Techmeme
December 18, 2017, 3:35 AM

Top News

Garrett M. Graff / Wired:
Inside the investigation led by the FBI to identify key perpetrators behind the Mirai Botnet, which was created initially to DDoS Minecraft servers  —  THE MOST DRAMATIC cybersecurity story of 2016 came to a quiet conclusion Friday in an Anchorage courtroom, as three young American computer …
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.
Stan Higgins / CoinDesk:
A man in New York allegedly stole $1.8M worth of ether cryptocurrency, kidnapping victim, forcing him to give up his digital wallet, then transferring the funds  —  The New York County District Attorney's Office has filed armed robbery and kidnapping charges against a man alleged …
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Splice, a startup that sells digital tools and music samples to musicians, raises $35M Series B led by DFJ Growth  —  Steve Martocci's first company was a text messaging service.  Now he's behind the scenes of a Demi Lovato song.  —  Making money selling songs is hard: Just ask Spotify …
Erin Griffith / Wired:
Behind Fitbit's gradual pivot toward personal medical devices via its b2b arm, Health Solutions, as revenue declines and competition from Apple Watch rises  —  FITBIT SPENT ITS first decade selling activity trackers.  With its latest moves, the company is starting to look less …
More: diginomica
Axios:
Source: 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.
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.

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Featured Podcasts

Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lucas Shaw on Warner Bros' Limbo, Netflix's Anxiety, and Hollywood's Sort-of Comeback [7:09 PM]
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Big Technology Podcast:
How China Caught U.S. AI — With Grace Shao
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Building the Automated AGI Lab: Core Automation's Jerry Tworek and Rohan Anil
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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Uncapped with Jack Altman:
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Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
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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

Kate Conger / Gizmodo: