Techmeme
May 16, 2019, 6:40 PM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft and Sony announce a strategic partnership to explore development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure for game and content-streaming services  —  An unusual partnership  —  Microsoft and Sony are announcing an unusual partnership today, allowing the two rivals to partner on cloud-based gaming services.
Salvador Rodriguez / CNBC:
Sources: acceptance rates for Facebook job offers among graduates of top US schools like Stanford fell from nearly 90% in late 2016 to around 50% in early 2019  —  KEY POINTS  — Among top schools, Facebook's acceptance rate for full-time positions offered to new graduates has fallen …
Thomas Brewster / Forbes:
Europol and FBI arrest the leader and ten members of the GozNym criminal network, who broke into 44K computers and tried to steal ~$100M  —  Paying money and buying online concept, couple doing internet shopping with computer, customers making secure payment on laptop via e-banking service, close up view of hand holding credit card
Theodore Schleifer / Vox:
Sources: Quora, which has 300M+ MAUs, is raising a $60M round led by Valor Equity Partners at a valuation of $2B, and told investors it had $20M in 2018 revenue  —  According to some, the financing round for the question-and-answer platform speaks to the high valuation for virtually everything these days in the tech sector.
Dieter Bohn / The Verge:
Google to add the ability to save transcriptions in Live Transcribe and will include indicators for sounds like door knocks, dog barks, and phones ringing  —  [Clapping]  —  When Google released Live Transcribe this past February, it was a hugely important accessibility feature for people …
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Researchers: NYPD used edited suspects' photos and photos of celebs, when witnesses said the suspects looked like them, to generate facial recognition matches  —  In one case, a photo of the actor Woody Harrelson was used to locate a suspect  —  A new report from Georgetown Law's Center …
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Google clarifies Works with Nest shutdown, says connections will continue to work beyond Aug. 31 until they are replicated in new Works with Assistant program  —  Works with Nest moves from fully dead to on life support  —  Google has issued a response to the criticisms of its recent announcement …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Instagram is shutting down Instagram Direct, its standalone direct messaging app that it was testing to rival Snapchat, on iOS and Android  —  As Facebook pushes ahead with its strategy to consolidate more of the backend of its various apps on to a single platform, it's also doing a little simplifying and housekeeping.
Casey Newton / The Interface:
As the definition of “bias” expands to include instances where social media users don't have the desired outcome, it's harder for platforms to say there is none  —  Three years ago this month, Mark Zuckerberg gathered together a group of influential conservatives to defend Facebook against allegations of political bias.
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook is updating the News Feed algorithm to include data from user surveys about which links users find most worthwhile and who their closest friends are  —  Facebook is updating the News Feed ranking algorithm to incorporate data from surveys about who you say are your closest friends and which links you find most worthwhile.
Jeremy Horwitz / VentureBeat:
Sprint says it will begin offering 5G in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City on May 31, with preorders for LG's V50 ThinQ 5G starting tomorrow  —  Having previously set general targets for its initial launch of 5G services and devices in the United States, Sprint says today …
Larry Cermak / The Block:
Sources: Coinbase is in advanced talks to acquire the Bitcoin custody provider Xapo for around $50M  —  Regulated U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is in advanced talks to buy custody provider Xapo for about $50 million to boost its custody business, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Nat Levy / GeekWire:
Amazon upgrades its $50 Fire 7 tablet with faster processor, doubled storage, and hands-free activation of Alexa, available for pre-order now, shipping June 6  —  Amazon today unveiled the next generation of its Fire 7 tablet and Fire 7 Kids Edition, speeding up the devices and adding more storage and features.
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Revenue Analytics, which uses AI to help clients like Toyota, Best Buy, and Marriott instantly adjust prices to drive sales, raises $11M Series A  —  Imagine you're a retailer with a diverse clientele.  To whom should you extend a promotion when a product isn't flying off the shelves, and how steep should the discount be?

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