Techmeme
March 16, 2020, 3:20 PM

Top News

Nat Friedman / The GitHub Blog:
GitHub announces it has signed an agreement to acquire npm, which is home to 1.3M+ JavaScript packages with 75B downloads per month, says it will remain free  —  I'm excited to announce that GitHub has signed an agreement to acquire npm.  —  npm is a critical part of the JavaScript world.
Richard Leadbetter / Eurogamer.net:
Microsoft details Xbox Series X specs: custom 8-core 3.8GHz AMD Zen 2 CPU, custom 1.825GHz AMD RNDA 2 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD with expansion card support  —  This is it.  After months of teaser trailers, blog posts and even the occasional leak, we can finally reveal firm …
The Intercept:
Leaked docs: TikTok told moderators to suppress posts from those deemed “ugly”, poor, or disabled, and censor political speech in livestreams, to attract users  —  The makers of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app with hundreds of millions of users around the world …
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Alphabet's Verily launches a coronavirus screening website limited to the San Francisco Bay area, requires users to log in with their Google account  —  - Alphabet's Verily on Sunday night launched a pilot of a COVID-19 screening and testing website in the San Francisco Bay Area, a day earlier than it said it would.
Diane Bartz / Reuters:
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
Bloomberg:
Sources: US Department of Health and Human Services suffered a cyberattack on its computer system Sunday night, apparently aimed at slowing coronavirus response  —  The U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system Sunday night during the nation's response …
CNBC:
Apple fined €1.1B by French antitrust authorities for anticompetitive behavior within its distribution networks; Apple says it will appeal  —  Apple was fined 1.1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) for anti-competitive behavior Monday by the French antitrust authorities.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft says 1B devices are now running Windows 10, which includes PCs, laptops, Xbox One consoles, and HoloLens  —  Microsoft's original milestone has been reached  —  Microsoft is revealing today that 1 billion active machines are now running Windows 10.
The Keyword:
YouTube says it will be relying more on automated systems as content moderators stay home, and creators may see fewer strikes against videos but more removals  —  During the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, many companies are closing their offices and directing their employees to work from home …
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Michael McSweeney / The Block:
Intercontinental Exchange's Bakkt raises $300M Series B with M12 among the investors, says an app to help consumers manage digital assets is coming in summer  —  Bakkt has raised a $300 million Series B round of financing, according to a Monday morning announcement.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Beats announces $149 Powerbeats with 15 hours of battery life, Apple's H1 chip for quick pairing, and IPX4 rating for water resistance, available March 18  —  They've already leaked plenty and Walmart even put them on shelves before an official announcement, but now Apple's Beats brand is launching the new Powerbeats 4 earbuds.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Gemini 2.5 Pro: Our most intelligent AI model  —  Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is now available, with thinking capabilities, enhanced performance, and improved accuracy.  Try it at no cost in the Gemini app.
UiPath:
Introducing the UiPath Platform™ for agentic automation  —  UiPath's new platform empowers enterprises to experience the full power of AI to transform industries
Zoho:
2025: World Password Day is now also World Passkey Day  —  Since 2013, the first Thursday of May has been recognized as World Password Day to spread awareness about good password practices and protecting our online accounts.
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

Uncapped with Jack Altman:
Josh Kopelman from First Round Capital
Conversations with people I admire about things I'm genuinely interested in.
Subscribe to Uncapped with Jack Altman.
The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'The Ratchet of Flippancy', With Craig Mod
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
Subscribe to The Talk Show With John Gruber.
Techmeme Ride Home:
ChatGPT Just Wants To Please
The day's tech news, every day at 5pm ET. Fifteen minutes and you're up to date.
Subscribe to Techmeme Ride Home.
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View:
The difference between early and late AI adopters
Azeem Azhar explores how AI and exponential technologies are shaping our future.
Subscribe to Azeem Azhar's Exponential View.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Tariffs, Trump, TikTok: What's going to happen to ads in 2025?
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
Spotlight On:
*S3 Feature* Transcend's Kate Parker on putting data back into the hands of users in an AI-driven world
A podcast from Accel about how companies are built, from the people doing the building.
Subscribe to Spotlight On.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:20 PM ET, March 16, 2020.

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

New York Times:

Earlier Picks

Kalhan Rosenblatt / NBC News:
Noam Cohen / Wired: