Techmeme
March 12, 2021, 3:05 PM

Top News

Kent Walker / The Keyword:
Google says Microsoft's support of a bill for greater bargaining power for news pubs is “self-serving” and intended to distract from the SolarWinds hack  —  Google has always been committed to providing high-quality and relevant information, and to supporting the news publishers who help create it.
Brad Smith / Microsoft On the Issues:
In House hearing, Brad Smith says monetizing referral traffic has become increasingly difficult for news pubs because Google squeezes out most of the profit  —  Editor's Note: On Mar. 12, Microsoft President Brad Smith testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law
Marco Rubio / USA Today:
Marco Rubio says he is endorsing Amazon workers' unionization efforts in Alabama because Amazon leadership is waging “culture war against working-class values”  —  Amazon is waging a culture war against working-class values and is not helping workers or our economy.
Matt Burgess / WIRED UK:
UK Home Office confirms trial of web surveillance tool that can track users' browsing history in partnership with two unnamed ISPs and National Crime Agency  —  The Investigatory Powers Act, or Snooper's Charter, was introduced in 2016.  Now one of its most contentious surveillance tools is being secretly trialled by internet firms
James Tarmy / Bloomberg:
MetaKovan, an anonymous digital asset investor and founder of NFT focused crypto-based investment fund Metapurse, is the buyer of the $69M Beeple NFT  —  A digital asset investor who goes by the handle Metakovan and refuses to give his full name, announced that he is the buyer …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Epidemic Sound, a marketplace for online creators looking for background music, raises $450M from Blackstone and EQT Growth, at a valuation of $1.4B  —  The popularity of video and other streamed content like podcasts is continuing to grow at a breakneck speed, and today a startup called Epidemic Sound …
Eric Martin / Bloomberg:
Sources: the Biden administration has informed some Huawei suppliers it is imposing more explicit prohibitions on the export of 5G components to the company  —  - Conditions for licensed exporters went into effect this week  — Move builds on Huawei prohibitions implemented under Trump
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
A look at the history of Twine, an open-source tool for producing web-based interactive fiction and games with text, as it remains a significant force in gaming  —  IN THE VIDEO GAME Howling Dogs, released in 2012, players wake up in a prison with few options: a shower, a nutrient dispenser …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple sues its former materials lead Simon Lancaster for allegedly stealing trade secrets and leaking them to the media  —  Apple is taking legal action against its former materials lead, Simon Lancaster, over allegedly leaking trade secrets to the media.  The lawsuit accuses Lancaster of abusing his …
Daniel McCoy / Wichita Business Journal:
Boston-based Valo Health, which analyzes clinical data to identify molecules and predict their chances for use in drugs, raises $300M Series B  —  A Boston-based company working to improve the way drugs are brought to the market has secured $110 million in Series B funding from Koch Disruptive Technologies.
More: FinSMEs
Bloomberg:
Sources: Bilibili has received a nod for its proposed $3B second listing in Hong Kong; its US shares are up ~10x since US IPO, giving it a market value of $39B  —  - Streaming platform's U.S. shares up ninefold since 2018 IPO  — U.S.-listed Chinese technology firms flocking to Hong Kong
Karen Hao / MIT Technology Review:
Facebook sidelined AI experts and weakened initiatives to clean up misinfo because leadership didn't want to hurt Zuckerberg's desire for growth  —  Joaquin Quiñonero Candela, a director of AI at Facebook, was apologizing to his audience.  —  It was March 23, 2018 …
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