Techmeme
August 6, 2017, 7:15 PM

Top News

Louise Matsakis / Motherboard:
Manifesto criticizing Google's diversity initiatives circulates within the company, provoking derision and some support  —  Update 8/5/17 6:39 p.m.: This post has been updated to note that Google has written a memo to its employees about the document.  A link to the full contents of the document has also been added.
Kate Conger / Gizmodo:
Exclusive: Here's The Full 10-Page Anti-Diversity Screed Circulating Internally at Google  —  Update 7:25pm ET: Google's new Vice President of Diversity, Integrity & Governance Danielle Brown has issued her own memo to Google employees in response to the now-viral memo, “Google's Ideological Echo Chamber.”
Yonatan Zunger:
Former Google manager says anti-diversity manifesto author harmed Google, doesn't understand role of empathy in engineering, and deserves to be fired  —  You have probably heard about the manifesto a Googler (not someone senior) published internally about, essentially, how women and men …
Sarah Emerson / Motherboard:
Google diversity VP affirms the company's belief in diversity and inclusion but says it includes safe spaces for alt. views within equal-employment principles  —  On Saturday, we reported about an anti-diversity manifesto penned by a Google software engineer that was shared widely within the company.
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to release Watch with cellular connectivity this year, with LTE modems supplied by Intel  —  Intel is said to supply modem that works with cell networks  —  Apple plans to begin selling new smartwatch by end of year  —  Apple Inc. is planning to release a version …
Philip Michaels / Tom's Guide:
After data collection “false alarm”, Amazon resumes selling some Blu smartphones  —  The Amazon-imposed timeout for Blu smartphones appears to be over.  After the retail giant halted sales of its phones earlier this week when spyware allegations resurfaced, Blu announced today (Aug. 4) that sales had resumed.
Tom Simonite / Wired:
A look at Google's Ray Kurzweil-led internal group, Kona, which is responsible for neural net-powered Smart Reply feature in Gmail  —  RAY KURZWEIL HAS invented a few things in his time.  In his teens, he built a computer that composed classical music, which won him an audience with President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Gary Mortimer / sUAS News:
US Army calls for units to discontinue use of products from Chinese drone maker DJI due to “cyber vulnerabilities”  —  According to a U.S. Army memo obtained by sUAS News, the U.S. Army Research Lab and U.S. Navy have concluded that there are operational risks associated with DJI equipment …
BBC:
Marcus Hutchins' attorney says he plans to plead not guilty to all charges; judge sets $30K bail  —  US prosecutors say a British computer expert has admitted to creating software that harvests bank details.  —  But Marcus Hutchins' own lawyer says he denies six charges of creating and distributing the Kronos malware.

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Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times:
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