Techmeme
March 20, 2019, 12:25 PM

Top News

EU Press Room:
The European Commission has fined Google €1.49B for “abusive practices in online advertising” and breaching EU antitrust rules  —  The European Commission has fined Google €1.49 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules.  Google has abused its market dominance by imposing …
Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says it will start asking Android users in Europe to choose their preferred web browser and search apps in response to EU Commission antitrust concerns  —  For nearly a decade, we've been in discussions with the European Commission about the way some of our products work.
Apple:
Apple launches new AirPods with hands-free “Hey Siri” and more talk time for $159, with wireless charging case for $199, available to order today  —  New AirPods Are Powered by the New H1 Chip and Feature 50 Percent More Talk Time, Hands-Free “Hey Siri” and the Option of a Wireless Charging Case
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Oculus announces $399 Rift S, a replacement for the original Rift developed alongside Lenovo, with a higher-res display and improved optics, available in spring  —  After years of high-profile onstage announcements, Oculus has decided to quietly deliver the successor to its flagship Rift …
New York Times:
Facebook announces that it will stop allowing ad targeting of race, gender, and age groups in the housing, jobs, or credit categories by the end of the year  —  After years of criticism, Facebook announced on Tuesday that it would stop allowing advertisers in key categories to show their messages …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook settles with ACLU over allegedly discriminatory ads for employment, housing, and credit, paying ~$5M and making changes to prevent discrimination  —  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), has reached a historic settlement with Facebook over advertising practices that allegedly discriminated against minorities.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google's Stadia could be the future of gaming but the announcement left questions unanswered, like cost and subscription, launch date, or available games  —  A lot of questions remain unanswered  —  “The future of gaming is not a box,” according to Google.  “It's a place.”
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Zac Hall / 9to5Mac:
Apple says it will support three media literacy programs in the US and Europe that aim to combat fake news and train young people to seek reliable news sources  —  Just days before Apple's big March 25th event where it will unveil a new subscription news service, the company has revealed plans …
Michelle Toh / CNN:
Profile of Connie Chan, a16z's first partner promoted from within, who has built a reputation for sourcing deals with startups like Pinterest and Lime  —  Hong Kong (CNN Business)For years, venture capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz stood by a steadfast rule: to become a general partner at the firm …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Opendoor, which buys homes from sellers directly to sell at a profit, raises $300M led by General Atlantic, sources say at a $3.8B valuation  —  Last month, we reported that Opendoor — the startup that is taking on the real estate industry with its own platform for buying up homes and selling …
More: Opendoor and Fortune.  Tweets: @sheila
Ron Miller / TechCrunch:
Blameless, which offers a site reliability engineering (SRE) platform for enterprises, comes out of stealth with $20M from investors including Accel  —  Sight Reliable Engineering (SRE) is an extension of DevOps designed for more complex environments.  The problem is that this type of approach …
More: PE Hub Blog and FinSMEs
ABC:
Sources: Uber used a spyware program code-named Surfcam to steal drivers from an Australian rival by tracking their cars online and scraping driver details  —  Four Corners By Sean Nicholls, Peter Cronau and Mary Fallon  —  International rideshare giant Uber used a secret spyware program …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Audio sample marketplace Splice, which charges $7.99/month for access, raises $57.5M Series C co-led by USV and True Ventures  —  Tech has a bad reputation for pulling money out of musicians' pockets, but Splice is changing that.  The audio sample marketplace and music production collaboration tool …

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Earlier Picks

Emma Sandler / Digiday: