Techmeme
July 29, 2021, 11:55 AM

Top News

Facebook:
Facebook reports Q2 revenue of $29.08B, up 56% YoY, MAUs of 2.9B, up 7% YoY, headcount of 63,404, up 21% YoY; stock down ~3% on warning of revenue slowdown  —  “We had a strong quarter as we continue to help businesses grow and people stay connected,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO.
Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Mark Zuckerberg says video now accounts for almost half the time spent on Facebook, and that Reels is the “largest contributor to engagement growth”  —  He wants Facebook to become a ‘metaverse company.’  —  Facebook users are spending a lot more time watching video …
Stephanie Condon / ZDNet:
Reuters:
Robinhood raises $2.1B in its IPO after selling 55M shares at the low end of its $38 to $42 range, giving it a valuation of $31.8B  —  Robinhood Markets Inc, the owner of the trading app which emerged as the go-to destination for retail investors speculating on this year's “meme' stock trading frenzy …
Ryne Hager / Android Police:
Google updates Play Store policies to ban apps offering “compensated sexual relationships”, likely impacting sugar daddy dating apps, beginning September 1  —  Today, Google published a handful of changes to its Play policies, and nestled among precise legalese refinements …
Jing Yang / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Didi is considering going private in order to placate Chinese authorities and compensate investors for losses using money made during its IPO  —  Ride-hailing giant has been contemplating delisting plan as crackdown widens and has obtained support from cybersecurity watchdog
Wall Street Journal:
Google says anyone coming to work at its campuses must be vaccinated, starting in the US, and will delay the return to offices from September until mid-October  —  Google delays planned return to offices until mid-October as U.S. companies take new precautions against Delta variant's spread
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
Karen Hao / MIT Technology Review:
Profile of Sophie Zhang, a former Facebook data scientist who wrote an exit memo detailing Facebook's inadequate steps to address global election misinformation  —  Sophie Zhang, a former data scientist at Facebook, revealed that it enables global political manipulation and has done little to stop it.
Makena Kelly / The Verge:
Senate reaches a deal on an infrastructure plan including $65B for broadband investments, $35B less than Biden's original plan; final vote still yet to happen  —  That's less than the original $100 billion plan  —  On Wednesday, bipartisan Senate negotiators reached a deal on an infrastructure package after weeks of tense discussion.
Tiernan Ray / ZDNet:
OpenAI introduces Triton 1.0, an open-source programming language for writing GPU code for neural networks, and claims it is easier to write than Nvidia's CUDA  —  SEO: Python-like language promises to be easier to write than native CUDA and specialized GPU code but has performance comparable …
Source: OpenAI and GitHub
Steven Musil / CNET:
Samsung Q2: profit of $10.8B, up 54% YoY, on $55.2B revenue; its chips business accounted for nearly half the profit; mobile division revenue declined QoQ  —  Samsung's operating profit showed strong growth in the second quarter, thanks to higher-than-expected chip prices and continued consumer demand …
Eric Newcomer / Newcomer:
Profile of Bessemer Venture Partners, an early investor in Twilio and Shopify, as its competition with Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, and SoftBank ramps up  —  Bessemer Venture Partners is a thoughtful firm in a world of loose money.  —  4 hr ago  —  In 2009, Ethan Kurzweil …
Patrick Klepek / VICE:
Activision Blizzard staffers stage a walkout, demanding fairer treatment for underrepresented staff and an end to arbitration clauses in staff contracts  —  “This is the beginning of an enduring movement in favor of better labor conditions for all employees.”  —  Patrick Klepek
Patrick Howell O'Neill / MIT Technology Review:
NSO Group confirms that Israeli government officials opened an investigation and visited NSO's Tel Aviv office on Wednesday to assess Pegasus abuse allegations  —  ‘We want them to check everything,’ says CEO of cybersecurity company implicated in campaigns against politicians, activists and other notable figures.
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Huawei announces P50 and P50 Pro, its first flagship phones with HarmonyOS, in China; Huawei executive says the phones lack 5G support due to US sanctions  —  Google's apps and services continue to be absent  —  Huawei has announced its latest flagship phones for the Chinese market, the P50 and P50 Pro.
Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch:
La Haus, an online real estate marketplace operating in Mexico and Colombia, raises a $100M extension to its $35M Series B, bringing its total raised to $158M  —  La Haus, which has developed an online real estate marketplace operating in Mexico and Colombia, has secured $100 million in additional funding …
Tweets: @bayareawriter
Alexandra Marvar / The Verge:
A look at the rise of high-earning teens on Depop, who are using the Etsy-owned clothing marketplace to make thousands per week, often battling the algorithm  —  Seventeen-year-old Chelsea Aves of Fremont, California, has had a Depop account since her sophomore year of high school.

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