Regulation Episodes

Tim Wu joined the Biden administration and that sound you hear is a big collective gulp from Silicon Valley. A tweet undo button has been unearthed. Turntable.fm has resurfaced. New data suggests the death of silicon valley has been exaggerated. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.Sponsors:Audible.com/techmeme or text techmeme to 500-500Links:A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House (NYTimes)Here’s what Twitter’s rumored ‘undo send’ feature could look like (The Verge)Turntable.fm is back from the dead — and now there are two (The Verge)Survey finds that the reported exodus of tech companies from San Francisco's Bay Area is 'greatly exaggerated' (Insider)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:The problem for Paramount+ (and every other streamer)? Everyone already has Netflix. (Recode)Who Really Writes Twitter’s ‘Trending’ Summaries (OneZero)Blockchain, QR codes and your phone: the race to build vaccine passports (Protocol)How a tiny startup is reinventing the …

The Biden administration signs an executive order addressing the chip shortage. I’ll tell you why this is evolving into a big deal. Coinbase files its S-1 so we get to look under the hood of their business for the first time. Paramount+ reveals pricing and content details for the first time. And timely interesting raises in the Ethereum space which means: NFTs.Sponsors:Oracle.com/goto/rideFlatFile.ioLinks:Biden Orders Broad Supply-Chain Review Amid Chip Shortages (WSJ)Coinbase Reveals $322M in Profit For 2020 Ahead of Landmark Public Debut (Decrypt)ViacomCBS bets you will subscribe to 5 or more streaming services, leaving plenty of room for Paramount+ (CNBC)Verizon Leads 5G Airwave Bidding With Record $45 Billion Splurge (Bloomberg)NFT marketplace Sorare raises $50 million in Series A led by Benchmark (The Block)Ethereum scaling startup Optimism raises $25 million Series A led by a16z (The Block)Otter.ai raises $50 million for AI transcription (VentureBeat)

Uber has lost one of its most significant independent contractor battles, in this case, in the UK. The Android 12 Developer Preview is here. Office 2021 is coming. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.Sponsors:AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECHTovala.com/rideLinks:Uber loses a major employment rights case as the UK’s top court rules its drivers are workers (CNBC)Android 12 developer preview is available now with many under-the-hood updates (The Verge)Apple Is Working on Magnetic Battery Pack Attachment for IPhones (Bloomberg)Microsoft announces Office 2021, available for Windows and macOS later this year (The Verge)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:The Bizarre Reaction To Facebook's Decision To Get Out Of The News Business In Australia (TechDirt)Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin)Why the three biggest vaccine makers failed on Covid-19 (Financial Times)Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design (Ars Techn…

Maybe… the whole TikTok kabuki theater is at its endpoint. Salesforce thinks the whole concept of the “9-to-5 workday” is at its endpoint. More smoke around the Apple Goggles fire. Why you need to get hip to the concept of non-fungible tokens. And why cops have gotten hip to playing Sublime songs to prevent you from filming them.Sponsors:EditorX.comTinyCapital.comLinks:TikTok Sale to Oracle, Walmart Is Shelved as Biden Reviews Security (WSJ)Salesforce declares the 9-to-5 workday dead, will let some employees work remotely from now on (The Verge)Apple reportedly developing next-gen ultra-thin displays for AR devices with TSMC (The Verge)How Did A LeBron James Video Highlight Sell For $71,455? A Look At A Burgeoning Product Called NBA Top Shot. (Forbes)Biggest Ever NFT Sale Made as 'Axie Land’ Goes for $1.5 Million (Decrypt)Microsoft launches Bulletins and Milestones apps for Teams (Windows Central)Apple Maps Adds Waze-Like Features in iOS 14.5 for Crowdsourcing Accidents, Speed Tr…

The Chinese Communist Party is throwing serious cold water on its entire tech sector by continuing to target Jack Ma. Did Elon Musk once try to sell Tesla to Apple? Drones are getting digital license plates, of a sort. And a look at the generation of search engine startups hoping to, you know, maybe strike at Google while the antitrust iron is hot.Sponsors:Tovala.com/rideGetRoman.com/techmemeLinks:Beijing launches antitrust investigation into Alibaba (Financial Times) China Tells Ant to Return to Its Payment Roots, Places Curbs (Bloomberg) Alibaba Probe Stirs Global Worry on What’s Next for Chinese Tech (Bloomberg) Kuo: Apple Car Still in Early Stages, Unlikely to Launch Until 2025-2027 at Earliest (MacRumors) Drone-Crowded Skies Get One Step Closer With U.S. Security Rules (Bloomberg)Search engine start-ups try to take on Google (Financial Times) Covid-19 Propelled Businesses Into the Future. Ready or Not. (WSJ)

Drone maker DJI is blacklisted by the commerce department. Group video comes to Echo devices. Twitter launches Spaces. Sony offers refunds for Cyberpunk 2077. Coinbase files to go public. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.Sponsors:Masterworks.io, promocode RIDE to skip the waitlistCalderalab.com use code TECHMEME (all one word, all caps) at checkout Links: US government adds DJI to Commerce blacklist over ties to Chinese government (The Verge) Amazon launches group video and audio calling for Echo devices (The Verge) Twitter launches its voice-based ‘Spaces’ social networking feature into beta testing (TechCrunch) Sony is pulling Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store and offering full refunds (The Verge) Source Code newsletter A moment of reckoning: the need for a strong and global cybersecurity response (Microsoft Blog) Coinbase announces IPO in a milestone for the crypto industry (Fortune)Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Where Tech Workers Are Moving: New L…

Europe’s big new regulatory regime for big tech. More fallout from what looks like the biggest hack our government has ever seen. The FTC asks basically everyone in tech how they get their data. A ‘faraday fabric’ that can serve as an invisibility cloak for radio waves. An interesting raise to make exoskeletons. And a review of the new all electric Ford Mustang. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Tech Giants Face New Rules in Europe, Backed by Huge Fines (WSJ) FTC or...

I try to give you the outlines of the Facebook antitrust thing, and what it might mean for tech. Airbnb makes its market debut. Crunchyroll finds a safe home away from AT&T. I bet folks at HBO are jealous. Boston Dynamics finds a new guardian as well, that hopefully can find something useful for it to do. And it really is, finally, the end of the road for Flash.Sponsors:Amazon.com/ridehomeTinycapital.comLinks: The FTC is suing Facebook to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp (The ...

Californians pass Proposition 22, and voters in Massachusetts strike a blow for the right to repair. You no longer need a phone to listen to Spotify on your watch. And why Walmart might partner with Comcast to make TVs, countries might force Netflix to produce content inside their own borders, and Hollywood is losing visual effects talent to Silicon Valley. Sponsors: Canva.me/ride Metalab.co Links: Uber, Lyft Win California Bid to Keep Drivers as Contractors (Bloomberg) Massachusetts voters pass...

The House has released its big antitrust report on big tech. Facebook has banned Qanon everywhere it can. DDR5 chips are finally here. Shogun is an interesting raise. And could a VR infinity treadmill be the next home workout hit, AND the first step to Star Trek’s holodeck? Sponsors: Monday.com/ride Wipers123.com Promocode: RIDE Links: House Democrats say Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, Apple enjoy ‘monopoly power’ and recommend big changes (CNBC) House Lawmakers Condemn Big Tech’s ‘Monopoly Power’ ...

It looked like we had a TikTok deal the president liked. Then ByteDance went and pointed out they still had control. Now, I dunno where we’re at. Microsoft buys Bethesda. The founder of Nikola steps down in murky circumstances. And Amazon wants to use your Echo and Tile devices for a true Internet of Things network. Sponsors: Amazon.com/techmeme PayPal App Links: Trump Blesses Oracle’s TikTok Deal, Delays App Store Ban (Bloomberg) TikTok deal hit by confusion over who will own and control the ap...

The Commerce Department officially has brought the hammer down. WeChat is banned on Sunday. TikTok banned on Sunday too, but it’s complicated. PayTM is banned from the Google Play Store in India. Facebook decides that Facebook is too toxic for its own workers to use. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme PayPal App Links: Trump to block downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday (CNBC) Google pulls India's Paytm app from Play Store for repeat policy violati...

The Attorney General seems to want an antitrust case against Google within weeks. Apple has delayed the Ad-pocalypse. Why the games industry is where Epic has all the leverage against Apple. Will a new display tech bridge the gap between e-ink and traditional displays? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Justice Dept. Plans to File Antitrust Charges Against Google in Coming Weeks (NYTimes) Apple to Delay iOS Change Roil...

Uber’s former CSO charged with obstruction of justice, becoming the first tech executive ever charged for a security incident. A legend of the Amazon C suite is leaving next year. Epic Games continues to gleefully poke Apple in the eye. How Apple is cutting 5G costs in the iPhone 12. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co Today In Digital Marketing Podcast Links: Former Uber Security Chief Charged With Concealing Hack (NYTimes) Uber and Lyft Get Reprieve After Thr...

Facebook has removed tons of stuff from what it calls US-based militia organizations. Airbnb has filed for its IPO. Cobalt is an interesting raise. But also, some new tech might remove cobalt for better batteries. DoorDash launches grocery delivery. And is Palantir the first high profile company to flee Silicon Valley? Sponsors: Metalab.co BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Facebook Removes 790 QAnon Groups to Fight Conspiracy Theory (NYTimes) Facebook restricts more than 10,000 QAnon and US militia grou...

Why I think regulatory impact for Big Tech is maybe inevitable. Amazon seems to be sniffing around Rackspace. The first “mass produced” smartphone with a camera underneath the display? An ex-Googler says Google Cloud’s deprecation policy is maddening. And why you can’t watch the movie Cocoon, even if you want to. Sponsors: ExtraHop.com/techmeme Metalab.co Links: Google says Australian news rule threatens free search services (Financial Times) Exclusive: Amazon in talks to invest in cloud service...

The President officially signs an order to block ByteDance AND Tencent. Apple confirms the reasons why xCloud and Stadia aren’t coming to iOS any time soon. Uber is now, officially, more burrito delivery company than taxi company. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Today In Digital Marketing Podcast DoubleUp.Agency Links: Trump will prohibit transactions with ByteDance beginning September 20th in apparent TikTok ban (The Verge) Mark Zuckerberg Says A Ban On TikTok Would ...

Will the US Government’s “Clean Network” plan lead to the definitive fracturing of the Internet we’ve all feared? Nintendo is killing it thanks to Covid and Animal Crossing. Are Samsung’s new earbuds actually Cool Beans? You no longer have to pay Apple $700 to put wheels on your Mac Pro. And why wireless charging could be a global environmental disaster waiting to happen. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency BlueNile.com code: RIDE Links: Trump administration wants to see ‘untrusted’ Chinese apps like TikT...

TikTok has not been banned by Trump, but it came close this weekend. Microsoft almost walked away from buying TikTok this weekend, but it looks like it’s back on board and might buy non-Chinese TikTok operations soon. Google invests in ADT. The new Pixel 4As are here. And a profile of the alleged teenaged Twitter hack mastermind who has now been arrested. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Kiwico.com/ride Links: Inside the Microsoft Talks to Buy TikTok’s U.S. Business (WSJ) Microsoft to continue discussi...

A comprehensive rundown of the big tech testimony in Congress yesterday. Don’t worry. I tried to keep it brief. Are seller fees quietly twice as big a business for Amazon as AWS is? There’s a new king of the smartphone hill as Huawei surpasses Samsung. And I think we can officially say that the Peacock launch has been a success. Sponsors: Today In Digital Marketing podcast Metalab.co Links: ‘INSTAGRAM CAN HURT US’: MARK ZUCKERBERG EMAILS OUTLINE PLAN TO NEUTRALIZE COMPETITORS (The Verge) Report:...

A rundown of what the big tech CEO’s told Congress this afternoon. Are Samsung and Google about to get a lot more integrated? The biggest news in the ongoing streaming media transformation of Hollywood. Buying out TikTok is going to be pretty expensive. And Shopify’s earnings blow the roof off the place. Sponsors: Metalab.co MintMobile.com/ride Links: Watch Cook, Bezos, Pichai and Zuckerberg testify in Big Tech antitrust hearing — live updates and analysis (CNBC) Google in Talks to Take Over Mor...

TikTok pulls it’s app completely for the Hong Kong market. But could the US ban TikTok in the US market? And India shows us what happens when TikTok gets banned. Palantir is about to IPO. A new video compression standard is actually a big deal. And Alphabet’s Loon “moonshot” hits a major milestone. Sponsors: Doubleup.agency LinkedIn.com/ride Links: TikTok to pull out of Hong Kong (Axios) U.S. is ‘looking at’ banning TikTok and Chinese social media apps, Pompeo says (CNBC) India’s TikTok shutdown...

Zuckerberg has told Facebook staff he’s not overly worried about the boycotts. The Fab 4 CEOs of the biggest tech companies (minus Microsoft) all have a date to testify before Congress later this month. Police hacked an encrypted phone network popular with mafia types and the results won’t surprise you. And also, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Jordan Harbinger Show Links: Zuckerberg Tells Facebook Staff He Expects Advertisers to Return ‘Soon Enough’ (The Information)...

It’s regulation news day. The EU might be about to file antitrust charges against Amazon and California officially labeled Uber and Lyft workers as employees. Amazon also hit pause on its facial recognition tech as it waits for Congress to set some ground rules. Photoshop Camera is an interesting app, and Postman is an interesting raise. Sponsors: Go.Rims.org/ridehome Metlab.co CognitoHQ.com/techmeme Links: Amazon to Face Antitrust Charges From EU Over Treatment of Third-Party Sellers (WSJ) Amaz...