Techmeme
December 8, 2020, 9:40 AM

Top News

Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple announces AirPods Max, over-ear headphones with noise cancellation, available from December 15 for $549  —  Apple today introduced new wireless over-ear headphones called AirPods Max, with key features including high-fidelity audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, and spatial audio.
Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
Uber's self-driving unit, Advanced Technologies Group, to be acquired by rival Aurora Innovation in a deal valuing ATG at $4B; source: Aurora now valued at $10B  —  - Self-driving vehicle start-up Aurora is acquiring Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, which works on self-driving technology.
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Cloudflare and Apple say they have developed a new protocol called Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS, which decouples DNS queries from internet users for more privacy  —  Engineers at Cloudflare and Apple say they've developed a new internet protocol that will shore up one of the biggest holes …
Alan Boyle / GeekWire:
SpaceX's Starlink satellite network wins $885M in federal aid for rural broadband, as part of a $9.2B allocation by FCC to be paid across 180 auction bidders  —  SpaceX's Starlink satellite network — which relies on hundreds of spacecraft built in Redmond, Wash. — has been awarded $885.5 million …
Connie Chan / Andreessen Horowitz:
In a new era of video ushered in by TikTok, real-time interactivity is baked into viewing experiences, which may lead to shifts in education, shopping, and more  —  Social Strikes Back is a series exploring the next generation of social networks and how they're shaping the future of consumer tech.
Kim Lyons / The Verge:
Airbnb launches Airbnb.org for allowing hosts to provide free and discounted stays to refugees, essential workers, and people affected by natural disasters  —  Hosts on the platform can provide free and discounted stays as in-kind donations  —  Airbnb is launching a nonprofit to allow …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
GoHenry, which offers a pre-paid card and finance app for 6-18 year olds, raises $40M led by Edison Partners  —  Young people have long been a prime, if especially careful, target for financial services companies: find the right and responsible way to connect with them, and you could have a good customer for many years.
Tweets: @ingridlunden
Lizette Chapman / Bloomberg:
Palantir wins a three-year deal worth $44.4M with the FDA to use Palantir software to power drug reviews and inspections, including possible COVID-19 treatments  —  Palantir Technologies Inc. won a deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help power drug reviews and inspections …
More: Reuters and CNBC
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
After Google's announcement in May that it would start blocking “heavy” ads in Chrome, it is now blocking some ads that publishers sell if they hog resources  —  On some recent business day, The New York Times sold an ad to a company.  I can't tell you the name of the company …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Sundae, which has built a marketplace for distressed properties, raises $36M Series B led by QED Investors  —  Opendoor has opened the door, so to speak, for startups to apply their technical expertise in search, marketplaces and audience segmentation to rethink the very antiquated and analogue world of property.

Sponsor Posts

Meta:
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Zoho:
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Genesys:
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More News

Kristine Owram / Bloomberg:
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Earlier Picks

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