Techmeme
December 8, 2020, 7:20 AM

Top News

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.
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.
Timothy B. Lee / Ars Technica:
A look at Waymo's driverless taxi service, in Phoenix suburb Chandler, which seems to work well but still only offers ~100 rides/week and limits cars to 45 mph  —  Human drivers are pretty safe, making it hard to prove driverless tech is safer.  —  Waymo has long kept details …
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 …
Kristine Owram / Bloomberg:
MicroStrategy, which was the first publicly traded company to invest in bitcoin and, as of Dec. 4, held 40,824 BTC, is raising up to $400M in debt to buy more  —  MicroStrategy Inc. is doubling down on its Bitcoin bet, saying Monday that it plans to offer $400 million of convertible bonds in order to buy more of the cryptocurrency.
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
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Sydney-based shipping logistics service Shippit says it has raised ~$22M Series B to help fuel its expansion in Southeast Asia  —  Sydney-based shipping logistics platform Shippit today nabbed AU$30 million (approximately $22 million), bringing its total raised to date to over $31 million.

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Earlier Picks

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