Techmeme
February 4, 2021, 12:20 PM

Top News

The Information:
Source: Apple is planning a $3,000+ mixed-reality headset with 8K displays, eye-tracking tech, and 12+ cameras to track hand movements and show the real world  —  A mixed-reality headset Apple is developing will be equipped with more than a dozen cameras for tracking hand movements …
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Amazon has started deploying AI-powered Netradyne cameras, which are always on and automatically upload footage, in its US delivery vehicles to monitor drivers  —  - Amazon has begun rolling out AI-enabled cameras from Netradyne in vehicles at a handful of contracted delivery partners across the U.S., CNBC has learned.
Lauren Kaori Gurley / VICE:
Amazon is quietly transitioning its US warehouse workers to 10-hour graveyard shifts; labor experts say the move is to cut costs and pay for fewer benefits  —  The company has been quietly transitioning warehouse workers at Amazon warehouses nationwide to a 10-hour graveyard shift, known as the “megacycle.”
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Microsoft launches Viva, an employee intranet with LinkedIn integration, access to communication tools like SharePoint and Yammer, training content, and more  —  Microsoft today launched Viva, a new “employee experience platform,” or, in non-marketing terms, its new take on the intranet sites …
CNBC:
Sources: Apple and Hyundai-Kia close to a car manufacturing deal; first “Apple Cars” will be “designed to operate without a driver and focused on the last mile”  —  - Apple is close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture an Apple-branded autonomous electric vehicle …
Ryan Tracy / Wall Street Journal:
Incoming head of Senate antitrust subcommittee Amy Klobuchar introduces an antitrust bill that would raise the bar for tech acquisitions  —  Incoming head of Senate panel will propose broad changes as Democrats press issue of perceived monopoly power  —  WASHINGTON—Sen. Amy Klobuchar …
Cherlynn Low / Engadget:
Google says Pixel users will be able to use their phone cameras to measure pulse and breath rates through the Google Fit app, starting next month  —  Like many of us, Google is getting more interested in our health.  The company is announcing today new features that will allow …
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
Canada's privacy authority says what Clearview AI does is mass surveillance, calls it illegal and unacceptable, and tells it to delete citizens' facial images  —  Canadian authorities declared that the company needed citizens' consent to use their biometric information, and told the firm to delete facial images from its database.
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Kuo: iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance thanks to a new lens supplier  —  The iPhone 13 is now more likely to feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera with significantly improved low-light performance …
The Information:
Carta, which launched a private stock exchange CartaX to help employees and investors sell stock in private startups, is now valued at $6.9B  —  Launching an exchange to help employees and investors sell stock in private startups may seem an odd choice for this year, given the boom in public listings that promise imminent cashouts.
Brian Flood / Fox Business:
In an internal memo, John Matze says he has been terminated as Parler's CEO by its board of directors  —  “The future of Parler is no longer in my hands,” Matze wrote  —  EXCLUSIVE - Parler has terminated CEO John Matze, according to a memo Matze sent to staffers that has been obtained by Fox News.
Kristen V Brown / Bloomberg:
23andMe to go public through a merger with VG Acquisition Corp., a SPAC founded by Richard Branson, at a valuation of $3.5B  —  - CEO Wojcicki and SPAC leader Branson each invest $25 million  — DNA-testing company has been expanding its health-care profile
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Myanmar's new military government has ordered local telecoms to block Facebook and its family of apps within the country until February 7  —  Myanmar's new military government has ordered local telecom firms to temporarily block Facebook in the Southeast Asian nation days after the military seized power …
Bloomberg:
In an email to staff on February 1, Andy Jassy reaffirmed his commitment to making video games, following a scathing Bloomberg profile of Amazon Game Studios  —  One day before he was named the next chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc., Andy Jassy reaffirmed his commitment to making video games …
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Drone mapping and analytics service DroneDeploy raises $50M Series E, bringing its total raised to $142M  —  DroneDeploy, a platform that offers businesses access to commercial drone operators to capture professional-grade imagery of an environment and carry out data analysis, has raised $50 million in a series E round of funding.
Pranav Dixit / BuzzFeed News:
India's IT ministry orders Twitter to block the recently restored accounts of critics and The Caravan magazine, threatens Twitter staff with jail time or fines  —  India's government has threatened to punish employees at Twitter with fines and jail terms of up to seven years for restoring hundreds …
Katie Canales / Business Insider:
PayPal reports Q4 revenue of $6.12B, up 23% YoY, total payments volume of $277B, up 36% YoY, and 16M new active accounts, up 72% YoY; stock up 5%+  —  - PayPal reported its strongest quarterly growth in total payment volume in Q4 with $277 billion.  — That's a 39% increase from Q4 2019 …

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