Techmeme
October 8, 2021, 6:40 AM

Top News

Sara Fischer / Axios:
Google and YouTube say they will prohibit ads and monetization on content that denies climate change, starting next month  —  Google and YouTube on Thursday announced a new policy that prohibits climate deniers from being able to monetize their content on its platforms via ads or creator payments.
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Microsoft acquires Ally, whose software helps companies track and hit their goals; PitchBook: Ally was last valued at $345M after its $50M Series C in February  —  Microsoft has acquired Ally, a 3-year-old Seattle-based startup that helps companies track and hit their goals.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Maddie Stone / Grist:
Microsoft reaches an agreement with investor advocacy nonprofit As You Sow to make its devices easier to fix, increasing access to spare parts and repair docs  —  In a first-of-its-kind agreement, the company has committed to increasing access to spare parts and repair documents.
Louis Barclay / Slate:
Developer says Facebook banned him for life and threatened to sue after he made Unfollow Everything, a browser extension to help people use Facebook less  —  If someone built a tool that made Facebook less addictive—a tool that allowed users to benefit from Facebook's positive features …
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / VICE:
As Twitch grapples with the fallout from its giant data leak, a look at the impact on its streamers, who had extensive revenue and personal data leaked  —  The leak of source code and some internal security files does not expose sensitive data, according to a former Twitch employee.
Shoshana Wodinsky / Gizmodo:
How WhatsApp became a popular messaging app in the Global South, driven by high device compatibility and telecom partnerships  —  When the app suffered a six hour outage this week, millions of people's lives were thrown into turmoil.  Why were they there at all?  —  Alerts
Ian Hamilton / UploadVR:
Facebook removes its brand from its in-development social VR platform Facebook Horizon, renaming it as Horizon Worlds, and announces a $10M Creator Fund  —  Facebook removed its brand from in-development social VR platform Horizon and plans to focus the effort around VR-based building tools …
Wall Street Journal:
Ireland, where most US tech companies have their European HQ, says it will join the global agreement to set a minimum rate of 15% for taxing corporate profits  —  The country had been one of a small number of holdouts on an agreement that aims to overhaul global taxation
Frank Bajak / Associated Press:
Microsoft says Russia carried out 58% of detected state-backed hacks in the year ending June 30, with a 32% success rate; China accounted for 8%  —  BOSTON (AP) — Russia accounted for most state-sponsored hacking detected by Microsoft over the past year, with a 58% share …
Brian X. Chen / New York Times:
Many popular VPN services are owned by companies with shady track records, like London-based Kape Technologies, which also owns VPN review sites  —  Many virtual private network services that were meant to protect your web browsing can no longer be trusted.  Here are other ways.
The Verge:
Gov. Newsom signs Silenced No More Act, which ex-Pinterest employee Ifeoma Ozoma helped draft, to protect CA workers who call out discrimination despite NDAs  —  Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Silenced No More Act to protect whistleblowers in California  —  California governor Gavin Newsom signed …
Gordon Gottsegen / Built In Chicago:
Chicago-based The Mom Project, a job site aimed at women returning to work, raises $80M Series C led by Leeds Illuminate, bringing its total raised to $106M  —  Too many women feel like they have to choose between being a good mom and having a good career.  The Mom Project wants to convince them that they can do both.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
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.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
How Evan Spiegel Is Building the Future of Computing
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Acquired:
10 Years of Acquired (with Michael Lewis)
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
Why humans are AI's biggest bottleneck (and what's coming in 2026) | Alexander Embiricos (OpenAI Codex Product Lead)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:40 AM ET, October 8, 2021.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:

Earlier Picks

Mark Scott / Politico:
Anya Kamenetz / NPR:
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Zeke Faux / Bloomberg:
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
José Adorno / 9to5Mac: