Other algorithmic stablecoins are teetering. Meta is cutting back, even when it comes to the Metaverse. Could an Instacart IPO lead us out of this darkness? Disney’s streaming business is holding up. For now. And the AR demo that was the most exciting thing from the I/O keynote yesterday. Sponsors: Ortto.com Links: Terra Crunch Shakes Foundations of Crypto Stablecoin Complex (Bloomberg) Exclusive: Facebook-owner Meta tells hardware staffers to prepare for cutbacks (Reuters) SoftBank Reports Its ...
May 12, 2022•17 min
All the headlines from Google’s I/O keynote this afternoon. The stablecoin fiasco has gotten rapidly worse. More carnage in tech stocks. Is Apple shifting to USB C for the iPhone at long last? And pour one out for the iPod, the product and brand that very much kicked off our modern era of gadgetry. Sponsors: Superside.com/techmeme HubSpot.com Links: Google Maps bringing a new ‘immersive view’ of select cities, Live View’s AR for other apps (9to5Google) Google’s new ‘multisearch’ features hint to...
May 11, 2022•20 min
A major algorithmic stablecoin has lost its peg to the dollar. More concerns of a slowdown as Tiger Global has racked up massive paper losses. Match Group sues Google. Has GDPR crushed the European app economy? Amazon engages mom and pop stores to deliver packages. And an interesting raise that is building the GitHub of machine learning. Sponsors: ConstantContact.com Links: UST Stablecoin Loses Dollar Peg for Second Time in 48 Hours, LUNA Market Cap Falls Below UST's (CoinDesk) Crypto’s Audaciou...
May 10, 2022•17 min
Everything is down, not just tech stocks, but now crypto too. More signs of belt tightening and possible hiring freezes, this time from Uber. Twitter has avoided the overall market route thanks to Elon’s bid, but could the downturn effect that as well? Instagram launches an NFT pilot. And what to expect from Google’s I/O later this week. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride Links: Bitcoin’s Unraveling Hits 50% From Peak With Drop Below $33,000 (Bloomberg) Uber CEO tells staff company will cut down on cos...
May 09, 2022•17 min
With Apple, Google and Microsoft all signed up to offer FIDO Alliance technology, are we about to hear about some big passwordless tech at all the developers conferences this summer? China wants the whole country to turn in their foreign made laptops. Fortnite is available everywhere, including iOS, thanks to Microsoft. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: HubSpot.com Ortto.com Links: Apple, Google, Microsoft Back 'FIDO' Tech to Dump Passwords on Websites and Apps (CNET) ...
May 06, 2022•16 min
Elon gets some friends to join his Twitter deal. And does he expect to be Twitter CEO soon? A Google acquisition shows their metaverse aspirations. Sonos to launch a voice assistant. A hiring slowdown at Meta. How can there be need for layoffs at Cameo? And is anyone other than me and the US Government concerned about quantum computing breaking encryption? Sponsors: HubSpot.com Links: Ellison, Binance and Sequoia back Musk’s $44bn bid for Twitter (FT) Google bought a MicroLED display company tha...
May 05, 2022•17 min
Uber is seeing rider usage return to pre-Covid levels. New, better flash storage. Twitter tests the ability to only tweet to certain circles. An interesting laptop and an interesting raise. And Spotify wants you to hang out, in Roblox. Sponsors: AthleticGreens.com/ride Links: Uber reports surging revenue as drivers return, but posts massive loss on investments (CNBC) NFT Sales Are Flatlining (WSJ) Samsung's UFS 4.0 flash storage is a major upgrade, especially for 5G phones (Android Authority) Tw...
May 04, 2022•18 min
What do you know? Facebook got bored of something and left the market in a bit of a mess. The SEC seems to be staffing up to get serious about crypto. Apple accuses a rival of stealing trade secrets. And it seems like Meta wants to start getting those Metaverse enabling headsets in our hands sooner rather than later. Sponsors: Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup CreditKarma.com Links: Facebook Pulls the Plug on Podcast Business After a Year (Bloomberg) SEC to Hire More Crypto Cops to...
May 03, 2022•16 min
The expected EU hammer is coming down on Apple. Yuga Labs’ latest project didn’t bring down Ethereum, but made it hella expensive. Bots DID bring down Solana. Again. A new book looks at why Jony Ive left Apple. And what the heck is going on with Google and it’s AI researchers? Sponsors: Traceroute Podcast ( Origins.dev for more info) Links: Apple charged by Brussels with abusing its market power in mobile payments (Financial Times) Bored Ape Metaverse Frenzy Raises Millions, Crashes Ethereum (Bl...
May 02, 2022•19 min
(The audio has been fixed in this version) How was the web won and lost? If you had to do Web2.0 over again, what would you do differently? What is the future of Twitter under Elon Musk. All this and more from a huge crew of web 2.0 OGs. Check them out from 15 years ago on YouTube . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 33 min
Snap’s Pixy, is a new sort of done/camera hybrid. We wrap up tech earnings week with Apple and Amazon. I continue to wonder if the one click checkout space is all it’s cracked up to be. And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Ortto.com Masterworks.io/ride Links: Snap announces a mini drone called Pixy (TechCrunch) Snap Pixy Review: Don’t Call It a Drone or a Selfie Stick—Even Though It’s Both (WSJ) Apple Reports Second Quarter Results (BusinessWire) The Twitter Thread With Th...
Apr 29, 2022•20 min
Twitter reports earnings, for maybe the last time, publicly. Meta’s earnings weren’t THAT bad but that’s mostly because the set the table for it. Apple faces antitrust charges in the EU as soon as next week. Another country adopts bitcoin as currency. And would you like a dedicated metaverse room in your next house? Sponsors: Ortto.com Composer.trade/ride Links: Twitter reports user bump, revenue miss for Q1, days after accepting Musk’s takeover bid (CNBC) Twitter miscounted its daily users for ...
Apr 28, 2022•16 min
Quick summation of Alphabet and Microsoft earnings. DJI is trying to prevent its drones from being used in the Ukraine war. Google has released tools to make it easier to spin up your own YouTube. Apple wants you to repair your iPhone yourself. And a deep dive into why autocorrect can’t ducking get it right sometimes. Ducking. I said ducking, which is the iPhone autocorrect version of that word. Sponsors: HubSpot.com discover.upland.me/techmeme Links: Alphabet Announces First Quarter 2022 Result...
Apr 27, 2022•18 min
You did it, you crazy son of a bitch, you did it. You know what that’s referring to, of course. Fidelity lets you allocate some of your 401(k) to bitcoin. More Bored Apes got swiped. And with the F-150 Lightning actually shipping today, another glimpse at the precarious reality of the electric car revolution. Links: Twitter accepts Elon Musk’s buyout deal (CNBC) Elon Musk buys Twitter (Platformer/Casey Newton) From punchline to deal in under 2 weeks: how Elon Musk won his Twitter prize (Financia...
Apr 26, 2022•18 min
By the time you hear these words, Elon Musk might already own Twitter. A big Java vulnerability. All of Mark Gurman’s expectations for the iPhone 14. Where and by how much, tech worker salaries are rising. And why the struggles at Netflix might lead to worse television across the board. Sponsors: HubSpot.com discover.upland.me/techmeme Links: Twitter Eyes Deal With Musk as Soon as Monday (Bloomberg) Analysis: Musk tears up buyout playbook with $46.5 billion Twitter financing (Reuters) Major cryp...
Apr 25, 2022•17 min
Founder Alex Damianou tells us about OpenAxis , which tells stories with data. If a picture tells a thousand words, how many does a chart tell? Easily and beautifully visualize data with an accessible point-and-click, no-code, no-pivot-table tool. Learn more about the Ride Home Fund . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 24, 2022•27 min
The great Julia Alexander ( @loudmouthjulia ) joins us to talk about Netflix's big earnings bomb, CNN+ biting the big one, and the state of the streaming wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 23, 2022•1 hr 27 min
CNN+ only made it, what, 1/8th of a Quibi? There’s blood on the streaming wars dance floor. a16z’s new crypto research lab makes me feel like I have to start covering them like a startup or a conglomerate. More bad news for Meta: they’re way behind in the payments race in India. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: discover.upland.me/techmeme Links: CNN+ Streaming Service Will Shut Down Weeks After Its Start (NYTimes) a16z Crypto is launching an academic research lab focus...
Apr 22, 2022•17 min
Ok. Funding actually secured, Elon? For real this time? A look at Tesla’s good earnings and monster margins. Unions are coming for big tech, it seems. A reckoning is coming for the lightning cable, it seems. And advertising in your console games is inevitable, it seems. Sponsors: Composer.trade/ride Policygenius.com Links: Twitter Has a Poison Pill Now (Matt Levine/Bloomberg) Elon Musk Says He Has Commitments for $46.5 Billion in Financing for Twitter Deal (WSJ) Elon Musk lays out funding for am...
Apr 21, 2022•17 min
Netflix shares crater after earnings, and the company might be turning to ad-supported streaming to eke out some growth. Coinbase’s NFT marketplace is live. Why crypto stocks are uncoupled from the underlying crypto market. Why the surge in zero days might actually be good news. And the tech bubble that would never burst. So far. Sponsors: Linkedin.com/ride Hapbee.com/techmeme Links: Netflix Q1 net subscribers unexpectedly decline, revenue misses expectations (Yahoo!Finance) Netflix Plans to Lau...
Apr 20, 2022•17 min
Courts have reaffirmed the right to scrape the public facing web. We have some hints about how the Twitter edit button might work. Updates on the whole Twitter/Elon situation. Microsoft wants to bring in-game ads to Xbox. And a new startup accelerator you’re gonna want to put on your radar. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride Links: Web scraping is legal, US appeals court reaffirms (TechCrunch) Twitter's in-development Edit button offers hints as to how the feature could work (TechCrunch) Apollo Global ...
Apr 19, 2022•18 min
Gergely Orosz of The Pragmatic Engineer helps us figure out the strategy and expectations of joining a high profile startup, vs. the expectations and reality of joining a FAANG company. Also: the perils and promise and best practices of joining a startup, vs. the perils and promise and best practices of joining a big tech company. Hopefully, if you are a tech worker, an engineer, a designer, what have you, there will be some valuable learnings for you. Oh, and Chris and I try our hand at Elon pu...
Apr 16, 2022•1 hr 38 min
Twitter’s board is contemplating a poison pill to ward off Elon Musk. The US said North Korean hackers were behind that big Axie Infinity theft. Mark Gurman lists the Macs that are in line to get the M2 chips. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: AltoIRA.com/techmeme Links: Twitter Is Weighing a Poison Pill Defense to Thwart Elon Musk’s Takeover Bid (Bloomberg) Twitter Board Expected To Fight Musk Offer (The Information) US Officials Tie North Korea’s ‘Lazarus’ Hackers to...
Apr 15, 2022•18 min
Well, he went and did it. Elon Musk told Twitter’s board he wants to buy the whole company. The bids for a Jack Dorsey NFT are anemic. A warning from the US government about industrial cyber-attacks. Meta’s entire metaverse product roadmap. And say hello to the new hottest social network among the kids. Sponsors: CodeCademy.com promocode ride LiveOuter.com/techmeme Links: Elon Musk Makes $43 Billion Unsolicited Bid to Take Twitter Private (Bloomberg) US agencies warn of custom-made hacking tools...
Apr 14, 2022•19 min
ESET and Microsoft helped Ukraine stop an attack on a power plant. Might CNN+ become a high profile casualty of the streaming wars? Elon Musk is facing a Twitter shareholder lawsuit. People aren’t happy that Meta’s metaverse vig is higher than even Apple dares charge. And, the new privacy-focused browser from Duck Duck Go. Sponsors: Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup Links: Researchers find new malware variant after stopping attack on Ukrainian energy provider (The Record) Former Et...
Apr 13, 2022•19 min
Meta rolls out a test to sell virtual items in Horizon Worlds. Ethereum takes a major step toward its proof-of-stake upgrade. Would you watch a Bored Ape movie? Apple has delayed a major feature for the Watch. Etsy sellers are on strike. And Netflix’s new two-thumbs-up button. Sponsors: CreditKarma.com Links: Meta will let Horizon creators sell virtual items (The Verge) Ethereum Undergoes Another Stress Test Ahead of Software Change (Bloomberg) Bored Apes Go Hollywood With Coinbase-Produced Movi...
Apr 12, 2022•16 min
By declining a seat on Twitter’s board, does that mean Elon has chosen violence? Plenty of signs of a mixed reality headset in the code of the next version of iOS. Meta tried and failed to design its own chip. China has decided to let some new games launch. And even if drone delivery is moving forward, is Amazon being left behind? Sponsors: ConstantContact.com MasterWorks.io Links: Elon has decided not to join our board. I sent a brief note to the company, sharing with you all here. (Parag Agraw...
Apr 11, 2022•16 min
MRGN.ai is all about intelligent budgeting for small businesses. Founder Yoni Rubin joins me to discuss the realities of founding a SaaS company in 2022, and much more. Another great company joining the Ride Home Fund portfolio! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 09, 2022•29 min
Some folks at Twitter are nervous about Elon Musk’s arrival, so he’s going to do an AMA to rally the troops. Twitter is testing unmentioning. Robinhood is fully rolling out that promise wallet feature. The increasing lexicon of euphemisms people have to use to speak freely on sites like TikTok. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup Links: Elon Musk to address Twitter staff after internal outcry (Washington Post) Twitter test ...
Apr 08, 2022•20 min
The crypto dream might have died, but Meta still thinks the metaverse will need some for of currency. Maybe Zuck Bucks? OpenSea adds Solana NFTs. Shein is the world’s latest mega unicorn. Is Bolt pivoting from one-click checkouts to crypto payments instead? Legos in the metaverse. And DALL-E 2. Sponsors: Rocketlawyer.com/workconfidently Links: Facebook owner Meta targets finance with ‘Zuck Bucks’ and creator coins (FT) Google Play will hide and block downloads for outdated apps starting later th...
Apr 07, 2022•17 min
