|
February 21, 2025, 7:05 AM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Emily Birnbaum / Bloomberg: |
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson announces an inquiry into “Big Tech censorship”, which he says is “un-American” and “potentially illegal” — - FTC Chair Ferguson invites public comment about tech platforms — Conservatives claim ideas, affiliations have been censored
More: Federal Trade Commission, Platformer, Ars Technica, Reuters, The Information, Wall Street Journal, SiliconANGLE, The Hill, New York Post, The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, Tech in Asia, Japan Today, The Gateway Pundit, MediaPost, PYMNTS.com, Fox Business, MLex, TechCrunch, The Daily Caller, and Business Insider
Bluesky: @caseynewton, @zero-to-hero, @mmasnick, @leahnylen, @leahnylen, and @leahnylen
X: @afergusonftc, @mholyoakftc, @nathanleamerdc, @andyjungtech, @zephyrteachout, @josephvconiglio, @nicoperrino, @josephvconiglio, @benremaly, @realjdenton, @robmcgravytrain, @benbrodydc, @allumbokhari, @ryangrim, @afergusonftc, @ambermarieduke, @randyebarnett, @wendyndavis, @castrotech, @ftc, @sayssimonson, @mikebenzcyber, @adamkovac, @afergusonftc, and @wesghodges
| Benj Edwards / Ars Technica: |
Microsoft researchers introduce Magma, an AI foundation model that combines visual and language processing to control software interfaces and robotic systems — On Wednesday, Microsoft Research introduced Magma, an integrated AI foundation model that combines visual and language processing …
More: Microsoft Research, WinBuzzer, and MarkTechPost
X: @5000hui, @azeem, and @jw2yang4ai
Forums: Hacker News and Ars OpenForum
| MacKenzie Sigalos / CNBC: |
Block reports Q4 revenue up 4.5% YoY to $6.03B vs. $6.29B est., gross profit up 14% to $2.31B, Cash App gross profit up 16% to $1.38B; XYZ drops 6%+ after hours — Block reported fourth-quarter results on Thursday that fell short of Wall Street expectations. The stock dropped more than 7% in extended trading.| Bloomberg: |
Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu calls the pursuit of AGI the company's “primary objective”, saying “our first and foremost goal is to pursue AGI” — “Our first and foremost goal is to pursue AGI,” Eddie Wu told investors on a call after the company reported results that surpassed analyst estimates.
More: Fortune, Alibaba Group, PYMNTS.com, Alibaba Group, and South China Morning Post
| Ian Carlos Campbell / Engadget: |
Meta says US users over 18 can now sign up to be a Community Notes contributor on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads; notes will have a 500-character limit — The company is replacing third-party fact-checking with Community Notes on Threads, Instagram and Facebook.
More: TechCrunch, TechSpot, Meta, TechIssuesToday.com, PhoneArena, and Tech in Asia
| Jonathan Vanian / CNBC: |
Filing: Meta approves raising executives' annual bonuses to 200% of base salary, up from 75%, as most employees' annual stock options are reportedly cut by ~10% — Executives at Meta stand to get bigger bonuses this year. — The company said in a corporate filing Thursday that it had approved …
More: Financial Times, Cryptopolitan, Financial Express, Proactive, Benzinga, and Business Insider
Forums: r/news, r/Layoffs, r/antiwork, and r/technology
| Ashley Carman / Bloomberg: |
YouTube plans to add a “premium lite” tier, a source says for the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand, offering podcasts without ads and music videos with ads — - The service will continue to put ads in music videos — The tier will launch in areas that include the US, Australia| Matt Novak / Gizmodo: |
Elon Musk says he will “fix” Community Notes as they are “increasingly being gamed by governments & legacy media”, after disagreeing with notes about Ukraine — The billionaire has a history of manipulating X to fit his far-right worldview.
More: Moneycontrol, The Independent, Agence France-Presse, The Hill, Al Jazeera, Social Media Today, Engadget, Washington Examiner, Mediaite, Mirror, The Sun, Twitchy, and NDTV
Bluesky: @mantzarlis.com, @runtcpip, @gordonmoat, @quinnypig.com, @sweet-jesus, @wilkos, @onto2028, @rawveggies, @justbcause, @zackhouse, @creatrixpj, and @paleofuture
X: @elonmusk, @ike_saul, @ibd_ecarson, @oalexanderdk, @youranoncentral, @alexandrosm, @levyantoine, @jseyff, @rothschildmd, @spencerfernando, @billybinion, @stankutcher, @gummibear737, @elonmusk, @philipdbunn, @elonmusk, @christogrozev, @shayan86, @rorystewartuk, @elonmusk, @charliepick, @matthewberman, @walshfreedom, @amuse, @eyeslasho, @page_eco, @alanlevinovitz, @tekbog, @piersmorgan, @billybinion, @shayan86, @theabridgedzach, @ike_saul, @byzgeneral, @angry_staffer, @kareemrifai, @lefterisjp, and @ike_saul. Forums: r/BlockedAndReported
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Amazon plans to end support for its videoconferencing tool Chime on February 20, 2026; report: Amazon is adopting Zoom as its standard app for internal meetings — Amazon Chime, the tech giant's underwhelming alternative to Zoom and Google Meet, is shutting down for good.
More: Amazon Web Services, MakeUseOf, Entrepreneur, GeekWire, Thurrott, TechRadar, Verdict, Business Insider, Reuters, PYMNTS.com, and Chain Store Age
Bluesky: @aleph1.underground.org, @emilprotalinski, and @itspatrickpl. Mastodon: @harrymccracken@mastodon …
X: @frichette_n, @rickasaurus, @rekdt, and @eugenekim222
LinkedIn: Derek Pando, Milo Fels, David Victoria, Dhaval Nagar, and Iqbal Javaid
| Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
OpenAI launches Operator in the UK, Japan, and most ChatGPT regions, and says it's working to expand to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland — OpenAI said on Friday that it is rolling out Operator, its so-called AI agent that can perform tasks on behalf of users … | Wired: |
How Breeze Liu, an advocate for digital abuse victims, got Microsoft to scrub 142 nonconsensual explicit images of her hosted on Azure after months of struggle — Breeze Liu has been a prominent advocate for victims. But even she struggled to scrub nonconsensual intimate images and videos of herself from the web.
Bluesky: @wired.com and @mattburgess1
| Ben Lang / Road to VR: |
Meta announces a $50M creator fund for Horizon Worlds; CTO Andrew Bosworth reportedly told staff that 2025 is a make-or-break year for Meta's XR ambitions — Meta today announced a $50 million fund to incentivize the creation of new and improved content in Horizon Worlds, the company's first-party social gaming platform.
More: Meta, Digital Music News, UploadVR, and Android Central
Bluesky: @jawnpaulsarte. Threads: @schultzdavidg. X: @brandonjla, @kentbye, @gwanatu, @azadux, @nathievr, @gwanatu, and @slhamlet
| Mobile EDR Security: |
iVerify's iOS app detected a Pegasus infection in 11 new cases in December 2024, and about half of them did not receive Threat Notifications from Apple — In December, we published our groundbreaking investigation into mobile device threats. The public didn't just read the report … | New York Times: |
Sources: the Trump administration targets officials fighting foreign interference in US elections, focused on those combating cyberattacks and false content — The Trump administration has reassigned or forced out several dozen government employees who had been working to fight foreign interference …
More: Default, StateScoop, Politico, and Associated Press
Bluesky: @noupside, @noupside, @daphnek, @noupside, and @lawfare. Mastodon: @metacurity@infosec.exchange
Forums: r/nytimes, r/technology, r/Intelligence, r/news, r/law, and r/politics
Sponsor Posts
Clay:
Turn any GTM idea into reality — Clay helps GTM teams combine AI agents, enrichment, and intent data to move faster and turn insights into action.
Turn any GTM idea into reality — Clay helps GTM teams combine AI agents, enrichment, and intent data to move faster and turn insights into action.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
AI-powered law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
8 years of PageSense: Introducing PageSense 3.0 — PageSense was built eight years ago with a simple goal: to help businesses understand user behavior and improve conversion outcomes through experimentation.
8 years of PageSense: Introducing PageSense 3.0 — PageSense was built eight years ago with a simple goal: to help businesses understand user behavior and improve conversion outcomes through experimentation.
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.
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
Great Chat:
No one won the AI Bowl
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
Who's Winning The AI Race? + Software's Future — With Sridhar Ramaswamy
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
How Odd Lots' Joe Weisenthal Turned Curiosity Into a Career, and a Hit Podcast
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.
Access:
OpenAI's Fidji Simo on why ads are coming to ChatGPT
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Invest Like the Best:
Alex Behring and Daniel Schwartz - Inside 3G Capital
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:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 7:05 AM ET, February 21, 2025.
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
Michael Savage / The Guardian:Pew Research Center:
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Upcoming Tech Events
More News
| Annie Palmer / CNBC: |
More: MarketWatch, MediaPost, PYMNTS.com, Quartz, Fortune, Fast Company, RetailWire, Investor's Business Daily, and Sherwood News. Forums: Slashdot
Earlier Picks
| Bloomberg: |
More: CNN, Social Media Today, Futurism, The Information, WinBuzzer, and Wall Street Journal
Bluesky: @seanhodgdon.com, @taumuyi, and @martinsfp
| Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac: |
More: MacRumors, Business Standard, Mashable, Neowin, Cult of Mac, Digit, Gizmodo, Android Headlines, iThinkDifferent, Patently Apple, iClarified, iDownloadBlog.com, iPhone in Canada Blog, GSMArena.com, Wall Street Pit, BGR, and The Mac Observer
X: @mingchikuo, @benbajarin, @jimmyjames_tech, and @markgurman
| Sarah Wynn / The Block: |
More: US Securities …, The Record, Blockhead, Bitcoin Insider, CryptoPotato, Law360, CyberScoop, Cryptopolitan, Benzinga, The Daily Hodl, CoinJournal, Blockchain News, The Coin Republic, The Crypto Times, Decrypt, crypto.news, CoinGape, CoinDesk, CryptoSlate, Watcher Guru, Coinpedia Fintech News, Crypto Briefing, Finextra, Bloomberg, and TheCorporateCounsel.net
X: @eleanorterrett, @digitalartchick, @cryptojellenl, @kookcapitalllc, @campbelljaustin, @nickilsanders, @adamscochran, @cryptodonalt, @themisterfrog, @iamkadense, @austin_federa, @sunil_trades, @0xaporia, @moonoverlord, @jchervinsky, @stoolpresidente, @byzgeneral, @tier10k, @lpcapitalchi, @tradermercury, @valueandtime, @digitalartchick, and @gainzy222
LinkedIn: Madiha Zuberi and Howard Fischer
| Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: |
More: Ars Technica, Engadget, Gizmodo, Tubefilter, Passionfruit, TechCrunch, TOS.gg, Dexerto, Cord Cutters News, Android Headlines, and Twitch
Bluesky: @quinnypig.com. X: @twitchsupport, @helloitskolo, @realcouri, @ravsy_, @shiftposting, @notenglishben, @thefiz_, @zisteau, @amaliasolaris, @iateyourp1e, @scifichicktv, and @metalman_20
Forums: r/technology, Slashdot, and Ars OpenForum
| Jess Weatherbed / The Verge: |
More: Spotify, Silicon Republic, TechRadar, Agence France-Presse, Pocket-lint, The Decoder, Digital Trends, iPhone in Canada Blog, TechCrunch, Thurrott, and Good e-Reader
Bluesky: @theopriestley.com. Mastodon: @mloxton@med-mastodon.com. X: @elevenlabsio. LinkedIn: Anders Larsen and Dustin Blank
| Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
More: Amazon, Amazon Appstore Developer Blog, Moneycontrol, 9to5Google, Ace of Spades HQ, Thurrott, Gizchina.com, GSMArena.com, Ars Technica, The Economic Times, GamingonPhone, The Indian Express, SammyGuru, Android Central, How-To Geek, WebProNews, Engadget, iPhone in Canada Blog, PCMag, PYMNTS.com, Trusted Reviews, AFTVnews, Liliputing, PocketGamer.biz, XDA Developers, The Verge, Droid Life, Digital Trends, PhoneArena, BetaNews, Mirror, HotHardware, Mobilegamer.biz, The Sun, Android Headlines, Neowin, Android Police, Android Authority, TechIssuesToday.com, and Good e-Reader
X: @rizbituk, @timsweeneyepic, @zhuinden, @videogamedeals, @superzomgbbq, @superzomgbbq, and @arstechnica
Forums: r/technology and r/Games