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January 19, 2022, 2:35 AM
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memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| 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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Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, Protocol, Activision Publishing, New York Times, The Verge, CNBC, Kotaku, VentureBeat, The Verge, Moneycontrol, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, CNBC, BBC, Microsoft, Forbes, TechRadar, Neowin, SegmentNext, TechCabal, Financial Times, Cointelegraph, Born's Tech and Windows World, The Shortcut, Livy's Newsletter, PR Newswire, Blockworks, The Hollywood Reporter, Financial Times, MSPoweruser, Bloomberg, Ars Technica, LinkedIn, Engadget, Entechtainment, Digital Trends, Dot Esports, Game Rant, thegamer.com, Polygon, PYMNTS.com, Bitcoinist.com, dot.LA, PC Gamer, Dexerto, Android Headlines, GameSpot, CNBC, purexbox.com, and TechCrunch
Tweets: @dinabass, @xbox, @gregisenberg, @jasonschreier, @charlieintel, @satyanadella, @xbox, @jonerlichman, @zhugeex, @microsoft, @jasonschreier, @damianburns, @edzitron, @ashleyesqueda, @adriennelaw, @kristyt, @pucknorris, @anildash, @joshmunsee, @wario64, @jasonschreier, @atvi_ab, @andrewrsorkin, @jasonschreier, @aarongreenberg, @ericnewcomer, @jasonschreier, @mattdpearce, @quantian1, @ibogost, @carnage4life, @varunmayya, @sarafischer, @9_volt_, @kcoxdc, @mrpointyhead, @scottjohnson, @hownottodraw, @vahn16, @turnernovak, @zhugeex, @tomwarren, @gw_alec, @mkbhd, @mattophobia, @technology, @reckless, @alexeheath, @silvermanjacob, @charlieintel, @eric_seufert, @technology, @byadamfitch, @tomwarren, @eric_seufert, @alexhern, @swiftonsecurity, @mealoneinmymind, @sarafischer, @richlightshed, @laurakbuzz, @tomwarren, @silvermanjacob, @mckkirk, @eric_seufert, @shonaghosh, @ldignan, @chrismessina, @stroughtonsmith, @technology, @laurakbuzz, @laurakbuzz, @realbengilbert, @laurakbuzz, @neontaster, @webbemotional, @rmac18, @richlightshed, @dlberes, @sonalibasak, @stopskeletons, @levie, @alexeheath, @nibellion, @zhugeex, @pmaka1991, and @eliastoufexis
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft says Xbox Game Pass has 25M subscribers, up from 18M in January 2021 — Microsoft's all-you-can-eat catalog of games is getting bigger, and now it's adding Activision Blizzard — Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service now has 25 million subscribers.
More:
Xbox Wire, The Economic Times, Game Rant, Forbes, iTnews, CNBC, Engadget, Polygon, and Windows Central
Tweets: @klobrille, @swiftonsecurity, @itsjuliahardy, @penllawen, @kiruti, @kylebrussell, and @misterrnx
| 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, The Economic Times, Bloomberg, Firstpost Tech, The Verge, Forbes, Neal Ungerleider's …, and PC Gamer
Tweets: @sanzay, @garrett_archer, @shiraovide, @farmerdbrown, @cyynapse, @caseynewton, @kellen_browning, @agentbizzle, @xcloudtimdog, and @t1
| 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 …
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Wall Street Journal, Transistori, NPR, Polygon, and MobileSyrup
Tweets: @business and @stephentotilo
| 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.| 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:
PC Gamer, xuanling11's Free Newsletter, Bitcoin News, The Register, Gizmodo, Wall Street Journal, Insider, and Fortune
Tweets: @cryptocom, @peckshield, @kris_hk, @anthony, @cryptocom, @cryptocom, @billym2k, @cryptocom, @johnkoetsier, @decryptmedia, @jeffnolan, @calbucci, and @egg_dog
| 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 … | 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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Verizon, The White House, United States, Airlines For America, Washington Post, New York Times, Tom's Guide, Newser, NBC News, International Business Times, International Business Times, Fossbytes, CNBC, PhoneArena, WRAL TechWire, Engadget, ABC News, New York Post, Tom's Guide, Light Reading, and Protocol
Tweets: @byerussell, @reuters, @kpottermn, and @hackylawyer
| Lauren Feiner / CNBC: |
The FTC and DOJ seek public comment on how to rewrite “the antitrust laws regarding mergers”, signaling a potentially tougher stance toward Big Tech deals — - The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division kicked off a process to rewrite merger guidelines for businesses on Tuesday.| Stephen Graves / Decrypt: |
Coinbase partners with Mastercard to let users pay with a credit card in its upcoming NFT marketplace, solve “pain points”, and classify NFTs as “digital goods” — Crypto exchange Coinbase has announced a partnership with Mastercard to simplify the process …
More:
The Coinbase Blog, Mastercard USA, The Verge, and Blockworks
Tweets: @mastercardnews and @jrnycrypto
| 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.
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Benzinga, Protocol, and MediaNama
Tweets: @rkyncl, @thafnine, @tweetsauce, @brodyfoxx, @michellemanafy, @tracobuttons, @dfriend, and @film_girl
| 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.
More:
Reuters, FOSS Patents, Dow Jones Newswires, International Business Times, and Mobile World Live. Tweets: @reuterslegal
| Frank Chaparro / The Block: |
OpenSea acquires crypto lending APIs startup Dharma Labs, which will shutter its wallet in 30 days; source says the deal was valued between $110M and $130M — Quick Take — OpenSea confirms acquisition of Dharma Labs — Dharma Lab's Hollander picked for CTO role
More:
OpenSea Blog, CryptoPotato, The Economic Times, TechCrunch, and Crypto Briefing
Tweets: @nadavahollander, @dfinzer, @tropofarmer, @chrisblec, @jillrgunter, @xanderatallah, @daltonc, @bkroberts, @farokh, and @rleshner
| 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 … | 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| Kenrick Cai / Forbes: |
Ironclad, which helps companies create and manage business contracts, raises a $150M Series E entirely from existing investors at a $3.2B valuation — Jason Boehmig spent two years as a lawyer in Silicon Valley, putting together documents for startups, before he had enough of the clunkiness of the job.
More:
PR Newswire, Fenwick & West LLP, and Reuters
| 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:
SoFi, Benzinga, Bloomberg, and Crowdfund Insider
Tweets: @nikesharora, @anthonynoto, @ralexjimenez, @carlquintanilla, @sofi, and @apompliano
| 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
| 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.
More:
Forbes, CNBC, New York Times, and TechCrunch
| 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 … | Aastha Maheshwari / DealStreetAsia: |
Indonesia's Moladin, which pivoted to a used car and motorbike marketplace in mid-2021, raises a $42M Series A led by Northstar Group and Sequoia Capital India — Moladin, an Indonesian marketplace for used cars and motorbikes, has announced the close of its $42 million Series A funding round … | 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.
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