Techmeme
April 19, 2018, 8:30 PM

Top News

Cameron Johnson / Netflix Media Center:
Netflix launches vertical preview videos for mobile, each about 30 seconds long, on iOS now and coming soon to Android; users can swipe to see next preview  —  One of the best ways to know if you'll like a new series or movie is to watch a quick trailer.  Today, we are excited …
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Google's App Engine can no longer be used for domain-fronting, which let services use its network to avoid state-level internet blocks  —  Domain-fronting is now a thing of the past  —  App developers won't be able to use Google to get around internet censorship anymore.
Bloomberg:
An investigation of data-mining company Palantir, cofounded by Peter Thiel, which works with government agencies and law enforcement to help track US citizens  —  Peter Thiel's data-mining company is using War on Terror tools to track American citizens.  The scary thing?  Palantir is desperate for new customers.
David Ingram / Reuters:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Amazon introduces Alexa Blueprints that let anyone create custom Alexa skills and responses without coding  —  Amazon this morning is introducing “Alexa Blueprints,” a new way for any Alexa owner to create their own customized Alexa skills or responses, without needing to know how to code.
Juli Clover / MacRumors:
Apple open sources FoundationDB core, three years after acquiring the database company  —  Apple owned-company FoundationDB today announced that the FoundationDB core has been open sourced with the goal of building an open community with all major development done in the open.
Stephen Schenck / Android Police:
New budget Moto handsets: €250 G6 with dual cameras and USB-C, bigger €300 G6 Plus, €200 G6 Play with larger battery, €150 E5, €170 E5 Plus, and E5 Play  —  For smartphone fans who enjoy a good spoiler, we started the year off with a pretty substantial one …
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times:
Sources: Netflix has considered buying movie theaters in New York and Los Angeles; it decided not to pursue LA-based Landmark Theatres due to high price  —  Netflix, the global streaming giant that has dramatically changed the TV industry and clashed with movie theater owners …
Bloomberg:
Interview with Jeff Wilke, who runs Amazon's worldwide consumer division and has been Bezos' right-hand man for 18 years, on its usage of USPS and more  —  Retail chief Jeff Wilke talks about the company's AI ambitions and downplays Trump concerns.  —  Donald Trump has hammered Amazon.com …
Chloe Cornish / Financial Times:
Interview with Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's 24-year-old founder, on his “weird” 2017, which saw ether's market cap reach $125B+, the broader crypto market, more  —  Up in San Francisco's Monterey Heights district stands a modest detached house; a house that would be perfectly ordinary …
Becky Peterson / Business Insider:
Filings show Qualcomm's layoffs will happen on or around June 19, will impact ~1,231 employees at its San Diego HQ, 269 in its San Jose and Santa Clara offices  —  - Qualcomm will layoff a total of 1,500 employees across its San Diego and Bay Area locations, according to WARN filings with the state of California.
Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
Lyft announces “multimillion-dollar” initiative to invest in environmental projects as it hopes to offset 1M+ metric tons of carbon in the first year  —  The plan is to offset over a million metric tons of carbon  —  Lyft announced a multimillion-dollar investment to become …

Sponsor Posts

TELUS Digital:
The brand supporting the biggest brands in tech  —  Deliver memorable experiences throughout the customer journey with customer experience support from TELUS Digital.  Scale quickly, automate efficiently and win decisively.
Intel:
Intel Delivers powerful CPUs for AI and Networking  —  With the onset of AI, businesses demand powerful and efficient CPUs.  Explore new Intel Xeon 6 processors, for the broadest set of workloads with leadership performance and lower TCO.
Zoho:
Gamification: A simple way to enjoy getting more work done  —  Work doesn't have to be boring.  Gamification transforms everyday tasks into exciting challenges, making employees feel more engaged and motivated.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Techmeme Ride Home:
Europe Wants To Ween Itself Off Silicon Valley
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Decoder with Nilay Patel:
How Trump's tariff chaos is already changing global trade
A show from the Verge about big ideas - and other problems.
Subscribe to Decoder with Nilay Patel.
Grit:
From Bootstrapped to $12B: Mailchimp's Ben Chestnut on Life After the Exit
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The hidden power of introverts: How to thrive without changing who you are | Susan Cain (author of "Quiet")
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
The Logan Bartlett Show:
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen Breaks Down the Global Impact of Trump's New Tariffs
A podcast hosted by Logan Bartlett, an investor at Redpoint Ventures, covering tech with industry insiders.
Subscribe to The Logan Bartlett Show.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 8:30 PM ET, April 19, 2018.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Pew Research Center:
Stef W. Kight / Axios:

Earlier Picks

Bloomberg:
Aaron Tilley / The Information:
Tim Hardwick / MacRumors: