|
December 17, 2017, 5:50 PM
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Farhad Manjoo / New York Times: |
In 2017, big tech platforms began accepting some responsibility for negatively affecting the real world, but questions remain about companies' next steps — This was a terrible year for the tech industry. — That's an odd thing to say at a time of record growth and profits.| Kate Conger / Gizmodo: |
After slipping an unexplained promotional plugin for the TV show Mr. Robot into Firefox and angering users, Mozilla will move the extension to its add-on store — This week, Mozilla slipped a browser extension that promoted Mr. Robot into Firefox. The goal was to give Firefox users access …
More:
Drew DeVault's Blog, Gizmodo, The Verge, Ubergizmo, CSO, TechSpot, Digital Trends, CNET, Engadget, BleepingComputer.com, gHacks Technology News, and TechCrunch
Tweets: @pavel, @snipeyhead, @sanasaleem, and @tedonprivacy
| Brian Merchant / Wired: |
Email intelligence firm OMC says 19% of “conversational” email, sent by people like friends, spouses, and business partners, is subject to email open tracking — “I JUST CAME across this email," began the message, a long overdue reply. But I knew the sender was lying.
Tweets: @marklittlenews, @kenanmalik, @tuxtina, @jackdamn, and @pardesoteric
| Rachel Abrams / New York Times: |
Journalist documents her frustrating quest to fix an error in the Knowledge Graph panel appearing on Google searches for her name, which claimed she was dead — I'm not dead yet. — But try telling that to Google. — For much of the last week, I have been trying to persuade the world's … | Axios: |
Amazon in advanced talks to acquire Sqrrl, a startup that analyzes big data to detect cybersecurity threats; Sqrrl has raised nearly $30M in VC funding — Amazon is in advanced talks to acquire Sqrrl, a Massachusetts-based cybersecurity software company whose founders used to work for the NSA, Axios has learned.| Reuters: |
Oracle agrees to buy Aconex, an Australian project management cloud software provider for construction projects, for $1.2B — (Reuters) - Aconex Ltd (ACX.AX) said on Monday it had received a A$1.56 billion ($1.19 billion), A$7.80 in cash per share, buyout offer from U.S. software major Oracle Corp (ORCL.N).
More:
PR Newswire
| Benedict Evans: |
How Amazon's decentralized operating structure and small, independent teams that use common internal systems, are integral to the company's unending scalability — When you look at large manufacturing companies, it becomes very clear that the machine that makes the machine is just as important as the machine itself.
Tweets: @grady_booch, @bwertz, @jamescham, @grady_booch, and @roundtrip
| Ari Levy / CNBC: |
Profile of Bill Gurley, whose VC firm Benchmark scored huge wins in 2017 from Snap and Stitch Fix IPOs amid scandals at Uber, where Benchmark holds ~$8B stock — - Gurley's firm is sitting on about $8 billion worth of Uber stock and has been at the center of the boardroom drama.
Tweets: @levynews
| Chris Velazco / Engadget: |
Eve V review: a more affordable, surprisingly worthy Surface Pro competitor designed by its forum community — If you've never heard of Eve, I like to think of it as the OnePlus of computers: By ditching middlemen, this 11-person startup found a way to build and sell premium computers at a significant discount.
More:
Digital Trends, Mashable, and Business Insider
| Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: |
Gemalto, which makes SIM and smart cards and provides IT security, agrees to ~$5.4B buyout by French conglomerate Thales, a 57% premium over 12/8 closing price — Digital security solutions provider Gemalto has agreed to a €51 per share acquisition offer from French aerospace … | Felix Salmon / Nieman Lab: |
The meteoric rise of bitcoin and difficulty in tracing ownership make disclosures from journalists and the experts they quote even more important — 2018 will be the year of inadequate bitcoin disclosures. — In April 2013, Farhad Manjoo (then at Slate, now at The New York Times) …
More:
Bloomberg. Tweets: @matt_levine, @chloencornish, @matt_levine, @matt_levine, @econoscribe, and @brianchoffman
| Wall Street Journal: |
Profile of US investment firm Voleon, which has $1.8B under management and has been using machine learning to pick stocks since 2007 with mixed success — Voleon is among investors deploying machine learning, a technology in which computers develop trading strategies. It's harder than it sounds.
Tweets: @wsjmarkets, @wsj, @charlesforelle, @bradleyhope, @aaronlucchetti, and @georgikantchev
Sponsor Posts
Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26 — Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26 — Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control — Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control — Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box 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:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
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.
Hard Fork:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
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.
Access:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
About This Page
This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 5:50 PM ET, December 17, 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.
From Mediagazer
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:Pamela McClintock / The Hollywood Reporter:
Trip Gabriel / New York Times:
Upcoming Tech Events
Earlier Picks
| Nathan Heller / New Yorker: |
| Sucheta Kulkarni / The Keyword: |
| Ryan Mac / BuzzFeed: |