Techmeme
January 22, 2023, 4:50 PM

Top News

New York Times:
Emails and sources: Google fired 16% of its ~400-person Fuchsia OS team, Research cut jobs in lower traction areas, and Cloud cut operational and other roles  —  The layoffs amount to about 6 percent of the global work force at the company, the latest tech giant to make cuts after a pandemic hiring spree.
Aaron Tilley / Wall Street Journal:
Apple's lean hiring may help the company avoid layoffs; Apple's workforce grew ~20% from 2019 to 2022, Amazon's grew 100%, Meta 94%, Alphabet 57%, Microsoft 53%  —  The iPhone maker's workforce grew 20% in the past three years, a far slower pace than rivals  —  Tech Layoffs Pile Up as Bosses Reverse Course
Jez Corden / Windows Central:
Microsoft has laid off the entire teams behind the virtual reality platform AltspaceVR, which will shut down in March, and the Mixed Reality Tool Kit framework  —  HoloLens, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality are all but dead at Microsoft.  —  What you need to know
The Daily Dot:
CommuteAir took down a 2019 copy of the US No Fly List, after a researcher said they found it on an unsecured server and that it had 1.5M+ entries, many aliases  —  One of the most sensitive U.S. government documents was left online.  —  An unsecured server discovered by a security researcher …
Wall Street Journal:
A look at Mittens, a ruthless Chess.com bot with a kitten avatar introduced on January 1 that is driving more people than ever to play in the site's history  —  A ruthless bot with an innocuous avatar is driving chess players crazy  —  The heels of the chess world have included Soviet grandmasters …
Eric Wallerstein / Wall Street Journal:
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Q&A with Netflix co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos about shared leadership, what role Reed Hastings may play, adding FAST channels, the ad tier, and more  —  So that's what an orderly transfer of power looks like.  —  While Disney chief Bob Iger ousted every potential threat …
Nilesh Christopher / Rest of World:
Creators from India's hinterland are going viral on YouTube Shorts and running into copyright issues for “fact channels” that add context to other users' videos  —  A new generation of creators found success on YouTube Shorts.  Now, YouTube is after them for violating its community guidelines.
Keri Blakinger / The Marshall Project:
How some US incarcerated people use contraband mobile phones to educate themselves, make TikToks, find love, publicize prison conditions, earn money, and more  —  Despite the security concerns of administrators, incarcerated people use phones to hustle, make TikToks or publicize prison conditions.

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Featured Podcasts

Channels with Peter Kafka:
Jason Blum Built a Hit-Making Movie Machine. Does It Still Work?
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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Cheeky Pint:
The economics and trends of the restaurant industry, with Tony Xu of DoorDash
Stripe cofounder John Collison interviews founders, builders, and leaders over a pint.
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Invest Like the Best:
Alex Karnal - The Trillion-Dollar Health Revolution
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
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Big Technology Podcast:
Tim Cook Steps Down — With Joanna Stern
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Grit:
From Airbnb to Linear: How Karri Saarinen Redefined Product Design
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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.
 

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More News

Annie Palmer / CNBC:

Earlier Picks

Dietrich Knauth / Reuters:
Can Duruk / Margins:
Sarah Wynn / The Block:
Lora Kolodny / CNBC: