Meta Episodes

Facebook news and rumors, including updates on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
Feb. 24, 2021

Wed. 02/24 - Facebook Defends Its Stance In Australia

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 t…
Feb. 23, 2021

Tue. 02/23 – Australia Caves To Facebook

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 NF…
Feb. 18, 2021

Thu – 02/18 – Facebook Calls Australia’s Bluff; Google Pays Off Murdoch

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 …
Feb. 11, 2021

Thu. 02/11 - Facebook Wants To Copy Clubhouse Too.

Facebook wants to copy Clubhouse too, and meanwhile I got to try out Twitter Spaces last night. Did Microsoft make a run at acquiring Pinterest, and would the government let that happen? Is Peacock the sick man of the stream…
Dec. 17, 2020

Thu. 12/17 – The Apple-Facebook Cold War Is Getting Hot

Mommy and Daddy are fighting. This time it’s Apple and Facebook and it’s getting pretty heated. The EU okays Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. Substack has resurrected Google Reader, in spirit at least. And why the new antitru…
Dec. 10, 2020

Thu. 12/10 – The Big Facebook Antitrust Cases, Explained

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 fi…
Nov. 20, 2020

Fri. 11/20 – Facebook And Apple Trade Schoolyard Taunts

Facebook and Apple are calling each other names again. “Privacy Thief!” “Monopolist!” And why we might see more of this in the coming years. Roblox files maybe the most exciting S-1 of this IPO batch. Stadia is going to work…
Nov. 5, 2020

Thu. 11/05 - WhatsApp Gets Disappearing Messages Ten Years After Snapchat!

WhatsApp gets disappearing messages ten years after Snapchat! A new entry-level, ultra-lightweight drone from DJI. Productivity laptops are getting interesting designs, ala gaming laptops. Ethereum 2.0 is coming. How and why…
Sept. 16, 2020

Wed. 09/16 – Facebook Unveils The Oculus Quest 2

Facebook unveils the Oculus Quest 2, as a part of its Facebook Connect (formerly Oculus Connect) event. Amazon Music gets podcasts. Spotify puts the Apple One bundle on blast. Developers have found yet another reason to get …
Sept. 10, 2020

Thu. 09/10 – “Campus” Is Facebook, But For College Kids (Insert Joke Here)

Facebook goes back to its roots by going back to school with Campus. The Long-Term Stock Exchange is ready for its closeup. The former head of the NSA is joining Amazon’s board. The second-gen Motorola Razr is here. And an i…
Aug. 19, 2020

Wed. 08/19 – You Won’t Be Able To Use An Oculus Without A Facebook Account

Soon you can only use an Oculus if you have a Facebook account. But bizarrely, the Facebook Portal (along with the Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max) is opening up to Zoom. Netflix is testing a “shuffle play” feature. Blackb…
July 28, 2020

Tue. 07/28 – Instagram Is Making TikTok-ers An Offer (They Hope) They Can’t Refuse

What to expect from tomorrow’s Big Tech Congressional testimony. Instagram is trying to woo TikTok stars. Qualcomm has some amazing new quick charge tech. Roblox continues to look like the next big thing. And Deadspin—the tr…
July 8, 2020

Wed. 07/08 – Facebook Fails Its Own Audit

Facebook fails its own civil rights audit. Details of the new Thunderbolt 4 standard. Details on the new Snapdragon chip. Unpacking what might be in store for the newly announced Samsung Unpacked event. And not an interestin…
June 12, 2020

Fri. 06/12 – Why Chris Cox Returning to Facebook is Such A Big Deal

Twitter takes down a bunch of accounts it says are government propaganda. UK regulators are gonna take a hard look at Facebook’s Giphy acquisition. I explain, in depth, why Chris Cox returning to Facebook is such a big deal.…
June 1, 2020

Mon. 06/01 – The Facebook Walkout

What I believe is the first ever walkout in Facebook history, the biggest acquisition in Zynga history, Samsung Access is an interesting ARR play to get ahead of an Apple Prime subscription, and an Android event this week wa…