Techmeme
February 15, 2019, 3:30 PM

Top News

Matthew Gardner / ITEP:
Amazon has made $11.2B in profits in 2018 but will pay no federal income tax and will receive a rebate of $129M due to unspecified tax credits  —  Amazon, the ubiquitous purveyor of two-day delivery of just about everything, nearly doubled its profits to $11.2 billion in 2018 from $5.6 billion …
Brad Stone / Bloomberg:
After Amazon misread New York's politics, pulling out was a typical Bezos' power play of belligerently confronting opposition he views as unfair or unjust  —  In retrospect, the helipad was probably a bad idea.  —  The proposed transportation hub for senior Amazon executives was supposed …
J. David Goodman / New York Times:
Amazon says it has canceled plans to build HQ2 in New York City, focusing instead on Northern Virginia and Nashville, following backlash  —  Amazon on Thursday canceled its plans to build an expansive corporate campus in New York City after facing an unexpectedly fierce backlash from lawmakers …
More: Recode, The Guardian, The Amazon Blog, NBC News, Business Insider, CNET, CNN, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, CNET, The Verge, Continuations, The Atlantic, GeekWire, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Axios, New York Times, CNN, The Intercept, GeekWire, Curbed NY, AOL, PYMNTS.com, Hit & Run, Recode, The Verge, Fortune, Washington Post, Axios, Telecoms.com, New York Times, CNBC, Fox News, Wired, Haystack.vc, Silicon Republic, Pocketables, Reuters, Inquirer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, CNBC, Geek.com, Tangentialism is David Yee, eWeek, Reuters, Mashable, Axios, Gothamist, VentureBeat, The Register, The Ringer, The Seattle Times, CityLab, USA Today, and lohud.com
Natt Garun / The Verge:
Stefan Etienne / The Verge:
Samsung unveils 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S5e, its lightest and thinnest tablet and the first with Bixby built-in, starting at $399, launching in the second quarter  —  It's $399 and comes in three “millennial friendly” colors  —  There isn't a single Android tablet we can currently wholeheartedly recommend …
Shara Tibken / CNET:
Samsung to open stores in LA, Houston, and Long Island on February 20, the first US retail stores to be operated by the company  —  Samsung's coming to a mall near you — if you live in California, New York or Texas.  —  The company on Thursday said it plans to open three Samsung Experience Stores …
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
US Copyright Office has refused a copyright claim for the “Carlton Dance”, a potential blow to performers seeking rights to dance emotes in games like Fortnite  —  A government examiner also questioned the submission of the actor's performance on ABC's “Dancing With the Stars,” …
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Samsung's wearables app reveals new products including Galaxy Buds wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch, and Galaxy Fit and Fit e fitness bands  —  An update to Samsung's wearables app has inadvertently revealed an entire lineup of new products that are presumably set to be unveiled alongside the Galaxy S10 next week.
Kia Kokalitcheva / Axios:
Uber reports Q4 revenue of $3B, up 24% YoY, gross bookings of $14.2B, up 37% YoY, and adjusted EBITDA losses of $842M, up 88% YoY and 60% QoQ  —  Uber on Friday released its latest quarterly financials, likely its last before formally filing to go public. showing continued growth and investment in areas like UberEats.
Marco Chown Oved / Toronto Star:
Internal docs show Google's Sidewalk Labs plans expansion in Toronto's Port Lands, seeks share of property taxes, development fees in return  —  Google's futuristic development on the eastern waterfront, Quayside, is only the first step in an expansive and ambitious plan to build new neighbourhoods …
Matthew Gault / Motherboard:
The right to repair movement hopes it is getting a strong corporate backer after US insurance giant Allstate buys the smartphone repair company iCracked  —  With Allstate's purchase of iCracked, you could say the right to repair movement is ... in good hands.

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