Techmeme
January 13, 2021, 11:30 AM

Top News

CNBC:
Intel CEO Bob Swan to step down in February and VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger will replace him; Intel's stock is up 9%+  —  Swan was named CEO in January 2019 after serving as interim CEO for seven months.
Axios:
YouTube says it has taken down newly posted videos from Trump for violating its policies against inciting violence and bans new uploads for a week  —  YouTube said Tuesday that it has taken down newly posted video content from President Trump for violating its policies against inciting violence.
Romain Dillet / TechCrunch:
Apple announces new projects related to its $100M pledge for racial equity and justice, including a developer academy focused on Black entrepreneurs  —  Last June, Apple committed $100 million to a Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI).  Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment …
Karissa Bell / Engadget:
TikTok makes accounts of users aged 13 to 15 private by default, limiting who can comment on the videos and how other users can download or remix their videos  —  TikTok is introducing a new set of “enhanced” privacy settings that restricts certain features for younger teens and changes …
Nick Statt / The Verge:
WhatsApp clarifies its new data sharing policy with Facebook, which mostly concerns businesses, after recent backlash and surge in Telegram and Signal downloads  —  The company is trying to contain fallout over a privacy policy update  —  WhatsApp has published a new FAQ page …
Gizmodo:
GPS metadata from videos posted to Parler on Jan. 6 shows several users deep inside the Capitol; source: FBI has expressed interest in examining the data  —  At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the hoard of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside …
Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
Dropbox says it will cut about 11% of its global workforce, affecting about 315 employees, and COO Olivia Nottebohm will leave on February 5  —  - Dropbox is cutting its global workforce by about 11%, the company said in an 8K filing released Wednesday.  — The company's stock dropped more than 6% in the premarket.
Zoe Schiffer / The Verge:
Report: GitHub fired an employee who used the term “Nazis” in an internal Slack during the US Capitol riot; ~200 staff signed a letter questioning the firing  —  Roughly 200 employees have signed an open letter asking for answers  —  GitHub reportedly fired a Jewish employee …
Jeff Stone / CyberScoop:
Europol says it has shut down DarkMarket, the largest online marketplace for illicit goods with 2,400+ vendors, and apprehended a suspect, an Australian man  —  German law enforcement has shut down an internet market where users bought and sold narcotics, stolen data and hacking tools, authorities said Tuesday.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Google says it is urgently investigating issues with Android apps that use the Android Exposure Notifications System to track the spread of COVID-19  —  The Android issues are affecting coronavirus tracking apps worldwide  —  Google says it's working quickly to investigate issues …
Sean O'Kane / The Verge:
Sources: Apple held talks with EV startup Canoo in 2020; Apple was largely interested in Canoo's unique scalable electric vehicle platform  —  As part of the Silicon Valley giant's secretive push into the automotive space  —  Apple held meetings with California EV startup Canoo in the first half …
Stephen Nellis / Reuters:
Qualcomm acquires chip startup Nuvia for $1.4B, with plans to put the company's tech into its smartphone, laptop, and automotive processors  —  (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc on Wednesday said it will acquire Nuvia Inc, a chip startup founded by Apple Inc veterans, for $1.4 billion …
Tony Connelly / RTÉ:
EU's top court issues an opinion allowing GDPR complaints in any member state, which could lead to a flood of complaints against tech giants  —  The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice has issued an opinion that a privacy complaint against the US tech giant Facebook does …
Gaurav Laghate / The Economic Times:
Amazon launches a mobile-only Prime Video plan in India starting at Rs. 89, or ~$1.30, per month, in partnership with Bharti Airtel  —  MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video is set to launch mobile-only subscription plans in India for its streaming service in a global first, offering Indian consumers …
Wall Street Journal:
Visa is abandoning its $5.3B planned acquisition of fintech firm Plaid after the DOJ sued over antitrust concerns in November  —  Justice Department sued in November to challenge $5.3 billion deal  —  Visa Inc. is abandoning its $5.3 billion planned acquisition of Plaid Inc. …
Bloomberg:
Online therapy service Talkspace agrees to merge with a SPAC in a deal worth $1.4B that provides Talkspace with $250M in funding  —  Online therapy provider Talkspace has agreed to merge with Hudson Executive Investment Corp., the blank-check firm run by former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive Doug Braunstein.
More: Reuters
Phuong Nguyen / Reuters:
Vietnam's biggest e-wallet company MoMo raises $100M+ from Warburg Pincus and five others  —  Vietnam's biggest e-wallet company, MoMo has raised at least $100 million from six global investors, including Warburg Pincus, as part of plans to become a “super-app” and go public by 2025, the company and a source said on Wednesday.
Nathaniel Popper / New York Times:
A look at those unlucky enough to forget the password to access their bitcoin; Chainalysis says 20% of all bitcoin, or ~$140B, appears to be lost or stranded  —  Bitcoin owners are getting rich because the cryptocurrency has soared.  But what happens when you can't tap that wealth …
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:
NYC-based Rho, a startup bank aimed at high-growth businesses, raises $15M Series A led by M13 Ventures  —  Rho Technologies, the NYC-based fintech behind Rho Business Banking, has raised a $15 million Series A round led by M13 Ventures with participation from Torch Capital, and Inspired Capital.

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