Techmeme
February 21, 2017, 11:50 AM

Top News

Verizon Communications Inc.:
Verizon and Yahoo reduce price of acquisition deal by $350M, now valued at about $4.48B, and will evenly split cost of data breaches  —  Media contact(s) T. 908-559-6388 media@yahoo-inc.com … NEW YORK, NY and SUNNYVALE, CA - Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Yahoo! Inc. …
Kara Swisher / Recode:
Uber CEO Kalanick tells staff in memo that 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.
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.
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 …
Marco Arment / Marco.org:
Overcast version 3 released, brings new UI, easier navigation, and queue feature to the popular iOS podcast player  —  Overcast 3 is now available, and it's a huge update, mostly in the design and flow of the interface.  I've been working on it since last summer, informed by over two years of testing, usage, and customer feedback.
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
TransferWise launches Facebook Messenger bot for global money transfers from US, Europe, Australia, and Canada  —  International money transfer service TransferWise has introduced a new Facebook Messenger bot, letting customers send money and create rate alerts directly from within Facebook Messenger.
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 …
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 …
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 …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google's Project Fi starts testing Voice over LTE support for a subset of its users, does not announce timeframe for a roll out to all users  —  Google's own wireless service called Project Fi has rolled out Voice over LTE service for a subset of its users, the company confirmed this week via an announcement in Google's product forums.

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Featured Podcasts

Hard Fork:
OpenAI's Two-Week Pause + Jill Lepore on the Threat of the "Artificial State" + Train of Thought
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Training Data:
Rich Sutton and Khurram Javed: Why AI Models Stop Learning, and How to Start It Again
Sequoia Capital partners host conversations with leading AI builders and researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the evolving technologies and their implications.
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Ben Thompson on Big Tech, China, and the AI Boom Running Out of Money
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Connecting the Unconnected: Doreen Bogdan-Martin
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.
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Earlier Picks

Brad Sams / Thurrott.com: