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January 19, 2022, 11:40 AM
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| Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: in recent weeks, CEO Bobby Kotick suggested Activision Blizzard make an acquisition, including of trade publications like Kotaku and PC Gamer — After a lawsuit and a Journal report, the company's stock was falling, board members were getting anxious—and the tech giant was ready to take a gamble
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Forbes, Nitch, Polygon, thegamer.com, MSPoweruser, GameSpot, Eurogamer.net, Still Alive, GamesIndustry.biz, IGN, Protocol, Coinspeaker, MUO, SegmentNext, and Bloomberg
Tweets: @thetomzone, @gamedadjp, @kellen_browning, @wario64, @dkdynamite1, @joshgamnchannel, @six6jiang, @tomwarren, and @triforcemeg
| Bloomberg: |
Sony's shares fell 13% on Wednesday, its biggest drop since October 2008, wiping $20B off its valuation, after Microsoft announced its Activision deal — Sony Group Corp. shares fell 13% in Tokyo on Wednesday, their biggest drop since October 2008, after PlayStation rival Microsoft Corp. announced …
More:
Wall Street Journal, TechRadar, Xbox Wire, Eurogamer.net, purexbox.com, CNBC, Gamereactor UK, thegamer.com, Wall Street Journal, GameSpot, and Fortune
Tweets: @6d6f636869, @futterish, @falkoopa_, @grace_dustin, @serkantoto, @thetreavor, and @itsjuliahardy
| 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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GamesIndustry.biz, Protocol, New York Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, The Verge, Video Games Chronicle, Bloomberg, CNBC, Activision Publishing, Financial Times, ZDNet, TechRadar, Moneycontrol, Engadget, BGR India, Kotaku, Wccftech, Neowin, Wolf's Newsletter, The Ringer, thegamer.com, PCWorld, Destructoid, OnMSFT.com, IGN, The Week, CNN, Polygon, International Business Times, Dot Esports, Sublink, SlashGear, Mercury News, MUO, Coinspeaker, Cointelegraph, The Hustle, Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Forbes, CNBC, Axios, Beyond Search, Sobre Startups, Born's Tech and Windows World, Reuters, The Shortcut, Blockchain News, Livy's Newsletter, Financial Times, SegmentNext, and TechCabal
Tweets: @gregisenberg, @dinabass, @jasonschreier, @satyanadella, @xbox, @jonerlichman, @ashleyesqueda, @zhugeex, @tomwarren, @pucknorris, @adriennelaw, @kristyt, @microsoft, @edzitron, @jasonschreier, @damianburns, @aarongreenberg, @anildash, @jasonschreier, @andrewrsorkin, @scottjohnson, @mkbhd, @technology, @technology, @richlightshed, @technology, @technology, @richlightshed, @stopskeletons, @paultassi, @andrewyang, @ericnewcomer, @joshmunsee, @alexeheath, and @levie
| Bloomberg: |
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MarketWatch, TechRadar, purexbox.com, Transistori, Neowin, and SegmentNext
Tweets: @witch_cass, @jordannovet, @imranzomg, @_hanatwothree, @business, @tieguytravis, @stephentotilo, @martinsfp, and @davidgura
| Peter Kafka / Vox: |
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New York Times, CNET, GameSpot, diginomica, The Economic Times, Firstpost Tech, and thegamer.com
Tweets: @farmerdbrown, @sanzay, @y2k_mindset, @kellen_browning, @t1, @weaponoutfitter, @garrett_archer, @cyynapse, and @agentbizzle
| 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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wesupportsb2992.medium.com, Bloomberg, Insider, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, PYMNTS.com, XDA Developers, TNW, Livemint, FORWARD GC, Gizchina, Slashdot, and Social Media IO Roundup
Tweets: @matthewstoller, @keleftheriou, @lutherlowe, @rileytestut, @orientaljanedoe, @bigblackjacobin, @mikarv, @adamkovac, @bigblackjacobin, @themaverickws, @jonschweppe, @elkmovie, @timothypmurphy, @pathedger18, @quinnypig, @beteropdefiets, @william_fitz, @cagoldberglaw, @jenn_elias, @bigblackjacobin, @sadbillackman, @yousearchengine, @richardsocher, @yegg, @nathanpevans, @reckless, and @karissabe
| 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 … | Carly Page / TechCrunch: |
Password management service 1Password raises a $620M Series C led by Iconiq Growth at a $6.8B valuation and says it now has a paying customer base of 100K+ — Password management platform 1Password has closed a massive $620 million Series C funding round that raises the company's valuation to $6.8 billion.| Steve Dent / Engadget: |
Opera unveils Crypto Browser Project, with a beta browser for Windows, Mac, and Android, with a crypto wallet, access to crypto/NFT exchanges, dApps, and more — Opera has launched its Web3 “Crypto Browser” into beta with features like a built-in crypto wallet, easy access to cryptocurrency/NFT exchanges …
More:
Opera Crypto, InsideBitcoins.com, PhoneArena, and Crypto Brew ☕️
Tweets: @sameer_singh17, @andretelevise, @cointelegraph, and @robinwauters
| Reuters: |
Sources: China will require large internet companies that have 100M+ users or $1.58B+ in revenue to obtain an approval before undertaking any investment deals — China's cyberspace regulator has drafted new guidelines that will require the country's large internet companies to obtain … | 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 …
More:
Snap Inc., The Verge, KnowTechie, 9to5Mac, Engadget, PhoneArena, and Pocket-lint
Tweets: @carnage4life, @dlberes, and @epro
| 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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The White House, PCMag, ZDNet, Airlines For America, tmfassociates.com, United States, The Seattle Times, CNN, Washington Post, CNBC, New York Times, Reuters, Newser, Tech Xplore, Silicon Republic, PhoneArena, and NBC News
Tweets: @byerussell, @diogomonica, @jeffnolan, @reuters, @reuters, @kpottermn, @hackylawyer, @k0lwc, and @mytechmusings
| Hannah Lang / Reuters: |
Revolut launches commission-free stock trading in the US, allowing users to trade shares of 1,100+ securities listed on NYSE and Nasdaq — Britain-based digital banking app Revolut launched commission-free stock trading in the United States on Wednesday, a move that will see it compete …
More:
CNET, Finbold, Finextra, Bloomberg, and TechCrunch
| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Israeli startup Personetics, which helps incumbent banks compete with neobanks by personalizing their customer offerings, raises $85M led by Thoma Bravo — Big banks are under a lot of pressure to modernize their services to meet demands of consumers who now view things like mobile apps … | 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:
CNBC, CNN, Protocol, Forbes, New York Times, New York Post, and BGR India
Tweets: @amydiehl, @lesliefeinzaig, and @davidjeans2
| Rebecca Bellan / TechCrunch: |
Parallel Systems, which builds autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles, comes out of stealth, with a $49.55M Series A, bringing its total funding to $53.15M — Parallel Systems, a company founded by three former SpaceX engineers to build autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles …
More:
Morning Brew, Wall Street Journal, and IEEE Spectrum
| Brandy Betz / CoinDesk: |
iTrustCapital, which lets users of an individual retirement account(IRA) invest in cryptocurrencies, raises a $125M Series A at a post-money valuation of $1.3B+ — The round, led by Left Lane Capital, will help iTrustCapital explore potential acquisitions.| 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:
Gizmodo, Crypto Briefing, PC Gamer, Bitcoin News, Tech.co, xuanling11's Free Newsletter, and CoinGeek
Tweets: @cryptocom, @peckshield, @kris_hk, @anthony, @cryptocom, @cryptocom, @briannawu, @billym2k, @egg_dog, and @juddlegum
| Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch: |
Ambient.ai, which uses AI to process live video footage from security cameras and alert users about any breaches, raises $52M led by a16z — Security — as in “hey you, you can't go in there” — quickly becomes a complex, arguably impossible job once you get past a few buildings and cameras.
More:
VentureBeat
| 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:
SoFi, Office of the Comptroller …, The Block, PYMNTS.com, Crowdfund Insider, and Blockchain News
Tweets: @anthonynoto, @ralexjimenez, @carlquintanilla, @sofi, @apompliano, @openoutcrier, @socialcapital, and @nikesharora
| Emma Betuel / TechCrunch: |
Gale Healthcare, which matches nurses with available work shifts at hospitals or clinics, raises $60M from FTV Capital and says 40K nurses use its service — If there was ever a rubber-meets road moment for six-year-old app Gale Healthcare Solutions, it's probably right now.| Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: |
Lattice, which builds workforce people management tools including for performance reviews and tracking career goals, raises a $175M Series F at a $3B valuation — Lattice, a platform that helps with workforce people management — the ability to carry out performance reviews, employee feedback … | Natasha Mascarenhas / TechCrunch: |
Wheel, which provides tools enabling health providers or employers to offer telehealth services, raises a $150M Series C, bringing its total funding to $216M — When Michelle Davey was first building Wheel, a healthcare platform that helps staff clinical workforces, she had to convince investors … | Arjun Kharpal / CNBC: |
Chinese government data shows domestic smartphone shipments grew 15.9% YoY to 342.8M units in 2021, below the 371.7M smartphones shipped in 2019 — - China domestic smartphone shipments jumped 15.9% year-on-year in 2021 to 342.8 million units, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).| Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat: |
South Africa-based mobile games publisher Carry1st raises a $20M Series A extension led by a16z, the firm's first investment in an Africa-headquartered company — Carry1st has raised $20 million in funding from marquee investors for its mobile game publishing platform targeted at unlocking demand in the African market.
More:
The Block, Bloomberg, Forbes, TechCrunch, Quartz, Cointelegraph, Stuff, Andreessen Horowitz, Hollywood Reporter, and Pocket Gamer.biz
| 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: @marloscmachado, @nytimes, @octonion, @electricalwsop, and @tarunchitra
| 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:
PhoneArena, Android Police, PCMag, Pocketnow, Protocol, Ars Technica, MediaNama, Benzinga, Pocket-lint, XDA Developers, Android Headlines, and BGR India
Tweets: @rkyncl, @thafnine, @tweetsauce, @brodyfoxx, @tracobuttons, and @brodyfoxx
| 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| 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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