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May 26, 2021, 4:50 PM
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| Annie Palmer / CNBC: |
Amazon says it will acquire MGM Studios for $8.45B, its second-largest acquisition since it paid $13.7B for Whole Foods in 2017 — - Amazon is buying MGM Studios, the companies announced, marking Amazon's most ambitious move yet into the entertainment business.
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Axios, TechCrunch, Variety, Bloomberg, VICE, ZDNet, The Verge, CNN, Business Wire, New York Times, SiliconANGLE, Ars Technica, Seattle Business Journal, Variety, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, PYMNTS.com, Insider, Wired, thegamer.com, IGN India, The Streamable, Engadget, BGR, 9to5Mac, Telecoms.com, PCMag, SlashGear, TechRadar, Thurrott, AppleInsider, Tech News, MSPoweruser, iPhone in Canada Blog, and GameSpot
Tweets: @bradstone, @davidcicilline, @hawleymo, @harrymccracken, @mattmcgee, @snazzyq, @zlurie, @dannysullivan, @a_webster, @geronimo_73, @lanceulanoff, @toddbishop, @ourand_sbj, @zephyrteachout, @brianstelter, @levynews, @rustybrick, @quinnypig, @jeremyhobson, @dorseyshaw, @thedomino, @levie, @andybeard, @richardlai, @sonnybunch, @repkenbuck, @shiraovide, @erikdavis, @loudmouthjulia, @caseynewton, @kcoxdc, @jonerlichman, @carnage4life, @shiraovide, @digitalshields, and @markdistef
| Peter Kafka / Vox: |
With its MGM acquisition, Amazon doesn't want to compete with streamers like Netflix but reduce Prime subscriber churn by providing enough blockbuster content — Amazon isn't competing with Netflix, but it is spending billions trying to figure out Hollywood. Maybe 007 can help.
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Protocol, The Verge, Variety, New York Times, Bloomberg, The Register, PYMNTS.com, Gizmodo, HotHardware.com News, AFTVnews, AndroidGuys, MacRumors, Gizchina, Trusted Reviews, Invezz, phonearena.com, Polygon, Input, Game Rant, Insider, Android Central, CNBC, NBC News, and KnowTechie
Tweets: @pkafka, @pkafka, @pkafka, and @stevekovach
| Joseph Menn / Reuters: |
WhatsApp has filed a lawsuit in Delhi against the Indian government for its new social media regulations, saying they would break privacy protections — WhatsApp has filed a lawsuit in Delhi against the Indian government seeking to block regulations coming into force on Wednesday that experts …
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WhatsApp.com, New York Times, Gizmodo, The Guardian, Livemint, Press Information Bureau, Financial Times, The Hacker News, Livemint, Android Police, Entrackr, Android Central, BuzzFeed News, The Economic Times, Bloomberg, IT PRO, Telecoms.com, Protocol, International Business Times, Voice of America, Forbes, The Verge, TechCrunch, MediaNama, iPhone Hacks, fossbytes.com, TechCrunch, CNN, Firstpost Tech, Protocol, Tech Xplore, Insider, Fast Company, Neowin, and Inc42 Media
| Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Facebook says it will limit the distribution of all posts from personal accounts that routinely spread misinformation — Facebook Inc. will begin doling out harsher punishments for individual accounts that repeatedly share false or misleading posts, an expansion of the social network's efforts to crack down on misinformation.
More:
About Facebook, Protocol, Engadget, The Verge, Reuters, 9to5Mac, and MUO
Tweets: @mbfhunzaker, @briannajanuary, @dpfunke, @evanmcmurry, @fboversight, @om, @kurtwagner8, @karissabe, @viacristiano, @kgoldshlager, @karissabe, and @kantrowitz
| Hartley Charlton / MacRumors: |
Apple removes an app, discovered by a developer, that required at least a three-star review before people could use it — An app that demanded at least a three-star review to function got through the App Store review process, it has been found (via The Verge).
More:
The Verge, iThinkDifferent, AppleInsider, and BGR
Tweets: @keleftheriou, @keleftheriou, @tolmasky, and @keleftheriou
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Facebook and Instagram now give users options to hide Like counts across all posts and to hide their own public Like counts from others — Facebook this week will begin to publicly roll out the option to hide Likes on posts across both Facebook and Instagram, following earlier tests beginning in 2019.
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About Facebook, Reuters, CNN, Facebook Research, NBC News, Good Morning America, Vox, Social Media Today, Tom's Guide, BGR, Pocketnow, Wccftech, NBC Bay Area, MacRumors, KnowTechie, Bloomberg, The Hill, Tubefilter, CNET, Wall Street Journal, Variety, The Economic Times, Engadget, The Verge, and Candid.Technology
Tweets: @mosseri, @mosseri, @instagram, @sarahfrier, @taylorlorenz, @sarahfrier, and @kerrymflynn
| Jay Peters / The Verge: |
Amazon says Andy Jassy will become CEO on July 5, which marks 27 years to the day that Amazon was incorporated — That's Amazon's 27th birthday — Andy Jassy will officially become the CEO of Amazon on July 5th, the company announced at a shareholder meeting on Wednesday.
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GeekWire, SiliconANGLE, Forbes, CNET, CNET, USA Today, Variety, Engadget, Trusted Reviews, TechSpot, iDownloadBlog.com, The Wrap, Bloomberg, and CNBC
Tweets: @daveleeft, @daveleeft, and @daveleeft
| Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch: |
OpenAI's Sam Altman announces a $100M startup fund with Microsoft backing aimed at early-stage AI companies, with plans to invest in “probably not more than 10” — OpenAI is launching a $100 million startup fund, which it calls the OpenAI Startup Fund, though which it and its partners … | Stephen Shankland / CNET: |
USB standards body unveils its USB-C 2.1 revision, which supports power up to 240W, up from 100W currently, aimed at devices like 4K displays and gaming laptops — An upgrade to the USB-C standard will accommodate levels of up to 240 watts, an improvement that could let you plug power-hungry devices …
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USB-IF, The Verge, Ars Technica, Android Police, mobilesyrup.com, PCWorld, Gizmodo, 9to5Google, Windows Central, GameSpot, Trusted Reviews, TechSpot, Redmond Pie, Tom's Hardware, Digital Trends, GSMArena.com, 9to5Mac, Engadget, HotHardware.com News, XDA Developers, Laptop Mag, Neowin, and Android Central
| Jeff John Roberts / Decrypt: |
PayPal to add third-party wallet transfer support, allowing users to send Bitcoin to PayPal and Venmo users as well as to Coinbase and outside crypto wallets — PayPal created a stir in the crypto markets last year when it announced its millions of users could buy and sell Bitcoin.
More:
CoinDesk, Reuters, The Block, Crypto Briefing, and Bitcoin Magazine
Tweets: @thecryptoconomy, @thegreatola, @cryptognomie, @ziggamon, and @proftrader12
| Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post: |
Facebook says Russia is still the largest producer of disinformation, in a report that details 150 operations that the company has disrupted since 2017 — Report explores how issue has evolved in recent years — A Facebook report released Wednesday says that Russia is still the largest producer …
More:
About Facebook, Engadget, TechCrunch, The Hill, The Daily Dot, Tech Xplore, and Bloomberg
Tweets: @benimmo, @olgs7, @ngleicher, @ngleicher, @benimmo, @alexstamos, @benimmo, @benimmo, @lageneralista, @ngleicher, @cbs_herridge, @ngleicher, @alexstamos, @olgs7, @olgs7, @alexstamos, @nickclegg, @marietjeschaake, @olgs7, @ngleicher, and @andymstone
| Patrick Sykes / Bloomberg: |
Iran says it is banning cryptocurrency mining until September 22 after a series of power blackouts across major cities — - Iran blames crypto mining and drought for recent outages — Government says 85% of mining activity is unlicensed — Follow us @crypto for our full coverage.
More:
Iran, The Verge, Al Jazeera, CNBC, Reuters, BitcoinExchangeGuide, Bitcoin Magazine, Financial Times, Cointelegraph, and Decrypt
Tweets: @bloqbot and @jessefelder
| Melanie Evans / Wall Street Journal: |
Google partners with US hospital chain HCA Healthcare to develop algorithms to improve operating efficiency, monitor patients, and guide doctors' decisions — Tech giant expands health-sector presence in latest deal to develop tools to improve medical care, as privacy concerns arise
More:
HCA Today, The Verge, PYMNTS.com, and Tech Xplore
Tweets: @wsj, @jjwurology, @sovmichael, @tstavroulaki, @pjputh, @iamstarnord, @stefaniei, @silvermanjacob, and @repkenbuck
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Instagram launches a new shopping section called Drops, helping users find limited supply products, and will temporarily waive fees due to COVID-19 — Instagram today announced it's adding a new feature to help connect online shoppers to product drops through its app.| New York Times: |
An overview of Russia's increasingly aggressive attempts to control Google, Facebook, and Twitter, ordering them to store data in Russia and imposing fines — Its campaign is part of a global wave of actions by governments that are testing how far they can go to control online speech.| Javier Espinoza / Financial Times: |
Sources: European Commission will open a formal antitrust probe into Facebook to investigate if it's undermining competition in the online classifieds market — European Commission will investigate if Facebook is undermining competition in the online classifieds market| Lauren Hepler / San Francisco Chronicle: |
San Jose approves Google's plans for a downtown campus with 4K new homes, 7M+ square feet of office space, 15 acres of parks, and 500K of retail and other space — After more than three years of negotiations, San Jose officials voted late Tuesday to approve Google's plan for a sprawling downtown campus … | Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Salt Security, which develops AI-based software to protect API libraries from malicious use, raises $70M led by Advent International — APIs make the world go round in tech, but that also makes them a very key target for bad actors: as doorways into huge data troves and services …
More:
VentureBeat, nocamels.com, SiliconANGLE, CRN, CTech, and Geektime
| Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times: |
In a first, England's NHS says it will scrape medical histories of 55M patients, including info on mental and sexual health, to be shared with third-parties — 55m patients have until June 23 to opt out of having their health data scraped into a new database
Tweets: @foxglovelegal, @foxglovelegal, @financialtimes, @we_ownit, and @foxglovelegal
| Trefor Moss / Wall Street Journal: |
Tesla says it will store all data generated from cars in China in a new data center there, after facing scrutiny in the country for handling vehicle data — U.S. electric-car maker has faced scrutiny in China of its handling of potentially sensitive vehicle data
More:
Engadget, The Verge, PCMag, WRAL TechWire, and Gizmodo
Tweets: @somospostpc, @jchengwsj, and @wsj
| Fadeke Adegbuyi / Cybernaut - Every: |
Gen Z students are studying together online across YouTube, TikTok, Discord, and Twitter, seeking inspiration, finding focus, and sharing academic anxieties — In late 2020, a 10-hour loop of a song from Mario Kart titled “Coconut Mall” started blowing up on Youtube.
Tweets: @lkherman, @dianelyssa, @heatherfro, @annehelen, and @dianelyssa
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Rewatch, which builds tools to index, transcribe, and store enterprise video content, raises $20M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz — We don't hear as much these days about “Zoom fatigue” as we did in the first months after the Covid-19 pandemic kicked off last year … | Martin Tisne / MIT Technology Review: |
Lawmakers focus on protecting individuals from big tech when they should develop laws focusing specifically on collective data rights to prevent harm to society — Protecting individual data is not enough when the harms are collective — Every person engaged with the networked world constantly creates rivers of data.
Tweets: @rafa_zanatta, @martintisne, @martintisne, @martintisne, @protonmail, and @ninanjira
| Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: |
SpotOn, a payments startup focused on SMBs, raises $125M Series D led by a16z, tripling its valuation from last September to $1.875B — Certain industries were hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic than others, especially in its early days. — Small businesses, including retailers and restaurants …
More:
FinSMEs, Reuters, Andreessen Horowitz, and Business Wire
| DFRLab: |
Analysis of 40M pieces of QAnon content from 1/20 to 4/21: Facebook, Twitter, and others have successfully expelled most of the content after it peaked in 6/20 — The conspiracy's followers on alternative platforms have failed to out-post their counterparts on mainstream ones
More:
Reuters, Axios, and Forbes
Tweets: @dfrlab, @dfrlab, @ashleyrgold, @dfrlab, @dfrlab, @jaredlholt, and @dfrlab
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: Uber plans to recognize a trade union for its 70K drivers in the UK giving them more power to collectively bargain, while preserving its worker model — - The GMB labor group will represent Uber's 70,000 U.K. drivers — Drivers will retain ability to choose where and when they work
More:
Protocol, The Guardian, Politico, and Financial Times
Tweets: @groomb, @nicoemoe, @josheidelson, and @josheidelson
| South China Morning Post: |
Xiaomi beats with Q1 profit of $1.2B, up 260.6% YoY, on revenue of $12B, up 54.7% YoY, and says it shipped 49.4M smartphones globally for a 14.1% market share — Smartphone giant Xiaomi's first-quarter profit beat market estimates to reach US$1.2 billion Revenue in the March quarter hit US$12 billion …
More:
PingWest
| Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: |
Austin-based Virtuix, which is developing a VR treadmill for the home, raises $19M Series A-2 from 6,500+ investors — Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. — Virtuix has raised over $19 million from more than 6,500 investors in its latest round of funding … Sponsor Posts
Google:
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Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review — As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People. Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review — As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People. Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
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.
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
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Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
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