Tech Brew Ride Home

About that Facebook outage yesterday… A Google moonshot project has a surprise profit. But only because its propping up other Alphabet bets. And then, it’s review day. What you can expect if you download Android 12. What you can expect if you download Windows 11. And what you’ll get if you buy one of those Microsoft Surface Laptop Studios. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Stripe.com Links: PSA: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp went down for 6+ hours; here’s why [U] (9to5Mac) Gone in Minutes, Out for Hours: Outage Shakes Facebook (NYTimes) Google’s AI unit DeepMind makes first-ever profit (Financial Times) ANDROID 12 REVIEW: IT’S MOSTLY ABOUT THE LOOKS (The Verge) WINDOWS 11 REVIEW: A FAMILIAR HOME THAT’S STILL BEING RENOVATED (The Verge) Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio Does It All (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Facebook whistleblower reveals her identity on 60 Minutes. You can preorder the Apple Watch Series 7 this week. New MacBook Pros could still be coming “this month.” Apple is actually the biggest force in the gaming industry, by far. And signs of a product shipping renaissance at YouTube. Sponsors: Overland.com/techmeme KiwiCo.com promocode: ride Links: The Facebook Whistleblower, Frances Haugen, Says She Wants to Fix the Company, Not Harm It (WSJ) Facebook Is Weaker Than We Knew (NYTimes) Apple Watch Series 7 Pre-Orders to Start This Friday, Available on October 15 (MacRumors) Gurman: M1X MacBook Pro still on track for this year, likely ‘in the next month’ (9to5Mac) Apple Doesn’t Make Videogames. But It’s the Hottest Player in Gaming. (WSJ) Amazon Prime members can now send gifts with just a phone number or email address (The Verge) YouTube․com adds ‘Continue watching’ to resume unfinished videos on your phone (9to5Google) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who wins? Jobs? Gates? Musk? Bezos? Collison, even? The grand finale of our #WorldCupOfEntreprenurs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok has joined the NFT craze, so the singularity must be nigh. USB-C tries to clear up its customer confusion problem. Zoom abandons a huge acquisition. And a crypto developer is begging users to give $90 million dollars in tokens back, after an all-time screw up. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Links: TikTok announces NFT collection led by top creators (The Block) USB-C group hopes new logos will solve customer confusion (Apple Insider) Zoom and Five9 abandon $14.7 billion acquisition (CNBC) DeFi bug accidentally gives $90 million to users, founder begs them to return it (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How EA got into mobile — and figured out the future of gaming (Protocol) Toast built a $30 billion business by defying Silicon Valley and surviving a ‘suicide mission’ (CNBC) How Big Tech Runs Tech Projects and the Curious Absence of Scrum (The Pragmatic Engineer) APPLE’S FORTRESS OF SECRECY IS CRUMBLING FROM THE INSIDE (The Verge) Facebook's Latest Scandals: The Banality Of Hubris; The Messiness Of Humanity (TechDirt) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook finally releases the controversial slides to let them speak for themselves, but doesn’t actually let them speak for themselves. A 4K Nintendo Switch was apparently coming, but now is it never coming? Nreal has some AR glasses for binge watching. And Fairphone has released a smartphone that they want you to think of as your “forever phone.” At least, as far as these things go. Links: TinyCaptial.com Modern Finance Podcast Links: Facebook Downplays Internal Research Released on Eve of Hearing (NYTimes) Developers Are Making Games for a Nintendo 4K Console That Doesn’t Exist (Bloomberg) GM’s new software platform will enable over-the-air updates, in-car subscriptions, and maybe facial recognition (The Verge) Researchers find Apple Pay, Visa contactless hack (BBC News) Nreal’s new AR sunglasses are made for binge watching TV (The Verge) Fairphone’s latest sustainable smartphone comes with a five-year warranty (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon’s Astro Robot apparently has a tendency to throw itself down stairs. Netflix acquires its first game studio. The interesting company that acquired Genius and now Imgur. Explaining Facebook’s interest in the Tween audience. And Angellist wants to offer founders startup foundation as a service. Sponsors: BankNovo.com/ride TinyCapital.com Links: Leaked Documents Show How Amazon’s Astro Robot Tracks Everything You Do (Motherboard) Netflix acquires its first game studio in deal with Oxenfree creator Night School Studio (VentureBeat/GamesBeat) Imgur has been bought by the owner of Kik, Genius, and WorldStarHipHop (The Verge) Microsoft opens its Windows store up to third-party app stores (The Verge) Facebook’s Effort to Attract Preteens Goes Beyond Instagram Kids, Documents Show (WSJ) AngelList returns to its founder-focused roots, with a twist (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As many headlines from the Amazon hardware event as I can manage to squeeze in. Facebook defines the Metaverse as it sees it. Cloudflare wants to be the 4th big player in the cloud. And Satya Nadella himself dishes on that time Microsoft almost bought Tik Tok. His words, the “strangest thing I’ve ever sort of worked on.” Sponsors: Masterworks.io/ride TinyCapital.com Links: Amazon introduces Amazon Glow, an interactive, video calling device for kids and families (TechCrunch) SAY HELLO TO ASTRO, ALEXA ON WHEELS (The Verge) Astro Intro YouTube Video Cloudflare’s Matthew Prince: ‘We’re aiming to be the fourth major public cloud’ (Protocol) Facebook will publish some of its research on teens and Instagram (Engadget) Coinbase dives deeper into banking by letting users deposit paychecks into their accounts (CNBC) 1Password can now randomly generate email addresses for logins (Engadget) Trump pushing Microsoft to buy TikTok was ‘strangest thing I’ve ever worked on,’ says Satya Nadella (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Mosseri pumps the breaks on Instagram Kids but still says it’s a good idea. Tesla is letting people into the “full self-driving” beta, and some folks think that’s a bad idea. Apple knows about that Apple Watch bug. What if the factories are the next worries in China. And Cloudflare wants to tackle email now. Sponsors: Kiwico.com promocode ride UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Links: Pausing “Instagram Kids” and Building Parental Supervision Tools (Instagram Blog) Facebook is ‘pausing’ work on Instagram kids app after widespread criticism (The Verge) Facebook Rebuts Report Calling Instagram ‘Toxic’ for Teen Girls (Bloomberg) Tesla owners can now request ‘Full Self-Driving’, prompting criticism from regulators and safety advocates (Washington Post) Apple to Fix Issue Preventing iPhone 13 Users From Unlocking With Apple Watch in Upcoming Software Update (MacRumors) Some Apple, Tesla suppliers suspend production in China amid power pinch (Reuters) Google is slashing the amount it keeps from sales on its cloud marketplace as pressure mounts on app stores (CNBC) Cloudflare Is Taking a Shot at Email Security (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send ideas, intros, pitch decks to: [email protected] More details on the fund at RideHomeFund.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I was off observing my wedding anniversary, your host @chrismessina spoke with @justinhendrix and @AuthorPMBarrett about Facebook's recent controversies as well as their own research into social media and political polarization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China really, really, really wants you to know it’s serious about its Crypto crackdown. Google brought some Pixel-only features to everybody. Leaks ahead of next week’s Amazon event. New York passes a law on gig worker pay. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Blockchain.com Links: China’s central bank says all cryptocurrency-related activities are illegal, vows harsh crackdown (CNBC) Google Brings More Pixel-Exclusive Features to All Android Phones (Gizmodo) Amazon Working on Large Wall Echo, Sound Bar and New Auto Device (Bloomberg) New York City Council Passes Sweeping Food Delivery Protections (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Would-Be NFT Millionaires Throw Darts And Hit Duds (Bloomberg) FILE NOT FOUND (The Verge) How Apple built the iPhone 13’s Cinematic Mode (TechCrunch) How to move Google Authenticator to your new iPhone (Apple Insider) Nirvana in Bloom (The Ringer) Nirvana’s “Nevermind” (New Yorker) My Time with Kurt Cobain (New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all sort of want the gadget world to move to USB-C, right? But do we want that to be government mandated? Very interesting executive departure from Facebook. Apple is telling leakers they don’t belong in Cupertino. Apple is still telling Fortnite to talk to the hand. And an interesting AR raise. Sponsors: UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Blockchain.com Links: One to charge them all: EU demands single plug for phones (AP) Facebook Chief Technology Officer Schroepfer to Step Down (Bloomberg) Tim Cook says employees who leak memos do not belong at Apple, according to leaked memo (The Verge) Apple won’t let Fortnite back on iOS until the Epic v. Apple verdict is final (The Verge) iPhone 13 and Apple Silicon (CreativeStrategies.com) YouTube gets official video downloads on the web, saving you from using some very sketchy sites (Android Police) Softorino YouTube Converter Chinese augmented reality glasses maker Nreal valued at $700 million after fresh funding (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the headlines and releases from today’s Microsoft Surface Event. Robinhood wants to get in the crypto wallet game. Microsoft finds Phishing as a Service on the darker corners of the web. And a rundown of some new Facebook controversies. Sponsors: Blockchain.com UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft announces Surface Pro 8 with bigger 13-inch 120Hz display and Thunderbolt (The Verge) The Surface Go 3 gets new Intel processors (The Verge) Microsoft’s new Surface Duo 2 has all the features that were missing the first time around (The Verge) Surface Laptop Studio is Microsoft’s new powerful flagship laptop (The Verge) Robinhood to launch cryptocurrency wallets as bitcoin becomes a bigger part of business (CNBC) Microsoft uncovers giant Phishing-as-a-Service operation (The Record) No More Apologies: Inside Facebook’s Push to Defend Its Image (NYTimes) The Oversight Board wants Facebook to explain its controversial rules for VIPs (Engadget) Facebook paid billions extra to the FTC to spare Zuckerberg in data suit, shareholders allege (Politico) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HP refreshes its entire lineup. Those new Kindles are here. PayPal wants to super-app. Sorare is a very interesting raise. Coinbase backs down. Apple wants to detect cognitive decline. And the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro reviews are here. Sponsors: UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Blockchain.com Links: HP revamps consumer PC lineup with 16-inch Spectre x360, 34-inch Envy all-in-one PC (ZDNet) PayPal launches its ‘super app’ combining payments, savings, bill pay, crypto, shopping and more (TechCrunch) Fantasy soccer NFT platform Sorare scores $680 million raise led by SoftBank (The Block) Coinbase Drops Crypto Lending Program Plans After SEC Balks (Bloomberg Wealth) Amazon unveils three new Kindles with bigger screens, longer battery life (CNBC) Google to Buy New York City Office Building for $2.1 Billion (WSJ) Apple Is Working on iPhone Features to Help Detect Depression, Cognitive Decline (WSJ) IPHONE 13 REVIEW: YEP, BIGGER BATTERIES ARE BETTER (The Verge) IPHONE 13 PRO REVIEW: A BETTER DISPLAY, THE BEST CAMERA, AND INCREDIBLE BATTERY LIFE (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gadget news galore. New Roku Sticks officially announced. New Kindles officially leaked. New Surface Pro’s unofficially leaked ahead of this week’s event. Rumors of foldable Pixels. The NTSB wants Elon Musk to pump the breaks on Full Self-Driving. And why the Emmy’s last night was a milestone for streaming platforms generally. Sponsors: UrbanCatalyst.com/techmeme Blockchain.com Links: Roku debuts new Streaming Stick 4K bundles, software update with voice and mobile features (TechCrunch) Amazon is going to release Kindle Paperwhite 5 Signature Edition Soon (GoodEReader) Surface Pro 8 leaks with 120Hz display and Thunderbolt support (The Verge) Galaxy Fold-style Pixel foldable, ‘Jumbojack,’ spotted in Android 12.1 (9to5Google) Elon Musk’s Push to Expand Tesla’s Driver Assistance to Cities Rankles a Top Safety Authority (WSJ) The App Store is the Games Store. Apple should recognize this. (Mobile Dev Memo) Netflix and Apple TV+ clean up at the Emmys with 'The Crown' and 'Ted Lasso' (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is THE entrepreneur of the Internet Era? In this episode, we cover the round of 16 matchups as voted on by YOU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deep dive summary of the rolling Facebook controversies this week from the ongoing Wall Street Journal reporting. Apple and Google remove an app from Russian opposition after their employees were threatened in that country? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions, this time with extra NFT goodness. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Links: Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers. The Company’s Response Is Weak, Documents Show. (WSJ) How Facebook Hobbled Mark Zuckerberg’s Bid to Get America Vaccinated (WSJ) The Algorithm Tweaks Won't Save Us (Galaxy Brain/Charlie Warzel) Google and Apple Remove App Aimed at Spurring Protest Voting in Russia (NYTimes) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: A Very, Very Crypto Insider-Trading Scandal (Intelligencer) What is Bored Ape Yacht Club? The Celebrity NFT of Choice (Decrypt) Jay-Z’s NFT Feud Spotlights Legal Peril in Hot Investment Trend (Bloomberg) THE PENTAGON’S ARMY OF NERDS (The Atlantic) Greg LeMond and the Amazing Candy-Colored Dream Bike (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright, let’s settle this iPhone 13 chip specs debate. Walmart+ might quietly be competitive with Amazon Prime. The first electric car with a 500 mile range. China has succeeded in downsizing its biggest companies. And if you’ve got a spare $1.7 million dollars, I’ve got a 325 inch tv to sell you. Sponsors: Canva.me/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: The iPhone 13 is a pitch-perfect iPhone 12S (The Verge) Walmart+ is gaining momentum, hits 32 million members, Deutsche Bank estimates (CNBC) The Lucid Air is the first electric car with a 520-mile EPA-rated range (The Verge) No Chinese Stock Left Among Global Top 10 as Tencent Slides (Bloomberg) Chat App Discord Is Worth $15 Billion After New Funding (Bloomberg) Former Startup Darling Genius Sells to Media Lab for $80 Million (Bloomberg) LG now makes a 2,000 pound TV that costs $1.7 million (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Xiaomi’s new flagship phone can apparently charge in just 17 minutes. Why Apple was so coy about the performance of its latest chips yesterday. The SEC has charged App Annie with securities fraud. And Canva is becoming a mega unicorn to watch, even as its founders are pledging to give a third of the company away. Sponsors: BankNovo.com/ride Postie.com/techmeme Links: Xiaomi announces 11T Pro with 120W fast charging (The Verge) Apple releasing iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 on September 20 (9to5Mac) iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro feature dual eSIM support for the first time (9to5Mac) Apple CPU Gains Grind To A Halt And The Future Looks Dim As The Impact From The CPU Engineer Exodus To Nuvia And Rivos Starts To Bleed In (SemiAnalysis.substack.com) Solana Has Been Down for Hours Due to ‘Resource Exhaustion’ (Decrypt) SEC charges App Annie with securities fraud in $10 million settlement (Protocol) Canva Raises At $40 Billion Valuation — Its Founders Are Pledging Away Most Of Their Wealth (Forbes) Microsoft accounts can now go fully passwordless (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy iPhone day, you fanfolk, you. All the news from today’s Apple event. Facebook’s own research says Instagram is bad for girls. Facebook’s own documents show it gives VIP users the VIP treatment when it comes to enforcement policies. And you might want to quickly download that iOS update. Sponsors: Stripe.com Oracle.com/goto/ride Links: Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show (WSJ) Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That’s Exempt. (WSJ) Apple patches an NSO zero-day flaw affecting all devices (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is China dismantling its super apps and selling the parts for scrap? Toast has officially become my favorite Covid-times survival story. What to expect from tomorrow’s iPhone event, including 1 TB iPhone storage tiers. And a full breakdown of the ruling in the Epic vs. Apple case. Has the app store officially been cracked open? It’s complicated. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride Modern Finance Podcast Links: Beijing to break up Ant’s Alipay and force creation of separate loans app (Financial Times) Tencent and Alibaba pledge to open up apps to competitors (Financial Times) Commercetools raises $140M at a $1.9B valuation as 'headless' commerce continues to boom (TechCrunch) iPhone 13 Pro will get 1TB option & new 'AirPods 3' will not replace AirPods (AppleInsider) Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple (The Verge) Apple Risks Losing Billions of Dollars Annually From Epic Games Ruling (Bloomberg) The future of the App Store depends on the difference between a ‘button’ and an ‘external link’ (The Verge) Apple Won a Battle to Lose the War (500ish.com) Today's podcast voting! Gates v. Jobs! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and I thought we had not guests lined up this week so we were going to just potpourri some topics. But then Keyvon Beykpour, who is heading the Twitter project revolution came on and talked to us longer than we had any right to ask for. It was a great conversation. Sponsor: Otter.ai, code RIDE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even under pressure over the App Store, Apple is still willing to give Epic Games the finger. Also, Apple is putting the pedal to the metal in terms of new TV shows and original movies, while also attempting to solve the streaming industry’s problem with DJ Mixes. Food delivery platforms are suing NYC. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io/ride Otter.ai code RIDE Links: Apple won’t let Epic bring Fortnite back to South Korea’s App Store (The Verge) Apple Music is using Shazam to solve the streaming industry's problem with DJ mixes (TechCrunch) Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats Sue New York City Over Fee Caps (WSJ) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Screen in Your Car Is Beckoning (Slate) Russia Influences Hackers but Stops Short of Directing Them, Report Says (NYTimes) How Amazon’s cloud business generates billions in profit (CNBC) When the Techies Took Over Tahoe (Outside) Adult Swim: How an Animation Experiment Conquered Late-Night TV (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook launches some smart glasses. Amazon launches its own, branded smart tv. Soccer players are turning into NFTs. Twitter is turning into Reddit. And I still have questions about the whole Buy Now, Pay Later space. Sponsors: Otter.ai code ride Gainful.com/techmeme Links: FACEBOOK ON YOUR FACE (The Verge) Amazon Unveils First of Its Own Smart TVs, Will Bring TikTok to Fire TV in U.S. and Canada (Variety) Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick 4K Max adds Wi-Fi 6 and faster performance (The Verge) Spain’s Football League Seals Digital Player Card Deal With Sorare (Bloomberg) Twitter wants you to tweet to interest-based communities, not just followers (TechCrunch) BNPL platform Scalapay raises $155 million in Tiger Global led round (Tech.eu) (Today's twitter poll) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coinbase says the SEC threatened to sue it over a crypto lending product. The fallout from yesterday’s Bitcoin launch in El Salvador. Ford hires away one of the key executives on the Apple Car project. Microsoft and PayPal make some interesting acquisitions. And hey. Some new laptops! Sponsors: Otter.ai code: RIDE to test drive for free Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Brian Armstrong responds to SEC threats to shut down Coinbase yield product (The Block) El Salvador Buys Its First 200 BTC a Day Before Its Bitcoin Law Becomes Effective (Coindesk) Ford poaches top tech executive Doug Field who helped lead Apple’s top-secret car project (CNBC) Apple Event Announced: 'California Streaming' on September 14 With iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7 Expected (Macrumors) Microsoft acquires video-editing software start-up Clipchamp (CNBC) PayPal Closes $2.7B Acquisition Deal For Japan’s Paidy (Pymnts.com) Amazon brings its cashierless tech to two Whole Foods stores (CNBC) Lenovo's new Windows 11 laptops could reinvent the IdeaPad brand — and take on the MacBook (Laptopmag.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean if ProtonMail regularly discloses user data to certain authorities? How private is WhatsApp if Facebook has more than 1,000 contractors moderating your messages? Heck, how secure is Bluetooth? There’s a new vulnerability. Would you want the authorities monitoring your poop thanks to new smart toilets? And a quick word on Solana. Sponsors: UpStart.com/techmeme KiwiCo.com promocode Ride for 50% off your first month Links: ProtonMail logged IP address of French activist after order by Swiss authorities (TechCrunch) How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users (ProPublica) Billions of devices impacted by new BrakTooth Bluetooth vulnerabilities (The Record) TikTok reportedly overtakes YouTube in US average watch time (The Verge) SMARTWATCHES TRACK OUR HEALTH. SMART TOILETS AREN’T TOO FAR BEHIND. (WSJ) Ethereum Rival Solana Climbs to Seventh in Crypto Top 10 (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Serial entrepreneur Shirish Nadkarni came to the U.S. as a teenager with $25 in his pocket. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he worked at Microsoft where he engineered the $400 million acquisition of Hotmail and launched MSN.com, the world’s leading web portal. Striking out on his own in 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom, he founded TeamOn Systems, an early pioneer of mobile email that was later acquired by BlackBerry before becoming BlackBerry Internet Email servicing over 50 million users at its peak. His great new book is: From Startup to Exit: An Insider's Guide to Launching and Scaling Your Tech Business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're interested in investing in a Ride Home early stage investment fund, listen to this quick message, and then visit RideHomeFund.com to express your interest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and I get deep in this week's NFT craziness with two folks who are actually working right now in the space, @jacksondame And @SHL0MS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Rumor Friday! Are we getting an Alexa TV next month? Will Apple’s AR/VR headset need an Apple device to work? Is Reddit lining up an IPO? Also, Apple delays its controversial CSAM feature, the week in NFT madness, and, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.com Links: EXCLUSIVE: Amazon is close to launching its own TV in the US (Insider) Apple’s AR/VR Headset Will Need Connection to Other Device Such as iPhone (The Information) Exclusive: Reddit seeks to hire advisers for U.S. IPO -sources (Reuters) Apple delays rollout of CSAM detection system and child safety features (9to5Mac) Record Doge NFT Sale Highlights Growing Demand for Fractionalization (CoinDesk) The Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Latest NFT Fad Is a Text-Based Fantasy Game Building Block (Coindesk) Gimme the Loot! (Collisions) NFTs, DeFi Boost for Ethereum Dims Clamor of Bitcoin Maximalists (Bloomberg) Wall Street Is Looking to Reddit for Investment Advice (WSJ) Here are all the companies from Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 Demo Day, Part 1 (TechCrunch) Here are all the companies from Day 2 of Y Combinator’s Summer 2021 Demo Day (TechCrunch) Today's #WorldCupOfEntrepreneurs Matchup click here to vote! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple will let “reader” apps link to websites to manage accounts. WhatsApp faces a record GDPR fine. Twitter continues to at least test all the products. And has YouTube Music quietly become a major threat to Spotify and Apple Music? Sponsors: Quantummetric.com/podoffer offer code Podcastcode Metalab.com Links: Apple will allow some media apps to link outside the App Store for payments (Engadget) Apple concedes to let apps like Netflix, Spotify, and Kindle link to the web to sign up (The Verge) Facebook’s WhatsApp Fined Around $270 Million for EU Privacy Violations (WSJ) U.S. DOJ Readying Google Antitrust Lawsuit Over Ad-Tech Business (Bloomberg) US asks Tesla how Autopilot responds to emergency vehicles (AP) Twitter launches Super Follows on iOS (The Verge) Twitter is testing a new anti-abuse feature called ‘Safety Mode’ (TechCrunch) Twitter Plans New Privacy Tools to Get More People Tweeting (Bloomberg) YouTube music services hit 50m subscribers in race to catch Spotify (Financial Times) Today's #WorldCupOfEntrepreneurs Matchup: Zuck v. Jack! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the Apple Watch redesign causing supply issues? A larger roadmap for the health features Apple is looking to add to the Watch. Putting your driver’s license in your Apple Wallet is becoming a reality. LinkedIn abandons Stories. Facebook gets into Fantasy Sports and Wirecutter goes behind a paywall. Today's #WorldCupOfEntrepreneurs Matchup: Jack Ma v. Jeff Bezos! Vote! Links: New Apple Watch With Larger Screen Suffers Production Snags (Bloomberg) Apple Plans Blood-Pressure Measure, Wrist Thermometer in Watch (WSJ) Apple secures first states to support digital driver's licenses, but privacy questions linger (TechCrunch) Apple just banned a pay equity Slack channel but lets fun dogs channel lie (The Verge) LinkedIn gives up on Stories (The Verge) Facebook enters the fantasy gaming market (TechCrunch) New York Times’ Wirecutter Product-Review Site Moves Behind Paywall (WSJ) Google developing own CPUs for Chromebook laptops (Nikkei Asia) Microsoft announces Surface event for September 22nd (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft has missed the window for Windows 11 to support Android apps, at least at launch. Apple is getting into classical music and Amazon is going deeper into the red-hot audio space. Facebook turns the temperature down on politics. And a new initiative to get, especially younger technologists, to lend their expertise to the Federal Government. Sponsors: Metalab.com Vote for the first bracket in the World Cup of Entrepreneurs here Links: Windows 11 won’t include Android app support at launch (The Verge) Apple buys classical music streaming service Primephonic (The Verge) Scoop: Amazon quietly building live audio business (Axios) Scoop: Facebook's new moves to lower News Feed's political volume (Axios) Google, Apple Hit by First Law Threatening Dominance Over App-Store Payments (WSJ) Apple Plans to Add Satellite Features to iPhones for Emergencies (Bloomberg) White House launches US Digital Corps (FedScoop) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a day of wild rumors. Is Apple getting into the satellite networking game? Is the Apple Watch about to get its first meaningful design change? The rumors about a Chinese gaming crackdown just got real. Is South Korea about to meaningfully crack open the App Store? Why Apple and Google are fighting to keep the App Stores as they are. And the wild weekend in NFT-land. Sponsors: Ultimate Ears UE.com/fits promocode RIDE for 15% off TinyCapital.com Links: Kuo: iPhone 13 to Feature LEO Satellite Communications to Make Calls and Texts Without Cellular Coverage (MacRumors) Tim Cook’s Run as Apple CEO Could End as Early as 2025. Who Will Replace Him? (Bloomberg) China Slashes Kids’ Gaming Time to Just Three Hours a Week (Bloomberg) Apple, Google Mobile Dominance Faces Tough Test in South Korea (Bloomberg) Google allegedly offered Netflix a break on the usual Play Store commission (The Verge) TikTok owner ByteDance takes first step into virtual reality with latest acquisition (CNBC) CryptoPunks blasts past $1 billion in lifetime sales as NFT speculation surges (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talkin' OnlyFans. The founding and engineering team from Otter.ai share some exciting product news. And Chris interviews me about doing 1000 TRH episodes and how I produce this show every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another brick is taken out of the App Store wall as Apple blinks on letting devs inform users of outside purchase options. Ticket spaces start rolling out on Twitter, Waymo is having second thoughts about business models, NFTs are cool, but what if you could earn royalties? And of course, the Weekend Longread Suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Metalab.com Links: Apple will let developers email users about payments outside iOS (Protocol) Apple’s $100 million settlement agreement changes a key App Store rule for developers (The Verge) Twitter starts launching Ticketed Spaces for some iOS users (The Verge) Waymo will stop selling its self-driving LiDAR sensors to other companies (TechCrunch) Paradigm and Founders Fund lead $16 million investment in 3LAU's NFT music platform Royal (The Block) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Netflix and Video Games (MatthewBall.vc) Turns Out The Hardest Part of Making a Game Is...Everything (IGN) Cryptocurrency Companies Are Leaving China in ‘Great Mining Migration’ (WSJ) El Salvador Gets Ready for a Risky Bitcoin Experiment (WSJ) A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps (ArsTechnica) The Real C.E.O. of “Succession” (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big tech offered some big cybersecurity commitments after that White House meetup. TSMC raising chip prices might mean gadget price increases across the board. Looks like everyone remembered they like PCs. Drone delivery hits a milestone in Australia. And another secretive startup that wants to create a battery revolution. Sponsors: Masterworks.io/ride Wealthfront.com/techmeme Links: Biden tells top CEOs at White House summit to step up on cybersecurity (Washington Post) World’s Largest Chip Maker to Raise Prices, Threatening Costlier Electronics (WSJ) Silicon Valley Exchange Lists First Two Companies in ESG Push (Bloomberg) Canalys: US PC sales up 17% YoY for quarter, even as tablet sales stagnate (TechCrunch) Wing approaches 100,000 drone deliveries two years after Logan, Australia launch (TechCrunch) Stealthy battery company backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos has a lot to prove (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OnlyFans says it loves porn. Doesn’t want to ban porn from its platform after all. Says it wants to be an inclusive platform for all creators. Even the naked ones. The new Fitbit Charge 5. New Messenger features on the occasion of its 10th birthday. Is T-Mobile winning the 5G war? And I guess bigger really is better for neural networks. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride KiwiCo.com promocode Ride for 50% off your first month Links: OnlyFans no longer plans to ban porn, saying in abrupt U-turn that it wants to be a 'home for all creators' (Insider) FITBIT’S NEW CHARGE 5 HAS A ROUNDED DESIGN AND A COLOR SCREEN (The Verge) Messenger celebrates its 10th anniversary with new features and a plan to become the ‘connective tissue’ for real-time experiences (TechCrunch) Microsoft to launch cloud gaming service on Xbox consoles (CNBC) Fastest Mobile Networks 2021 (PCMag) A New Chip Cluster Will Make Massive AI Models Possible (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden is gathering the tech five families to discuss cybersecurity. Instagram is retiring swipe up. Facebook is testing a rebundle of Messenger. Airbnb will house Afghan refugees. SpaceX hits some milestones and a Samsung review roundup. Sponsors: Voices.com Quantummetric.com/podoffer offer code Podcastcode Links: Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Plan to Visit White House (Bloomberg) Instagram is retiring the swipe up (The Verge) Facebook Retools Messaging Again by Adding Calling to Main App (Bloomberg) Airbnb says it will host 20,000 Afghan refugees (CNN Business) SpaceX ships 100,000 Starlink terminals to customers, eyes future launches using Starship (TechCrunch) Poly Network says it has recovered all $610 million it lost in cryptocurrency heist (Engadget) SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD 3 REVIEW: NEARLY NORMAL (The Verge) SAMSUNG’S GALAXY Z FLIP 3 IS THE FIRST FOLDING PHONE FOR NORMAL PEOPLE (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Gurman says when a new high end M1X Mac mini might be coming. The USDC stablecoin looks to get right with the accounting Gods. Visa buys a CryptoPunk. Did Giphy pay dividend to lower its value for Facebook to acquire it? And do we now know the real reason why OnlyFans is attempting to abandon porn? Sponsors: Oracle.com/goto/ride Modern Finance Podcast Links: High-End 'M1X' Mac Mini With New Design and Additional Ports Expected to Launch in the 'Next Several Months' (MacRumors) The world’s second-largest stablecoin is undergoing a massive change (CNBC) Visa buys a CryptoPunk as it takes first steps into 'NFT commerce' (The Block) Razer bug lets you become a Windows 10 admin by plugging in a mouse (BleepingComputer) Facebook’s Stealth M&A Puts Focus on Deals Under Antitrust Radar (Bloomberg) Facebook says post that cast doubt on covid-19 vaccine was most popular on the platform from January through March (The Washington Post) Post-Culture Review Twitter Thread Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Important news about changes to the RideHome+ program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OnlyFans wants to get out of the porn business, which makes sense to nobody on the Internet. Elon Musk says Tesla is building a humanoid robot, and I love you Elon, but you’ve really opened the door to your critics with this one. Microsoft is raising prices, and of course, the weekend longread suggestions. Sponsors: Postie.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: OnlyFans has tons of users, but can't find investors (Axios) OnlyFans to Bar Sexually Explicit Videos Starting in October (Bloomberg) Microsoft will raise Office 365 business subscription prices in 2022 (CNBC) Elon Musk says Tesla is working on humanoid robots (The Verge) Elon Musk Unveils His Funniest Vaporware Yet (Gizmodo) The Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The FBI’s warning to Silicon Valley: China and Russia are trying to turn your employees into spies (Protocol) Electric cars and batteries: how will the world produce enough? (Nature) Waymo Is 99% of the Way to Self-Driving Cars. The Last 1% Is the Hardest (Bloomberg Businessweek) These People Who Work From Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs (WSJ) Amazon Killed the Name Alexa (The Atlantic) Afghanistan - Part 1 (The Rest Is History Podcast) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Headlines out of time: Amazon wants to do department stores. Google partners with GE Appliances. But Intel continues to look to the future with its new hybrid architecture chips. Facebook wants your next conference call to take place in VR. And has Robinhood put all its eggs in the Doge basket? Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Canva.me/techmeme Links: Amazon Plans to Open Large Retail Locations Akin to Department Stores (WSJ) GE Appliances announces partnership with major cloud company to focus on data capabilities (Courier Journal) Intel previews its Alder Lake chip, promises hybrid CPUs for desktops and laptops (The Verge) FTC files renewed antitrust complaint against Facebook (CNBC) INSIDE FACEBOOK’S METAVERSE FOR WORK (The Verge) Facebook is sharing data to prove it’s not a political hellhole (Protocol) Robinhood says dogecoin accounted for 62% of crypto revenue in Q2 (CNBC) Venture Investment In Cryptosecurity Jumps 10x Over Last Year As Sector Hits Sweet Spot With Venture Capitalists (Crunchbase News) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at how all the platforms are dealing with the Taliban being a modern social media enterprise. Amazon is bigger than Walmart for the first time. Samsung stops cluttering its phones with ads. Attempting to hire the hacker who hacked you. And I get my answer to why all the platforms want to protect kids all the sudden. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Quantummetric.com/podoffer offer code Podcastcode Sponsors: WhatsApp shuts down Taliban helpline in Kabul (Financial Times) Platforms struggle with Taliban policy amid chaotic US withdrawal (The Verge) People Now Spend More at Amazon Than at Walmart (NYTimes) Samsung confirms it’s removing ads from its stock apps later this year (The Verge) Victim of Major DeFi Cyberattack Offers Its Hacker a Job (Bloomberg) TechScape: How the UK forced global shift in child safety policies (The Guardian) Eve Online’s yearlong war ends with an epic retreat (Polygon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yik Yak is back, but can it make it in a Tik Tok world? Concerns about how the Taliban are using WhatsApp. OnlyFans wants you to try out a new safe for work app. TikTok is distributing music via the blockchain. And will BlueSky ever see the light of day? Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Upstart.com/techmeme Links: Remember Yik Yak? Well, it's back and still anonymous. (Mashable) T-Mobile Confirms It Was Hacked (Motherboard) WhatsApp Can’t Ban the Taliban Because It Can’t Read Their Texts (Motherboard) Facebook ‘Proactively’ Removing Taliban Content, Executive Says (Bloomberg) OnlyFans Creates Its First App With a Twist: No Nudity, No Cost (Bloomberg) And the First Streaming Service to Partner With TikTok Is… (Rolling Stone) Tinder will make its ID Verification option available to all users (The Verge) Salesforce introduces new Slack integrations post-acquisition (Venture Beat) Twitter taps crypto developer to lead decentralized social media initiative Bluesky (The Block) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now it’s T-Mobile investigating a data breach that may or may not affect more than 100 million people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s Autopilot. Everybody’s building undersea cables all at once. And new to me at least is the technology that can pull drinking water right from the hot, humid summer air. Sponsors: Streak.com/techmeme Voices.com Links: T-Mobile Investigating Claims of Massive Customer Data Breach (Motherboard) US probing Autopilot problems on 765,000 Tesla vehicles (Associated Press) Huawei Accused in Suit of Installing Data ‘Back Door’ in Pakistan Project (WSJ) Facebook, Amazon seek U.S. approval to operate undersea data cable (Reuters) This Solar Hydropanel Can Pull 10 Liters of Drinking Water Per Day Out of the Air (Brighter) Twitter’s web redesign isn’t as accessible as it should be, experts say (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wrapping up the Samsung event with @samrutherford of Gizmodo, taking stock of the state of foldable phones, and the 1Password engineering and founding team joins for the entire second half! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney reported some surprisingly strong streaming numbers. A recent Nvidia keynote included a virtual replica of its CEO. What if USDC becomes a stablecoin defacto backed by the US Fed. And in the weekend longreads suggestions, why stablecoins generally have become the lynchpin of the crypto universe. Sponsors: Gainful.com/techmeme Quantummetric.com/podoffer offer code Podcastcode Links: Disney+ beats expectations to reach 116 million subscribers in Q3 (TechCrunch) Nvidia Reveals Its CEO Was Computer Generated in Keynote Speech (Motherboard) How Circle could create a U.S.-backed digital currency (Axios) Crypto platform Poly Network rewards hacker with $500,000 'bug bounty' (Reuters) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Why the Stablecoin Issuers Will Inherit the Earth (Bloomberg) I Joined a Penguin NFT Club Because Apparently That’s What We Do Now (NYTimes) Status Monkeys (Not Boring) How Figma Became Design’s Hottest Startup, Valued At $10 Billion (Forbes) Massachusetts Start-Up Hopes to Move a Step Closer to Commercial Fusion (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is officially a bill to crack open the App Store. DoorDash wanted to buy Instacart, but fear of regulators scuppered the deal. WhatsApp will let you migrate your chat history. Lionel Messi’s new club is paying him partially in crypto. And there’s still money in digital piracy. Sponsors: Calm.com/techmeme Metalab.co Links: App Store Competition Targeted by Bipartisan Senate Bill (WSJ) DoorDash Recently Held Talks to Buy Instacart (The Information) TikTok to add more privacy protections for teenaged users, limit push notifications (TechCrunch) WhatsApp will let you transfer your chat history between Android and iOS (Engadget) Researchers Create 'Master Faces' to Bypass Facial Recognition (Motherboard) Messi joins crypto craze as gets part of PSG fee in fan tokens (Reuters) Pirated-Entertainment Sites Are Making Billions From Ads (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the flipping and folding phone news from today’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. A big crypto crime in the DeFi space. Did AWS beat out Microsoft for a secret NSA contract? And why are all the major tech platforms so concerned about protecting kids all of the sudden? Not that that’s a bad thing! Sponsors: Quantummetric.com/podoffer offer code Podcastcode Metalab.co Links: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 delivers S Pen, better screen durability, IPX8 for $1,799 (9to5Google) Samsung breaks the triple-digit barrier w/ Galaxy Z Flip 3 priced at $999 (9to5Google) THE GALAXY WATCH 4 INJECTS SAMSUNG’S CAPABLE HARDWARE WITH GOOGLE SOFTWARE (The Verge) At least $611 million stolen in massive cross-chain hack (The Block) Poly Network attacker returns $256 million of the stolen cryptocurrency (The Block) NSA Awards Secret $10 Billion Contract to Amazon (Nextgov) OpenAI launches Codex, an API for translating natural language into code (The Machine) Google restricts ad targeting of minors and will delist photos of kids at their request (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices