Techmeme
July 20, 2022, 6:45 PM

Top News

Minecraft:
Mojang Studios will not support or allow NFTs, as they “create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft”  —  Hello everyone!  Recently, we've received some feedback from members of the community asking for clarification …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Amazon announces changes to Alexa, including Routines created and recommended by developers, shopping via skills, coexisting with other assistants, and more  —  A helper that increasingly doesn't need your help  —  Amazon is making a bunch of changes to the Alexa user experience …
Stacy Elliott / Decrypt:
Tesla says a “bitcoin impairment” negatively impacted its Q2 profitability and that it sold 75% of its bitcoin, worth approximately $936M, in the quarter  —  “Bitcoin impairment” prompted the sale, the company said.  —  Tesla sold 75% of its Bitcoin, worth approximately $936 million, according to its Q2 earnings report.
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
OpenAI makes DALL-E 2 widely available in beta through a credit-based fee structure; users will get free credits every month and can buy more in $15 increments  —  Today, DALL-E 2, OpenAI's AI system that can generate images given a prompt or edit and refine existing images, is becoming more widely available.
Erin Woo / The Information:
Google says it will pause hiring for two weeks, except for offers that have already been made, after saying last week it would slow hiring for the rest of 2022  —  Google said it will pause hiring for two weeks, after saying last week it would slow its pace of hiring for the rest of the year.
The Verge:
Microsoft tests Discord voice chat integration with select Xbox Insiders, as PlayStation users wait for the deep Discord integration that Sony promised in 2021  —  Your cross-play dreams have come true  —  Discord and Microsoft are bringing Discord voice calls to the Xbox.
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
Coinbase says it has no exposure to failed crypto firms Celsius, 3AC, and Voyager but made “non-material investments” in Terraform Labs; stock closes up 14.34%  —  - Coinbase said in a blog post that it had “no financing exposure” to collapsed crypto firms Celsius, Three Arrows Capital and Voyager Digital.
The Block:
Kevin McLaughlin / The Information:
Memo: Dan Wright, CEO of enterprise AI startup DataRobot, resigned after less than 1.5 years, following employee uproar over stock sales by senior executives  —  Dan Wright, CEO of artificial-intelligence software pioneer DataRobot, has resigned less than a year and a half after ascending to the position …
Monica Raymunt / Bloomberg:
Volkswagen's software unit Cariad partners with STMicroelectronics to co-develop semiconductors for its cross-brand single software platform  —  Volkswagen AG's software unit will start designing chips for the first time, partnering with STMicroelectronics NV to co-develop semiconductors for its cross-brand single software platform.
More: Reuters and EEJournal
Rebecca Klar / The Hill:
House E&C advances the American Data Privacy and Protection Act in a 53-2 vote; the act would set a national standard for how tech firms handle Americans' data  —  A House panel advanced a comprehensive data privacy bill in a 53-2 bipartisan vote Wednesday, pushing forward legislation …
Sarah Whitten / CNBC:
Netflix reports Q2 revenue up 8.6% YoY to $7.97B, vs $8.04B est., and a 970K subscriber loss vs an estimated 2M subscriber loss; the stock closes up 7.35%  —  - Netflix only lost around 970,000 subscribers during the second quarter, a smaller loss than the 2 million it had projected last quarter.
Todd Spangler / Variety:

Sponsor Posts

Clay:
Turn any GTM idea into reality  —  Clay helps GTM teams combine AI agents, enrichment, and intent data to move faster and turn insights into action.
Soxton:
AI-powered law for startups  —  Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better.  We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts.  Join the waitlist for early access!
Zoho:
Introducing Accessibility Controls in Zoho Vault  —  At Zoho Vault, we believe in security for everyone.  Our commitment to accessibility goes beyond compliance; it's about empowerment.
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

Invest Like the Best:
Alex Behring and Daniel Schwartz - Inside 3G Capital
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
Subscribe to Invest Like the Best.
Grit:
The Truth Behind Automation Claims in Customer Support | Cresta CEO Ping Wu
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The rise of the professional vibe coder (a new AI-era job) | Lazar Jovanovic (Professional Vibe Coder)
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.
Big Technology Podcast:
Software In Shambles, OpenAI vs. Anthropic Super Brawl, Amazon's Struggles
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Elon Musk's Mega-Merger + We Test Google's Project Genie + What's Next for Moltbook Creator
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.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Special Edition: Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report
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 6:45 PM ET, July 20, 2022.

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

Natalie Andrews / Wall Street Journal:

Earlier Picks

Corin Faife / The Verge:
Scott Stein / CNET:
Katyanna Quach / The Register:
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Todd Spangler / Variety: