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.

Sponsor Posts

Soxton:
Fast, affordable 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!
F5:
Accelerate AI Adoption at F5's AI Virtual Summit  —  Learn how to architect, secure, and scale AI for production with real-world insights from industry leaders on June 23.  Register now to save your spot.
Zoho:
Zoho RPA named a Leader in the 2026 RPA Technology Value Matrix by Nucleus Research  —  Zoho RPA has been named a Leader in the 2026 RPA Technology Value Matrix, published by Nucleus Research …
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

Big Technology Podcast:
SpaceX's IPO Triumph, Anthropic's Fable Fumble, OpenAI's Price War
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.
Access:
A top iPhone app developer reacts to Apple's new Siri
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Hard Fork:
'Hard Fork' Live, Part 1: Satya Nadella and Cindy Cohn
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
The Upstarts Podcast:
TBC's Alex Ksendzovsky: The Neurosurgeon Using Brain Cells To Build Better AI
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
BG2 Pod:
The SpaceX IPO, Fable 5, AI Capex Update & Market Check w/ Gavin Baker, Andrew Fox & Clark Tang
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
Subscribe to BG2 Pod.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
AI's Mythos Moment: Rishi Sunak on preparing governments for AI
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 9:20 AM ET, February 21, 2017.

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

Rob LeFebvre / Engadget: