Techmeme
February 21, 2017, 9:20 AM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook-owned WhatsApp launches Status, an encrypted Snapchat Stories clone  —  WhatsApp could put the brakes on Snapchat's international growth with today's launch of WhatsApp Status, a new tab for sharing decorated photos, videos and GIFs that disappear after 24 hours.
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Travis Kalanick tells employees in memo former US AG Eric Holder has been hired to probe sexism allegations, and Uber will begin publishing diversity reports  —  The car-hailing company has tried to move quickly to quell the outrage over blog that alleges rampant sexism.
Susan Fowler / Susan J. Fowler:
Former Uber engineer says Uber HR repeatedly dismissed claims of sexual harassment by “high performing” manager  —  As most of you know, I left Uber in December and joined Stripe in January.  I've gotten a lot of questions over the past couple of months about why I left and what my time at Uber was like.
Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios:
Amar Toor / The Verge:
Harris Poll: Samsung's reputation drops to #49 among US consumers, from #3 in 2016, following Note7 fiasco, as Amazon tops list for second consecutive year  —  Korean smartphone maker ranks 49th in annual reputation ratings, after coming in third in 2016  —  Samsung's reputation among US …
Kelly Fiveash / Ars Technica UK:
Google and Microsoft's Bing agree to demote piracy search results in the UK by June 1, 2017, as part of a deal with the entertainment industry  —  Google and Microsoft's Bing have agreed to crack down on piracy sites in the UK after years of wrangling with film and music rights holders.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Snap starts selling Spectacles online in the US for $130 at Spectacles.com  —  Snap wants to prove to investors in its upcoming IPO that Spectacles can earn money for its business, not just be a brand stunt.  So today, Snap begins selling its video-recording sunglasses Spectacles openly online …
Mike Wuerthele / AppleInsider:
Apple files 14-point appeal against European Commission's $14B tax edict, says the company's European HQ in Cork, Ireland was set up in accordance with the law  —  Apple has filed its appeal with the European court of appeals, all declaring that the European Commission's decision to levy $14 billion …
Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Microsoft strikes exclusive cloud deal with Flipkart, Amazon's biggest online retail rival in India, as a first step in a broader strategic partnership  —  Flipkart, the top online marketplace in India, has agreed to adopt Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform …
Brad Sams / Thurrott.com:
Sources: Microsoft shuffles HoloLens' roadmap, cancelling the planned second version of the device to focus on more ambitious hardware slated to launch in 2019  —  It was a little over two years ago that Microsoft first showed the world HoloLens and the company immediately grabbed headlines around …
Shoshanna Solomon / The Times of Israel:
Report: Apple buys Israeli facial recognition startup RealFace  —  US giant acquires Tel Aviv-based Israeli cybertechnology startup for a couple of million dollars, Calcalist says  —  Apple Inc. has acquired Israel's Realface, a cybertechnology startup whose facial recognition technology can be used to authenticate users.
Katie Benner / New York Times:
Snap explains how it's unique in these five clips from its 35-minute IPO roadshow video  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Snap, the parent company of the ephemeral-message application Snapchat, on Friday revealed its own story: the video presentation it will use to pitch investors as it prepares to go public in a few weeks.

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Earlier Picks

Rob LeFebvre / Engadget: