Techmeme
October 22, 2018, 6:15 AM

Top News

Fred Wilson / AVC:
Recent news serves as a reminder that operators in startups and venture capital should work to ensure their investors are not bad actors  —  I got an email from the CEO of one of our portfolio companies last week.  —  It asked a very basic question, but one that I don't recall being asked before:
The Information:
Sources: Facebook is stepping up efforts to buy a major cybersecurity firm and has approached several companies about an acquisition  —  In an effort to repair its tattered reputation around data protection, Facebook is stepping up efforts to acquire a major cybersecurity firm, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Haaretz:
An in-depth look at how Israel became a leading exporter of tools for oppressive regimes to spy on activists' and dissidents' communications  —  Haaretz investigation spanning 100 sources in 15 countries reveals Israel has become a leading exporter of tools for spying on civilians.
Mallory Locklear / Engadget:
Survey of 5,844 US college students finds 89% at least got some news from social media weekly, with 71% getting news from Facebook and 55% from Snapchat  —  A number of studies have shown that people turn to social media for news, and of all of the social networks out there, Facebook consistently leads the pack in this regard.
Nathaniel Popper / New York Times:
How projects like Ocean Protocol, Oasis, Enigma, and SingularityNET use blockchain for AI research hoping to curb the dominance of big tech in the field  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Pairing artificial intelligence and the blockchain might be what you would expect from a scammer looking to make a quick buck in 2018.
David Pierini / Cult of Mac:
Profile of YouTuber Scotty Allen, who rose to fame last year after he built an iPhone from scratch by using parts he bought from public markets in Shenzhen  —  Millions have watched Scotty Allen build an iPhone from parts mined from the electronics markets of Shenzhen, China.
Oliver Staley / Quartz:
Profile of Symphony, a secure messaging app for financial industry that also lets bots at different institutions talk to each other and settle trades  —  For almost 40 years, Bloomberg has been an unescapable fact of life in the financial world.  —  Older than the internet …
Bloomberg:
Source: Plaid, which makes tools to let clients like Venmo and Coinbase authenticate accounts and check balances, is raising $200M at a valuation of up to $3B  —  Plaid Technologies Inc. is in talks to raise $200 million and the valuation of the deal is rising as venture investors vie to bankroll the startup.

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Featured Podcasts

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2025 In Review, 2026 Predictions — With Reed Albergotti
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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Channels with Peter Kafka:
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BG2 Pod:
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Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
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Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
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Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
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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.
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More News

Dami Lee / The Verge:

Earlier Picks

Jake Swearingen / New York Magazine:
New York Times: