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January 19, 2022, 6:25 AM
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| Microsoft: |
Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7B in cash, or $95/share, in FY 2023; Activision's stock, which closed last week at $65.39, jumps 25%+ — Legendary games, immersive interactive entertainment and publishing expertise accelerate growth in Microsoft's Gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud.
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Bloomberg, VentureBeat, Protocol, Wall Street Journal, Activision Publishing, New York Times, Bloomberg, Kotaku, CNBC, GamesIndustry.biz, Yahoo Finance, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, IGN, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Blockchain News, Fortune, Financial Times, Moneycontrol, CNBC, Forbes, Financial Times, thegamer.com, TechRadar, Sobre Startups, Wccftech, Microsoft, CNBC, Cointelegraph, TechRadar, Blockworks, The Hustle, Neowin, BBC, Game Rant, PC Gamer, Protocol, Born's Tech and Windows World, purexbox.com, The Shortcut, Livy's Newsletter, PYMNTS.com, SegmentNext, TechCabal, EnterpriseAI, Menagerie, the Newsletter, The Signal, PR Newswire, and Android Headlines
Tweets: @gregisenberg, @dinabass, @xbox, @jasonschreier, @charlieintel, @satyanadella, @xbox, @jonerlichman, @zhugeex, @ashleyesqueda, @microsoft, @adriennelaw, @kristyt, @edzitron, @technology, @jasonschreier, @damianburns, @pucknorris, @wario64, @anildash, @andrewrsorkin, @jasonschreier, @atvi_ab, @aarongreenberg, @jasonschreier, @mattdpearce, @scottjohnson, @vahn16, @mkbhd, @technology, @technology, @richlightshed, @ldignan, @chrismessina, @technology, @rmac18, @richlightshed, @stopskeletons, @levie, @alexeheath, @reneritchie, @paultassi, @pkafka, @karlbode, @andrewyang, @thecaptainsauce, @ericnewcomer, @snazzyq, @joshmunsee, @wsj, @owillis, and @alexeheath
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: Activision Blizzard tried to find other buyers, including Meta, while weighing a potential Microsoft takeover after the WSJ's exposé in November — Late last year, as Activision Blizzard Inc. and Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick were reeling from accusations that Kotick knew …
More:
Wall Street Journal, purexbox.com, Video Games Chronicle, Transistori, The Information, and SegmentNext
Tweets: @kellen_browning, @witch_cass, @jordannovet, @imranzomg, @_hanatwothree, @business, @stephentotilo, @martinsfp, and @davidgura
| Peter Kafka / Vox: |
Following several game studio acquisitions, Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal faces a big regulatory hurdle with Lina Khan's antitrust-focused FTC — Microsoft-Activision is like Disney-Fox. Maybe bigger. — Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion.
More:
New York Times, The Economic Times, Bloomberg, PC Gamer, and Firstpost Tech
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
More:
Forbes, The Economic Times, and Game Rant
Tweets: @klobrille, @itsjuliahardy, @misterrnx, @grace_dustin, @majornelson, and @kiruti
| CNBC: |
Apple and Google warn of harmful consequences to user privacy and security from two proposed Senate antitrust bills scheduled to be considered this week — - Apple warned in a letter on Tuesday that antitrust bills being considered in the Senate would increase the risk of security breaches to iPhone users.
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The Keyword, 9to5Mac, wesupportsb2992.medium.com, Wall Street Journal, Protocol, Slashdot, MacRumors, Social Media IO Roundup, 9to5Google, PhoneArena, iThinkDifferent, South China Morning Post, and Techaeris
Tweets: @matthewstoller, @keleftheriou, @lutherlowe, @rileytestut, @adamkovac, @bigblackjacobin, @richardsocher, @jonschweppe, @yegg, @yousearchengine, @chancehmiller, @sachalouise, @timothypmurphy, @sadlyitsbradley, @quinnypig, @reckless, @bigblackjacobin, @william_fitz, @cagoldberglaw, @jenn_elias, @bigblackjacobin, @karissabe, and @nathanpevans
| Wall Street Journal: |
AT&T and Verizon temporarily restrict 5G expansion near US airports, but a few airlines will still suspend some flights on Wednesday amid Boeing's guidance — Flight suspensions occur even as AT&T and Verizon agree to limit signals within 2 miles of runways to address air-safety concerns
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Reuters, Verizon, BBC, The White House, United States, NPR, Silicon Republic, AppleInsider, USA Today, Airlines For America, Washington Post, New York Times, NBC News, Tech Xplore, CNBC, Bloomberg, ABC News, Newser, PhoneArena, and International Business Times
Tweets: @byerussell, @reuters, @hackylawyer, @kpottermn, @mytechmusings, and @k0lwc
| Makena Kelly / The Verge: |
Democratic lawmakers unveil the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, which would ban targeted ads but allow broad location-based and contextual ads — It could reshape the entire tech industry — On Tuesday, Democrats introduced a new bill that would ban nearly all use …
More:
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, eshoo.house.gov, ZDNet, The Daily Dot, and SiliconANGLE
Tweets: @dmarti, @josephfcox, @can, @duckduckgo, @repgosar, @fightfortheftr, @samfbiddle, @motherboard, @samfbiddle, @caitrionafitz, @wolfiechristl, @dmarti, @hypervisible, @neil_chilson, @accountabletech, @dmarti, @jfelixcardoso, @eric_seufert, @repannaeshoo, @leshann, @samfbiddle, @katielmcinnis, @thezedwards, @resilien7, @kylebrussell, @seyitaylor, @can, @ne0liberal, @adamkovac, and @logophobe
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
YouTube says it's winding down YouTube Originals after six years and will only fund programs that are part of its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds — YouTube is getting out of the business of originals: The Google-owned video giant said it is winding down its original productions team after more than six years.
More:
XDA Developers, Pocket-lint, Protocol, BGR India, Benzinga, and MediaNama
Tweets: @rkyncl, @thafnine, @tweetsauce, @brodyfoxx, @michellemanafy, @tracobuttons, @dfriend, @film_girl, @brodyfoxx, @domsmales, and @rfaughnder
| Stephen Graves / Decrypt: |
Coinbase partners with Mastercard to let users pay with a credit card in its upcoming NFT marketplace, solve “pain points”, and classify NFTs as “digital goods” — Crypto exchange Coinbase has announced a partnership with Mastercard to simplify the process …
More:
The Coinbase Blog, Mastercard USA, Blockchain News, Waivly, The Verge, CNBC, Insider, and Blockworks
Tweets: @rajarajamannar, @mastercardnews, @jrnycrypto, and @coinbase
| Lauren Feiner / CNBC: |
The FTC and DOJ seek public comment on how to rewrite “the antitrust laws regarding mergers”, signaling a potentially tougher stance toward Big Tech deals — - The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division kicked off a process to rewrite merger guidelines for businesses on Tuesday.| NBC News: |
Snapchat's friend recommendation feature will no longer suggest users under 18, unless they have a certain number of friends in common, to curb drug dealing — Exclusive: Snapchat executive on company's efforts to stop sale of counterfeit pills — Snapchat's parent company announced Tuesday … | Kate Rooney / CNBC: |
The US OCC and Federal Reserve approve SoFi's bid to become a bank holding company via its Golden Pacific Bancorp acquisition; SoFi stock jumps 16%+ after hours — - San Francisco-based SoFi got approval from its two key regulators to become a bank holding company.
More:
Office of the Comptroller …, SoFi, Blockchain News, Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Benzinga, Crowdfund Insider, The Block, and OCC
Tweets: @anthonynoto, @ralexjimenez, @carlquintanilla, @sofi, @apompliano, @socialcapital, and @nikesharora
| Andrew Asmakov / Decrypt: |
Crypto.com halted withdrawals on Monday and required users to sign back in and reset 2FA; research shows it lost 4,600+ ETH, worth ~$15M, in a presumed hack — The crypto exchange has reportedly lost at least $15 million in Ethereum, and security experts believe the true losses could be much higher.
More:
The Register, PC Gamer, Wall Street Journal, Bitcoin News, Insider, xuanling11's Free Newsletter, and Fortune
Tweets: @cryptocom, @peckshield, @kris_hk, @anthony, @cryptocom, @cryptocom, @billym2k, @egg_dog, @juddlegum, @mathewi, @johnbiggs, and @calbucci
| Frank Chaparro / The Block: |
OpenSea acquires crypto lending APIs startup Dharma Labs, which will shutter its wallet in 30 days; source says the deal was valued between $110M and $130M — Quick Take — OpenSea confirms acquisition of Dharma Labs — Dharma Lab's Hollander picked for CTO role
More:
OpenSea Blog, CryptoSlate, Blockchain News, Cryptonews, and Crypto Briefing
Tweets: @nadavahollander, @dfinzer, @tropofarmer, @chrisblec, @jillrgunter, @xanderatallah, @daltonc, @bkroberts, @farokh, @rleshner, and @altcap
| Andrew Hayward / Decrypt: |
The Metaplex Foundation, developer of an NFT protocol behind 5.7M+ minted Solana NFTs, raises $46M with Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson among 90+ investors — The protocol that powers millions of Solana NFTs finds prominent backers as it looks towards the metaverse and beyond. — In brief
More:
CoinDesk, Coinspeaker, and Insider
Tweets: @kevinlove, @kirbyporter_, @solana, and @austin_federa
| Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times: |
Survey finds that 76% of Chinese citizens and 68% of Indians say they trust AI companies compared to only 35% in France, the UK, and the US — For many outside the tech world, “data” means soulless numbers. Perhaps it causes their eyes to glaze over with boredom.
Tweets: @reema__patel, @ethicsinai, and @ftweekend
| Keith Romer / New York Times: |
AI tools can generate an optimal poker strategy, balancing bluffing and playing it straight, which some professional players are using to augment their play — Good poker players have always known that they need to maintain a balance between bluffing and playing it straight. Now they can do so perfectly.
Tweets: @nytimes, @octonion, @tarunchitra, @marloscmachado, and @electricalwsop
| Chris Stokel-Walker / MIT Technology Review: |
A look at Tonga's internet blackout following the volcano blast, which initial investigations suggest destroyed the country's single undersea internet cable — The world is anxiously awaiting news from the island—but on top of the physical destruction, the eruption has disconnected it from the internet.
| Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: |
Reliance buys a majority stake in Indian startup Addverb, which uses robots to make e-commerce warehouses and energy production more efficient, for $132M — Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd. is buying an Indian robotics startup as the conglomerate scales up automation across …
More:
TechCircle, Livemint, Times of India, The Hindu, Moneycontrol, and cnbctv18.com
Tweets: @tanzaniainsight and @quinnypig
| Noah Kirsch / The Daily Beast: |
Internal memo: Better.com CEO Vishal Garg resumes full-time duties over a month after taking time off following his controversial firing of ~900 staff on Zoom — The volatile founder had laid off hundreds of workers in an emotionless webinar, triggering widespread scorn online.
More:
Forbes, CNBC, New York Times, and TechCrunch
| Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents: |
Ericsson sues Apple over 5G and other patents, following the expiration of the cross-license agreement between the two companies and no renewal deal — Ericsson's patent cross-license agreement with Apple has expired, and no renewal has been agreed upon, which is why infringement litigation became inevitable.
| Clive Cookson / Financial Times: |
The Royal Society finds social media sites banning misleading content is ineffective and can drive misinformation to “harder-to-address corners of the internet” — Risks of removing information rejected by the mainstream outweigh benefits, according to the Royal Society
More:
Politico and Royal Society
Tweets: @daveleeft, @daveleeft, @areeqchowdhury, @repadamschiff, @vgcerf, and @reploritrahan
| Jennifer Conrad / Wired: |
A look at crowdsourced juries in China, like Meituan's “kangaroo jury” made up of volunteers who adjudicate disputes between buyers and sellers on its platform — No garlic on the oysters? Soup stained a blanket? Panels of users hear the complaints and can order refunds or removal of critical reviews.
Tweets: @wired and @scottthurm
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Tweets: @warriorspr, @mittromney, @timopg, @cokedupoptions, @guypbenson, @gaberivera, @kloeffler, @arrington, @hughhewitt, @wolfejosh, and @jonnajarian