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January 19, 2022, 8:40 AM
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WeSmirchTop News
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: Activision Blizzard tried to find other buyers, including Meta, while weighing a potential Microsoft takeover after the WSJ's exposé in November — Late last year, as Activision Blizzard Inc. and Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick were reeling from accusations that Kotick knew …
More:
Wall Street Journal, purexbox.com, Transistori, and SegmentNext
Tweets: @tieguytravis, @witch_cass, @jordannovet, @imranzomg, @_hanatwothree, @business, @stephentotilo, @martinsfp, @davidgura, and @majornelson
| Peter Kafka / Vox: |
Following several game studio acquisitions, Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal faces a big regulatory hurdle with Lina Khan's antitrust-focused FTC — Microsoft-Activision is like Disney-Fox. Maybe bigger. — Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
More:
New York Times, diginomica, The Economic Times, and Firstpost Tech
Tweets: @garrett_archer, @farmerdbrown, @cyynapse, @sanzay, @kellen_browning, @agentbizzle, @t1, @y2k_mindset, @richgel999, and @weaponoutfitter
| Bloomberg: |
Sony's shares fell 13% on Wednesday, its biggest drop since October 2008, wiping $20B off its valuation, after Microsoft announced its Activision deal — Sony Group Corp. shares fell 13% in Tokyo on Wednesday, their biggest drop since October 2008, after PlayStation rival Microsoft Corp. announced …
More:
Xbox Wire, CNBC, GameSpot, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Financial Times, thegamer.com, The Economic Times, and Game Rant
Tweets: @serkantoto, @falkoopa_, @itsjuliahardy, @misterrnx, @grace_dustin, @thetreavor, and @klobrille
| Microsoft: |
Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7B in cash, or $95/share, in FY 2023; Activision's stock, which closed last week at $65.39, jumps 25%+ — Legendary games, immersive interactive entertainment and publishing expertise accelerate growth in Microsoft's Gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud.
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Bloomberg, VentureBeat, New York Times, Protocol, Bloomberg, Activision Publishing, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, ZDNet, CNBC, Kotaku, Engadget, PCWorld, Bloomberg, The Week, CNN, International Business Times, GamesIndustry.biz, The Verge, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, IGN, Moneycontrol, thegamer.com, Coinspeaker, Beyond Search, TechRadar, Axios, MUO, GamingBolt, Forbes, Reuters, Cointelegraph, Blockchain News, CNBC, Microsoft, Financial Times, Blockworks, TechRadar, BBC, Sobre Startups, Born's Tech and Windows World, Neowin, The Shortcut, Livy's Newsletter, SegmentNext, Wccftech, Menagerie, the Newsletter, The Signal, and EnterpriseAI
Tweets: @gregisenberg, @dinabass, @xbox, @jasonschreier, @charlieintel, @satyanadella, @xbox, @jonerlichman, @ashleyesqueda, @zhugeex, @pucknorris, @adriennelaw, @microsoft, @kristyt, @edzitron, @jasonschreier, @damianburns, @anildash, @andrewrsorkin, @jasonschreier, @aarongreenberg, @atvi_ab, @scottjohnson, @mkbhd, @technology, @technology, @richlightshed, @technology, @ldignan, @chrismessina, @technology, @richlightshed, @stopskeletons, @levie, @alexeheath, @paultassi, @andrewyang, @thecaptainsauce, @ericnewcomer, @snazzyq, @joshmunsee, @mattdpearce, @jasonschreier, and @vahn16
| Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: in recent weeks, CEO Bobby Kotick suggested Activision Blizzard make an acquisition, including of trade publications like Kotaku and PC Gamer — After a lawsuit and a Journal report, the company's stock was falling, board members were getting anxious—and the tech giant was ready to take a gamble
More:
Eurogamer.net, IGN, thegamer.com, Protocol, Bloomberg, and SegmentNext
Tweets: @dkdynamite1, @joshgamnchannel, @triforcemeg, @kellen_browning, @wario64, @six6jiang, and @tomwarren
| CNBC: |
Apple and Google warn of harmful consequences to user privacy and security from two proposed Senate antitrust bills scheduled to be considered this week — - Apple warned in a letter on Tuesday that antitrust bills being considered in the Senate would increase the risk of security breaches to iPhone users.
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The Keyword, Bloomberg, 9to5Mac, wesupportsb2992.medium.com, XDA Developers, TNW, Livemint, Wall Street Journal, Protocol, Wccftech, WRAL TechWire, Slashdot, 9to5Google, iMore, PhoneArena, iThinkDifferent, Social Media IO Roundup, and South China Morning Post
Tweets: @matthewstoller, @keleftheriou, @lutherlowe, @rileytestut, @mikarv, @beteropdefiets, @themaverickws, @pathedger18, @sadbillackman, @bigblackjacobin, @adamkovac, @bigblackjacobin, @richardsocher, @jonschweppe, @yegg, @yousearchengine, @sachalouise, @timothypmurphy, @sadlyitsbradley, @quinnypig, @reckless, @william_fitz, @cagoldberglaw, @jenn_elias, @bigblackjacobin, @karissabe, and @nathanpevans
| Makena Kelly / The Verge: |
Democratic lawmakers unveil the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, which would ban targeted ads but allow broad location-based and contextual ads — It could reshape the entire tech industry — On Tuesday, Democrats introduced a new bill that would ban nearly all use …
More:
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Insider, and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
Tweets: @dmarti, @josephfcox, @carissaveliz, @adamkovac, @can, @duckduckgo, @repgosar, @fightfortheftr, @samfbiddle, @motherboard, @samfbiddle, @caitrionafitz, @wolfiechristl, @dmarti, @hypervisible, @neil_chilson, @accountabletech, @dmarti, @jfelixcardoso, @eric_seufert, @repannaeshoo, @leshann, @samfbiddle, @katielmcinnis, @thezedwards, @resilien7, @kylebrussell, @seyitaylor, @can, @ne0liberal, @adamkovac, and @logophobe
| Wall Street Journal: |
AT&T and Verizon temporarily restrict 5G expansion near US airports, but a few airlines will still suspend some flights on Wednesday amid Boeing's guidance — Flight suspensions occur even as AT&T and Verizon agree to limit signals within 2 miles of runways to address air-safety concerns
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AppleInsider, The White House, Verizon, United States, Silicon Republic, CNBC, Financial Times, Android Headlines, Airlines For America, Washington Post, Reuters, New York Times, NBC News, CNBC, Bloomberg, Newser, PhoneArena, Tech Xplore, New York Post, and International Business Times
Tweets: @byerussell, @reuters, @reuters, @hackylawyer, @kpottermn, @mytechmusings, and @k0lwc
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
YouTube says it's winding down YouTube Originals after six years and will only fund programs that are part of its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds — YouTube is getting out of the business of originals: The Google-owned video giant said it is winding down its original productions team after more than six years.
More:
Android Police, XDA Developers, Android Headlines, Protocol, Pocket-lint, MediaNama, Benzinga, and BGR India
Tweets: @rkyncl, @thafnine, @tweetsauce, @brodyfoxx, @tracobuttons, @film_girl, @brodyfoxx, and @domsmales
| NBC News: |
Snapchat's friend recommendation feature will no longer suggest users under 18, unless they have a certain number of friends in common, to curb drug dealing — Exclusive: Snapchat executive on company's efforts to stop sale of counterfeit pills — Snapchat's parent company announced Tuesday … | Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Israeli startup Personetics, which helps incumbent banks compete with neobanks by personalizing their customer offerings, raises $85M led by Thoma Bravo — Big banks are under a lot of pressure to modernize their services to meet demands of consumers who now view things like mobile apps …
More:
Finextra, CTech, Geektime, VentureBeat, and Insider
| Andrew Asmakov / Decrypt: |
Crypto.com halted withdrawals on Monday and required users to sign back in and reset 2FA; research shows it lost 4,600+ ETH, worth ~$15M, in a presumed hack — The crypto exchange has reportedly lost at least $15 million in Ethereum, and security experts believe the true losses could be much higher.
More:
Gizmodo, The Block, CoinGeek, Tech.co, PC Gamer, Bitcoin News, and xuanling11's Free Newsletter
Tweets: @cryptocom, @peckshield, @kris_hk, @anthony, @cryptocom, @cryptocom, @briannawu, @billym2k, @egg_dog, @juddlegum, and @mathewi
| Noah Kirsch / The Daily Beast: |
Internal memo: Better.com CEO Vishal Garg resumes full-time duties over a month after taking time off following his controversial firing of ~900 staff on Zoom — The volatile founder had laid off hundreds of workers in an emotionless webinar, triggering widespread scorn online.| Clive Cookson / Financial Times: |
The Royal Society finds social media sites banning misleading content is ineffective and can drive misinformation to “harder-to-address corners of the internet” — Risks of removing information rejected by the mainstream outweigh benefits, according to the Royal Society
More:
ComputerWeekly.com and Politico
| Kate Rooney / CNBC: |
The US OCC and Federal Reserve approve SoFi's bid to become a bank holding company via its Golden Pacific Bancorp acquisition; SoFi stock jumps 16%+ after hours — - San Francisco-based SoFi got approval from its two key regulators to become a bank holding company.
More:
Office of the Comptroller …, PYMNTS.com, Business Wire, Blockchain News, CoinDesk, Benzinga, Crowdfund Insider, and The Block
Tweets: @openoutcrier, @anthonynoto, @ralexjimenez, @carlquintanilla, @sofi, @apompliano, @socialcapital, and @nikesharora
| Andrew Hayward / Decrypt: |
The Metaplex Foundation, developer of an NFT protocol behind 5.7M+ minted Solana NFTs, raises $46M with Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson among 90+ investors — The protocol that powers millions of Solana NFTs finds prominent backers as it looks towards the metaverse and beyond. — In brief| Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents: |
Ericsson sues Apple over 5G and other patents, following the expiration of the cross-license agreement between the two companies and no renewal deal — Ericsson's patent cross-license agreement with Apple has expired, and no renewal has been agreed upon, which is why infringement litigation became inevitable.
| Keith Romer / New York Times: |
AI tools can generate an optimal poker strategy, balancing bluffing and playing it straight, which some professional players are using to augment their play — Good poker players have always known that they need to maintain a balance between bluffing and playing it straight. Now they can do so perfectly.
Tweets: @marloscmachado, @nytimes, @octonion, @electricalwsop, and @tarunchitra
| Jennifer Conrad / Wired: |
A look at crowdsourced juries in China, like Meituan's “kangaroo jury” made up of volunteers who adjudicate disputes between buyers and sellers on its platform — No garlic on the oysters? Soup stained a blanket? Panels of users hear the complaints and can order refunds or removal of critical reviews.
Tweets: @wired and @scottthurm
| Reuters: |
Sources: China will require large internet companies that have 100M+ users or $1.58B+ in revenue to obtain an approval before undertaking any investment deals — China's cyberspace regulator has drafted new guidelines that will require the country's large internet companies to obtain …
More:
Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Bloomberg
| Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times: |
Survey finds that 76% of Chinese citizens and 68% of Indians say they trust AI companies compared to only 35% in France, the UK, and the US — For many outside the tech world, “data” means soulless numbers. Perhaps it causes their eyes to glaze over with boredom.
Tweets: @reema__patel, @ethicsinai, and @ftweekend
| Christine Hall / TechCrunch: |
Pyxis One, which offers no-code AI models to companies for targeted marketing, raises a $100M Series C led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and renames itself to Pixis — Pyxis One, now Pixis, closed on $100 million in Series C funding to continue developing what it touts as “the world's … | Chris Stokel-Walker / MIT Technology Review: |
A look at Tonga's internet blackout following the volcano blast, which initial investigations suggest destroyed the country's single undersea internet cable — The world is anxiously awaiting news from the island—but on top of the physical destruction, the eruption has disconnected it from the internet.
| Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: |
Reliance buys a majority stake in Indian startup Addverb, which uses robots to make e-commerce warehouses and energy production more efficient, for $132M — Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd. is buying an Indian robotics startup as the conglomerate scales up automation across …
More:
Livemint, TechCircle, Times of India, The Hindu, Moneycontrol, and cnbctv18.com
Tweets: @tanzaniainsight and @quinnypig
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