Techmeme
May 20, 2021, 1:40 PM

Top News

The Verge:
Twitter is rolling out its new verification program, with revamped categories that include activists and journalists, and previews upcoming changes to profiles  —  It also previewed potential changes coming to profiles  —  Twitter is relaunching its public verification program, allowing anyone to apply for a coveted blue check mark.
Thomas Franck / CNBC:
US Treasury announces it will require any cryptocurrency transfers worth $10,000+ to be reported to the IRS, saying cryptocurrencies pose a tax evasion risk  —  - The Treasury Department announced that it will require any transfer worth $10,000 or more to be reported to the IRS.
Jason Rosenthal / The Keyword:
Google is opening its first ever physical retail store in New York this summer, letting users buy Pixel phones, Nest products, Fitbit devices, more  —  Today, we're announcing our plans to open Google's first ever physical retail store, in one of the greatest cities in the world: New York.
Echo Wang / Reuters:
ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming says he's stepping down as CEO to “daydream about what may be possible”; co-founder and HR head Liang Rubo will become new CEO  —  (Reuters) -Zhang Yiming, co-founder of TikTok owner ByteDance, told employees of the Chinese technology giant …
Jacob Krol / CNN:
Apple TV 4K (2021) review: faster than competition and the new Siri Remote is very good with an easy to use click wheel and power button, but is very expensive  —  Like the refresh of the iPad Pros, the updates to the Apple TV 4K are all internal, namely new hardware that leads to an overall speedier experience.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Berlin-based Trade Republic, a zero-commission “neo-broker” app, raises $900M Series C led by Sequoia at a $5.3B valuation  —  Consumers are moving into investing to complement — or in some cases, offset — less good returns from things like traditional savings accounts …
Sara Morrison / Vox:
Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch:
Maven, which helps professionals teach cohort-based classes, has raised $20M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz  —  Maven, a startup that helps professionals teach cohort-based classes, has raised $20 million in a Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
David Cohen / Adweek:
Facebook launches a new Transparency Center, a site for info on its policies to tackle hate speech, says it now removes 97% of hate speech before it's reported  —  Facebook introduced its new Transparency Center Wednesday, billing it as a single destination for information on its integrity and transparency efforts.
Rebecca Klar / The Hill:
FTC and six state AGs sue internet service provider Frontier for allegedly providing slower internet speeds than promised to 1.3M DSL customers across 25 states  —  Frontier Communications is accused of misrepresenting internet speeds it advertised and charged for, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday …
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple announces accessibility features, including background sounds to help maintain focus and calm, AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch, and iPad eye-tracking  —  Apple today announced the upcoming launch of several new accessibility features that are being added to its various products and services.
Joan E. Solsman / CNET:
WarnerMedia says HBO Max's cheaper, ad-supported tier will cost $10 per month and launch in the first week of June  —  HBO Max's cheaper, ad-supported tier will cost $10 a month and launch in the first week of June, WarnerMedia said Wednesday.  It'll come the week after — possibly just days after …
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Enterprise video messaging service Loom raises $130M led by a16z at a valuation of $1.53B, and says it now has 10M users across 120K businesses  —  - Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner, Sequoia join $130 million round  — Work-from-home accelerated Loom's video messaging growth
Ian Sherr / CNET:
During the Epic trial, Craig Federighi says malware on macOS has reached an “unacceptable” level and the problem is “significantly larger” than iOS  —  Apple's head of software engineering, Craig Federighi, said malware on Macs have hit “unacceptable” levels.

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Earlier Picks

Stephanie Condon / ZDNet:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Dieter Bohn / The Verge: