Techmeme
March 3, 2022, 1:35 PM

Top News

Andrew Rummer / The Block:
Ukraine's Mykhailo Fedorov abruptly cancels the planned crypto airdrop, saying the country will sell NFTs to raise funds instead  —  Ukraine's government abruptly canceled its planned crypto airdrop and said it would instead sell NFTs to raise funds following last week's Russian invasion.
Scott Chipolina / Decrypt:
Elliptic: Ukraine has received over $50M in crypto donations across 89K+ assets since February 26; blockchain data shows $10M in BTC and $16M in ETH donations  —  The Ukrainian crypto crowdfunding effort has now exceeded $50 million, through almost 90,000 separate donations.
Olga Kharif / Bloomberg:
A group of 35 former employees at crypto startup incubator ConsenSys allege “serious irregularities” in Swiss court over an asset transfer and demand an audit  —  A group of former employees of the ConsenSys AG is alleging “serious irregularities” at the startup incubator that owns …
MK Manoylov / The Block:
MetaMask users in Venezuela say they can no longer access the crypto wallet; a MetaMask support page says it is unavailable due to “legal compliance”  —  Users of MetaMask based in Venezuela say they can no longer access the popular digital asset wallet.
Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
Google and Tripadvisor block users from posting new reviews to some listings in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus after people used them to share news about Ukraine  —  Alphabet Inc.'s Google Maps and the travel search platform Tripadvisor Inc. temporarily blocked users from posting new reviews …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Spotify closes its office in Russia “indefinitely” and removes all content from RT and Sputnik in the EU and other markets, except for Russia  —  Spotify has taken several steps in response to Russia's military attack on Ukraine, including closing its offices in Russia “indefinitely.”
New York Times:
A look at Friends With Benefits, an a16z-backed DAO with a buzz-fueled social club, which attracts artists and investors but faces problems with its elitism  —  Friends With Benefits is a V.I.P. lounge for crypto's creative class.  Is it empty hype or the future of friendship?
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Prominent open source advocate Miguel de Icaza is leaving Microsoft, which he joined in 2016 when it acquired Xamarin  —  Former Xamarin cofounder Miguel de Icaza is leaving Microsoft, the company he joined through acquisition just over six years ago.  —  Well-known open source advocate …
Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg:
Analysis: Twitch has lost at least six executives alongside 60+ employees during 2022; sources say Twitch is losing touch with its core focus on streamers  —  Twitch, the popular site where people go to watch other people play video games, has lost at least six top employees since the beginning of the year …
Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:
Many Ukrainian tech workers, unable to leave the country, have relocated to the Lviv tech hub, with some volunteering for Ukraine's ad hoc hacking army  —  Many companies in Ukraine's IT industry relocate staff, who have continued to ship code for clients  —  Amid an increasingly violent …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter will expand its Birdwatch fact-checking feature to “a small and randomized” set of US users for feedback, after testing it since January 2021  —  Twitter says it's expanding access to Birdwatch, its community-based fact-checking initiative first revealed in October 2020.
Joseph Cox / VICE:
The GitHub repository for Meta's open source library React is being spammed with anti-US and anti-Ukrainian comments in English and Mandarin  —  “False liberty and democracy make me sick!” one message written in Mandarin reads.  —  Joseph Cox  —  The Github repository for React …
@oracle:
Oracle says it has “already suspended all operations” in Russia, following Ukrainian minister Mykhailo Fedorov's request of Oracle and SAP to do so  —  @FedorovMykhailo @SAP On behalf of Oracle's 150,000 employees around the world and in support of both the elected government of Ukraine and for the people of Ukraine, Oracle Corporation has already suspended all operations in the Russian Federation.
Thomas Claburn / The Register:
David Yaffe-Bellany / New York Times:
A look at anonymity in crypto, as some VCs back founders without learning their names and pseudonymous entrepreneurs control hundreds of millions of dollars  —  Investors give money to pseudonymous developers.  Venture capitalists back founders without learning their real names.
Jennifer Elias / CNBC:
Google tells staff in the Bay Area and other US locations to return to physical offices three days a week starting on April 4, in a shift to a hybrid work model  —  - Google told employees on Wednesday that it expects them to begin returning to physical offices April 4.
Eli Tan / CoinDesk:
Some OpenSea users with Iran-based IP addresses say their accounts were terminated on Thursday, likely due to US sanctions against the Iranian government  —  Twitter users complained about their accounts being deactivated without notice.  —  OpenSea users with Iran-based internet protocol addresses …
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Several US state AGs launch a probe into TikTok, focusing on whether the app's design and operations negatively impact young users' physical or mental health  —  - TikTok is under investigation by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to determine if the popular short-form video …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Snowflake reports Q4 revenue of $383.8M vs. $372.6M est., up 101% YoY, and projected product revenue growth of 65% to 67% across FY 2023; stock drops 15%+  —  - Snowflake's forecast calls for slowing growth in product revenue growth, which makes up most of total revenue.

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More News

Louise Matsakis / NBC News:
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Earlier Picks

Matt Robinson / Bloomberg:
Annie Palmer / CNBC: