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(TWTR SPC) Black Widow Math And Fleets Fade Away Jul 17, 2021

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Bloomberg's @Lucas_Shaw comes on to explain the math of that Black Widow stream release story from Monday. Then @alexeheath from the Verge explains the death of Fleets, the creator thirst at Facebook and then we all get into the questioning the real value/process of Twitter verification.

Fri. 07/16 – Can Intel Acquire Its Way Back Into Contention? Jul 16, 2021

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Intel is considering a major acquisition to leapfrog back into semi-conductor contention. Valve releases its long rumored hardware device. Why they were able to make a deep face of Anthony Bourdain’s voice. And of course, the weekend longread suggestions.

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Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

THE GAME MAKERS AND ARTISTS PUSHING ROBLOX TO ITS LIMITS (The Verge)
Obscure Cyber Agency Becomes Nemesis of China's Tech Giants (Bloomberg)
Tiger Global vs. SoftBank: Inside the investing playbooks that upended Silicon Valley (Protocol)
Moderna’s Next Act Is Using mRNA vs. Flu, Zika, HIV, and Cancer (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Thu. 07/15 – Oh Yeah. It Definitely Looks Like Netflix Is Getting Into Gaming. Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

Netflix hires a big name gaming executive. Twitter retires Fleets. Facebook wants to make it rain for creators. TSMC says the chip shortage is starting to ease. Amazon launches serialized storytelling. And one of the biggest unicorns in the world, just 6x’d in less than a year.

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Netflix Plans to Offer Video Games in Push Beyond Films, TV (Bloomberg)
Twitter is shutting down Fleets, its expiring tweets feature (The Verge)
Facebook plans to pay creators $1 billion to use its products. (NYTimes)
TSMC Expects Auto-Chip Shortage to Abate This Quarter (WSJ)
Amazon launches its mobile-first Kindle Vella serialized story platform (Engadget)
Revolut confirms a fresh $800M in funding at a $33B valuation (TechCrunch)

Wed. 07/14 – Did Apple Deep-Six 69? (NOT Nice!) Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Bunch of Apple news. A new “buy now, pay later” service. A MagSafe battery pack. Is content moderation a hot new area for startups? Facebook groups can now get actual designated experts. REvil has suddenly gone dark. And why does iOS seemingly find 69 degrees Fahrenheit to be NOT nice!

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Apple, Goldman Plan ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Service to Rival Affirm (Bloomberg)
Apple Seeks Up to 20% Increase in New iPhone Production for 2021 (Bloomberg)
Apple releases MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12, available now for $99 (9to5Mac)
Discord buys Sentropy, which makes AI software that fights online harassment (TechCrunch)
Amazon Acquires Facebook’s Satellite Internet Group (The Information)
Facebook's groups to highlight experts (CNET)
REvil ransomware gang's web sites mysteriously shut down (BleepingComputer)
Apple’s weather app won’t say it’s 69 degrees (The Verge)

Link to today's Twitter space at 3pm eastern!

Tue. 07/13 – Bribe Or Bot Your Way To Twitter Verification? Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

If Twitter verification is now run by humans, how did so many obvious bot accounts get verified? Why you might start seeing brand logos in your emails, and why that’s actually a good thing. Biden's non-compete clause executive order is a big deal for Big Tech. And a look at the absurdity of the right to repair situation when it comes to gadgets you own.

Links:

Twitter verified a number of bot accounts—raising questions about security (updated) (DailyDot)
Gmail deploys support BIMI security standard (The Record)
Android 12 adds ‘Game dashboard’ and ‘Play as You Download’ in Google Play Store (9to5Google)
Ring’s end-to-end encryption is rolling out globally (The Verge)
Disney Plans to Raise ESPN Plus’ Monthly and Annual Subscription Costs (Variety)
Biden's non-compete clause executive order is a big deal for Big Tech (Input Magazine)
Biden Executive Order on Non-Competes Could Roil Tech (Bloomberg)
Apple AirPod batteries are almost impossible to replace, showing the need for right-to-repair reform (CNBC)
Tesla’s $16,000 Quote for a $700 Fix Is Why Right to Repair Matters (The Drive)

Link to the Twitter space, tomorrow (07/14) at 4pm eastern

Mon. 07/12 – Is InfoSec The New Fintech? Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

Is InfoSec the new Fintech when it comes to investor hotness? Did ByteDance make the right move by putting its IPO on ice? Why Amazon looks like it’s going heavy into the sleep gadget game. Why the EU is postponing its digital tax initiative. And why Black Widow’s release this weekend is giving Hollywood streaming hope.

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Thu. 07/08 – The States Go After Google First Jul 08, 2021

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State Attorneys General file an antitrust suit against Google. But why them, first? Visa wants you to spend crypto via their platform. Fintech leads a record first half of the year for VC raises. And if payment for order flow were nixed by the SEC, what would that do to Robinhood?

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36 states, D.C. sue Google for alleged antitrust violations in its Android app store (Politico)
Visa is partnering with over 50 crypto companies to allow clients to spend and convert digital currencies (Markets Insider)
OnePlus confirms the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro throttle many popular apps to improve battery life (XDA Developers)
Global Venture Funding Hits All-Time High In First Half Of 2021, With $288B Invested (Crunchbase News)
London fintech funding soars in first half of the year (Reuters)
Twitter Pledges to ‘Fully Comply’ With India Internet Rules (Bloomberg)
Robinhood’s Debut Is Clouded by SEC Scrutiny of Payment for Order Flow (Wall Street Journal)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg’s Partnership Did Not Survive Trump (New York Times)
The U.S. says humans will always be in control of AI weapons. But the age of autonomous war is already here. (Washington Post)
GitHub Copilot is not infringing your copyright (Julia Reda)
Ireland’s Days as a Tax Haven May Be Ending, but Not Without a Fight (New York Times)

Wed. 07/07 – Pentagon, RE: The JEDI Contract: Jkjkjkjkjk Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

The Pentagon wants a do-over for that JEDI contract. YC wants to do Tinder but for founder matchmaking. Amazon open sources its gaming engine. How about NFT’s but for the stock market? And if you think China is cracking down on tech companies, wait till you hear how they want to regulate when and how kids can play videogames.

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Tue. 07/06 – New Nintendo Switch (Finally/Kinda) Jul 06, 2021

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Nintendo finally announces the new Switch, but how new is it really? What the heck is happening with Didi and China? REvil strikes again, and what that might mean for the hacking situation going forward. And on a day of big geopolitical news, might big tech platforms be chased out of India and Hong Kong because their employees are in danger of being sent to jail?

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Nintendo Switch OLED model will go on sale October 8th for $350 (The Verge)
Chinese Regulators Suggested Didi Delay Its U.S. IPO (Wall Street Journal)
Didi Shows China’s Tech Giants Must First Answer to Beijing (Bloomberg)
China’s Big Tech Crackdown Puts Dozens of U.S. IPOs at Risk (Bloomberg)
Hundreds of Businesses, From Sweden to U.S., Affected by Cyberattack (New York Times)
REvil gang asks for $70 million to decrypt systems locked in Kaseya attack (The Record)
Twitter has lost liability protection in India, government says (Tech Crunch)
American Internet Giants Hit Back at Hong Kong Doxxing Law (New York Times)

(SPC CST) The Facebook Antitrust Blowup With @Kantrowitz Jul 03, 2021

Show notes

lex 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.

Hosts:

Check out Alex's Big Technology Newsletter Here

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