Techmeme
October 25, 2021, 3:35 PM

Top News

Alex Heath / The Verge:
Internal documents show Facebook is struggling to attract US users under the age of 30, with US teenage users of the Facebook app declining by 13% since 2019  —  The world's largest social network is internally grappling with an existential crisis: an aging user base
Leah Nylen / Politico:
Internal Facebook docs: employees touted its scale and dominance in presentations, including showing 78% of US adults and nearly all US teens use its services  —  Documents collected by whistleblower Frances Haugen could give the company “a lot to regret” in its fights to prove it's not a monopoly.
Alexandra S. Levine / Politico:
Internal documents show Facebook had no clear playbook for handling the dangerous content delegitimizing the US elections ahead of the January 6 riots  —  Facebook's rules left giant holes for U.S. election falsehoods to metastasize.  On the day of the Capitol riot, employees began pulling levers to try to stave off the peril.
Emily Birnbaum / Politico:
Bloomberg:
Washington Post:
Sources detail Zuckerberg's decisions to put growth over safety, like to ban anti-state posts in Vietnam and to halt a WhatsApp US voting info center in Spanish  —  Late last year, Mark Zuckerberg faced a choice: Comply with demands from Vietnam's ruling Communist Party to censor anti-government dissidents …
Associated Press:
Facebook docs detail issues with moderating non-English speech, leading to inflammatory language in Afghanistan, bans on common words in Palestine, and more  —  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As the Gaza war raged and tensions surged across the Middle East last May …
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
MacBook Pro (2021) hands-on: bringing back ports and removing the Touch Bar is welcome, mini-LED display looks great, and the 1080p webcam is an improvement  —  New chips, familiar ports, and actual volume buttons — it might be love  —  It's easy to be excited about the new MacBook Pros …
Andrei Frumusanu / AnandTech:
Apple M1 Pro and Max review: CPU and GPU improvements offer an unparalleled combination of raw performance, unique acceleration, and power efficiency  —  Last week, Apple had unveiled their new generation MacBook Pro laptop series, a new range of flagship devices that bring with them significant updates …
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Microsoft says Russia-backed Nobelium, behind the 2020 SolarWinds hack, is still targeting the global IT supply chain with 14 providers breached since May 2021  —  Microsoft says the Russian-backed Nobelium threat group behind last year's SolarWinds hack is still targeting the global IT supply chain …
Steven Levy / Wired:
Internal docs reveal farewell posts of some Facebook employees disillusioned with a company unwilling or unable to change  —  The “badge posts” of the company's former researchers offer the parting thoughts of the disillusioned.  —  The Facebook Papers  —  “Hi, all,” reads a note …
Gilad Edelman / Wired:
Leaked docs detail staff's suggestions to solve Facebook's problems: deprioritize engagement, reduce AI reliance, and focus on safety in developing countries  —  Internal research documents provide a blueprint for solving the company's biggest problems.  —  The Facebook Papers
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Pixel 6 Pro review: an impressive flagship with excellent cameras, all day battery, and charging speeds up to 30W, but fingerprint sensor is “not super quick”  —  2016 marked a major year for Google, with the launch of Assistant and its first self-made smartphone, the Google Pixel.
Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo:
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Internal docs: Facebook tested hiding the Like button to alleviate stress and anxiety, which didn't work and caused users to interact with and share fewer posts  —  Likes and shares made the social media site what it is.  Now, company documents show, it's struggling to deal with their effects.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
AirPods (third-gen) review: less conspicuous design, IPX4 water resistance, and improved sound quality, but spatial audio is inconsistent and no ANC  —  The new regular AirPods get a lot right even before the gimmicky spatial audio part  —  For the first time since their introduction in 2016 …
Ben Smith / New York Times:
How Frances Haugen maximized the impact of her leaked Facebook documents, rolling them out first to WSJ and then broadening to a large group of outlets  —  In a time of mega-leaks, journalists' sources have become power players.  Frances Haugen, the former Facebook executive who shared company documents …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Berlin-based low-code data management service Y42 raises a $31M Series A led by Atomico and Insight Partners, bringing its total funding to $34M  —  Berlin-based low-code data platform Y42 today announced that it has raised a $31 million Series A funding round co-led by Atomico and Insight Partners.
More: VentureBeat and Tech.eu

Sponsor Posts

ElevenLabs:
ElevenAgents by ElevenLabs  —  You know us for voice.  Now meet ElevenAgents — featuring Expressive Mode, our most human-sounding AI voice technology in 70+ languages with ultra-low latency.  Hear it for yourself.
Niantic Spatial:
World models need real-world data  —  Scaniverse is the gateway to spatial services — self-serve and built for AI and robotics.  Large-area 3D reconstruction from 360° cameras and precise localization, anywhere machines operate.
Zoho:
Common mistakes to avoid when implementing an intranet  —  Implementing an intranet can improve communication and make information easier to access across your organization.  But without the right approach …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Salesforce data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Cheeky Pint:
The world of voice AI, with Mati Staniszewski of ElevenLabs
Stripe cofounder John Collison interviews founders, builders, and leaders over a pint.
Subscribe to Cheeky Pint.
Invest Like the Best:
Scott Nolan - SpaceX, Founders Fund, and Rebuilding American Uranium Enrichment
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz on Sam Altman's Trust Problem
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.
Acquired:
Ferrari
Learn the playbooks that built the world's greatest companies - and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
Subscribe to Acquired.
Lenny's Podcast:
Hard truths about building in the AI era | Keith Rabois (Khosla Ventures)
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.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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 3:35 PM ET, October 25, 2021.

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

Earlier Picks

Ben Hubbard / New York Times:
Richard Lawler / The Verge: