Techmeme
April 29, 2019, 8:30 PM

Top News

Alphabet:
Alphabet Q1: revenue of $36.3B, up 17% YoY, net income of $6.66B with EC fine, CPC down 19%, and paid clicks on Google properties up 39% YoY; stock drops 7%+  —  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - April 29, 2019 - Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Theodore Schleifer / Recode:
Sources: Anki, the robotics startup that raised $200M+ from investors including a16z, is shuttering and laying off its staff of 200 with one week's severance  —  It's a hard, hard fall.  —  Anki, the robotics company that has raised over $200 million in venture capital …
CNBC:
The We Company, better known as WeWork, announces it has filed confidentially for IPO; the company has said its 2018 revenue was $1.8B with a net loss of $1.9B  —  KEY POINTS  — The We Company, better known as WeWork, filed confidentially for an IPO.  — The company did not reveal …
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Facebook to give 60+ academics around the world access to its data from January 2017 to February 2019, which excludes run-up to the 2016 US election and Brexit  —  Facebook is opening up its data for the first time to more than 60 academics from around the world, who will be able to look …
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Facebook's Ad Archive API is criticized for lacking info on ad targeting criteria and being limited to keyword searches, preventing a comprehensive look at ads  —  Facebook has been accused of blocking the ability of independent researchers to effectively study how political disinformation flows across its ad platform.
Spotify:
Spotify reports Q1 revenue of €1.5B, up 33% YoY, reduces net loss to €142M, says it has 217M MAUs, up 26% YoY, with 100M premium subscribers, up 32% YoY  —  Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT) today reported financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2019 ending March 31, 2019.
Laura Hautala / CNET:
Researchers find the addresses and demographic details of more than 80M US households listed on an unsecured database, now offline, on a Microsoft cloud service  —  In a blow to consumers' privacy, the addresses and demographic details of more than 80 million US households were exposed …
Deanna Ting / Skift:
Marriott launches Homes & Villas, an Airbnb competitor, in more than 100 markets around the world, following an year-long pilot program with 200 homes in London  —  This news will trigger responses from elated to downright furious, whether you're a Bonvoy member, Marriott hotel owner …
Jeff John Roberts / Fortune:
ICE's Bakkt, which has faced regulatory delays, says it has acquired the Digital Asset Custody Company and has applied with NY to become a registered trust  —  Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), which owns the New York Stock Exchange, made a splash last August with big plans to get into the Bitcoin business.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Apple says $250 Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds will be available to preorder on May 3 and ship on May 10 in black with three other colors coming in the summer  —  Preorders start just a few days from now on May 3rd  —  There was a ton of reader interest in the new Powerbeats Pro …
Brian Crecente / Variety:
Microsoft says Minecraft creator Markus Persson won't be part of 10-year anniversary plans for the game because of his “comments and opinions”  —  “Minecraft” creator Marcus “Notch" Persson, who sold the title to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014, won't be part of 10-year anniversary plans …
Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:
On paid email newsletter platforms, small audiences are translating to dollars for writers, such as on Substack, where the 12 top earners make $160K+ on average  —  As writers gravitate toward paid email newsletters, small audiences translate to meaningful dollars.
Kurt Wagner / Vox:
Sources: around 2013, Facebook created Oxygen, a contingency plan outlining how to distribute its apps on Android if Google shut them out of the Play Store  —  The social network you love — or hate — needs a radical reboot.  —  In late 2011, Facebook found itself in a terrifying position …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Twitter announces content deals with Univision, the Wall Street Journal, and Time as well as new initiatives with previous partners including the NFL and ESPN  —  - Twitter Expands Live-Streaming Video Lineup, Sets Content Deals With Viacom, ESPN, Live Nation, Univision, and More
BBC:
Consent forms to access the phones of victims of crime, including those alleging rape, have been rolled out across England and Wales  —  Victims of crimes, including those alleging rape, are to be asked to hand their phones over to police - or risk prosecutions not going ahead.
Ginny Marvin / Search Engine Land:
Microsoft rebrands Bing Ads as Microsoft Advertising, says it will introduce more advertising products with built-in AI over the next year  —  The new name reflects a broader focus on ad inventory, data and targeting capabilities.  —  First there was Microsoft adCenter.  Then there was Bing Ads.

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