Techmeme
December 13, 2016, 4:10 PM

Top News

TechCrunch:
Google to spin off its self-driving car unit as a new company within Alphabet called Waymo; ex-Hyundai North America executive Jon Krafcik to be CEO  —  Dec 13, 2016, 9:16 amDec 13, 2016, 9:33 am  —  Google is spinning out its self-driving car unit as a separate company called Waymo, the company announced today.
Bloomberg:
Sources: Alphabet plans ride-sharing service with Fiat Chrysler, will deploy semi-autonomous version of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan as early as end of 2017  —  Parent Alphabet said to announce automotive-unit plans Tuesday  —  Semi-autonomous Chrysler Pacifica set for fleet, people say
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Report: Google no longer developing self-driving car without a steering wheel and pedals  —  Google has refocused its autonomous driving efforts away from developing its own car without a steering wheel and pedals, according to a report from The Information.
Mitchel Broussard / MacRumors:
Apple starts selling AirPods online in 100 countries, with units available in retail stores over the coming weeks; shipping times slip to 4+ weeks in US  —  Apple's AirPods are now available to order from the company's online store for $159.00, following weeks of speculation on exactly when the wireless headphones would launch.
David Jagneaux / UploadVR:
Oculus splits into two divisions: PC VR, with co-founder Iribe stepping down as CEO to lead, and mobile VR, led by an ex-Qualcomm exec; Luckey not mentioned  —  Some days when you work on the media side of the tech industry, you get through the day by going through the motions …
Kara Swisher / Recode:
New York Times:
How Russia executed an effective, hard to trace and mitigate cyber offensive on the DNC, aided by an FBI response that lacked speed, urgency, comprehensiveness  —  WASHINGTON — When Special Agent Adrian Hawkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the Democratic National Committee …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google debuts Android Things, a platform for building IoT devices with Google services and Android APIs, available today in developer preview  —  Google today announced Android Things, its new comprehensive IoT platform for building smart devices on top of Android APIs and Google's own services.
Darrell Etherington / TechCrunch:
Snapchat adds 16-person ephemeral group messaging to its app, Shazam support, and new creative tools including paintbrush and scissors features  —  Snapchat has added some new features, including Groups, a new group chat that lets up to 16 friends share conversation and media.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple releases macOS update for 2016 MacBook Pro, which removes “battery remaining” readout, fixes graphics problems, more  —  Apple today is rolling out an update to macOS Sierra that addresses several issues with MacBook Pro computers, including the graphicsproblems on late 2016 MacBook Pro computers.
Stephen Nielson / Photoshop Blog:
Photoshop updates its Mac app with Touch Bar support, providing clearer, contextual controls  —  Just a few weeks ago, Apple revealed the all new MacBook Pro featuring a breakthrough new interface that replaces the traditional row of function keys with a Retina-quality Multi-Touch display called the Touch Bar.
Michael Weissenstein / Associated Press:
Google to install servers in Cuba to host its most popular content in hopes of speeding up load times of its sites by up to 10x  —  HAVANA (AP) — Google and the Cuban government signed a deal Monday allowing the internet giant to provide faster access to its data by installing servers …

Sponsor Posts

Command Line:
Beyond violation rates: Are your AI evaluations measuring the right things?  —  Structured eval design can improve both the breadth of behaviors tested and the interpretability of resulting failures.
Will Reed:
The best sales leaders aren't job hunting.  Here's how to reach them without months of cold outreach.  —  Our team came from Box, Square, and Brex, so we already know the GTM leaders worth meeting.
Zoho:
Ask an Expert: How to effectively recover stuck TDS refunds with reduced TDS reconciliation time  —  The 26AS/Form 168 gets updated quarterly and often gets checked only during the time of ITR filing.
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

Training Data:
Google's AI Infrastructure Chief, Amin Vahdat, on the Physics & Economics of Frontier AI
Sequoia Capital partners host conversations with leading AI builders and researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving technologies and their implications.
Subscribe to Training Data.
Invest Like the Best:
Andrew Huberman - The Frontier of Neurotechnology
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Big Technology Podcast:
Who Wins The AI Assistant Wars? + Why Didn't Google Build Muse?
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.
Sources:
Reflection's founders on building a DeepSeek of the West
Candid conversations with the leaders shaping what's next in AI and the broader tech industry. Hosted by Alex Heath, who has covered Silicon Valley for more than a decade.
Subscribe to Sources.
Grit:
How Vercel Is Rethinking Go-to-Market With AI | COO Jeanne Grosser
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
OpenAI's Head of ChatGPT: We're entering a new era of AI (again) | Tibo Sottiaux
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:10 PM ET, December 13, 2016.

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

Earlier Picks

John Callaham / Android Authority:
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet: