| Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC: |
Facebook says it will begin testing ads on Oculus headsets, starting with the shooter game Blaston, and won't use data stored on devices to target ads — - Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will begin testing advertisements that will appear within the company's Oculus virtual reality headsets.| Casey Newton / Platformer: |
By acquiring promising VR games and software companies, Facebook seems to be cornering the VR market, reminiscent of its Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions — A recent shopping spree is giving some folks Instagram-in-2012 vibes — Imagine that, over the past year, Facebook had managed … | Bloomberg: |
Wise, previously known as TransferWise, plans to go public on the LSE via a direct listing, the first company to choose an alternative listing in the UK — - Founders, employees get extra voting rights for limited time — Direct listings are becoming more popular among U.S. startups| Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch: |
Unit, which helps companies build financial and banking products, raises $51M Series B led by Accel, bringing its total raises to ~$70M — We've all heard the phrase, “Every company is a fintech.” — But these days, that's becoming more and more true as an increasing number of companies … | Elias Saba / AFTVnews: |
Amazon Appstore unveils a new program that reduces its share of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers earning less than $1M per year, starting in Q4 — The Amazon Appstore has announced that it will be reducing its cut of developer revenue from 30% to 20% for developers that earn less than $1 million in revenue per year.| Jordan Novet / CNBC: |
Microsoft has named CEO Satya Nadella as chair of its board, replacing independent director John Thompson who succeeded Bill Gates as chair in 2014 — - Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, is becoming the software company's chair, after running the company for seven years, when he replaced Steve Ballmer.| Igor Bonifacic / Engadget: |
In Xbox's June update, Microsoft adds a Stories-like feature to the Xbox mobile app and rolls out text-to-speech and speech-to-text accessibility features — June update is here, and Microsoft has — detailed the latest software tweaks Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can look forward to trying out on their consoles.| Reuters: |
Russian lawmakers pass legislation that would force US tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures — Russian lawmakers passed legislation on Thursday that would oblige U.S. tech giants to open offices in Russia by January 2022 or face punitive measures … | Insider: |
Sources: Google is downsizing its health team, which was working on sensors and health records, and moving them to Fitbit as part of a major reorganization — - Google's young health division is splintering, according to employees and an email seen by Insider.| Ashley Carman / The Verge: |
In an email to creators, Facebook says it will launch its podcast platform on June 22; podcasters can link up RSS feeds and decide if users can clip shows — Along with podcast clips — Facebook is planning to start rolling out its podcast product next week, on June 22nd, and, eventually … | Mike Butcher / TechCrunch: |
Akur8, which uses AI to automate insurance claims, raises $30M Series B, bringing its total raised to $42M — Automating insurance claims is a big business, and the world of AI is coming at it ‘full pelt’. The latest is Akur8, an insurtech automating insurance platform whose ‘Transparent AI’ product … | Sarah Krouse / The Information: |
Sources: Google is developing a conversational AI product, known internally as Tivoli, which aims to teach foreign languages through Google Search — Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month previewed an artificial intelligence model that he said would enable people to have open-ended conversations with technology.| Strategy Analytics: |
In Q1 2021, global 5G smartphone shipments grew 6% QoQ, with Samsung up 79% QoQ and Vivo up 62% QoQ, while Apple maintained its lead despite a 23% dip — BOSTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)— According to new research from Strategy Analytics, Samsung and Vivo were the world's fastest growing 5G smartphone vendors in the first quarter of 2021.| Joseph F. Kovar / CRN: |
Claroty, which develops security tech for industrial companies, raises $140M Series D, bringing its total raised to $235M, ahead of an IPO — 'We are able to reverse-engineer OT protocols and use them thanks to help from Schneider Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Siemens.| Paul Sawers / VentureBeat: |
Nylas, an API platform that helps developers integrate features like email and calendar into apps, raises $120M Series C led by Tiger Global — Elevate your enterprise data technology and strategy at Transform 2021. — Nylas, an API (application programming interface) … | Washington Post: |
The recent surge in ransomware attacks has upended the cyber insurance industry, increasing costs and requirements just as more companies need it — Cyber insurance carriers are raising premiums and limiting coverage in the face of severe ransomware attacks, just as organizations are clamoring for more protection| Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal: |
Leaked memo: ByteDance says its annual revenue in 2020 grew 111% YoY to $34.3B, while gross profit rose 93% YoY to $19B — ByteDance's gross profit rose 93% to $19 billion last year, according to a memo to staff — ByteDance Ltd., the owner of popular short-video app TikTok … | Jack Nicas / New York Times: |
Profile of Doug Guthrie, an enthusiast for doing business in China who advised Apple from 2014-2019, as he now warns of the risks of China's nationalist turn — Doug Guthrie, once one of America's leading China bulls, rang the alarm on doing business there. He spoke about his time at Apple.| Reuters: |
At the summit, Biden told Putin that certain critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyberattacks; Putin agreed to “begin consultations” on the issue — U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that certain critical infrastructure … | Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Beamery, which develops software to manage hiring and retaining staff, raises $138M, sources say at a $800M valuation — Online job listings were one of the first things to catch on in the first generation of the internet. But that has, ironically, also meant that some of the most-used … | Nilesh Christopher / Rest of World: |
Experts say India's courts, not India's government, have power to decide whether Twitter should keep its safe harbor protections in India under new IT rules — India's courts, not the government in New Delhi, have the authority to end ‘safe harbor’ protections for the platform. — • BANGALORE, INDIA| Gillian Tan / Bloomberg: |
Fleet management software provider KeepTruckin raises $190M led by G2 Venture Partners at a $2.3B valuation — KeepTruckin Inc. raised $190 million in a new funding round that values the San Francisco-based provider of fleet management software at $2.3 billion.| James Vincent / The Verge: |
Facebook partners with Michigan State University to create a method for reverse-engineering deepfakes by using AI to reveal the ML model that created it — The work could help future deepfake investigations — Deepfakes aren't a big problem on Facebook right now, but the company continues … | Sohini Podder / Reuters: |
Filing shows that Confluent, which offers a streaming platform based on Apache Kafka, is seeking to raise $759M at ~$8.3B valuation in its US IPO — Confluent Inc is aiming for a valuation of about $8.3 billion in a U.S. initial public offering, cashing in on a surge in demand … | Bloomberg: |
Tel Aviv-based WalkMe, which helps users navigate UIs of other software services, raised $287M in its US IPO at ~$2.4B valuation; stock fell 7.1% after debut — Digital platform provider WalkMe Ltd. fell 7.1% in its trading debut after a $287 million initial public offering.
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Your website, your brand: A website building guide for tech partners — In a competitive market, trust is what makes businesses choose you and stay with you. As a tech partner, you can take steps to build …
Geometric Grand Unification — Solving the Hubble Tension & Proton Mass — Physics solved? AI verifies model unifying gravity & particles by deriving constants from vacuum geometry. Identifies void-driven topology.
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| Rebecca Kern / Bloomberg: |
| Geoffrey Fowler / Washington Post: |
| Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times: |
| James Vincent / The Verge: |
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| Lauren Feiner / CNBC: |