Techmeme
April 19, 2020, 10:30 AM

Top News

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launch Rt.live, an up-to-date tracker of how fast COVID-19 is spreading in each US state  —  Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have teamed up to launch their first product together since leaving the Facebook mothership.
James Batchelor / GamesIndustry.biz:
Pokémon Go developer Niantic names its current board member Megan Quinn as COO; Quinn was most recently a general partner at VC firm Spark Capital  —  Former employee leaves position at Spark Capital to return to Pokmon Go developer  —  Niantic has appointed a new COO — and it's a familiar face for the firm.
Benedict Evans:
COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of tech and ecommerce that will impact the lives of people who aren't online, especially in the developing world  —  At the beginning of this year (which now feels like 100 years ago), I gave a presentation on macro trends in tech, at an event in Davos.
Ian Walker / Kotaku:
Riot launches one of the biggest bug bounty programs in gaming, offering up to $100K for finding security flaws in its controversial Vanguard anti-cheat system  —  Riot has posted one of the biggest—if not the biggest—bounties in gaming, offering people up to $100,000 if they can find …
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Spontaneous social apps that let users join video, voice, and chat rooms on a whim have become popular under lockdowns, like exclusive voice chat app Clubhouse  —  Forget the calendar invite.  Just jump into a conversation.  That's the idea powering a fresh batch of social startups poised …
J. Edward Moreno / The Hill:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs an executive order allowing people to get a marriage license remotely and letting clerks perform ceremonies over video  —  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order Saturday allowing New Yorkers to obtain marriage licenses and perform ceremonies remotely.
Susan D'Agostino / Quanta Magazine:
Profile of and Q&A with pioneering computer scientist Donald Knuth, who is still writing his magnum opus The Art of Computer Programming, which he began in 1962  —  For pioneering computer scientist Donald Knuth, good coding is synonymous with beautiful expression.
Zach Schonfeld / VICE:
Cameo, which lets fans pay for shoutout videos from celebs, has become a gig economy for celebs during the pandemic as some use it to compensate for income loss  —  On March 20, Steven Galanis, the CEO and co-founder of Cameo, took a call from Akon, the R&B singer behind the 2006 hit “Smack That.”
Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE:
Uber's sick pay policy for drivers has changed several times amid the pandemic, excluding some who need it the most and increasing the documentation required  —  The pandemic makes clear that Uber sees its own well-being as divergent from that of its workers.

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