Meta Episodes

The Facebook whistleblower reveals her identity on 60 Minutes. You can preorder the Apple Watch Series 7 this week. New MacBook Pros could still be coming “this month.” Apple is actually the biggest force in the gaming industry, by far. And signs of a product shipping renaissance at YouTube.

Facebook finally releases the controversial slides to let them speak for themselves, but doesn’t actually let them speak for themselves. A 4K Nintendo Switch was apparently coming, but now is it never coming? Nreal has some AR glasses for binge watching. And Fairphone has released a smartphone that they want you to think of as your “forever phone.” At least, as far as these things go.

Adam Mosseri pumps the breaks on Instagram Kids but still says it’s a good idea. Tesla is letting people into the “full self-driving” beta, and some folks think that’s a bad idea. Apple knows about that Apple Watch bug. What if the factories are the next worries in China. And Cloudflare wants to tackle email now.

While I was off observing my wedding anniversary, your host @chrismessina spoke with @justinhendrix and @AuthorPMBarrett about Facebook's recent controversies as well as their own research into social media and political polarization.

A deep dive summary of the rolling Facebook controversies this week from the ongoing Wall Street Journal reporting. Apple and Google remove an app from Russian opposition after their employees were threatened in that country? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions, this time with extra NFT goodness.

Facebook launches some smart glasses. Amazon launches its own, branded smart tv. Soccer players are turning into NFTs. Twitter is turning into Reddit. And I still have questions about the whole Buy Now, Pay Later space.

Headlines out of time: Amazon wants to do department stores. Google partners with GE Appliances. But Intel continues to look to the future with its new hybrid architecture chips. Facebook wants your next conference call to take place in VR. And has Robinhood put all its eggs in the Doge basket?

A look at how all the platforms are dealing with the Taliban being a modern social media enterprise. Amazon is bigger than Walmart for the first time. Samsung stops cluttering its phones with ads. Attempting to hire the hacker who hacked you. And I get my answer to why all the platforms want to protect kids all the sudden.

Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter comes on to try to help us work out what happened with that Facebook Antitrust case blowup. Also, what does this mean for regulating other companies.

Instagram and TikTok are on a collision course. Instagram wants to be more like TikTok, while TikTok hopes to move the goalposts first. Amazon wants Lina Khan to recuse herself. Big tech is not only taking over advertising, it’s consolidating it. And anyone can get their hands on Starlink next month, but not everyone might want to.

Facebook launches its Substack clone. Emphasis on clone. Shopify joins the platform tax wars by going to zero. A truce between Microsoft and Google has just lapsed. A big raise in the drone space. And would you pay to get actual search results instead of ads?

A judge has completely thrown out the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook and sent them back to the drawing board. Microsoft and OpenAI and Github have a tool that will suggest code to you as you code. And Sam Altman, as I understand this, wants to do Universal Basic Income on the blockchain. But first, he wants to scan your eyeball.

Facebook’s Clubhouse clone rolls out. Here’s how it works. China really does seem to be cracking down on Bitcoin mining. Here’s why that could be important. Some power companies in Texas are remotely adjusting the smart thermostats of users. Here’s why that’s likely the future of things. And had you heard of cyclic propulsion aircraft before? I hadn’t. Let me tell you about it.

Facebook is bringing ads to Virtual Reality cause, why not, right? Stories are coming to the Xbox. Why is Google downsizing it’s healthcare team? Why are music artists flooding to Twitch? And is Facebook cornering the VR market like it cornered social media?

All the headlines from Facebook’s F8 Refresh. Etsy buys a used clothes marketplace. Another ransomware attack shutting down a major player in a vital industry, this time, literally in the meat-space. And you can start trading Dogecoin on Coinbase tomorrow.

Facebook’s Oversight Board upholds the Trump account suspension. Signal trolls Facebook using its own ad system. An appeals court has ruled that Section 230 does not apply to app design. Kind of. It’s complicated. And the not complicated reason why some exchanges can’t tell you the price of Berkshire Hathaway stock right now. Think: partying like it’s 1999.

Facebook rolls out that Spotify integration. Roku accuses Google of making anticompetitive demands for YouTube TV. iOS 14.5 rolls out, and with it that App Tracking Transparency tool. Apple plans a big new campus in North Carolina. And DoNotPay’s latest service helps protect your selfies from the global panopticon.

Mon. 04/19 – Facebook To Announce Going Big On Audio, Via Audio?Facebook has probably just outlined its plans to go big on audio, via a digital audio room. Clubhouse has officially announced that big new raise, probably in reaction to that, to some degree, A16Z did indeed triple down, and I try to outline all the threads for you. Britain might block ARM’s sale to Nvidia. And what to expect from tomorrow’s Apple event.Sponsors:Masterworks.io promocode ride Fundrise.com/techmemeLinks:Facebook plans to go after Clubhouse — and podcasts — with a suite of new audio products (Vox)Clubhouse closes an undisclosed $4B valuation Series C round, as tech giants’ clones circle (Tech Crunch)UK invokes national security to investigate Nvidia's ARM deal (Reuters)Tencent's Ma dangles billions in aid as antitrust scrutiny grows (Bloomberg)Microsoft’s xCloud beta arrives on iOS and PC this week (The Verge)What to Expect From Apple's April 20 Event: New iPads, AirTags and More (Mac Rumors)

Facebook has announced News Feed changes to bring chronology back. LinkedIn is working on a Clubhouse rival and I think that makes total sense. Apple actually leads an interesting investment round. Deliveroo has a disastrous first day on the public markets. And how about Roblox, but inside the Unreal Engine?Sponsors:PingIdentity.comTinyCapital.comLinks:Facebook Adds New 'Most Recent' Timeline to Switch to Chronological Posts (MacRumors)LinkedIn confirms it’s working on a Clubhouse rival, too (TechCrunch)Apple invests $50M into music distributor UnitedMasters alongside A16z and Alphabet (TechCrunch)Android sends 20x more data to Google than iOS sends to Apple, study says (ArsTechnica)Deliveroo drags on the LSE; closes down 44% on debut (TechCrunch)Maker of NBA Top Shot Scores $305 Million in New Funding (WSJ)ConsenSys Lines Up Damien Hirst to Launch New NFT Art Protocol (Decrypt)Manticore Games raises $100M for user-generated games in the ‘multiverse’ (GamesBeat)RideHome+ Feed:…

It’s app platform product news day! Instagram is working on a version of the service suitable for kids. Twitter wants you to watch YouTube in-stream. Telegram is basically adding all the Clubhouse features I’ve been dreaming of. Was an anti-Apple rebel alliance born last night in a Clubhouse room? Why China is banning Tesla in some cases. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.Sponsors:EditorX.comMolekule.com, code "techmeme" at checkout to save as much as $120!Links:Facebook Is Building An Instagram For Kids Under The Age Of 13 (BuzzFeed News)Twitter begins testing a way to watch YouTube videos from the home timeline on iOS (TechCrunch)Telegram takes on Clubhouse with Voice Chat 2.0 (XDA Developers)Zuckerberg: Facebook may actually be in a ‘stronger position’ after Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes (CNBC)China to Restrict Tesla Use by Military and State Employees (WSJ)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:The End of Silicon Valley as We Know It? (O'Reilly)Moore's Law for Every…

Instagram launches Live Rooms for group broadcasts, which, depending on how you use it is either basically FaceTime for Instagram, or another shot across the Clubhouse bow. Is the micromobility space revving up to roar back to health? Are US-based drone makers about to step into the void left by DJI? And Chris Dixon tries to contextualize NFTs for us.Sponsors:SmartAsset.com/techmemeTinyCapital.comLinks:Instagram launches ‘Live Rooms’ for live broadcasts with up to four creators (TechCrunch)Verizon support says you should turn off 5G to save your phone’s battery (The Verge)Lime says it will spend $50 million on a huge e-bike expansion (The Verge)Skydio valuation raises American hopes in drone war with China (Financial Times)Klarna Valued at $31 Billion After U.S. Growth Stoked Investors (Bloomberg)As BNPL startups raise, a look at Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay earnings (TechCrunch Extra)NFTs and a Thousand True Fans (Chris Dixon/Andreessen Horowitz)

Facebook defends its stance in Australia. MicroStrategy doubles down on its stance vis-à-vis bitcoin. Is “Sign In With Apple” the new stick the antitrust folks might use to beat Apple with? But conversely, have you noticed that social networking has gotten hella competitive lately? What does that mean for anti-trust arguements vis-à-vis Facebook. Oh, and a skateboard for AR glasses.Flatfile.ioAirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECHLinks:The Real Story of What Happened With News on Facebook in Australia (Facebook Newsroom)Facebook got everything it wanted out of Australia by being willing to do what the other guy wouldn’t (Nieman Lab)MicroStrategy Buys $1 Billion More Bitcoin, Totalling $4.5 Billion (Decrypt)HP is buying gaming accessory brand HyperX for $425 million (The Verge)Apple’s App Sign-in Button Becomes Hot-Button Issue in U.S. Antitrust Probe (The Information)How social networks got competitive again (Casey Newton's Platformer)VCs are chasing Hopin upwards of $5-6B val…

Australia caves in to Facebook. PlayStation is planning a big new push in VR. The Mate X2 keeps the foldable dream alive. The weird new malware infecting Apple Silicon Macs. And let’s use NBA Top Shot as a lens to explain NFTs.Sponsors:Kiwico.com promocode: rideEditorX.comLinks:Facebook to reverse news ban on Australian sites, government to make amendments to media bargaining code (ABC.net.au)PlayStation CEO says PS5 will get its own VR headset, explains console supply chain shortfall (Washington Post)Huawei’s Mate X2 foldable adopts Samsung’s dual-screen design (The Verge)Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models With HDMI Port and SD Card Reader to Launch Later This Year (MacRumors)New malware found on 30,000 Macs has security pros stumped (ArsTechnica)Inside 'NBA Top Shot,' the Digital Highlights Marketplace Worth Millions (Bleacher Report)

I’ll do my best to explain this Australia situation with Facebook and Google. SpaceX is our interesting raise today. Nvidia unveils a line of chips just for crypto. Does Apple want to set the standards for 6G? And if remote work is the future, why is Big Tech still building so much office space?Sponsors:Uber.com/techmemeTovala.com/rideLinks:Facebook restricts users, publishers from sharing news content in Australia (AP)Facebook calls Australia's bluff (Platformer)SpaceX Funding Round at $74 Billion Valuation Was Led by Sequoia (Bloomberg)NVIDIA Annoucnes CMP 30HX, 40HX, 50HX and 90HX GPUs For Mining, Cripples Hash Rate Of RTX 3060 (WCCFTech)Apple Hiring Engineers to Develop 6G Wireless (Bloomberg)If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building? (Wired)