Tech Brew Ride Home

A code red alert about vulnerabilities in VMware products. TikTok has a clever new program to crowdsource ad content from TikTok users. Oh, and they’re getting into games. FTX gets into regular old stock trading. The dreaded down rounds have arrived. And are there more Airbnb’s available in NYC right now, than there are apartments for rent? Sponsors: Policygenius.com Superside.com/techmeme Links: 2 vulnerabilities with 9.8 severity ratings are under exploit. A 3rd looms (ArsTechnica) TikTok’s new ad product gives creators a chance to partner with marketers on branded content (TechCrunch) EXCLUSIVE TikTok plans big push into gaming, conducting tests in Vietnam -sources (Reuters) FTX US launching zero-commission stock trading (The Block) Defiant Chinese netizens skirt lockdown censorship using blockchain (Financial Times) SoftBank-Backed Fintech Giant Klarna Looks for New Funds at Lower Valuation (WSJ) New York Now Has More Airbnb Listings Than Apartments for Rent (Curbed) Link to tomorrow's twitter space with Chris Dixon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple is delaying its recent return to work policy indefinitely. If crypto mining is banned in China, how come it still the second biggest contributor to the global hashrate? Twitter’s board says it’s going to hold Elon’s feet to the fire. And the interesting raise for a startup looking to save encryption from quantum computing? Sponsors: LiveOuter.com/techmeme LCX.com/ride Links: Apple Delays Plan to Have Staff in Office Three Days a Week (Bloomberg) Apple Executive Who Left Over Return-to-Office Policy Joins Google AI Unit (Bloomberg) China Makes a Comeback in Bitcoin Mining Despite Government Ban (Bloomberg) Netflix Hit By Layoffs; About 150 Mostly U.S.-Based Employees Affected (Deadline) Acer Just Revealed External Monitors With Stereoscopic 3D, and I'm Dying to Try Them (Gizmodo) As Musk Tweets, Advisers Labor to Keep Twitter Deal on Track (Bloomberg) Elon Musk Does Not Care About Spam Bots (Matt Levine/Bloomberg) Cornami raises $68M to support quantum encryption (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now Elon says he can’t move forward with the deal until he gets solid answers from Twitter about the bot issue, even though, we have the paperwork of his original offer and there were no contingencies about bot numbers, and he totally could have written that into the deal. Will Apple use E Ink on their foldable device? Coinbase is slowing hiring, while Microsoft is boosting pay. And a big test of driver assist systems says they’re still not as reliable as we all hope they are. Sponsors: LCX.com/ride Links: Elon Musk Says Twitter Must Prove Bot Claims for $44 Billion Deal to Proceed (Bloomberg) Apple ‘testing’ foldable with secondary E Ink display, says analyst (The Verge) Apple Now Letting Developers Automatically Charge for Some Subscription Price Increases (MacRumors) Coinbase Expands Features, Allowing Some App Users to Access Ethereum-Based Dapps (CoinDesk) Coinbase slows hiring to help weather market downturn (The Block) Satya Nadella details Microsoft plan for ‘significant additional investment’ in employee compensation (GeekWire) Report spotlights vast scale of adtech's 'biggest data breach' (TechCrunch) Cars in driver-assist mode hit a third of cyclists, all oncoming cars in tests (The Register) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Netflix about to experiment with actual live broadcasts? Where did all the bitcoin go in the whole Luna/UST backstop debacle? Spotify is testing NFTs. Uber Eats gets into the ankle robot delivery game. And the Texas law that has all of big social media platforms worried. Sponsors: AltoIRA.com/techmeme Superside.com/techmeme Links: Netflix Exploring Live Streaming For First Time; Plans To Roll Out For Unscripted Series & Stand-Up Specials (Deadline) LFG Reserves Dwindle to Just 313 Bitcoins From 80K After UST Crash (CoinDesk) Exclusive: Spotify tests letting artists promote NFTs on their profiles (MusicAlly) OpenSea is adding NFT copy detection and verification features (The Verge) Uber Eats pilots autonomous delivery with Serve Robotics, Motional (TechCrunch) Tech groups ask Supreme Court to block Texas social media law (Washington Post) Just How Incredibly Fucked Up Is Texas’ Social Media Content Moderation Law? (TechDirt) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Techpocalypse Now! W/ @EricNewcomer @loganbartlett & @alexrkonrad How bad is it? How bad can it get? How do we get out of this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ok. Are you sitting down? Would you believe me if I told you Elon Musk is giving signals that the Twitter deal might be off? Could we fix the whole stablecoin mess if we just turn it off and turn it back on again? The refugees from Meta’s failed crypto project have a new startup to call home. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions™. Sponsors: Superside.com/techmeme Masterworks.io/ride Sponsors: Elon Musk says Twitter deal ‘on hold’ after spam / fake account report (The Verge) Terraform Again Halts Blockchain Behind UST Stablecoin, Luna (Bloomberg) Ex-Meta crypto chief David Marcus launches Bitcoin payments startup backed by a16z and Paradigm (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions™: Terra: To the Moon and Back (Not Boring) Why financial engineering has gone full circle with Terra (The Blind Spot) Tech workers in Latin America want to make Spanish the primary language of programming (Rest of World) The Thing That Makes It Work Means It Doesn’t (Garbage Day) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Biggest-Ever Full-Year Loss (WSJ) Instacart Files Confidentially for an IPO That Could Happen This Year (Bloomberg) Senate confirms Bedoya to FTC, establishing Democratic majority (The Verge) Disney+ Hits 137.7M Subscribers, Beating Wall Street Expectations in Streaming (The Hollywood Reporter) Google releases Android 13 beta 2 with finer privacy controls and improved Material You (Neowin) Google Glass’s successor teased at I/O (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 towards an AR glasses future (TechCrunch) Google will let you talk to Assistant on the Nest Hub Max just by looking at the screen (The Verge) Google announces Pixel 6a powered by Tensor processor for $449 (9to5Google) Google gives us our first glimpse of the Pixel 7 (Android Police) Google unveils the Pixel Buds Pro (9to5Google) Google previews the Pixel Watch, coming this fall with Pixel 7 (9to5Google) Google will release a Pixel Tablet… in 2023 (TechCrunch) As Luna holders watch the token slide, many won’t be able to cash out for weeks (The Block) Coinbase revenue drops 27% from a year ago, stock slides (CryptoWorld) Kuo: iPhone 15 to Switch From Lightning to USB-C in 2023 (MacRumors) The iPod is dead (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Audacious Algorithmic Stablecoin Experiment Crumbles (Bloomberg) Tiger Global hit by $17bn losses in tech rout (FT) Europe's GDPR coincides with dramatic drop in Android apps (The Register) Match Sues Google Over App Store Billing Rules (Bloomberg) Amazon’s surprising new delivery partners: Rural mom-and-pop shops (Recode) Hugging Face reaches $2 billion valuation to build the GitHub of machine learning (TechCrunch) Watch iconic Broadway theatre rise 30 feet above the ground (Borat voice: MY WIFE!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 costs, treat hiring as a ‘privilege’ (CNBC) Why Musk’s Twitter Bid Has Shaken Tesla Investors (NYTimes) Meta to start testing digital collectibles on Instagram (The Block) Costa Rica declares national emergency after Conti ransomware attacks (BleepingComputer) What to expect from Google I/O 2022 (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) China Orders Government, State Firms to Dump Foreign PCs (Bloomberg) Epic's Fortnite Now Free to Play on Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming for Mobile, Desktop, Console (CNET) Exclusive: Crypto.com passes the 50 million user mark (Axios) Weekend Longreads Suggestions ™ Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise (Wired) Elon Musk’s Fixer Is Quietly Tending the World’s Biggest Fortune (Bloomberg) Russians plunder $5M farm vehicles from Ukraine – to find they’ve been remotely disabled (CNN) A VISIT TO THE HUMAN FACTORY (The Verge) The Endgame (Newcomer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 that could help make AR headsets better and cheaper (The Verge) Exclusive: Sonos is about to introduce its own voice assistant (The Verge) Facebook plans to reduce hiring as revenue growth slows and inflation concerns increase (CNBC) Cameo lays off close to 90, including senior executives (Protocol) Stripe flexes its fintech muscle with Financial Connections to pull banking data automatically (TechCrunch) White House wants nation to prepare for cryptography-breaking quantum computers (The Record) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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) Twitter Testing New 'Twitter Circle' Feature for Sharing Tweets With a Smaller Number of People (MacRumors) Meta has built a massive new language AI—and it’s giving it away for free (MIT Technology Review) Razer’s Blade 15 is the first laptop with a 240Hz OLED display, but you’ll have to wait a while (The Verge) Larry Ellison leads $21.5 million Series A in cancer treatment startup Imagene AI (CTech) Spotify becomes first music streamer to launch on Roblox (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Fight Digital Frauds (WSJ) PayPal Helped Spur EU Antitrust Complaint Against Apple Payments (Bloomberg) UK ministers ditch plans to empower tech regulator (FT) Apple accuses engineers of stealing chip secrets with AirDrop and Time Machine (9to5Mac) Meta Plots Ambitious VR Release Schedule of Four Headsets by 2024 (The Information) Rocket Lab captures booster in mid-air with a helicopter for the first time (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 (Bloomberg) Bored Ape Yacht Club creator’s metaverse mint rocks the Ethereum blockchain (The Verge) Solana Goes Dark for 7 Hours as Bots Swarm ‘Candy Machine’ NFT Minting Tool (CoinDesk) Grindr User Data Has Been for Sale for Years (WSJ) How Technocrats Triumphed at Apple (NYTimes) Another Firing Among Google’s A.I. Brain Trust, and More Discord (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(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

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 The Charts On Amazon (@juokaz) Bolt, a Checkout Startup Worth $11 Billion, Lost Customers as Revenue Stalled (The Information) The Weekend Longreads Suggestions ™ Elon's Giant Package (Margins Substack) Weather Prediction Startups Grow as More Volatile Storms Loom (Bloomberg) As Polaroid’s SX-70 turns 50, instant photography is booming (Fast Company) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 three years straight (The Verge) Meta's Bleak Q1; Spotify's Netflix Moment (The Information) Apple to face fresh antitrust charges in Brussels (FT) Google may now remove search results that dox you (The Verge) Bitcoin becomes official currency in Central African Republic (BBCNews) NSA Re-awards Secret $10 Billion Contract to Amazon (NextGov) How the pandemic is changing home design (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Results (Alphabet) Earnings Release FY22 Q3 (Microsoft) Robinhood lays off nine percent of its full-time employees (Engadget) DJI Becomes Most Prominent Chinese Firm to Halt Russia Business (Bloomberg) Google launches Media CDN to compete on content delivery (TechCrunch) Apple Launches Do-It-Yourself Repairs For iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE (CNET) Apple’s Studio Display’s poor webcam quality is not a software bug after all (9to5Mac) Autocorrect Explained: Why Your iPhone Adds Annoying Typos While Fixing Others (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 (Financial Times) Fidelity to Allow Retirement Savers to Put Bitcoin in 401(k) Accounts (WSJ) Bored Ape Instagram account hacked: NFTs worth $2.8 million stolen (The Block) SoftBank Cuts Back Spending, Leaving Startups Desperate for Cash (Bloomberg) THE F-150 LIGHTNING IS FINALLY SHIPPING — IS FORD READY? (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 cryptography blunder in Java enables “psychic paper” forgeries (ArsTechnica) The iPhone 14 Is Less Than Six Months Away. Here’s What to Expect (Bloomberg) Tech Wage Inflation Puts Pressure on Companies (WSJ) Netflix and Facebook have given up most of the last few years’ gains since tech’s November peak (CNBC) The Netflix Nightmare: What Happens When an Industry Becomes a Squid Game (Vanity Fair) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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

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 focused on web3 (The Block) How Meta Platforms Fell Behind in Indian Mobile Payments (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: ApeCoin & the death of staking (Cobie Substack) Cutting-Edge Crypto Coins Tout Stability. Critics Call Them Dangerous. (WSJ) Rivian CEO Warns of Looming Electric-Vehicle Battery Shortage (WSJ) Video Game Junkie Quietly Builds $3 Billion Payments Powerhouse (Bloomberg) The Sidekick Was the Best Smartphone Ever (Debugger) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 ambitious Twitter takeover (The Verge) Tesla record profit blows away estimates (CNN Business) Tesla reports $18.76 billion in revenue and record margins in Q1 (CNBC) Apple Store workers in Atlanta are the first to formally seek a union. (NYTimes) Amazon opens up Prime delivery service to other retailers in its latest move to compete with FedEx and UPS (CNBC) PlayStation Wants Ads In Its Games, Too (IGN) MEPs vote to expand scope of common charger rules (TechCrunch) Zoom’s thumbs-up and raise-hand gesture recognition now works in its desktop apps (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Launch Cheaper Ad-Supported Plans (The Hollywood Reporter) Just Eat Weighs Grubhub Sale in Tough Food Delivery Market (Bloomberg) Coinbase NFT marketplace goes live in beta for select customers (The Block) Crypto Stocks Perform Worse Than Cryptocurrencies (WSJ) Google: 2021 was a Banner Year for Exploited 0-Day Bugs (ThreatPost) Brave is bypassing Google AMP pages because they’re ‘harmful to users’ (The Verge) The Tech Bubble That Never Burst (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Considers Participating in a Bid for Twitter (WSJ) Insteon is down and may not be coming back (Stacey On IOT) Microsoft reportedly wants to bring ads to free-to-play Xbox games (The Verge) Andreessen Horowitz unveils piloted program for early-stage entrepreneurs (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 punditry. Sponsors: Composer.trade/ride Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 $625M Crypto Theft (CoinDesk) Apple Readies Several New Macs With Next-Generation M2 Chips (Bloomberg) In latest gaming crackdown, China bans livestreaming of unauthorised titles (Reuters) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Talent Vortex: Mafias and Magnets (Investing 101) Musk Needs ‘Massive Loan’ or Big Tesla Sale to Buy Twitter (Bloomberg) Blind Ambition (Cybernaut/Every.to) Stablecoins Are in a War for Dominance and It’s Getting Ugly (Motherboard/Vice) How Chris Dixon’s Dive Down The Crypto Rabbit Hole Made Him The World’s Top Venture Capitalist (Forbes) AMONG EUROPE’S EX-ROYALS (The Atlantic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 targeting energy sector systems (The Record) ‘Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet’ NFT Went on Sale for $48M. It Ended With a Top Bid of Just $280 (CoinDesk) MARK ZUCKERBERG’S AUGMENTED REALITY (The Verge) Gen Z’s new favorite app (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison for North Korea Trip (CoinDesk) CNN+ struggles to lure viewers in its early days, drawing fewer than 10,000 daily users (CNBC) Big cuts coming for CNN+ after slow start (Axios) Elon Musk Sued Over Delay in Disclosing Twitter Stake (Bloomberg) Meta's New 47.5% Fee on Metaverse Items Has NFT Twitter Pissed (CNET) Meta: 124 Quest Apps Have Earned More Than $1M, 8 Have Earned More Than $20M (RoadToVR) DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Browser Finally Lands on Desktop (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Movie Trilogy (CoinDesk) Apple Targets Watch Blood-Pressure Tool for 2024 After Snags (Bloomberg) Over 14,000 Etsy sellers are going on strike to protest increased transaction fees (TechCrunch) Digital Ad Revenue Jumped 35% in the U.S. Last Year, Biggest Gain Since 2006 (WSJ) TikTok Ad Revenue Set To Triple in 2022 (The Information) How Netflix tests Netflix: The story behind the service’s new two-thumbs-up feature (Protocol) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Agrawal) China Ends Game Freeze by Approving First Titles Since July (Bloomberg) Apple Sets the Date for Another Virtual WWDC—Here’s What to Expect (Bloomberg) Meta Platforms is Struggling to Develop Its Own Device Chips (The Information) Amazon Drone Crashes Hit Jeff Bezos' Delivery Dreams (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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 lets you 'unmention' yourself in tweets (Engadget) Robinhood widens user access for crypto wallet transfers, unveils plan to support Lightning payments for bitcoin (The Block) Gartner forecasts global tech spending to hit $4.4 trillion this year, up 4% (Silicon Angle) Internet ‘algospeak’ is changing our language in real time, from ‘nip nobs’ to ‘le dollar bean’ (Washington Post) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Scoop: Inside Fast’s Rapid Collapse (The Pragmatic Engineer) Millennial Billionaire Ryan Breslow Created Buzz, And Enemies, Attacking Stripe And Shopify. He’s Just Getting Started. (Forbes) SCOOP: Crypto Fund Paradigm's Assets Under Management Climb 343% to $13.2 Billion (Newcomer) The Metaverse Has Bosses Too. Meet the ‘Managers’ of Axie Infinity (Motherboard/Vice) This Startup Promised People Free Crypto If They Scanned Their Eyeballs. Now People Feel They've Been Scammed. (BuzzFeed) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 this year (TechCrunch) Solana NFTs Can Now Be Traded on OpenSea (Decrypt) Facebook won’t hold its F8 developer conference this year after pivoting to Meta (The Verge) Shein Valued at $100 Billion in Funding Round (WSJ) Crypto Startup Wyre Being Acquired by Payments Company Bolt for $1.5 Billion (WSJ) Lego and Epic Games partnership aims for a kid-friendly metaverse (Washington Post) OpenAI’s DALL-E AI image generator can now edit pictures, too (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I told you Elon had no intention of being a passive investor. Twitter says an edit button is probably coming soon. So, you know, that Elon, he gets things done. One-click checkout startup Fast is shutting down completely. A deep dive into how the new Unreal Engine 5 fits into Hollywood, fits into gaming, fits into the metaverse. And beware: “Will Smith” might come into your Elden Ring game and slap you. Sponsors: Witful.com Links: Musk Refiles Twitter Disclosure to Show He’s an Active Investor (Bloomberg) Twitter is adding an edit button (The Verge) Sky Mavis raises $150 million to reimburse Ronin hack victims (The Block) Fast, the Troubled Fintech Startup, Is Shutting Down (The Information) MicroStrategy Funds Latest Purchase With Bitcoin-Backed Loan (Bloomberg) Inside Epic's Unreal Engine 5—and What It Means for the Future of Gaming, Movies, and the Metaverse (Time) How Epic Games is changing gaming—and maybe the metaverse (Fast Company) Elden Ring players called Will Smith keep invading and slapping people (TechRadar) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So much for that “passive” stake. Twitter has appointed Elon Musk to its board of directors. Amazon is gunning for SpaceX in the race to deliver internet from space. Some datapoints around the whole question of wash trading in the NFT market. And what if I told you there was ANOTHER wildly popular thing from the creator of Wordle? Links: Elon Musk to join Twitter’s board of directors, teases ‘significant improvements’ (CNBC) Elon Musk Bought Some Twitter (Bloomberg/Matt Levine) Amazon’s Project Kuiper books up to 83 rockets to launch its internet-beaming satellites (The Verge) Microsoft brings Arm support to Azure virtual machines (ZDNet) Axie Infinity Was Losing Gamers Even Before Record Crypto Hack (Bloomberg) The Hottest NFT Marketplace is Mostly Users Selling to Themselves (Bloomberg) Hackers breach MailChimp's internal tools to target crypto customers (BleepingComputer) Internet communities are battling over pixels (The Washington Post) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter. I’d point out that the last time Twitter had an activist investor, it led to Jack Dorsey stepping down as CEO. Is drone delivery suddenly, and rapidly, becoming a reality? The nation of the United Kingdom is going to issue an NFT. And Mark Gurman’s math on how an Apple subscription would work. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Elon Musk Takes 9.2% Stake in Twitter After Hinting at Shake-Up (Bloomberg) Alphabet's Wing will begin drone deliveries in Dallas-Fort Worth on April 7th (Engadget) AMD Returns to Deal Making with $1.9 Billion Purchase of Chip Specialist Pensando (WSJ) NFTs to be launched by the Treasury later this year in crypto push (City AM) It’s a big day at the State Department for U.S. cyberdiplomacy (Washington Post) Why Apple Is Preparing to Let You Subscribe to Your iPhone (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Santamaria was once an Apple lead engineer on iPhone, where he created iMessage, FaceTime, the blue/green text bubbles and even unlocked emojis so people outside Japan could use them. Now, as cofounder of Future, he’s using text communication to pair people with a world-class trainer for unlimited coaching through their phone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

E3 is officially cancelled this year, which is making people wonder if it’s officially dead and we just don’t know it yet. More signs of serious trouble in the food delivery space. Facebook has fixed a bug that let harmful content into the news feed for six months. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Wealthfront.com/techmeme Links: E3 2022 - Digital and Physical - Has Officially Been Canceled (IGN) Food Delivery Stocks Lose $24 Billion in Just Three Months (Bloomberg) A FACEBOOK BUG LED TO INCREASED VIEWS OF HARMFUL CONTENT OVER SIX MONTHS (The Verge) Apple emergency update fixes zero-days used to hack iPhones, Macs (BleepingComputer) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Online shopping in the middle of the ocean (RestOfWorld) Want to See the Weirdest of Wikipedia? Look No Further. (NYTimes) Why Moderating Content Actually Does More To Support The Principles Of Free Speech (TechDirt) A History of Hup, the Jump Sound of Shooting Games (Wired) In the Shadow of the Star Wars Kid (Waxy.org) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another day of all the hacking news. Now the hackers are forging Emergency Data Requests. Apparently there have been vulnerabilities in Wyze security cameras that no one bothered to fix. TSMC warns of a tech slowdown. Masa Son orders his lieutenants to slow down investing just a bit. And yes, burrito delivery by drone, but probably more impressive is FedEx getting into the drone game. Sponsors: Linode.com/techmeme Links: Apple and Meta Gave User Data to Hackers Who Used Forged Legal Requests (Bloomberg) Wyze Cam flaw lets hackers remotely access your saved videos (BleepingComputer) Google Search’s new highly cited label helps you get to the source of a story (The Verge) TSMC says demand for smartphones, PCs starting to slow (Nikkei Asia) SoftBank to slow investments following crash in tech holdings (FT) Look up: Your burrito is arriving by drone (Axios) FedEx will test autonomous cargo flights next year (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I explain the (latest) biggest crypto hack of all time, this time affecting Axie Infinity. Meta is paying to dish dirt on TikTok. Changes to Google Calendar could kneecap a bunch of startups, while the DOJ is investigating Google Maps. And signs of difficulty in two red-hot startup sectors, the instant delivery sector, and the fast checkout sector. Sponsors: AltoIRA.com/techmeme Links: Axie Infinity’s Ronin Network Suffers $625M Exploit (CoinDesk) Axie Infinity Owner ‘Fully Committed’ to Reimbursing Players After Hack (Bloomberg) Facebook paid GOP firm to malign TikTok (Washington Post) Messenger gets new shortcuts that let you send silent replies (The Verge) New Google Calendar feature takes the back-and-forth out of scheduling (Ars Technica) EXCLUSIVE-U.S. probe of Google Maps picks up speed -sources (Reuters) Gopuff Plans Hundreds of Layoffs to Cut $40 Million in Costs (The Information) Why Stripe’s ‘Fast’ Horse Is Losing the One-Click Checkout Race (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sony’s answer to Xbox Game Pass is here. Spotify wants to TikTok-up your podcast listening. Have you ever gotten a spam text from your own phone number? Okta still has some ‘splaining to do. And forget AppleTV+, Disney+, I dunno… BobRoss+, how about NFL+? Isn’t it inevitable? Sponsors: Linode.com/techmeme Masterworks.io/ride Links: Sony merges PS Now and PS Plus to create three-tier subscription service (GamesIndustry.biz) Sony announces new PlayStation Plus subscriptions, its answer to Xbox Game Pass (The Verge) Spotify puts its Podz acquisition to use with test of new podcast discovery feature (TechCrunch) My own phone number is now spam texting me (The Verge) Leaked Details of the Lapsus$ Hack Make Okta’s Slow Response Look More Bizarre (Wired) NFL considers creating a streaming service of its own (The Athletic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple wins a best picture Oscar. Bigger camaras mean bigger bumps in upcoming iPhones. Urgent Chrome update you need to be aware of. You probably guessed that that person bugging you on LinkedIn might be faked. And Fashion Week, but in the Metaverse. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride Priceline.com Links: Apple Is First Streamer to Win Best Picture Oscar for ‘CODA’ (Variety) Kuo: iPhone 14 Pro's Larger Camera Bump Due to New 48MP Camera System (MacRumors) Apple to cut iPhone, AirPods output amid Ukraine war uncertainty (NikkeiAsia) HP buys Poly for $3.3 billion to ride hybrid work boom (TechStartups) Emergency Google Chrome update fixes zero-day used in attacks (BleepingComputer) That smiling LinkedIn profile face might be a computer-generated fake (WNYC/NPR) NFT Collection Failures Begin to Mount in Flashback to ICO Bust (Bloomberg) Metaverse Fashion Week Draws Big Brands, Startups (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman comes on to dissuade us of our Apple delusions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listeners from Ukraine got in touch to tell us what it has been like for one particular tech startup in Ukraine these last few weeks. From the founder of the company: Lemon.io, Alekskandr Volodarsky, @volodarik these are the charities he recommends: https://bank.gov.ua/en/about/support-the-armed-forces https://www.1kproject.org/ https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/ (including crypto donations) https://koloua.com/ https://novaukraine.org/donate/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the new EU Digital Markets Act mean that all messaging could soon become as interoperable as email? Some serious smoke around the whole grand unifying Apple subscription fire. Why Instacart is voluntarily lowing its valuation. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Codecademy.com promocode ride Links: EU negotiators agree new rules to rein in tech giants (Politico) Apple Is Working on a Hardware Subscription Service for iPhones (Bloomberg) Lapsus$: Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal (BBC News) Instacart Slashes Its Valuation by Almost 40% to $24 Billion (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: LAPSUS$: How a Sloppy Extortion Gang Became One of the Most Prolific Hacking Groups (Motherboard/Vice) The Man Behind Ethereum Is Worried About Crypto's Future (Time) There's something off about ApeCoin (Platformer) Of Course We’re Living in a Simulation (Wired) Nicolas Cage Can Explain It All (GQ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have we uncovered the hackers behind Lapsus$, that crazy new hacker group? Another crack in the App Store wall as Google unilaterally decides to test alternative payment systems? Uber is actually teaming up with the Taxi drivers here in New York City. And would you buy a 15 inch MacBook Air? Sponsors: Policygenius.com NewRelic.com/techmeme Links: Teen Suspected by Cyber Researchers of Being Lapsus$ Mastermind (Bloomberg) A Closer Look at the LAPSUS$ Data Extortion Group (KrebsonSecurity) Google Play to pilot third-party billing option, starting with Spotify (TechCrunch) Twitter’s DM search will finally actually help you find conversations (The Verge) Uber Reaches Deal to List All New York City Taxis on Its App (WSJ) Report: Apple developing new 15-inch MacBook Air that could come in 2023 (9to5Mac) YouTube is taking on over-the-air TV with nearly 4,000 free episodes of TV (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Customers are getting frustrated with Okta over that potential Lapsus$ hack. Apple’s acquisition of an open banking startup is interesting. Yuga Labs is the (forgive me) 800lb gorilla of the NFT space. And why Zuckerberg’s personal remote work regimen might explain why he’s so obsessed with having meetings in VR. Links: Linkedin.com/ride Links: The Third-Party Okta Hack Leaves Customers Scrambling (Wired) Apple acquires UK open banking startup Credit Kudos (The Block) Apple Buys UK Fintech Start-Up Credit Kudos (CNBC) El Salvador postpones bitcoin bond issue, expects better conditions (Reuters) Bored Ape Yacht Club creator raises $450 million to build an NFT metaverse (The Verge) Crypto investor Katie Haun raises $1.5 billion, the largest debut fund ever by a female VC (CNBC) Mark Zuckerberg and Meta’s Leadership Take Remote Work to the Extreme (WSJ) Zoom’s new virtual avatars let you show up to your next meeting as a dog (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices