What's Popular on Techmeme
Square says it's buying Australia-based buy now, pay later service Afterpay for $29B in an all-stock deal, paying a 30% premium on Afterpay's last closing
Report: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok failed to act on 84% of posts spreading anti-Semitism reported via their own complaint systems
theguardian.com · 3 hours ago
Some K-pop stars are bypassing Twitter and Facebook to create platforms for fans, like Universe, which features AI-generated voice calls with the idols
How the radical environmental themes of the game Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997 for the original PlayStation, influenced a generation of environmentalists
Profile of Bored Ape Yacht Club, an NFT collection that sold for $2M+ in April, spawned a collector community, and has since seen ~$100M in trading activity
Zoom agrees to pay $85M and bolster its security practices to settle a class action lawsuit over alleged user privacy violations and Zoombombing
Replicated, which sells tools that help software makers create and deploy on-premises versions of their applications, raises $50M Series C led by Owl Rock
FRISS, which provides automated fraud and risk detection technology for property and casualty insurance companies, raises $65M Series B led by Accel-KKR
SolCyber, which offers endpoint detection and response services, comes out of stealth with $20M Series A led by ForgePoint Capital
Qualtrics to acquire Virginia-based Clarabridge, which offers AI-powered customer experience management tools, for $1.125B in stock
After a decade of online identities coming under increasingly centralized control, online anonymity is starting to look like a threatened privilege than a right
Mercury, which offers banking services to startups, raises $120M Series B, including a $5M allotment for crowdfunding, led by Coatue at a $1.62B valuation
Medical imaging startup Exo, which aims to commercialize its AI-powered point-of-care workflow software and handheld ultrasound device, raises $220M Series C
Cyolo, which is developing zero trust security tech to enable users to securely access their organization's apps, servers, and files, raises $21M Series A
Rey, which uses VR-based tools powered by OxfordVR to provide on-demand mental health care services, raises $26M Series A, three months after launching
Microsoft is avoiding antitrust scrutiny by rebranding itself as nice and boring, even as it reverts to some of the behaviors that led to prosecution the '90s
How Apple became an "antifragile" company, by building a diverse portfolio of products and performing even stronger during the pandemic than it did before
Many viewers are experiencing the Olympics primarily through TikTok, with some of the most-watched videos coming not from NBC but from athletes themselves
Australia-based IntelligenceBank, a marketing software provider for brands, raises $37M from Five Elms Capital to help speed up its expansion in the US
Wisconsin-based Veda, which uses AI to automate data processing for healthcare payers and providers, raises $45M Series B led by Oak HC/FT
Analysis: since August 2020, 100+ warships from 16+ countries have had GPS-based location data faked to make it look like they crossed into disputed territory
Apple removes Unjected, a social app for "unvaxxed friendly", citing COVID-19 misinfo; Unjected removed social feed from its Android app after a Google warning
A look at the debate over Spotify's Discovery Mode, whereby artists are prioritized for reduced royalties, a key way for Spotify to improve margins
UK's CMA launches an inquiry into Facebook's acquisition of Kustomer, investigating whether the deal violates the UK's Enterprise Act 2002
Digital bank Monzo reveals a loss of £130M on £66M revenue for the year ended Feb. and says UK FCA is investigating it over potential money laundering breaches
Riskified, an Israeli e-commerce fraud protection company, began trading on the NYSE on Thursday after raising $363M in its IPO, at a valuation of $3.3B
Metaverse, as Zuckerberg and others imagine, is an odd vision built from a compendium of juvenile fantasies, perceived market opportunities, and overt dystopias
The Justice Department says 27 US Attorney offices had at least one employee's Microsoft email account breached by Russian hackers from May 7 to Dec. 27, 2020
Educational publisher Pearson says it is switching to a subscription model for all of its 1,500 titles, available for $14.99/month through its new Pearson+ app
Vietnam-based VNLife, the parent company of VNPay, which helps banks provide mobile payment apps and other digital services, raises $250M at a valuation of $1B+
B2B commerce and financing startup OfBusiness raises $160M led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 at a valuation of $1.5B, becoming the 18th Indian unicorn for the year
Wyze Labs, which makes devices like smart security cameras, robot vacuums, and smartwatches, raises $110M Series B led by Marcy Venture Partners
Modern Animal, a pet care service offering 24/7 telemedicine and a more "intelligent" labor model for veterinarians, raises $40M Series B led by Founders Fund
Telegram's latest update adds group video calls of up to 1,000 users with 30 simultaneous broadcasts, video messages, screen sharing during video calls, more
A look at Intel's dismal 2020, which saw the delay of its 7nm architecture, Apple's switch to Arm-based chips, and the departure of Jim Keller and other execs
Google contract workers in Pittsburgh have ratified a three-year deal with their employer HCL, for higher wages and more, nearly two years after unionizing
[Thread] Facebook's future prospects remain strong as the secular rise of digital advertising blunts any headwinds from regulators, Apple, critics, and others
Deliveroo says it plans to pull out of Spain, citing limited market share; Spain unveiled a "rider law" in March to reclassify couriers as employees
As Southeast Asian governments introduce "fake news" laws to fight COVID-19 misinformation, conspiracists thrive on Telegram and other non-public platforms
How US sanctions forced Chinese companies to develop key tech themselves, aligning the companies' incentives with China's goal of economic self-sufficiency
China's top court issues new guidelines that hotels, airports, and other commercial venues must get consent from customers to use facial recognition from Aug. 1
Faced with rising ransomware risks, companies seeking cybersecurity professionals are paying higher salaries and offering more autonomy
Binance says it will wind down futures and derivatives trading in Europe, amid regulatory pressure; users will have 90 days to close from a date specified later
SEC has stopped processing IPO and other registrations by Chinese companies as it crafts guidance for investors disclosures over China's crackdown
China orders 25 tech companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, to do internal inspections to rectify issues from data security to consumer rights protections
In a filing, Amazon discloses that EU privacy regulators levied a record $888M fine for violating GDPR data storage rules in a July 16 decision
bloomberg.com · 2 days ago
Airtel Mobile Commerce, which offers mobile money services in 14 African countries, raises $200M from the Qatar Investment Authority
A look at the development of an Amazon warehouse in Windsor, CT, where the discovery of multiple nooses on site raises questions about Amazon's responsibilities
nytimes.com · 2 days ago