|
January 18, 2022, 11:15 PM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Microsoft: |
Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7B in cash, or $95/share, in FY 2023; Activision's stock, which closed last week at $65.39, jumps 25%+ — Legendary games, immersive interactive entertainment and publishing expertise accelerate growth in Microsoft's Gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud.
More:
Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, New York Times, Activision Publishing, CNBC, Kotaku, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, CNBC, Microsoft, TechRadar, Bloomberg, PYMNTS.com, Reuters, Blockworks, Forbes, PR Newswire, Menagerie, the Newsletter, The Signal, The Hollywood Reporter, Financial Times, Cointelegraph, TechCrunch, MSPoweruser, EnterpriseAI, Ars Technica, LinkedIn, purexbox.com, Engadget, GameSpot, Reuters, GeekWire, IGN, Polygon, PC Gamer, Dexerto, Neowin, Windows Central, Entechtainment, Digital Trends, CNBC, Input, Dot Esports, Game Rant, thegamer.com, Pocketnow, Coinspeaker, Benzinga, MobileSyrup, Bitcoinist.com, Slate, Protocol, and CNBC
Tweets: @dinabass, @xbox, @gregisenberg, @jasonschreier, @charlieintel, @satyanadella, @xbox, @wario64, @zhugeex, @jonerlichman, @microsoft, @jasonschreier, @damianburns, @edzitron, @ashleyesqueda, @adriennelaw, @scottjohnson, @kristyt, @pucknorris, @richlightshed, @mkbhd, @anildash, @jasonschreier, @atvi_ab, @andrewrsorkin, @richlightshed, @jasonschreier, @andrewyang, @technology, @technology, @technology, @jasonschreier, @mattdpearce, @quantian1, @ibogost, @carnage4life, @varunmayya, @sarafischer, @9_volt_, @kcoxdc, @mrpointyhead, @hownottodraw, @vahn16, @turnernovak, @zhugeex, @tomwarren, @gw_alec, @martinsfp, @mattophobia, @reckless, @alexeheath, @silvermanjacob, @charlieintel, @eric_seufert, @byadamfitch, @tomwarren, @eric_seufert, @alexhern, @swiftonsecurity, @mealoneinmymind, @sarafischer, @laurakbuzz, @tomwarren, @silvermanjacob, @mckkirk, @eric_seufert, @shonaghosh, @ldignan, @chrismessina, @stroughtonsmith, @modestproposal1, @jonporty, @laurakbuzz, @laurakbuzz, @realbengilbert, @laurakbuzz, @pkafka, @neontaster, @webbemotional, and @rmac18
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft says Xbox Game Pass has 25M subscribers, up from 18M in January 2021 — Microsoft's all-you-can-eat catalog of games is getting bigger, and now it's adding Activision Blizzard — Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service now has 25 million subscribers.
More:
Xbox Wire, The Economic Times, Forbes, Game Rant, The Information, Dexerto, Windows Central, dot.LA, TechSpot, ExtremeTech, iTnews, Road to VR, Computerworld, thegamer.com, Android Headlines, MUO, Insider, CNBC, and Polygon
Tweets: @klobrille, @swiftonsecurity, @itsjuliahardy, @penllawen, @kiruti, @kylebrussell, and @misterrnx
| Peter Kafka / Vox: |
Following several game studio acquisitions, Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal faces a big regulatory hurdle with Lina Khan's antitrust-focused FTC — Microsoft-Activision is like Disney-Fox. Maybe bigger. — Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
More:
New York Times, The Verge, PC Gamer, PYMNTS.com, TechRadar, Gizmodo, Protocol, and Forbes
Tweets: @farmerdbrown, @garrett_archer, @shiraovide, @cyynapse, @caseynewton, @kellen_browning, @agentbizzle, @xcloudtimdog, and @t1
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: Activision Blizzard tried to find other interested buyers, including Meta, as it weighed a potential Microsoft takeover after WSJ's exposé in November — Late last year, as Activision Blizzard Inc. and Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick were reeling from accusations …
More:
Wall Street Journal, The Information, NPR, Neowin, purexbox.com, Polygon, and MobileSyrup
Tweets: @business, @stephentotilo, and @davidgura
| Andrew Asmakov / Decrypt: |
Crypto.com halted withdrawals on Monday and required users to sign back in and reset 2FA; research shows it lost 4,600+ ETH, worth ~$15M, in a presumed hack — The crypto exchange has reportedly lost at least $15 million in Ethereum, and security experts believe the true losses could be much higher.
More:
Cointelegraph, Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, The Register, Wall Street Journal, Insider, Fortune, CryptoPotato, CoinDesk, The Hill, New York Post, Crypto Daily, VICE, and TechSpot
Tweets: @cryptocom, @peckshield, @anthony, @kris_hk, @cryptocom, @cryptocom, @billym2k, @cryptocom, @johnkoetsier, @decryptmedia, @jeffnolan, @calbucci, and @egg_dog
| Makena Kelly / The Verge: |
Democratic lawmakers unveil the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, which would ban targeted ads by data brokers, but exempt broad location and contextual ads — It could reshape the entire tech industry — On Tuesday, Democrats introduced a new bill that would ban nearly all use … | Lauren Feiner / CNBC: |
The FTC and DOJ seek public comment on how to rewrite “the antitrust laws regarding mergers”, signaling a potentially tougher stance toward Big Tech deals — - The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division kicked off a process to rewrite merger guidelines for businesses on Tuesday.| Stephen Graves / Decrypt: |
Coinbase partners with Mastercard to let users pay with a credit card in its upcoming NFT marketplace, solve “pain points”, and classify NFTs as “digital goods” — Crypto exchange Coinbase has announced a partnership with Mastercard to simplify the process …
More:
The Coinbase Blog, Mastercard USA, CNBC, Insider, The Block, Crypto Briefing, Cointelegraph, and The Verge
Tweets: @mastercardnews and @jrnycrypto
| Wall Street Journal: |
AT&T and Verizon temporarily restrict 5G expansion near US airports, but a few airlines will still suspend some flights on Wednesday amid Boeing's guidance — Flight suspensions occur even as AT&T and Verizon agree to limit signals within 2 miles of runways to address air-safety concerns
More:
Verizon, The White House, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post, Mashable, USA Today, ABC News, Engadget, Gizmodo, New York Post, Android Central, and Protocol
Tweets: @reuters and @hackylawyer
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
YouTube says it's winding down YouTube Originals after six years and will only fund programs that are part of its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds — YouTube is getting out of the business of originals: The Google-owned video giant said it is winding down its original productions team after more than six years.| Jeffrey Knockel / The Citizen Lab: |
China's MY2022 Olympics app, mandatory for attendees to report travel and health data, has serious encryption flaws and contains a censorship keyword list — Key Findings — MY2022, an app mandated for use by all attendees of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, has a simple but devastating flaw … | Frank Chaparro / The Block: |
OpenSea acquires crypto lending APIs startup Dharma Labs, which will shutter its wallet in 30 days; source says the deal was valued between $110M and $130M — Quick Take — OpenSea confirms acquisition of Dharma Labs — Dharma Lab's Hollander picked for CTO role
More:
OpenSea Blog, TechCrunch, The Economic Times, OpenSea Blog, and Crypto Briefing
Tweets: @nadavahollander, @dfinzer, @tropofarmer, @chrisblec, @xanderatallah, and @farokh
| Canalys: |
Apple shipped an estimated 22% of global smartphones in Q4 2021, down from 23% in Q4 2020, followed by Samsung at 20%, Xiaomi at 12%, Oppo at 9%, and Vivo at 8% — Shanghai (China), Bengaluru (India), Singapore, Reading (UK) and Portland (US) - Tuesday, 18 January 2022
More:
AppleInsider, Pandaily, The Register, Apple Must, Redmond Pie, TechCrunch, Computerworld, MobileSyrup, Pocketnow, and TechSpot. Tweets: @canalys
| Kenrick Cai / Forbes: |
Ironclad, which helps companies create and manage business contracts, raises a $150M Series E entirely from existing investors at a $3.2B valuation — Jason Boehmig spent two years as a lawyer in Silicon Valley, putting together documents for startups, before he had enough of the clunkiness of the job.
More:
PR Newswire, Reuters, and Fenwick & West LLP
| Paul Sawers / VentureBeat: |
Walnut, a personalized product demo and analytics service, raises a $35M Series B and says its ARR has grown 700% since its $21M Series A in August 2021 — In a world where software rules the roost and cloud spending has gone through the roof, SaaS has emerged as the default business model …
More:
Tech in Asia and ReadWrite
| Kyle Alspach / VentureBeat: |
Banyan Security, which offers a zero trust remote access client and saw a 300% increase in users in 2021, raises a $30M Series B led by Third Point Ventures — Banyan Security, which today announced raising $30 million in series B funding, said it saw a 300% increase in users in 2021 … | Kate Rooney / CNBC: |
US OCC and Federal Reserve grant SoFi a conditional banking license via its acquisition of Golden Pacific Bancorp community bank; SoFi stock up 16%+ after hours — - San Francisco-based SoFi got approval from its two key regulators to become a bank holding company.
More:
SoFi, Bloomberg, and Crowdfund Insider
Tweets: @ralexjimenez, @carlquintanilla, @sofi, @apompliano, and @anthonynoto
| Noah Kirsch / The Daily Beast: |
Internal memo: Better.com CEO Vishal Garg resumes full-time duties over a month after taking time off following his controversial firing of ~900 staff on Zoom — The volatile founder had laid off hundreds of workers in an emotionless webinar, triggering widespread scorn online.
More:
Forbes, CNBC, TechCrunch, and New York Times
| Aastha Maheshwari / DealStreetAsia: |
Indonesia's Moladin, which pivoted to a used-vehicle marketplace in mid-2021, raises a $42M Series A co-led by Northstar Group and Sequoia Capital India — Moladin, an Indonesian marketplace for used cars and motorbikes, has announced the close of its $42 million Series A funding round …
More:
Tech in Asia
| Ashley Rodriguez / Insider: |
Social Capital founder and CEO Chamath Palihapitiya says the “ugly truth” is “nobody cares about what's happening” to Uyghurs in China, himself included — - Chamath Palihapitiya said “nobody cares about what's happening” to Uyghur Muslims in China.
More:
CNBC, New York Post, and Washington Post
Tweets: @warriorspr, @chamath, @mittromney, @timopg, @cokedupoptions, @guypbenson, @rayhanasat, @senrickscott, @jason, and @candersonmo
| Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: |
Reliance buys majority stake in Indian robotics startup Addverb, which uses robots to make e-commerce warehouses and energy production more efficient, for $132M — Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd. is buying an Indian robotics startup as the conglomerate scales …
More:
Livemint, Times of India, cnbctv18.com, Moneycontrol, and The Hindu
| Charlize Alcaraz / BetaKit: |
Financial data and analytics firm Canalyst raises a $70M Series C led by Dragoneer Investment Group, bringing its total funding to over $100M — The round brings Canalyst's total funding to over $100 million. — Vancouver and New York-based Canalyst has raised $70 million USD … Sponsor Posts
Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
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:
Get your favorite apps talking to Zoho Sign with Zapier — Your business didn't come together overnight. It's something you've built, refined, and fine-tuned over time. Every tool you use has a purpose …
Get your favorite apps talking to Zoho Sign with Zapier — Your business didn't come together overnight. It's something you've built, refined, and fine-tuned over time. Every tool you use has a purpose …
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
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
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 Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
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:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
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.
Access:
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
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 11:15 PM ET, January 18, 2022.
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.
From Mediagazer
Sara Fischer / Axios:Ali Watkins / New York Times:
Reuters:
Upcoming Tech Events
More News
| Tomer Ganon / CTech: |
More:
SiliconANGLE, Washington Post, iTnews, SecurityWeek, Haaretz, and NPR
Tweets: @baphometx, @adam_k_levin, and @sarahleah1
Earlier Picks
| Lucy Harley-Mckeown / The Block: |
Source:
GOV.UK. More:
ZDNet, CNBC, CryptoSlate, Bitcoin News, and Blockworks
Tweets: @rishisunak and @faisalislam
| Stephanie Bodoni / Bloomberg: |
| Hannah Murphy / Financial Times: |
More:
Protocol, KnowTechie, Fortune, and TheStreet
Tweets: @ybenkler, @mattnavarra, @craigsalm, @1br0wn, @_richardhall, and @timothynoah1