Techmeme
November 4, 2021, 11:30 AM

Top News

Vlad Savov / Bloomberg:
Google says it will let Android app developers use alternative billing systems in the Google Play store in South Korea, complying with a new law  —  Alphabet Inc.'s Google said it will add the option for developers to offer alternative billing systems on its Android app store in South Korea …
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Instagram brings back support for Twitter Card previews after removing the feature in 2012  —  Instagram is bringing back support for Twitter Card previews starting today.  Now when users share an Instagram link on Twitter, a preview of the post will be shown in the tweet.
Alex Heath / The Verge:
Meta announces new Facebook creator tools, including custom subscription links that use its native payments system to bypass Apple and Google's IAP cut  —  The change is specifically about circumventing Apple's 30 percent tax, according to Zuckerberg  —  Facebook has found a way to skirt Apple's 30 percent tax on in-app transactions.
Michael Kan / PCMag:
FCC approves Boeing's application to deploy and operate satellites providing broadband internet to US consumers and business; application was filed in 2017  —  According to the FCC, Boeing plans on using the satellite internet system to supply broadband to residential, commercial, and government customers.
Biz Carson / Protocol:
PitchBook: female-founded startups raised a record $40.4B across 2,661 VC deals in the first three quarters of 2021, with the value of exits reaching $59B  —  The pandemic took a toll on female founders in 2020: Funding to their companies fell 3% even in a bullish startup climate that saw overall venture funding rise by 16%.
Rebecca Heilweil / Vox:
Meta will retain some of its facial recognition systems, including its DeepFace model, and plans to incorporate biometrics into its metaverse products  —  The social network is scaling back facial recognition, but similar technology could show up in the metaverse.
Takashi Mochizuki / Bloomberg:
Nintendo says it doesn't see “component shortages recovering” at the moment as it cuts Switch sales target from 25.5M to 24M for FY 2021  —  - Company upgrades operating profit outlook citing FX rates  — Sustaining sales momentum will depend heavily on OLED model
James Batchelor / GamesIndustry.biz:
US-based game publisher Devolver Digital raises around $261M in a London IPO, at a valuation of about $950M  —  Fall Guys publisher is biggest US firm to trade on AIM, Sony Interactive Entertainment makes 5% investment in Devolver  —  Devolver Digital has begun trading on AIM …
New York Times:
Google is aggressively pursuing a major cloud computing and AI contract with the Pentagon, three years after employee outcry ended similar work on Project Maven  —  Three years ago, the company walked away from a Defense Department project after employees objected to it.
Christine Hall / TechCrunch:
Cloudbeds, which makes management software for the hospitality industry, raises a $150M Series D led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, bringing total funding to $253M  —  As U.S. hotel occupancy hit pre-pandemic levels this summer, the hospitality industry is bracing for what is expected to be a rush of activity as people resume travel.
More: Skift and FinSMEsTweets: @rafat
Chunying Zhang / Bloomberg:
Chinese self-driving startup Momenta raises $200M from investors including SAIC and Jack Ma's Yunfeng Capital, bringing its total raised this year to ~$1.2B  —  - Latest funding takes total raised this year to $1.2 billion  — Investors include auto giants GM, Toyota; Singapore's Temasek
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
A look at Match Group's plans for Tinder and Explore, including an expansion of virtual goods that incentivize engagement and a metaverse-like dating platform  —  Tinder has already undergone a big revamp with its recent launch of “Explore,” a new section inside the app that will enable …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
GitHub CEO Nat Friedman is stepping down on November 15; Thomas Dohmke, who became chief product officer in August, will take over as CEO  —  GitHub CEO Nat Friedman is stepping down from his role on November 15 to become the Chairman Emeritus of the Microsoft-owned service.
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
US sanctions four companies, including NSO Group, that sell spyware or hacking tools, adding them to a list of entities engaging in “malicious cyber activities”  —  The US government has sanctioned today four companies that develop and sell spyware and other hacking tools, the US Department of Commerce announced today.
Christine Hall / TechCrunch:
Fountain, which provides an applicant tracking system for hourly workers, raises a $85M Series C led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, bringing total funding to $119M  —  You may have visited some quick-service restaurants or other retailers in the past few months and noticed signs posted …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
PubNub, which provides messaging, presence, and other data-based APIs for apps, raises a $65M Series E led by Raine Group, bringing its total funding to $130M+  —  Data streams with continual, real-time updates of information are a critical building block of how apps and sites function today …
Issie Lapowsky / Protocol:
Internal documents shed light on Facebook's “holdout” experiments, where it withholds certain protections from a subset of users to see how they will react  —  In her testimony before Congress last month, whistleblower Frances Haugen told lawmakers Facebook has conducted experiments …

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Patrick Howell O'Neill / MIT Technology Review:
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Earlier Picks

James Vincent / The Verge:
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Catalin Cimpanu / The Record:
Campbell Kwan / ZDNet:
Taylor Soper / GeekWire:
Tom Warren / The Verge: