Techmeme
April 27, 2023, 4:35 PM

Top News

BBC:
Microsoft's Brad Smith says the UK CMA's move to block the Activision deal is “bad for Britain” and “is probably the darkest day in our four decades in Britain”  —  Microsoft's president has attacked the UK after it was blocked from buying US gaming firm Activision …
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
The UK CMA's block of Microsoft's Activision deal focuses on the nascent cloud gaming market, confusing analysts as regulators typically focus on mature markets  —  UK regulators blocked Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. over concerns it would harm competition …
Wayne Ma / The Information:
Sources detail how organizational dysfunction and a lack of ambition bogged down Apple's AI and ML efforts, including the work of the group responsible for Siri  —  Late last year, a trio of engineers who had just helped Apple modernize its search technology began working on the type …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
IDC:
Global smartphone shipments fell 14.6% YoY to 268.6M in Q1 2023, the seventh consecutive quarter of decline; Samsung fell 18.9%, Apple 2.3%, and Xiaomi 23.5%  —  NEEDHAM, Mass., April 27th, 2023 - Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 14.6% year over year to 268.6 million units in the first quarter of 2023 …
The Guardian:
Interviews with 70+ sources describe how Facebook and Instagram have become major child trafficking platforms and how they slow down prosecutors' investigations  —  Our two-year investigation suggests that the tech giant Meta is struggling to prevent criminals from using its platforms to buy and sell children for sex
Reuters:
A California judge tentatively rules Elon Musk must testify about his Autopilot statements, after his lawyers argued he is the subject of many deepfake videos  —  A California judge on Wednesday ordered Tesla CEO Elon Musk to be interviewed under oath about whether he made certain statements regarding …
Chris Stokel-Walker / Wired:
Legal experts say Twitter may be breaching US laws prohibiting false advertising or endorsement by implying that some celebrities paid for Blue when they didn't  —  The law says you can't falsely claim that celebrities are paying for Twitter Blue.  —  Twitter's verification system debacle …
CNBC:
Coinbase offers a fiery response to the SEC's Wells notice from March 2023, saying enforcement action would present “major” risks to the SEC's regulatory model  —  - Crypto exchange Coinbase told the SEC that any enforcement action against the exchange would “fail on the merits” …
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
YouTube Music adds podcasts on Android, iOS, and the web, supporting listening offline, in the background, and casting for all US users, with or without Premium  —  YouTube Music is officially adding podcasts to its platform in the United States on Android, iOS and the web.
Jeffrey Knockel / The Citizen Lab:
An analysis of Baidu, Bilibili, Bing, Douyin, Sogou, Weibo, and other search platforms in China finds 60K+ censorship rules, applied differently by each service  —  This report has an accompanying FAQ.  —  Key findings  — Across eight China-accessible search platforms analyzed …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Bloomberg:
A profile of ASML, Europe's most valuable tech company, as the US-China chip war escalates; ASML's next studio apartment-sized machine ships in 2025 for $380M+  —  In 1984, Martin van den Brink, a young Dutch engineer, joined a newly created venture in a quiet corner of the Netherlands.
Andrea Vittorio / Bloomberg Law:
Washington becomes the first US state to adopt sweeping safeguards for consumer health data, including location records that could reveal abortion clinic visits  —  Washington has adopted a first-of-its-kind state law with sweeping safeguards for consumer health data collected by companies …
Reuters:
Samsung reports Q1 operating profit down 95% YoY to ~$478.6M, its lowest since Q1 2009, revenue down 18% YoY to ~$47.6B, and a ~$3.4B loss for its chip division  —  Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) flagged a gradual recovery for chips in the second half of the year …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
Mark Zuckerberg disputes the narrative that Meta abandoned its metaverse vision, saying “we've been focusing on AI and the metaverse, and we will continue to”  —  Things are looking up for Meta.  The company beat revenue expectations, reporting an increase in year-over-year revenue for the first time in three quarters.
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs  —  You know us for voice.  Now meet ElevenAgents — featuring Expressive Mode, our most human-sounding AI voice technology in 70+ languages with ultra-low latency.  Hear it for yourself.
Niantic Spatial:
World models need real-world data  —  Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics.  Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate.
Zoho:
ETL tool evaluation checklist: 6 things to look for before you choose  —  Your data is only as valuable as your ability to move, prepare, and access it efficiently.  Choosing the wrong ETL tool can lead to months of rework …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Are We Too Obsessed With AI Predictions? — With Carissa Véliz
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.
Great Chat:
The hills we'll die on
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
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.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
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.
Subscribe to Cheeky Pint.
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.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
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.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:35 PM ET, April 27, 2023.

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

Bloomberg:

Earlier Picks

Paul Sawers / TechCrunch: