Sources provide a behind-the-scenes account of Amazon's HQ2 selection process, say the company made the decision to split HQ2 in two in September  —  For months, cities vied for Amazon's second headquarters while some executives were realizing that no single place would fulfill its requirements

Netflix is testing cheaper, mobile-only subscriptions “in a few countries” including Malaysia, where it is half the price of its next cheapest package  —  Netflix is testing a cut-price mobile-only subscription as it explores new packages aimed at widening its appeal in Asia and other emerging markets.

Internal Facebook survey shows just 52% of its staff are optimistic about its future, down 32% from last year, amid scandals and a sharp stock decline  —  Employee surveys show weaker optimism about future, confidence in platform's mission  —  Facebook Inc.'s FB .77% difficult year is taking …

Google releases Night Sight, a software update that dramatically improves low-light photos, to Pixel users  —  The mighty Night Sight mode is being released to Pixel phones today  —  Two years ago, Google's release of the first Pixel smartphone radically raised the bar for the image quality we could expect from mobile cameras.

Uber launches rider loyalty rewards program with upgrades to nicer cars, access to premium support, and waiver on cancellations if rebooked within 15 minutes  —  Uber's new loyalty program incentivizes you not to check Lyft or the local competitor.  Riders earn points for all the money …

Google Assistant adds Routines integration into clock app, ability to reply to intercom-style Broadcasts, and a command to put devices into Do Not Disturb mode  —  In the voice assistant market, the most meaningful features often don't sound that impressive: more often than not …

Microsoft acquires AI and bot developer XOXCO for an undisclosed amount; XOXCO built Howdy.ai, a commercially available bot for Slack for scheduling meetings  —  Microsfot is acquiring XOXCO, a conversational-AI development firm known for its Howdy.ai bot tools for Slack.

Podcasting app Pocket Casts, which was recently acquired by a public radio collective, launches a redesign and introduces new features on iOS and Android  —  Pocket Casts 7 has a new look and adds requested features  —  Several months after the podcast app Pocket Casts was acquired by a mix …

Investigation shows how ZTE helped Venezuela's government build a system, used by as many as 18M, similar to China's national identity card program  —  TRICKS OF THE TRADE: Critics say China exports tools that help autocratic governments monitor citizens.  Venezuelan President Nicolás …

AmazonBasics Microwave review: looks and works pretty much like a regular microwave, with some Alexa integration via Echo, and is good value at $60  —  Amazon's new “smart” microwave with Alexa is a microwave.  It's not magic.  —  Yes, you can use your voice instead of pressing buttons.

Mozilla publishes gift guide for 70 smart devices, from drones to wearables, ranked by creepiness and security; many fail to meet Mozilla's security standards  —  If you're planning on picking up some cool new smart device for a loved one this holiday season, it might be worth …

Tyler Barriss, the serial swatter responsible for the fatal Kansas hoax call, pleads guilty to federal charges, will serve between 20 and 25 years in prison  —  A California man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to making dozens of hoax phone calls during which he reported fake crimes …

Snap says it's responded to subpoenas from the DOJ and SEC about its IPO, following a suit alleging Snap misled the public on how Instagram affected its growth  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission have subpoenaed Snap Inc (SNAP.N) …

AI needs to be taught everyday common sense, not just pattern recognition, to overcome the limits of deep learning and produce safer, more useful devices  —  FIVE YEARS AGO, the coders at DeepMind, a London-based artificial intelligence company, watched excitedly as an AI taught itself to play a classic arcade game.

In written response to Senate Intelligence Committee, Facebook says free speech and privacy will inform any decision to return to China  —  Facebook Inc. said if it ever returns to China, the company will do it in a way that preserves rights to free expression and privacy — issues that make such a move almost impossible today.

Bitcoin dropped to $5,650, its lowest level in over a year, as other major cryptocurrencies fell 10%+; total crypto market has dropped by $15B in 24 hours  —  - Bitcoin fell more than 7 percent Wednesday, a new low for the year, after a relatively calm few months.

UiPath, which develops AI-based bots that automate mundane enterprise tasks, says its total Series C was $265M, up from $225M in September  —  UiPath, a startup that works in the growing area of RPA, or robotic process automation — where AI-based software is used to help businesses run repetitive …

Sources detail Palantir's frustration with Morgan Stanley's mutual funds, which have repeatedly lowered the valuation of their ~$3M stake, ahead of expected IPO  —  - Bank's mutual funds have repeatedly cut value of small holding  — So Palantir sought to buy it back at lower price, people say

Bain Capital Ventures closes new funds totaling $1B for startups in SaaS, infrastructure, security, commerce, financial tech, and healthcare  —  Bain Capital Ventures announced today that it has raised $1 billion in investment capital to target startups from the earliest to growth stages.

Google Chrome Lab releases Squoosh, an open source web app that can compress and reformat images to create lighter web pages  —  Squoosh helps websites cut image file sizes and helps Google promote its WebP image-compression format.  —  Google Chrome Labs has released Squoosh …

US GAO dismisses Oracle's argument that the Pentagon's $10B cloud contract violated federal standards and unfairly favored Amazon  —  - GAO decision deals setback to Oracle's federal contracts push  — Rejection frees Pentagon to pursue single-source solution