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October 21, 2021, 8:00 AM
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WeSmirchTop News
| Casey Newton / Platformer: |
Sources: Mark Zuckerberg has not settled on a new name for Facebook, which could be announced as early as Monday — See you Monday! — Facebook is changing its name. Perhaps you heard. The news was broken by Alex Heath of The Verge on Tuesday night, and I've since confirmed it with sources of my own.
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CNBC, Wired, Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News, The Guardian, Input, VICE, Axios, Common Dreams, Insider, New York Times, Yahoo Finance, Vox, Fortune, TNW, FrontPageTech.com, Social Media Today, New World Notes, Quartz, and Gizmodo
Tweets: @agkarlracine, @caseynewton, @udiwertheimer, @matt_levine, @inafried, @jack, @bcmerchant, @rohanv, @jjvincent, @carlquintanilla, @stevekovach, @tallneil, @donie, @amyklobuchar, @jonstewart, @marshablackburn, @bigblackjacobin, @ryanlawler, @steveschmidtses, @martinsfp, @steveschmidtses, @nycsouthpaw, @aoc, @levie, @jacksondame, @duty2warn, @amrith, @timsweeneyepic, @ron_miller, @duty2warn, @caseynewton, @steveschmidtses, @suhail, @danyork, @calcsam, @jyarow, @levynews, @jason, @quinnypig, @steveschmidtses, @steveschmidtses, @wongmjane, and @dcwomenkicknass
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: PayPal has approached Pinterest about an acquisition, potentially valuing it at $39B; Pinterest stock had dropped 16% this year but is up 10%+ today — PayPal Holdings Inc. is exploring an acquisition of social media company Pinterest Inc., people with knowledge of the matter said, Bloomberg News reports.
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Reuters, Bloomberg, PYMNTS.com, New York Times, Bloomberg, Finextra, Pocketnow, The Information, Ubergizmo, SiliconANGLE, Benzinga, TechSpot, TechCrunch, phonearena.com, Wall Street Journal, Search Engine Journal, San Francisco Business Journal, Protocol, and Engadget
Tweets: @kylascan, @laurenshirsch, @eric_seufert, @zamosta, @iiiitsandrea, @seyitaylor, @djsnm, @delrey, @shetalksfinance, @ldignan, @ericstromberg, @jonerlichman, @kwong47, @economyapp, @villi, @speechu, @chrismessina, @shenlucinda, @shiraovide, @jeffjohnroberts, @kylascan, @palmettocapital, @modestproposal1, @maybebullish, and @morningbrew
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Internal email: Apple will test unvaccinated corporate staff each time they enter offices starting Nov. 1, and asks US staff to report vaccine status by Oct. 24 — - The company is still stopping short of requiring the shots — Unvaccinated retail staff will be asked to test twice a week
More:
Engadget, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, iThinkDifferent, AppleInsider, CNET, iMore, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and Patently Apple
Tweets: @markgurman and @markgurman
| Ben Sisario / New York Times: |
PleasrDAO, a group of digital asset collectors, says it created an NFT that will stand as an ownership deed for Wu-Tang Clan's one-of-a-kind physical album — The government sold “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” to satisfy a judgment against its first owner, Martin Shkreli.
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Rolling Stone, Decrypt, Cointelegraph, Insider, Pitchfork, Crypto Briefing, The Block, Billboard, Gizmodo, and Input
Tweets: @sisario, @moonoverlord, @nlw, @pleasrdao, @sheckygreen, @mmasnick, @mchax, and @theophite
| ABC News: |
Trump announces the Trump Media & Technology Group and TRUTH Social, a social network coming in Nov. to “stand up” to Big Tech, in the App Store for preorder — The former president has been banned from several platforms. — Silenced by many major platforms …
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Wall Street Journal, Axios, TechCrunch, Salon, The Hill, Insider, The Week, Raw Story, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Mediaite, Newsweek, CNET, Bloomberg, Washington Post, and Reuters
Tweets: @reallizusa, @mikaelthalen, @bradheath, @drewharwell, @danprimack, @santucci, @drewharwell, @bradheath, @bradheath, @bradheath, @reckless, @reckless, @cd_hooks, @danprimack, @acyn, @drewharwell, @drewharwell, @mikaelthalen, @noupside, @reckless, @danprimack, @benjamint0001, @frankluntz, @alexstamos, @killedbygoogle, @donie, @jack, @williamturton, @noupside, @donie, @samstein, @randirhodes, @tomwatson, @pkafka, @iansherr, @pkafka, @kim, @drewharwell, and @danprimack
| Aisha Counts / Protocol: |
Since May, Google says it has blocked 1.6M messages and restored ~4,000 YouTube influencer accounts affected by a phishing campaign offering fake collaborations — A network of Russian-speaking hackers are phishing YouTube influencers with fake collaboration offers in order to hijack their accounts …
Source:
The Keyword. More:
The Record, Security Affairs, Dark Reading, and Threatpost
Tweets: @shanehuntley, @t_gidwani, @ashl3y_shen, @anttitikkanen, @lanceulanoff, and @campuscodi
| Manish Singh / TechCrunch: |
Twitter acquires London-based Sphere, which develops a group chat app and has raised $30M to date — Twitter has acquired London-based Sphere, which operates an eponymous groups chat app, the latest in a series of recent moves from the social network as it looks to aggressively broaden and improve its product offerings.
More:
Sphere, Social Media Today, and Adweek
Tweets: @nickdaloisio, @sam_l_shead, @investmenttalkk, @elliotturn, @sam_l_shead, @ruskin147, @richlightshed, @tsuvik, @caseynewton, and @thekenyeung
| Alex Webb / Bloomberg: |
Apple's product design has improved since Jony Ive left, as it seems to be putting the emphasis back on function over form and is less obsessed with thinness — At one time, even broaching the idea would have been sacrilegious. But here goes: might Apple Inc.'s product design have improved since the departure of Jony Ive?
More:
9to5Mac, Philip Elmer‑DeWitt, Ubergizmo, Notebookcheck.net, MacDailyNews, iPhone in Canada Blog, and MacRumors
Tweets: @nheagy, @appleproleeks, @atbwebb, @reyml10, @thomasclaburn, @primalanomaly, @emanuelsa, @sirwill, @josejacas, @sdw, @xerusdesign, @jonyiveparody, @jonyiveparody, @sdw, and @sdw
| Emily Birnbaum / Politico: |
Source: Pierre Omidyar's philanthropic organization Luminate handles Frances Haugen's PR in Europe; Omidyar donated $150K to Whistleblower Aid in 2020 — Support from eBay-founder-turned-tech-critic Pierre Omidyar is helping Frances Haugen take on one of the world's most powerful companies.
More:
Omidyar Network and The Verge
Tweets: @birnbaum_e, @alexeheath, @carolecadwalla, @karlbode, @teddyschleifer, @blackamazon, @jason_kint, @anabmap, @dylanbyers, @aaronjmate, @willoremus, @gerritd, @yashalevine, @jason_kint, @moonalice, @yaeleisenstat, @cultexpert, @timkarr, @jamespoulos, @jason_kint, @stevekrak, @birnbaum_e, @ksato_phillips, @rmac18, @kimzetter, and @logandobson
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
A first look at Android app support on Windows 11: the apps are nicely integrated, run well, and installing them is simple, only requiring Amazon's Appstore app — Android apps can now run on Windows 11 — Microsoft has released the first preview version of its Android apps support in Windows 11.| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
More:
Windows Insider Blog, MacRumors, MSPoweruser, Amazon Developer Services, Pocketables, Tom's Hardware, BGR India, Pureinfotech, MobileSyrup, Windows Central, BleepingComputer, TechPowerUp, TNW, BleepingComputer, OnMSFT.com, CNET, TechPP, XDA Developers, Tom's Guide, TechSpot, Liliputing, Wccftech, BetaNews, Gizmodo, and PCWorld
| Wall Street Journal: |
Over 2,000 hourly Amazon workers at its Staten Island facilities sign union cards and plan to file with the NLRB by October 25; Amazon opposes the move — An employee group formed by warehouse workers in New York's Staten Island announced its goal to vote on unionization …
More:
New York Times, VICE, and Bloomberg
| Sylvia Varnham O'Regan / The Information: |
Internal memo: Facebook has quietly killed the “Hey Facebook” wake word for Portal, as customers were confused by the phrase and it was affecting usage — Facebook has quietly abandoned the phrase “Hey Facebook” as a way for customers of its Portal video-chat device to start …
Tweets: @grahamstarr and @amir
| Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post: |
US Commerce Department announces rules banning the export or resale of hacking tools to China, Russia, and other countries of concern — The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced a long-awaited rule that officials hope will help stem the export or resale of hacking tools to China …
Source:
U.S. Department of Commerce. More:
SiliconANGLE, Gizmodo, The Register, CyberScoop, Nextgov, BleepingComputer, Protocol, and The Record
| Jinshan Hong / Bloomberg: |
Analysis: Chinese livestream salesman Li Jiaqi, known for trying on makeup on his show, sold $1.9B in goods on Alibaba's Taobao during its Singles' Day festival — - Record on first day of Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping binge — Signals China's consumer strength despite economic slowdown
More:
South China Morning Post, Benzinga, and South China Morning Post
| Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider: |
Report: Yahoo Finance's mobile app disappeared from the App Store in China, days after republishing a Bloomberg story critical of China's tech crackdown — Yahoo Finance appears to be the latest victim of China's suppressive internet regulations, as the iOS app used by many to access foreign news coverage … | Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: China suggested Didi, Full Truck Alliance, and online recruitment service Kanzhun explore Hong Kong listings, as Beijing wraps up its investigations — The ride-hailing giant and two other New York-listed tech companies are said to be advised to sell shares in Hong Kong as cybersecurity probe nears finish| Mercedes Ruehl / Financial Times: |
Sources: Indonesia's GoTo is raising $1.5B at a $28.5B valuation, including $400M from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, ahead of an IPO next year — Abu Dhabi Investment Authority-led round lifts super app's value by about 60% ahead of listing — The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority …
More:
KrASIA and DealStreetAsia
| Benoit Berthelot / Bloomberg: |
French labor union-commissioned report: Amazon shipped 258M packages in France in 2020, up from 229M in 2019 but below 419M target, following warehouse closures — - Study shows company struggled to surf pandemic e-commerce boom — Online giant is trying soccer to kick-start French growth| Paul Sawers / VentureBeat: |
Honeycomb, which develops a software observability tool used by companies including Stripe and Slack, raises a $50M Series C led by Insight Partners — Honeycomb, a software observability platform used by developers at companies such as Stripe, Slack, Heroku, and LaunchDarkly, has raised $50 million in a series C round of funding.| Liya Su / DealStreetAsia: |
Chinese chipmaker Clounix, which focuses on network chips, raises $63M across angel and seed, the latter led by China Internet Investment Fund — Software solutions firm Hangzhou Clounix Technology has raised approximately 400 million yuan ($63 million) in angel and pre-Series A funding, it said in an announcement.
More:
Pandaily
| Peter Rudegeair / Wall Street Journal: |
Plaid partners with Square, Stripe, and others to help consumers and businesses make payments funded by their bank accounts after its acquisition by Visa failed — The fintech is teaming up with Square, Stripe and dozens of others on a digital pay-by-bank offering| CoinDesk: |
Bitcoin crosses $66K, an all-time high, after the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF rose by nearly 5% on the NYSE — The latest rally appears fueled by the successful debut on Tuesday of the first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund. — Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency … Sponsor Posts
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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.
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:
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review — As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People. Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
Zoho People in 2025: A year in review — As we wrap up 2025, we're taking a moment to look back on a year filled with progress and transformation at Zoho People. Our team has been constantly pushing boundaries …
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.
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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
"Neither Side Is Used to Losing." Lucas Shaw on What's Next for Netflix and Paramount in the Battle for Warner Bros.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
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.
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