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...
Jun 11, 2020•16 min
Another day, another flaw in Intel chips discovered. More analysis of Apple’s presumed move away from Intel chips for Macs. Is Just Eat Takeaway about to swallow up Grubhub? What happened to Zynn on the Play Store? And an interesting new interactive story startup. Sponsors: Metalab.co Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Plundering of crypto keys from ultrasecure SGX sends Intel scrambling again (Ars Technica) TSMC on schedule for 3nm Apple 'A16' iPhone and iPad chip in 2022 (Apple Insider) On Apple An...
Jun 10, 2020•17 min
The shift to Arm-based chips for Macs might be announced in a matter of days. IBM says it is straight out exiting the facial recognition business. Google Maps will help you avoid Covid-crowding. A deep dive into Nextdoor’s “Karen” problem. And the issue of non-competes in tech rears its head once again. Sponsors: Wipers123.com promocode "ride" at checkout Harrys.com/techmeme Links: Apple Plans to Announce Move to Its Own Mac Chips at WWDC (Bloomberg) IBM is exiting the face recognition business ...
Jun 09, 2020•21 min
Might we see a V-shaped recovery after all? Airbnb says there IS a lot of pent-up demand out there. Brave got caught doing basically the shadiest thing a web browser can do. Proof that YouTube owns the kids. And soon you might be able to buy anything you want from Apple, interest-free, on the Apple Card. Sponsors: Metalab.co Wipers123.com promocode "ride" at checkout Links: Airbnb Joins Vacation-Rental Sites Seeing Surge in Demand (Bloomberg) Privacy browser Brave under fire for violating users’...
Jun 08, 2020•18 min
Amazon and Slack form an interesting alliance. Google outlines evidence hackers are already attacking the Presidential campaigns. What if self-driving cars won’t prevent as many accidents as we hoped? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Go.Rims.org/ridehome TinyCapital Links: Amazon licenses Slack for all employees, while Slack adopts AWS video-calling tech (CNBC) Google says Iranian, Chinese hackers targeted Trump, Biden campaigns (TechCrunch) Twitter has a record-break...
Jun 05, 2020•18 min
The whole land-grab in the Indian telecom market continues to blow my hair back. A class-action lawsuit around Incognito Mode. More hints at an Apple Prime subscription. CES refuses to give up the ghost, while Kitty Hawk seems to have given up on its Flyer. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com CognitoHQ.com/techmeme Links: Speaking up on racism (Tim Cook/Apple.com) Early Facebook Employees Disavow Zuckerberg’s Stance on Trump Posts (NYTimes) Snap will stop promoting Trump’s account after concluding his twe...
Jun 04, 2020•19 min
Zoom is the new tech earnings report worth covering. Is on-device translation coming to iOS? Google is blocking a Remove China Apps app. The Brave browser is growing. Zuckerberg tries to calm his restless troops. And is FC Barcelona again leading the way for modern sports teams? Sponsors: Go.Rims.org/ridehome TinyCapital Links: Zoom revenue grew 169% during the quarter, and the company doubled its revenue guidance for the year (CNBC) Zoom won’t encrypt free calls because it wants to comply with ...
Jun 03, 2020•18 min
Facebook finally lets you clean out your old crap from your basement (I mean, past). AT&T won’t count HBO Max against your mobile data cap. Every tech event is postponed again. A whole bunch of OS update news, and a time capsule from another era. Sponsors: Tiny Capital ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Facebook finally makes it way easier to trash your old posts (TechCrunch) HBO Max won’t hit AT&T data caps, but Netflix and Disney Plus will (The Verge) White nationalist group posing as anti...
Jun 02, 2020•17 min
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 was cancelled, but a PlayStation one was announced. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Kiwico.com/ride Links: Facebook Employees Stage Virtual Walkout to Protest Trump Posts (NYTimes) Facebook, Snapchat join chorus of companies condemning George Floyd death, racism (Reuters) Twilio, Box...
Jun 01, 2020•18 min
I do my best to breakdown the who Twitter/executive order situation, at least at the time of this recording. Hall of Fame fundraiser drops mic and rides off into the sunset. TikTok has an interesting new rival. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Tovala.com/ride Links: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media platforms (Axios) ‘Rammed it through’: Trump's Twitter order riles staffers and tech reformers (Protocol) Trump’s Order on...
May 29, 2020•20 min
Is the Trump administration finally willing to go to war with big tech? Another Apple startup acquisition, but also why Fraggle Rock might indicate a strategy shift for Apple TV+. Remember 4k TV’s? And the microcredit app that will threaten to shame you if you fall behind on your payments. Sponsors: DoubleUp.Agency Tovala.com/ride Links: Trump expected to sign executive order that could threaten punishment against Facebook, Google and Twitter over allegations of political bias (Washington Post) ...
May 28, 2020•19 min
Amazon joins the self-driving race, and actually, why haven’t they before? Google’s plans to get back to the office. HBO Max debuts, but with one major handicap. Facebook faces a novel whistleblower complaint and looking back on 2 years of GDPR. Sponsors: Go.rims.org/ridehome Tovala.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: Amazon in Advanced Talks to Buy Self-Driving-Car Tech Company Zoox (WSJ) Google to begin reopening offices July 6, will let workers expense $1,000 for equipment while telecommuting (CN...
May 27, 2020•20 min
The ARM chips for the next several years are here. End-to-end encryption might be coming to RCS. Jailbreaking might be returning to iPhones. JioMart’s big play arrives and more on the remote work conversation. Sponsor: Tovala.com/ride Links: ARM’s Cortex-A78 CPU and Mali-G78 GPU will power 2021’s best Android phones (The Verge) Google Messages preparing end-to-end encryption for RCS messages (9to5Google) There's a Jailbreak Out for the Current Version of iOS (Wired) JioMart, the e-commerce ventu...
May 26, 2020•16 min
The founder and CEO of a company we talk about all the time: Bryan Salesky of Argo AI. Bryan tells us more about the unique Silicon Valley/Detroit hybrid that Argo represents, we discuss the unique business model strategy they’re exploring, and we find out, where the self-driving space is now that Covid-19 has basically put everything on pause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 23, 2020•29 min
Yeah, mea culpa on my whole work-from-home/remote work skepticism. Also, I was wrong about Magic Leap being a goner. But that subscription aggregator we’ve all been anticipating is showing up right on time, and in the weekend longreads, let me introduce you to the two men who are about to become nerd superstars. Sponsors: Metalab.co Tovala.com/ride Links: MARK ZUCKERBERG ON TAKING HIS MASSIVE WORKFORCE REMOTE (The Verge) Zuckerberg says employees moving out of Silicon Valley may face pay cuts (C...
May 22, 2020•19 min
Twitter is testing another new feature to limit trolls and give users greater control of their threads, the Google and Apple contact tracing API is here, what is the Tactical Edition of a Galaxy phone and why might you need one, and some interesting raises this Thursday. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Metalab.co Links: Twitter is testing a feature that limits who can reply to your tweets (TechCrunch) Three US states have signed on to Apple and Google’s exposure notification system (The Verge) Apple r...
May 21, 2020•18 min
Facebook takes another major run at cracking ecommerce. And why this might be a highly opportune moment to do so. In short: the corona moment might be the moment ecommerce finally wins. Also, will Apple ship iPhones without any EarPods? And why the big Joe Rogan to Spotify news is podcasting’s Howard Stern moment. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Metalab.co Links: Mark Zuckerberg announces Facebook Shops, making it easier for businesses to list products for sale (CNBC) Ecommerce penetration graph (Denn...
May 20, 2020•20 min
Microsoft’s virtual version of its Build conference unleashes an array of news, including Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, a new component system for live document editing, a collaboration with Sony on embedded AI in camera sensors, a super-fast OpenAI supercomputer built on Azure, and better Linux support in Windows 10? Also, new leaks about Apple’s AR glasses, the Department of Justice slams Apple on phone encryption, Apple in negotiations to buoy Apple+ with a back catalog of programming, Walm...
May 19, 2020•21 min
The tech trade war is really heating up again, in case you missed it. What if Coronavirus is what helps Google win at messaging? Clubhouse is an interesting raise raising eyebrows. And why Pizza arbitrage shows that the food delivery space is not only broken, but basically spits in the face of efficient market theory. Sponsors: Metalab.co Mintmobile.com/ride Links: TSMC halts new Huawei orders after US tightens restrictions (Nikkei Asian Review) China Injects $2.2 Billion Into Local Chip Firm (B...
May 18, 2020•19 min
Questions about: tech in the time of coronavirus, podcasting in the time of coronavirus, WeWork and co-working spaces after the coronavirus, Netflix's position among the competition right now, are subscriptions the future of podcasting, how I source news, and what are my biases, among other questions and answers.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 16, 2020•48 min
The US strikes at Huawei again. Apple acquires a VR startup and there’s conflicting rumors on those AR glasses. Is Silicon Valley really about to become a ghost town? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Classified Ad: IbisWritingAcademy.com Links: U.S. moves to cut Huawei off from global chip suppliers as China eyes retaliation (Reuters) Scoop: Facebook to buy Giphy for $400 million (Axios) Apple Acquires Startup NextVR that Broadcasts VR Content (Bloombe...
May 15, 2020•25 min
There is "monstrous" chip news from Nvidia, the world’s first camera sensor with AI built-in, a crypto experiment on Reddit that I feel like might actually have a shot at working, how long will Google stick with hardware, and new members of the $100MM ARR club. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Nvidia unveils monstrous A100 AI chip with 54 billion transistors and 5 petaflops of performance (VentureBeat) Nvidia’s first Ampere GPU is designed for data centers and AI, not you...
May 14, 2020•20 min
New XPS laptops, new Fire HD tablets, Facebook is compensating content moderators, how the pandemic has affected clothes shopping, and how the aftermath of the pandemic might affect offices in the sense of: will we actually ever go back to them? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Dell launches new XPS 17 and redesigned XPS 15 with 16:10 edge-to-edge displays (The Verge) Amazon updates the Fire HD 8 with a faster processor, more RAM, and USB-C (The Verge) Facebook will pay $52 mi...
May 13, 2020•18 min
Is Uber about to gobble Grubhub? Twitter does something Facebook and YouTube did a long time ago. Details on Apple’s forthcoming over the ears headphones. New releases for developers and music producers. And look, let’s have a conversation about Quibi. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Rhone.com/ridehome promo code: ridehome Links: Twitter launches labels, warnings on misleading COVID-19 information (Reuters) Exclusive: AirPods Studio to feature head and neck detection, custom equalizer settings, more (...
May 12, 2020•18 min
A flaw in Thunderbolt basically means no computers are secure. Qualcomm’s new flagship chip. Eric Schmidt has finally left the Googleplex. Detecting malware via grayscale images. Apple is reopening stores, and we might have a new tech IPO as soon as next month. Sponsors: Tinycapital.com Links: Thunderbolt Flaws Expose Millions of PCs to Hands-On Hacking (Wired) Qualcomm's latest mobile gaming chip packs faster graphics and global 5G (Engadget) Eric Schmidt, who led Google's transformation into a...
May 11, 2020•18 min
Of course not. But also: it's more nuanced than you might think... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 09, 2020•25 min
Uber continues the things-could-be-worse tech earnings parade, Google is consolidating all of its messaging efforts under one team, this whole Reliance Jio Platforms story really has me intrigued, a semi-decent $18 Apple watch ripoff, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Caramba.store Tibco.com/ride Links: Uber shares shoot up after CEO says ride volume is increasing again after April bottom (CNBC) UK may ditch NHS contact-tracing app for Apple and Google model (The Guard...
May 08, 2020•19 min
Zoom makes its first acquisition, Google Authenticator now makes it easier to switch phones, Lyft earnings gives hopes to the ride hailing industry, new Sonos gear and a deep dive into Facebook’s new Oversight Board. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Zoom buys Keybase — its first acquisition — as part of 90-day plan to fix security flaws (CNBC) Google releases unscheduled Android 11 DP4 as first beta pushed back to next month (9to5Google) Google Authenticator app update fin...
May 07, 2020•19 min
New Surface Gos, New Surface Books, New Surface Headphones and the Surface Buds finally arrive. The rumored layoffs come to Uber and Airbnb. Disney+ is saving Disney’s bacon at the moment. And why Peloton is one of those companies having a positive Corona moment. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride Caramba.store , code BRIAN50 at checkout Links: Microsoft’s new Surface Go 2 has a bigger display and better Intel processor (The Verge) Microsoft's Surface Book 3 has 10th-gen Intel CPUs and new NVIDIA GPUs (En...
May 06, 2020•17 min
The virtual WWDC begins June 22! The UK hasn’t played by Google and Apple’s rules and it seems like their contact tracing app is failing because of that. And yet, are Google and Apple making decisions above their station? Uber might be bailing out Lime. Microsoft is reconsidering its Windows X strategy. And Sensor Tower is the interesting raise of the day. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: Apple kicking off week of virtual WWDC on June 22, jackets and pins for Swift Challenge winne...
May 05, 2020•20 min