Techmeme
August 26, 2020, 7:30 AM

Top News

Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Palantir files S-1 for its public market listing, confirming a net loss of $580M in 2019 on $742.6M in revenue; intends to debut with a direct listing  —  - The data analytics company co-founded by Peter Thiel is going public after 16 years.  —  Data analytics company Palantir Technologies …
Ari Levy / CNBC:
In a letter included in Palantir's S-1, CEO Alex Karp says the “engineering elite” of SV do not know “how society should be organized or what justice requires”  —  KEY POINTS  — In Palantir's filing to go public on Tuesday, CEO Alex Karp said Silicon Valley engineers …
Lucas Matney / TechCrunch:
Facebook says it will unify its AR/VR teams into a group called Facebook Reality Labs, renames Oculus Connect event to Facebook Connect, to be held on Sept. 16  —  Facebook is moving further away from the Oculus brand.  —  The company says it is changing the name of their augmented reality …
Ian Sherr / CNET:
Microsoft adds an audio transcription feature to Word's web version for Office 365 that will work with prerecorded or live audio  —  Microsoft's Word writing tool will soon be able to record and transcribe audio, marking an evolution long requested by everyone from students to reporters to Microsoft executives.
Frank Chaparro / The Block:
Crypto derivatives exchange FTX has acquired crypto price tracking app Blockfolio for $150M, in the form of equity, FTX's native token, and cash  —  Crypto derivatives exchange FTX has acquired popular crypto price tracking app Blockfolio for $150 million in one of the largest acquisition deals in the digital asset space this year.
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
As content moderators started working from home, YouTube's reliance on automation resulted in double the video removals; Facebook saw removals steeply decline  —  When YouTube sent content moderators home in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it dramatically expanded its use of automated filters …
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
Google rolls out Chrome 85 with 10% faster page load times, collapsible tab groups, a PDF editor, and more  —  Following version 84's release on Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS, the next release of Google's browser is rolling out today.  Chrome 85 sees faster page loads …
Brian Heater / TechCrunch:
Gartner: global smartphone sales in Q2 dropped 20.4% YoY, similar to Q1's 20% drop; Samsung and Huawei virtually tie for top spot, after Samsung drops 27% YoY  —  The last couple of years have been tough on the smartphone industry, as sales plateaued and eventually eroded.
Katie Abel / Footwear News:
Tony Hsieh is stepping down as Zappos CEO after 21 years at the helm; COO Kedar Deshpande will succeed him at the Amazon-owned company  —  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is stepping down after 21 years at the helm.  —  Kedar Deshpande, COO at the company, has assumed the role of CEO, according to an internal email obtained by FN.
Patrick O'Neill / MIT Technology Review:
Human rights advocates file a court petition against Israeli phone hacking firm Cellebrite to stop exports to Hong Kong, say tools are used against dissidents  —  Human rights advocates filed a new court petition against the Israeli phone hacking company Cellebrite, urging Israel's ministry …
Paul Mozur / New York Times:
Foreign Affairs:
NSA director says the US disrupted “a concerted effort” to undermine 2018 midterms and describes Cyber Command's proactive strategy ahead of the 2020 election  —  In early October 2019, personnel from U.S. Cyber Command landed in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, at the invitation of the country's government.
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Facebook is testing a Shop section in its app in the US, while Instagram expands Live Shopping to more sellers in the US  —  Facebook is announcing a number of new e-commerce features both within the main Facebook app and on Instagram.  —  The pandemic has forced many businesses to shift online …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Salesforce reports Q2 revenue of $5.15B, up 29% YoY, vs. $4.90B est., gives Q3 revenue guidance of $5.24 to $5.25B, up 16% YoY; stock jumps 11%+ after hours  —  - A gain on investments benefited Salesforce's adjusted earnings in the quarter.  — The company's full-year guidance beat expectations …
Olaf Storbeck / Financial Times:
Interviews and documents reveal Wirecard's desperate effort to cover up fraud, hoodwink its auditors, and a plan to take over Deutsche Bank in its final months  —  Executives at the German payments group hatched a plan to buy Deutsche Bank while desperately trying to cover their tracks

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