Techmeme: Ticketing service TickPick raised $250M from Brighton Park, which now has a majority stake, and Symphony; the app has 2M MAUs and processes nearly $1B annually (Gillian Tan/Bloomberg)

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August 22, 2024, 10:40 AM

Top News

Financial Times:

Italian officials: divers recover UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch's body from the wreckage of superyacht Bayesian, which sank three days ago off Sicily's coast — Christopher Morvillo, Jonathan Bloomer and their wives died after vessel sank on Monday — UPDATED

More: TNW, CNN, Forbes, CNBC, Reuters, Telegraph, Wired, Business Insider, London Evening Standard, New York Times, Sky News, The Sun, and USA Today

X: @davidyelland, @lordjohnbrowne, @iankingsky, and @adamnflanagan

Financial Times:

Mike Lynch experienced some of the most extreme career highs and lows of any UK tech entrepreneur, selling Autonomy for $11B to HP before a 12-year legal ordeal — The outsider entrepreneur was celebrating a courtroom victory when the yacht he was on sank — Mike Lynch, who has died …

More: Engadget, Washington Post, Reuters, The Economist, Associated Press, The Independent, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Stack, and TechCrunch

X: @arthistorynews, @johnrentoul, and @tabizel

Trisha Thadani / Washington Post:

Court filing: the unsealed list of X Holdings shareholders names nearly 100 entities, such as 8VC, Italy-based UnipolSai, and a fund tied to Sean “Diddy” Combs — A court filing obtained by The Post lists which firms and individuals have a financial stake in the platform.

More: The Information, Jacob Silverman, Fortune, Protos, Fortune, CourtListener, CCN.com, Bloomberg, Business Insider, and Benzinga

X: @rmac18, @byrontau, @silvermanjacob, @sf_mills, @willoremus, @willoremus, @esqueer_, @esqueer_, @said_mitch, @kyliebytes, @emmalbriant, @bern_identity, @steve_e, @esqueer_, and @silvermanjacob

Forums: r/politics, r/Twitter, r/technology, r/EnoughMuskSpam, r/EnoughMuskSpam, and r/law

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft says Recall will be available to Windows Insiders in October 2024, after delaying the AI feature's launch in June over security and privacy concerns — Microsoft says it's planning to allow Windows testers to try out its controversial Recall AI feature in October.

Sarah McBride / Bloomberg:

Neuralink says its second human implant surgery “went well” and that the patient, who has a spinal cord injury, can design 3D objects and play Counter-Strike 2 — Google Taps AI to Revamp Costly Health-Care Push Marred by Flops … Hello World

More: Neuralink Blog, Gizmodo, Livemint, Wall Street Journal, Engadget, Dexerto, Business Insider, TweakTown, London Evening Standard, and PCMag

X: @elonmusk, @nickadobos, @sawyermerritt, @ajtourville, and @iterintellectus

Forums: r/OptimistsUnite and r/Neuralink

David Shepardson / Reuters:

The FCC says Lingo Telecom agreed to pay a $1M fine after the agency said Lingo transmitted fake robocalls imitating President Joe Biden in New Hampshire — Lingo Telecom agreed to pay a $1 million fine after the agency said it transmitted fake robocalls imitating President Joe Biden seeking …

Michael Gwilliam / Dexerto:

Twitch plans to raise its new Tier 1 sub and gift sub prices on mobile in 40+ countries on October 1; in an email, Twitch says Tier 1 will rise by $2 to $7.99 — Twitch has announced yet another increase to the price of subs after already raising the cost earlier in the summer.

More: The Verge, 9to5Mac, TalkAndroid.com, Engadget, Neowin, PhoneArena, Game Rant, and Dot Esports

X: @twitchsupport. Forums: r/Twitch and r/LivestreamFail

Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:

LiteSpeed Cache, the top WordPress site acceleration plugin, had a critical flaw that left sites open to takeover attacks; 2M+ sites are likely still vulnerable — A critical vulnerability in the LiteSpeed Cache WordPress plugin can let attackers take over millions of websites after creating rogue admin accounts.

More: Patchstack, Wordfence, SC Media, Tech Monitor, TechRadar, The Hacker News, SecurityWeek, and Infosecurity

X: @wordfence and @darius_fx

Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:

Meta confirms users can now cross-post from Instagram and Facebook to Threads globally, after rolling out Instagram and Facebook cross-posting in 2021 — Meta for months has been experimenting with letting people cross-post from Instagram and Facebook to Threads, its social networking platform competing …

More: 9to5Mac

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple App Store VP Matt Fischer is leaving in October; App Store group will split into two teams, one for its own store, one for alt app distribution — - Longtime App Store vice president Fischer to exit in October — Company makes changes in response to regulatory environment

More: Computerworld, Game World Observer, iDownloadBlog.com, MacRumors, Neowin, PocketGamer.biz, iMore, Trusted Reviews, Cult of Mac, The Hindu, The Information, Benzinga, Mobilegamer.biz, iClarified, PYMNTS.com, siliconflorist.com, The Verge, 9to5Mac, NewsBytes, AppleInsider, and MacDailyNews

Mastodon: @lapcatsoftware@mastodon … and @stroughtonsmith …

X: @counternotions, @gartenberg, @snazzylabs, and @markgurman. LinkedIn: Matt Fischer

Forums: r/apple, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums

Makena Kelly / Wired:

The Kamala Harris campaign launches a Twitch channel, and plans to stream her DNC address there; the campaign has hired 175+ staff to work across digital — Kamala Harris has launched a new Twitch channel as a part of the Democratic campaign's broader strategy for engaging young voters online.

More: Adweek and Reuters

Caroline Haskins / Wired:

A look at the facial recognition systems becoming common at major league sporting venues, like the MLB's Go-Ahead Entry, as privacy advocates raise concerns — Protesters took to Citi Field Wednesday to raise awareness of the facial recognition systems that have become common at major league sporting venues.

More: NBC News, Reuters, and Raw Story

Forums: r/technews and r/technology

Mia Sato / The Verge:

Instagram announces a Myspace-like feature to let users add 30 seconds of a song to their profile from Instagram's library of music; the songs won't autoplay — A new feature announced by Instagram today will allow users to add a song on their profile — much like Myspace in the early 2000s.

More: Engadget and The Hollywood Reporter

Shirin Ghaffary / Bloomberg:

In a letter to Sen. Scott Wiener, OpenAI says California's AI safety bill would hurt innovation and that AI safety regulation should come from the federal level — The startup wrote a letter to California State Senator Scott Wiener opposing the legislation.

Wall Street Journal:

Researchers: a network of 200+ Russia-linked X accounts shows how Russian trolls are trying to go viral, including low-quality, high-volume replies to Elon Musk — Kremlin-backed influence network has sought engagement with Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr. and other influential accounts

X: @mathewjschwartz

James Mayger / Bloomberg:

Chinese government data: Chinese companies imported $25.9B of chip machinery in January to July 2024, passing $23.8B in 2021, $21.6B in 2022, and $18B in 2023 — - China has been stockpiling ASML systems and foreign machinery — US and allies have been limiting China's access to their tech

More: Tom's Hardware and Huawei Central

Allison Johnson / The Verge:

Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL review: great build quality, brighter screens, and faster fingerprint sensors, but the AI features are inconsistent — The AI is inconsistent, but the hardware is oh so good. … Google finally got the hardware right.

More: The Verge, Mashable, T3, How-To Geek, Wired, Marques Brownlee on YouTube, Ars Technica, GSMArena.com, Droid Life, Android Authority, Android Headlines, Android Authority, Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Android Authority on YouTube, Android Police, MacRumors, Trusted Reviews, Android Police, 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, Engadget, The Independent, Unbox Therapy on YouTube, CNET on YouTube, Multicore, Mrwhosetheboss on YouTube, 91mobiles, IGN, 91mobiles on YouTube, CNET on YouTube, CNN, GSMArena.com, Ars Technica, Android Central, Android Central, Gizmodo, CNET, CNET, Tom's Guide, Tom's Guide, Mashable, London Evening Standard, Irish Independent, Android Police, 9to5Google, SlashGear, SlashGear, ZDNET, ZDNET, and TechRadar

Threads: @chriswelch and @reckless1280. Mastodon: @viticci@mastodon …

X: @anshelsag, @mkbhd, @mkbhd, @mishaalrahman, @mishaalrahman, @mishaalrahman, @mishaalrahman, @mishaalrahman, @mishaalrahman, and @mrwhosetheboss. LinkedIn: Georg Zoeller

Forums: r/Android, r/technology, and r/GooglePixel

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From Mediagazer

CNN:

David Ellison told Skydance staff he supports CNN's legal action to regain access to covering Trump, reiterated his belief in editorial independence, and more

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Memo: Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz acknowledge layoffs, saying combining companies will involve “difficult decisions that affect our workforce”

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Filing: Laurene Powell Jobs and former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick join Skydance's board; former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will be a board adviser

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More News

Gillian Tan / Bloomberg:

Ticketing service TickPick raised $250M from Brighton Park, which now has a majority stake, and Symphony; the app has 2M MAUs and processes nearly $1B annually

More: Front Office Sports

Akash Sriram / Reuters:

The NHTSA closes a preliminary probe into Cruise's hard-braking and immobilization issues in 1,194 autonomous ride-hailing vehicles, after Cruise made updates

More: Reuters, Benzinga, and Self Drive News

CNBC:

Chinese self-driving startup WeRide delays its planned IPO in the US, citing its need for more time to complete documents, after filing for an IPO in July 2024

More: TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Benzinga, and South China Morning Post

Reuters:

Interviews with dozens of Byju's staff and other sources show a growing sense of desperation, as its insolvency rumbles on; some staff weigh their legal options

More: Livemint, Moneycontrol, and Tech Startups

X: @ashwinm_, @munsifv, @ashwinm_, @dhanyatweets, @ashwinm_, and @ashwinm_

Camilla Hodgson / Financial Times:

Microsoft, Amazon, and others plan to use old power stations and industrial sites for data centers, as land and power in many markets are “heavily constrained”

More: The Information, Ars Technica, and UKTN

Bloomberg:

Walmart's China business is booming, driven by its Sam's Club memberships; Walmart says e-commerce orders delivered within one hour rose 28% to 59M last quarter

More: Tech Startups, Reuters, TechNode, The Register, Financial Times, Capital Brief, PYMNTS.com, and New York Times

Reuters:

Baidu reports Q2 revenue flat YoY to ~$4.67B, vs. ~$4.7B est., net income down 8% YoY to ~$1B, vs. ~$900M est., online marketing revenue down 2% YoY to ~$2.7B

More: Agence France-Presse, South China Morning Post, Investor's Business Daily, Benzinga, Baidu Inc, and Bloomberg

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

A look at interoperability challenges to the adoption of the C2PA's authentication standard, including the lack of support for C2PA metadata in cameras

X: @slyon66 and @truepic

Earlier Picks

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

Zomato acquires Paytm's entertainment ticketing business for $244.1M; the division contributed about 9% to Paytm's overall revenue in Q1 2024

More: The Economic Times, MEDIANAMA, Moneycontrol, Inc42 Media, Business Today, Reuters, PYMNTS.com, Entrackr, The Indian Express, and Bloomberg

Zaheer Kachwala / Reuters:

Snowflake reports Q2 revenue up 29% YoY to $868.8M and raises its FY 2025 product revenue forecast, but not its margin forecast; SNOW drops 7%+

More: Snowflake, The Stack, SiliconANGLE, MarketWatch, Reuters, Benzinga, Investor's Business Daily, Bloomberg, Constellation Research, and Barron's Online

Politico:

Google and California strike a deal to jointly contribute $125M+ over five years to support local news; the deal also includes support for an AI project

Brody Ford / Bloomberg:

Zoom reports Q2 revenue up 2.1% YoY to $1.16B, vs. $1.15B est., enterprise revenue up 3.5% YoY to $682.8M, and a Q3 revenue forecast beating estimates

More: Tech Monitor, Barron's Online, Zoom Video Communications …, Investing.com, Proactive, Reuters, Investor's Business Daily, The Information, SiliconANGLE, and Reuters

Meduza:

Users in Russia report outages affecting Telegram, WhatsApp, and other services; Roskomnadzor blames a DDoS attack, while activists suspect Kremlin interference

Tom Warren / The Verge:

Microsoft announces the $30 Xbox Adaptive Joystick, a wired companion to other Xbox controllers, for players with limited mobility, launching in early 2025

More: XDA Developers, Xbox on YouTube, GamesIndustry.biz, Forbes, Xbox Wire, MSPoweruser, The Indian Express, WinBuzzer, Notebookcheck, Pure Xbox, GamingBolt, CNET, Gamereactor UK, TechCrunch, Game Rant, Windows Central, The Drum, TechPowerUp, Engadget, IGN, Insider Gaming, Shacknews, Neowin, Game Developer, Video Games Chronicle, Thurrott, Digital Trends, TechRadar, Pocket-lint, Dexerto, and Tom's Guide

X: @xboxwire. LinkedIn: Dave Lankford, Bryce Johnson, and Jenny Lay-Flurrie

Forums: r/3Dprinting and r/xbox

Brendan Pedersen / Punchbowl News:

Public Citizen: crypto companies spent $119M+ in the 2024 election cycle through Q2, or 48% of all corporate money, an “unprecedented” election spending spree

More: Public Citizen, Coinspeaker, DL News, Decrypt, Axios, The Hill, CryptoSlate, CoinDesk, crypto.news, Cointelegraph, Washington Times, CryptoGlobe, and Common Dreams

X: @public_citizen, @maxasteele, and @brendanpedersen

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

Samsung unveils a new Odyssey gaming monitor lineup that uses eye-tracking tech to convert 2D visuals into glasses-free 3D, set for release “within this year”