Techmeme: A look at the lawsuit over Kosta Elefteriou's FlickType app for Apple Watch that he claims Apple had offered to buy, as Apple unveils its own swipe keyboard (Sean Hollister/The Verge)

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September 20, 2021, 6:35 AM

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Nick Clegg / About Facebook:

Facebook says WSJ's series contained deliberate mischaracterizations and conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook's leadership and employees — A lot has been said about Facebook this week. A series of articles published by the Wall Street Journal has focused on some of the most difficult issues …

More: Washington Post, MSNBC, CNET, fossbytes.com, New York Times, Axios, The Hill, The Overspill, Gizmodo, The Guardian, Benzinga, Insider, PCMag, Bloomberg, The Verge, Reuters, and The Wrap

Tweets: @andymstone, @nickclegg, @mbfhunzaker, @mbfhunzaker, @nickclegg, @yaeleisenstat, @skwrlz, @juliacarriew, @kantrowitz, @kantrowitz, szhang_ds, @samidh, @blackamazon, @doctorow, @tarletong, @jocwapo, @samthielman, @jeffersonpooley, @jason_kint, @justinhendrix, @bobpickard, @bernstein, @repkenbuck, @ccdhate, @skwrlz, @lauraedelson2, @jason_kint, @lauraedelson2, @mattyglesias, @yaeleisenstat, @craig_walmsley, @smdiehl, @lauraedelson2, @grady_booch, @sherman4949, @acedtect, @douglindner, @hhariri, @alexstamos, @blancheminerva, @juliacarriew, @juliacarriew, @juliacarriew, @daithaigilbert, @colegarry2, @nickclegg, @nickclegg, @jeffnolan, @jason_kint, @ceciliakang, @katierosman, @dnvolz, @blackamazon, @bgrueskin, @ravmabay, @willoremus, @grady_booch, @keithmansfield, @moonalice, @nickclegg, @_alialkhatib, @zamaan_qureshi, @edzitron, @mikeisaac, @jason_kint, @donie, @johnpaczkowski, @gregbensinger, @davidnemer, @somospostpc, @kantrowitz, @iansherr, @bobbyallyn, @sg, @andymstone, @samifathi_, @slaby, @jesselehrich, @kimmasters, @caseynewton, @daveleeft, @sarosecav, @senwarren, @migueldeicaza, @pierasselin, @evan_greer, @jeffhorwitz, @bernstein, @giladedelman, @gartenberg, @willoremus, @willoremus, @tvietor08, @jodikantor, @pinboard, @pinboard, @om, @anthony, @jemimacmcevoy, @jason_kint, @amnestytech, @justinhendrix, @justinhendrix, @emilyglazer, and @samschech

Tom Warren / The Verge:

A possible retail listing of Surface Pro 8 with a 13" 120Hz display, narrow bezels, and two Thunderbolt ports leaks ahead of Microsoft's event on Wednesday — Microsoft is holding a Surface hardware event on Wednesday — Microsoft is preparing to launch a new Surface Pro 8 model next week …

More: Laptop Mag, Softpedia News, Pocketnow, Pocket-lint, Wccftech, MSPoweruser, XDA Developers, MobileSyrup, HotHardware.com News, TNW, phonearena.com, TechRadar, BetaNews, fossbytes.com, Windows Central, OnMSFT.com, PCMag, Engadget, Thurrott, Neowin, WinCentral, and CNET

Tweets: @techaltar, @brianfagioli, @superscientific, @tapbot_paul, and @snazzyq

Rebecca Elliott / Wall Street Journal:

NTSB head says Tesla shouldn't roll out its Full Self-Driving update with the city-driving tool before addressing safety deficiencies — Tesla plans to expand access to Full Self-Driving system and defends its tech; safety official says more work is needed

More: The Verge, Reuters, Gizmodo, Benzinga, Mashable, Engadget, PCMag, Wccftech, Insider, and The Last Driver License Holder

Tweets: @wpipperger, @parismarx, @jimpethokoukis, @paulpage, @gordonjohnson19, @eliotwb, @bgrahamdisciple, @davidzipper, @cmarinucci, and @faizsays

Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou / Bloomberg:

A look at US “finfluencers”, creators partnering with fintechs to promote investment products, as App Annie says hours spent on finance apps are up 90% YoY — Finance firms have long struggled to reach young and new customers — until now. — At first no one could explain …

More: Sramana Mitra. Tweets: @misyrlena, @trengriffin, @hacks4pancakes, @bw, and @ryanbeckwith

Mikael Thalen / The Daily Dot:

In a live Q&A, Epik's CEO Rob Monster was talked into taking down a site that doxxed journalists and admitted the controversial web host was breached last week — Rob Monster sparred with journalist and hackers and even asked Jesus to rebuke the demons in the room.

More: Gizmodo. Tweets: @josephmenn, @stevanzetti, and @mikaelthalen

Antonia Timmerman / Rest of World:

Profile of Ismail Fahmi, who has become an Indonesian household name for combating misinformation with data from his company's social media-mapping tools — In a “dystopian nightmare” internet, Ismail Fahmi holds a strange monopoly on debunking false facts. — • JAKARTA, INDONESIA

Tweets: @ismailfahmi, @restofworld, @rosstapsell, @timmerman91, @cengizyar, @anupkaphle, @restofworld, @iethics, @fedecherubini, @restofworld, @restofworld, and @risj_oxford

Sean Hollister / The Verge:

A look at the lawsuit over Kosta Elefteriou's FlickType app for Apple Watch that he claims Apple had offered to buy, as Apple unveils its own swipe keyboard — In January 2019, Kosta Eleftheriou had every reason to believe Apple was about to make a deal, his lawsuit alleges.

More: Softpedia News and iThinkDifferent

Tweets: @nunomahorta, @tinyfreudian, @pasisalenius, @n1gh7_, @matthewfx, @jp_payeur, @scififa26502583, @michael_ludden, @gamerdriftking7, @cinemec, and @keleftheriou

Akash Bajwa / Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants:

As hedge funds ramp up private market investments, a look at Coatue Management, a hedge fund started by ex-Tiger Global employees that manages $50B+ in assets — The Tiger cub that's likely to make its mark known in 2021 — It's been heartwarming to receive messages from some of you over …

Tweets: @hkanji and @akashbajwa96

Tom Krazit / Protocol:

Interview with GitHub COO Erica Brescia on GitHub's infrastructure, changes in open-source software philosophies, and why hybrid work will thrive post-pandemic — An astonishing amount of the code that runs the world's software spends at least part of its life in GitHub.

Tweets: @protocol and @protocol. Thanks:@colegarry2

Will Oremus / Washington Post:

Profile of Chris Gilliard, aka @hypervisible, who has helped coin concepts like “digital redlining” to highlight the impact of tech on marginalized groups — Chris Gilliard grew up with racist policing in Detroit. He sees a new form of oppression in the tech we use every day.

Eric Benjamin Seufert / Mobile Dev Memo:

The Epic v. Apple ruling shows gaming apps account for ~70% of App Store revenue; in Q3 2017, <0.5% of Apple accounts made up 53.7% of all App Store billings — One passage in the 185-page ruling issued last week in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit forces clarity on the convoluted patchwork …

Avi Greengart / Techsponential:

Analysis of the products announced during Apple's California Streaming event, the carrier and upgrade outlook, and possible responses from competitors — What Software and Services? — While most of the presentation focused on hardware, the event started with a review of upcoming Apple TV+ shows …

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From Mediagazer

New York Times:

Lesley Stahl says David Ellison called her and promised to respect editorial independence at 60 Minutes, a sign he is taking steps to calm turmoil at the show

Peter Chapman / Bloomberg:

The UK CMA launches a probe into Paramount's $110B acquisition of WBD, and sets an initial ruling deadline on August 7; the EU has already set a July 7 deadline

Scott Nover / Washington Post:

Email: the WH press corps won't be allowed on White House grounds Sunday due to the UFC fight; only press poolers will be allowed unless UFC gives credentials

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More News

The Economic Times:

Facebook India appoints former Uber executive Rajiv Aggarwal as head of public policy, a post that has been vacant for nearly a year since Ankhi Das quit

More: Moneycontrol, TechCircle, The Hindu BusinessLine, and Business Standard

Nicole Wetsman / The Verge:

Experts say current cuffless methods for measuring blood pressure, like the tech found in Samsung Galaxy Watch, can only reliably track relative changes

Tweets: @spjuraschek and @berci

Dan Taylor / Tech.eu:

Madrid-based Seedtag, a contextual adtech company, raises $40M Series B led by Oakley Capital to expand into the US market

Source: Seedtag and PR Newswire. More: Insider and AdExchanger

Oscar Williams / New Statesman:

A look at how the withdrawal of Google and others from London's decade-old Silicon Roundabout may be proof the UK's startup scene has expanded and matured

Tweets: @dougall, @rsohoni, @oscwilliams, @sarahdrinkwater, @christianhern, and @jpwiseuk. Thanks:@oscwilliams

Todd Spangler / Variety:

CreatorIQ, which helps brands with influencer marketing by providing e-commerce and campaign measurement tools, raises $40M from investors including TVC Capital

Source: CreatorIQ and Business Wire. More: Forbes

Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios:

LA-based Tradesy, an online marketplace for secondhand high-end fashion goods, raises $67M Series D led by Foris Ventures, the family office of John Doerr

More: WWD, The Business of Fashion, The Business Journals, socaltech.com, FashionUnited, and dot.LA

Earlier Picks

Amrith Ramkumar / Wall Street Journal:

Pagaya, whose AI-powered service makes financial transactions like lending more efficient for banks, is going public in a SPAC merger at a valuation of ~$9B

Source: Business Wire. More: Globes Online and PYMNTS.com

Matthew Martin / Bloomberg:

Saudi-based customer communications service Unifonic raises $125M Series B led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Sanabil, which is owned by Saudi Arabia's PIF

Source: unifonic. More: Wamda, Gulf Business, MENAFN.COM, TyN Magazine, Cairo Scene, and Reuters

Tweets: @aitmit and @arabianbusiness

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

Following Apple and Google app removals, Telegram blocks Navalny's Smart Voting chatbot on the second day of voting in Russia's parliamentary election

Brian X. Chen / New York Times:

The dismantling of digital advertising based on personal data and cookies is reshaping revenue plans for ad and tech industries, publishers, and small companies

Tweets: @chronotope, @glenngabe, @ohmdee, @carnage4life, @carnage4life, @pt, @joefav, @nytimes, @brave, @marshacollier, @nytscience, and @rob