Techmeme: DistroKid, which has helped 2M+ musicians upload music to streaming services, says it is valued at $1.3B after a recent raise from Insight Venture Partners (Lucas Shaw/Bloomberg)

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August 16, 2021, 6:55 PM

Top News

Tom Krisher / Associated Press:

NHTSA opens a formal investigation into Tesla's Autopilot system, covering 765K vehicles, saying it has trouble spotting parked emergency vehicles — DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government has opened a formal investigation into Tesla's Autopilot partially automated driving system, saying it has trouble spotting parked emergency vehicles.

More: Reuters, The Verge, CNBC, Bloomberg, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, TNW, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mashable, Financial Times, Coinspeaker, Silicon Republic, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, MSPoweruser, ExtremeTech, CNBC, and Gizmodo

Tweets: @ap, @tkrisher, @hypervisible, and @carnage4life

Brad Stone / Bloomberg:

A look at US lawmakers' efforts to rein in Google and Apple's app stores, after a bipartisan companion bill to Senate's Open App Markets Act debuts in the House — Legislating your apps — The U.S. Congress wants to change the way your smartphone works. And the effort may actually succeed.

More: Axios and Reuters

Tweets: @repkenbuck, @markets, @margarethmcgill, @bradstone, and @senblumenthal

Kate Conger / New York Times:

Inside Twitter's two-year effort to change its internal culture, led by controversial VP of design Dantley Davis, which led to HR investigations and staff exits — Two years ago, the company brought in a blunt executive to make things move faster and to promote diversity. Then the problems began.

More: Insider. Tweets: @danpriceseattle, @daiwaka, @copyconstruct, @carnage4life, @dbedingfield, @dbedingfield, @gavinpurcell, @nytimesbusiness, @tonyromm, and @kateconger

Joseph Cox / VICE:

T-Mobile confirms hackers gained access to its systems, following reports that sensitive data on over 100M people was for sale on the dark web — “We have determined that unauthorized access to some T-Mobile data occurred.” — Joseph Cox — T-Mobile confirmed hackers gained access …

More: T-Mobile, PYMNTS.com, Reuters, Techaeris, KnowTechie, iClarified, and Security Affairs

Tweets: @josephfcox, @lorenzofb, @josephfcox, @vice, and @lorenzofb

Joseph Cox / VICE:

T-Mobile investigates claims that hackers stole data from its servers, including phone numbers, names, SSNs, and driver's license info, related to 100M+ people

More: ZDNet, BleepingComputer, Computerworld, The Record, TechCrunch, NBC News, Engadget, Gizmodo, The Register, FrontPageTech.com, MacRumors, Reuters, The Verge, CNN, BleepingComputer, Android Police, USA Today, New York Post, Channel Futures, Wired, Security Affairs, KnowTechie, Input, Dark Reading, Droid Life, Mashable, infosecurity-magazine.com, Engadget, Techdirt, Softpedia News, 9to5Mac, Tom's Guide, Bitcoin Magazine, FierceWireless, AppleInsider, Android Central, Tech.co, TmoNews, MUO, Threatpost, Protocol, TechSpot, HotHardware.com News, BGR, Security Boulevard, HackRead, SlashGear, Graham Cluley, Pocketnow, Light Reading, PYMNTS.com, CyberScoop, Coinspeaker, iMore, Cryptonews, The Verge, Phandroid, TheStreet, Silicon Republic, IT Management, Digital Trends, TechRadar, GeekWire, Cointelegraph, Slashdot, SiliconANGLE, BitcoinExchangeGuide, phonearena.com, The Mac Observer, Neowin, Bloomberg, International Business Times, CNET, Techaeris, Insider, and PCMag

Tweets: @vice, @knieriemen, @odell, @mshelton, @deviantollam, @bdsams, @jason_koebler, and @seahawkerholm

Vlad Savov / Bloomberg:

Google and Facebook say they will participate in a subsea cable system linking Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, launching 2024 — Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Facebook Inc. announced their participation in a new subsea cable system for 2024 set …

More: Cloud Blog, Facebook Engineering, The Vibes, Financial Times, FierceTelecom, Reclaim The Net, PCMag, Adweek, and CNET

Tweets: @internetthought, @tysonbarker, and @googlecloud

Loni Prinsloo / Bloomberg:

Facebook, China Mobile, and MTN Group plan to expand the 2Africa undersea cable network in Africa, bringing the total landings to 35 in 26 countries

More: TechCrunch, Techpoint Africa, New York Post, and Reuters

Tweets: @ndekekwe and @mikenashtech

David Shepardson / Reuters:

Facebook and Amazon ask the FCC for approval for a new undersea data cable between the Philippines and California, intending to start operations in 2022

More: Silicon Republic

Tim Marcin / Mashable:

Yik Yak, the app that creates anonymous message boards for users within a five mile radius, returns to the US iOS app store after its 2017 shutdown — Yes, it's really back. — Buckle up, millennials. Remember Yik Yak, the anonymous app that, in effect, allowed gossip and shit-talking …

More: App Store, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, VICE, The Hill, and Engadget

Tweets: @yikyakapp, @ronnui_, @davidcelis, @thekalenallen, @wittlett, @katiefliesaway, @imani_barbarin, @brotigupta, @bigblackjacobin, @emmajerome, @iwriteallday_, @taylorlorenz, @mmasnick, @brookemiccio, @mashable, @caseynewton, @stepheniscowboy, and @bigdonkey47

Michael McSweeney / The Block:

Bluesky, the decentralized social media initiative unveiled by Twitter in 2019, will be led by Jay Graber, a former startup founder and cryptocurrency dev — Bluesky, the decentralized social media initiative unveiled by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey at the end of 2019, has a project lead, according to a Monday announcement.

More: TechCrunch, Bloomberg, The Verge, Crypto Briefing, CoinDesk, and Reuters

Tweets: @arcalinea, @jack, @petermccormack, @glenweyl, @chrisblec, @evan_greer, @avsa, @mikeelgan, @jeffjarvis, @arcalinea, @bluesky, @mmasnick, @timbray, @arcalinea, @lsanger, @arcalinea, @nischalshetty, and @rabble

Alex Konrad / Forbes:

A look at Coinbase Ventures, which has backed 150+ companies over three years, writes mostly seed checks of $50K to $250K, and does not have any full-time staff — Look at the busiest U.S. investors in cryptocurrency startups this year, and in between investment firms like Digital Currency Group …

Tweets: @alexrkonrad, @alexrkonrad, @rsg, @magdalenakala, @davidlee, @sarthakgh, @efeng, @iampaulgrewal, @joonian, @jeffjohnroberts, @katie_haun, and @rachaelrad. Thanks:@alexrkonrad

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:

Roblox reports Q2 bookings of $665.5M, up 35% YoY, vs. $689.2M est., revenue of $454.1M, up 127% YoY, net loss of $140.1M, and average DAUs of 43.2M, up 29% YoY — A new GamesBeat event is around the corner! Learn more about what comes next. — Roblox, the platform for Lego-like user-generated games …

More: Barron's Online and Roblox

Matt Mullenweg:

Automattic closed a new funding round of $288M in February and recently completed a $250M share buyback aimed at current and ex-employees at a $7.5B valuation — In February of this year, Automattic closed a new primary funding round of $288M, bringing in some great new partners including BlackRock …

Tweets: @danprimack, @jasonlk, @photomatt, and @peterpham

Mishaal Rahman / XDA Developers:

A look at Camera Switches in the Android 12 beta, an accessibility feature that lets users control their devices using only facial movements — Android has long had an Accessibility API that's intended for developers to build apps and experiences aimed at helping persons with disabilities, though it isn't always used for that purpose.

Wall Street Journal:

A look at chipmakers' race to capitalize on a wave of subsidies, as the US and other western countries reassess their industrial policies to slow China's rise — U.S. semiconductor maker's appeal for subsidies plays on national security fears during chip shortage; ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’

Tweets: @pgelsinger, @aspi_icpc, @jordannovet, @bobdavis187, and @live_news_nick

Che Pan / South China Morning Post:

Chinese government says integrated circuit output rose 47.3% YoY to 203.6B units in the year to July, as new capacity is added to meet semiconductor demand

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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.

From Mediagazer

Filip Timotija / The Hill:

Source says “most” journalists at Voice of America were put on administrative leave, a day after Trump signed an EO aimed at eliminating the USAGM

Tara Bennett / AV Club:

How Looney Tunes' first original animated feature got released, as WBD's legacy franchise is at a crossroads, all but abandoned by the studio it helped define

Michael Schaffer / Politico:

How The Dallas Express scooped the DC press corps on a congresswoman's dementia, highlighting the importance of local outlets in DC even as their numbers fall

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More News

Christine Hall / TechCrunch:

Tropic, which helps streamline software procurement, raises $25M Series A, says it passed $250M in managed spend, and processed transactions for 1,200+ vendors

More: FinSMEs

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

DistroKid, which has helped 2M+ musicians upload music to streaming services, says it is valued at $1.3B after a recent raise from Insight Venture Partners

Tweets: @rstephens, @pkafka, and @jaycuthrell

Earlier Picks

Ivan Levingston / Bloomberg:

Vienna-based marketing analytics startup Adverity raises $120M led by SoftBank's Vision Fund 2, bringing its total raised to $165M+

More: FinSMEs, Tech.eu, and Business Wire

Joanna Ossinger / Bloomberg:

Crypto staking service Figment raises $50M Series B, led by Senator Investment Group and Liberty City Ventures, source says at a ~$500M valuation

More: Figment, Blockworks, FinLedger, SiliconANGLE, CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, and The Block

Tweets: @spvenino33, @figment_io, and @jimandelman

Steven Kurutz / New York Times:

For some teenagers, making NFTs and other forms of digital art is seen as a gateway to a career as a full-time artist and has become their new summer job

Tweets: @ron_miller, @pakman, and @revolvegamesio

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

Rapido, an Indian bike taxi operator available in about 100 cities, raises $52M Series C, bringing its total raised to $130M+

More: The Economic Times, The Economic Times, YourStory.com, The Hindu BusinessLine, and Tech in Asia

Kyle Chayka / New Yorker:

Profile of @images_ai, a Twitter account launched by a music student in June, which uses neural networks, including OpenAI's CLIP, to generate surreal art

Tweets: @newyorker, @renois, and @newyorker

Julia Angwin / Hello World:

Q&A with Alex Stamos on Apple's proposed child safety features, his reservations about the company's announcement and approach to child safety online, and more

Wall Street Journal:

In a new lawsuit, a US-based contractor claims Huawei stole its tech and pressured it to build a “back door” into a sensitive surveillance project in Pakistan

More: Engadget, Telecoms.com, Phandroid, Pocketnow, and Slashdot

Tweets: @baldingsworld, @johnkoetsier, @gandapurpat, @martijnrasser, @gibranashraf, @rajivmessage, @newley, and @ericgarland