Techmeme
March 30, 2021, 12:45 PM

Top News

Anna Irrera / Reuters:
PayPal says it has started letting US customers use cryptocurrency holdings to pay millions of its online merchants globally  —  LONDON (Reuters) - PayPal Holdings Inc will announce later on Tuesday that it has started allowing U.S. consumers to use their cryptocurrency holdings to pay …
Noor Zainab Hussain / Reuters:
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Google announces upgrades to Maps, including indoor AR directions, a new directions interface with eco-friendly driving routes, and new weather map layers  —  Indoor AR directions, a new directions interface, and more  —  Google is announcing a bunch of new features planned for Google Maps …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Spotify buys app developer Betty Labs, creator of Locker Room, a live social audio app where fans can talk about sports, which Spotify plans on expanding  —  The acquisition will allow creators of all kinds to host anything from debates to live concerts.
Hamish McKenzie / Substack Blog:
Substack raises $65M Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz  —  When we started Substack to build an alternative media economy that unlocks the full potential of the internet and gives more power to writers and readers, we didn't know if the model would work.  A lot of people told us that no one would pay for newsletters.
Axios:
Sam Byford / The Verge:
Xiaomi announces Mi Mix Fold, its first folding phone, with an 8.01-inch 4:3 OLED display, Snapdragon 888, 5,020mAh battery, and four Harman Kardon speakers  —  The Mi Mix series returns  —  Xiaomi has resurrected its Mi Mix series with the Mi Mix Fold, the company's first commercial folding phone.
Corbin Davenport / XDA Developers:
Sebastian Pellejero / Wall Street Journal:
Dapper Labs, maker of NFT-focused NBA Top Shot, raises $305M, sources say at $2.6B valuation; investors include several pro athletes including Michael Jordan  —  Dapper Labs draws investors that include basketball legends Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant, seeking to cash in on the digital-collectibles craze
Ben Gilbert / Insider:
Newly created Twitter accounts labeled as Amazon employees are defending the company amid a union drive; Amazon admitted in 2018 to paying for similar tweets  —  - Amazon's paid army of employee Twitter users is at it again, this time criticizing unionization.
Matt Day / Bloomberg:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
LinkedIn adds Creator mode for influencers, launches video Cover Stories, and extends free career training tools in partnership with Microsoft  —  LinkedIn, the social network now with 740 million users around the world, has carved out an identity for itself as the place online where professionals …
Chance Miller / 9to5Mac:
Apple announces a virtual WWDC 2021 from June 7 to June 11, where iOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, and more are expected  —  Apple has officially announced WWDC 2021.  This year, the conference will take place completely virtually starting June 7.  This marks the second year in a row that Apple …
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors:
Epic Games says it has filed a complaint in support of UK antitrust watchdog's ongoing investigation into Apple's alleged anti-competitive behavior  —  Epic Games today said it had filed a complaint to the UK's antitrust watchdog in support of the government department's ongoing investigation …
Yogita Khatri / The Block:
Ripple says it is acquiring a 40% stake in Asian cross-border payments company Tranglo  —  Crypto firm Ripple has agreed to acquire a 40% stake in Asian payments specialist Tranglo.  The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals is expected to occur sometime this year.
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
Enterprise data storage startup Cohesity announces an employee share tender offer totaling $145M, valuing the company at $3.7B, up from $2.5B last year  —  - Data management business launches $145 million tender offer  — SoftBank Vision Fund doubling down on Cohesity investment
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Google Nest Hub (2nd-gen) review: easy and reliable sleep tracking, improved speaker, excellent Google Photos photo frame, but too slow for everything else  —  The new Nest Hub is just as good at being a digital photo frame as before, but it's slow for everything else
David McLaughlin / Bloomberg:
FTC abandons its antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm, says it won't seek a Supreme Court review of a 2020 federal appeals court decision that acquitted Qualcomm  —  - FTC declines to seek Supreme Court review of monopoly case  — Company was accused of abusing dominance in cell-phone chips
Katie Roof / Bloomberg:
HighRadius, which offers accounts receivable software with features like invoice payment date prediction, raises $300M and is now valued at $3.1B  —  - D1 Capital also led $300 million round for treasury software  — Company could go public in 2022 through a traditional IPO
More: TechCrunch
Bloomberg:
Filing: Xiaomi will invest ~$10B over the next decade to manufacture electric cars, with an initial investment of $1.5B in smart vehicle manufacturing  —  - Chinese phone giant aims to outsource vehicle assembly  — Market booms as prices fall, consumers embrace cleaner cars

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