Techmeme
June 18, 2019, 2:50 PM

Top News

Facebook:
Facebook announces plans to launch Libra, a new cryptocurrency, and Calibra, a newly formed Facebook subsidiary to oversee financial services for Libra  —  A New Digital Wallet for a New Digital Currency  —  Today we're sharing plans for Calibra, a newly formed Facebook subsidiary whose goal …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook says user Libra transaction data will not be shared with Facebook and will not be used for ad targeting or ranking users' News Feed  —  The use cases, technology, and motive behind the new digital money  —  Facebook has finally revealed the details of its cryptocurrency Libra …
Alastair Marsh / Bloomberg:
French Finance Minister calls on the Group of Seven central bank governors to review Facebook's Libra, citing concerns it may become a “sovereign currency”  —  - French finance chief says it can't be a ‘sovereign currency’  — Germany's Ferber sees Facebook becoming a shadow bank
CoinDesk:
Facebook announces an independent consortium, Libra Association, with 28 founding members including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Uber, Lyft, Coinbase, and others  —  You don't have to have a Facebook account to use Libra.  —  That's the hands-off approach the social media giant is working toward …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Facebook's Calibra subsidiary will launch a digital wallet for Libra, as a standalone iOS and Android app and within WhatsApp and Messenger  —  It's called Calibra, and it's a new subsidiary of Facebook the company is launching to build financial services and software on top of the Libra blockchain.
Binance Info:
An in-depth first look at Facebook's new Libra cryptocurrency, due to be rolled out in the next 18 months, and its impact on the broader crypto ecosystem  —  On June 18th 2019, Facebook released details about Libra, a stable cryptocurrency backed by a basket of financial assets, which runs on its own blockchain.
The Keyword:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Amazon's Twitch has acquired social networking platform Bebo, source says for $25M, to bolster its esports business  —  While Facebook makes a bold move into cryptocurrency to capitalise on its multi-billion user base, a social network that was once a credible competitor to it has quietly been snapped up by a subsidiary of Amazon.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Apple adds a feature in iOS 13 beta 2 that tells users about ongoing subscriptions for apps they are about to delete  —  ‘Do you want to keep your subscription for this app?’  —  Apple has added a warning in iOS 13 beta 2 that appears when you try to uninstall an app which still has an active subscription.
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
Palm opens preorders for an unlocked version of its tiny $350 3.2-inch smartphone with Snapdragon 435, expected to ship in the next six to eight weeks  —  As much as Palm's tiny phone has improved over the past several months, there's still been one glaring limitation: you've had to use it on Verizon …
Biz Carson / Forbes:
CEO of parenting support app Cleo, which raised its $27.5M Series B in May, has resigned after it came to light that her resume contained falsehoods  —  On a Monday in April, Shannon Spanhake stood at the front of Cleo's office as her executive team lined up beside her.
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Top500: China has 219 of the world's fastest supercomputers, with the US still lagging behind at 116; Lenovo edged out IBM and Cray as the top vendor  —  To kick off the festivities at the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in Frankfurt, Germany this morning, the Top500 …
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:
London-based Zego, which offers flexible insurance policies with pricing based on usage data from vehicles, raises $42M Series B led by Target Global  —  A couple of years ago London-based startup Zego realised gig-economy workers would need insurance, and went on to raise a very healthy £6 million …
More: Tech.eu and FinSMEs
Jeff John Roberts / Fortune:
Ripple to take a 8-10% stake in the money transfer service MoneyGram, which will use the digital currency XRP as part of its day-to-day operations  —  Cryptocurrency company Ripple on Monday announced a major partnership with MoneyGram, which will see the money transfer service use …

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack  —  Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Get your favorite apps talking to Zoho Sign with Zapier  —  Your business didn't come together overnight.  It's something you've built, refined, and fine-tuned over time.  Every tool you use has a purpose …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The coming AI security crisis (and what to do about it) | Sander Schulhoff
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's Potential, Google's Speedy Model, Copilot Hits Turbulence
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin' Xmas Song
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Betting on reality with Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 2:50 PM ET, June 18, 2019.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Tony Romm / Washington Post:
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:

Earlier Picks

Bloomberg:
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Roger Vincent / Los Angeles Times:
Jordan Novet / CNBC: