Techmeme
April 5, 2019, 1:10 AM

Top News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Amazon is readying AirPods-like wireless earbuds with built-in Alexa for as early as the second half of this year  —  - Company plans wireless earbuds for second half of this year  — Move is attempt to take Alexa mobile after flopped Fire phone
Dave Gershgorn / Quartz:
Microsoft is investigating sexual harassment and discrimination claims that some workers say HR overlooked after women shared stories in a long email chain  —  In a far-reaching email chain within Microsoft, women have shared stories of sexual harassment and discrimination …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Ian Goodfellow, known as the father of an AI approach known as generative adversarial networks, has joined Apple in a director role, coming from Google  —  - Ian Goodfellow joined Apple's Special Projects Group as a director of machine learning last month.  — Prior to Google …
Washington Post:
Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos, announce a divorce settlement that will leave him with 75% of their Amazon stock and all voting power  —  In a tweet Thursday, MacKenzie Bezos said that her divorce from Jeff Bezos was finalized and that she would give her ex-husband voting control of her Amazon shares.
Kelsey Piper / Vox:
Google says it is dissolving its week-old AI ethics board, following controversy over several of the board members  —  The controversial panel lasted just a little over a week.  —  This week, Vox and other outlets reported that Google's newly created AI ethics board was falling apart amid controversy …
Alan Boyle / GeekWire:
Amazon confirms Project Kuiper, its new initiative to launch a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband around the world  —  Amazon is joining the race to provide broadband internet access around the globe via thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, newly uncovered filings show.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Snapchat debuts Snap Games platform that lets users play real-time multiplayer games with six-second unskippable ads and rewards  —  Snap is unlocking a new revenue stream while giving you something to do in between chats and Stories.  Today Snapchat debuts its Snap Games platform that lets …
Mike Fortin / Windows Experience Blog:
Starting with the May 2019 Update, Windows 10 will no longer auto install feature updates and will let users pause updates for up to 35 days  —  While regular updates are critical to keeping modern devices secure and running smoothly in a diverse and dynamic ecosystem, we have heard clear feedback …
Ron Amadeo / Ars Technica:
Google pilots a row of ads on the Android TV home screen of Sony smart TVs, NVIDIA Shield TV, others; users say they cannot disable the ads  —  Users are reportedly not enjoying Google's “pilot program.”  —  Google is trying out a new “Pilot Program” that puts a row of advertisements on the Android TV home screen.
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft announces it will integrate its WhatsApp-like Kaizala group messaging service into Teams over the next 12 to 18 months  —  Microsoft will be integrating its Kaizala service into Teams over the next 12 to 18 months.  In the interim, it's adding a lot more features to Kaizala.
Khari Johnson / VentureBeat:
Amazon launches six HIPAA-compliant Alexa skills from health care companies like Cigna and Boston Children's Hospital for uses like scheduling appointments  —  Amazon today announced the introduction of a limited number of voice apps for the Alexa Skills Kit by health care companies like Cigna …
Michelle Toh / CNN:
MIT suspends ties with Huawei and ZTE over US investigations and says any projects working with China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia will merit additional review  —  Hong Kong (CNN Business)The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is hitting pause on its relationships with Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE.

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Earlier Picks

Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
New York Times:
Craig Silverman / BuzzFeed News:
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
Sam Biddle / The Intercept: