Techmeme
November 14, 2018, 2:35 PM

Top News

Wall Street Journal:
Sources provide a behind-the-scenes account of Amazon's HQ2 selection process, say the company made the decision to split HQ2 in two in September  —  For months, cities vied for Amazon's second headquarters while some executives were realizing that no single place would fulfill its requirements
Day One: The Amazon Blog:
Louise Matsakis / Wired:
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Netflix is testing cheaper, mobile-only subscriptions “in a few countries” including Malaysia, where it is half the price of its next cheapest package  —  Netflix is testing a cut-price mobile-only subscription as it explores new packages aimed at widening its appeal in Asia and other emerging markets.
Vlad Savov / The Verge:
Google releases Night Sight, a software update that dramatically improves low-light photos, to Pixel users  —  The mighty Night Sight mode is being released to Pixel phones today  —  Two years ago, Google's release of the first Pixel smartphone radically raised the bar for the image quality we could expect from mobile cameras.
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Uber launches rider loyalty rewards program with upgrades to nicer cars, access to premium support, and waiver on cancellations if rebooked within 15 minutes  —  Uber's new loyalty program incentivizes you not to check Lyft or the local competitor.  Riders earn points for all the money …
Deepa Seetharaman / Wall Street Journal:
Internal Facebook survey shows just 52% of its staff are optimistic about its future, down 32% from last year, amid scandals and a sharp stock decline  —  Employee surveys show weaker optimism about future, confidence in platform's mission  —  Facebook Inc.'s FB .77% difficult year is taking …
Rose Behar / Android Police:
Google Assistant adds Routines integration into clock app, ability to reply to intercom-style Broadcasts, and a command to put devices into Do Not Disturb mode  —  In the voice assistant market, the most meaningful features often don't sound that impressive: more often than not …
New York Times:
Tyler Barriss, the serial swatter responsible for the fatal Kansas hoax call, pleads guilty to federal charges, will serve between 20 and 25 years in prison  —  A California man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to making dozens of hoax phone calls during which he reported fake crimes …
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News:
AmazonBasics Microwave review: looks and works pretty much like a regular microwave, with some Alexa integration via Echo, and is good value at $60  —  Amazon's new “smart” microwave with Alexa is a microwave.  It's not magic.  —  Yes, you can use your voice instead of pressing buttons.
Alison Frankel / Reuters:
Snap says it's responded to subpoenas from the DOJ and SEC about its IPO, following a suit alleging Snap misled the public on how Instagram affected its growth  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission have subpoenaed Snap Inc (SNAP.N) …
Angus Berwick / Reuters:
Investigation shows how ZTE helped Venezuela's government build a system, used by as many as 18M, similar to China's national identity card program  —  TRICKS OF THE TRADE: Critics say China exports tools that help autocratic governments monitor citizens.  Venezuelan President Nicolás …
Sarah Frier / Bloomberg:
In written response to Senate Intelligence Committee, Facebook says free speech and privacy will inform any decision to return to China  —  Facebook Inc. said if it ever returns to China, the company will do it in a way that preserves rights to free expression and privacy — issues that make such a move almost impossible today.
Kaitlyn Tiffany / Vox:
Most period-tracking apps are designed more to aid marketers and medical companies in collecting health data for ad targeting than for women  —  The golden age of menstrual surveillance is great for men, marketers, and medical companies.  —  A cartoon cloud told me I might be pregnant.

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