Techmeme
February 2, 2021, 9:10 AM

Top News

Stephen Totilo / Kotaku:
Google says it will close its two Stadia game studios, in LA and Montreal, and Stadia head Jade Raymond is leaving; the closure will affect ~150 developers  —  Google Stadia, the late 2019 streaming platform that promised to revolutionize gaming by letting users stream games without needing …
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Google launches “about this result” menu item to its search results to give users more information about the sites they are about to visit  —  Google regularly tweaks its search results pages and tries out new designs.  It's not that often, though, that it adds new features to those results …
Peter Rudegeair / Wall Street Journal:
Chris Velazco / Engadget:
Apple releases the first iOS 14.5 beta, which lets users unlock their iPhones with Face ID while wearing a mask if they are also wearing an Apple Watch  —  The feature debuts in a new developer beta, available now  —  While the full release won't arrive for some time …
Casey Newton / Platformer:
The unedited nature and serendipity of conversations makes Clubhouse a compelling platform for productive discussions on otherwise fraught topics  —  Elon Musk disrupts podcasting.  PLUS: Robinhood's big mistake  —  I. Andreessen Horowitz and the backdoor pilot  —  Hey, did you hear Elon Musk went on Clubhouse?
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Google to pay $2.5M to 5,500+ female engineers as well as female and Asian job applicants to settle pay and hiring discrimination allegations  —  The US Department of Labor alleges systemic pay and hiring discrimination  —  Google has agreed to pay $2.5 million to more than 5,500 employees …
Alex Heath / The Information:
Source: Sriram Krishnan, known for holding product leadership roles at Facebook, Twitter, and Snap, has joined Andreessen Horowitz as a general partner  —  Sriram Krishnan, a well-known tech investor and former product leader at Twitter, has joined the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz …
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Any US legislation to ban anonymity online will be unconstitutional, will not work, and most importantly will put many marginalized/vulnerable people at risk  —  There's an idea that pops up every so often among people who are upset about misinformation online but don't actually understand …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Facebook is testing a notification for Facebook and Instagram iOS app users globally that encourages opting in to tracking for a “better ads experience”  —  Facebook is testing a notification that notifies Apple iOS users about ways the tech giant uses their data to target personalized ads to them.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Oyster, which develops HR software for a distributed workforce, raises $20M Series A, bringing its total raised to about $24M  —  The growth of remote working and managing workforces that are distributed well beyond the confines of a centralized physical office — or even a single country …
Ian Allison / CoinDesk:
Sources: IBM has drastically downsized its blockchain team after missing revenue targets by 90%; IBM says the unit is “doing well”  —  “There is not really going to be a blockchain team any longer,” said a source.  —  IBM has cut its blockchain team down to almost nothing …
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
Ford says “millions” of its vehicles will run on Android starting in 2023, as it signs a six-year deal for Google Cloud to provide connected vehicle services  —  Google bags its latest automotive partner  —  Ford is the latest automaker to turn its vehicle operating systems over to Google.
Dan Primack / Axios:
Uber announces it is buying alcohol delivery startup Drizly, for $1.1B in cash and stock; Drizly co-founder and CEO Cory Rellas expected to remain with Uber  —  Uber on Tuesday announced an agreement to buy Drizly, a Boston-based alcohol delivery startup, for $1.1 billion in cash and stock.
More: Business Wire and CNBC

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