of clues helped police close in on a dangerous predator.  Now, a battle over the future of end-to-end encryption could change the rules of engagement

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More News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Reggie Ugwu / New York Times:
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Wired:

Earlier Picks

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Will Oremus / The Atlantic:
@antoniogm: