Tech Brew Ride Home

Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year brings new midrange phones. But are they really discontinuing the Galaxy Note, and are chip shortages the real reason why? Are reductions in app store fees really what they’re cracked up to be? Has Uber had a change of heart or just an acknowledgement of the inevitable? And the bear case for Clubhouse that everyone is talking about. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Samsung’s midrange phones now feature fast refresh rate screens, stabilized cameras (The Verge) Samsung Warns of Severe Chip Crunch While Delaying Key Phone (Bloomberg) Google cuts app store fees for developers on first million in annual sales (CNBC) Google and Apple are giving up less than 5% of their revenue from apps with payout changes, analytics firm estimates (CNBC) Uber grants UK drivers worker status after losing major labor battle (CNBC) Pinduoduo Founder Colin Huang Steps Down From Company (WSJ) Clubhouse Tweet Thread (ShaanVP) Tampa Twitter hacker agrees to three years in prison (Tampa Bay Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google’s 2nd gen Nest Hub gets sleep tracking thanks to the Soli chip. Intel’s 11th Gen desktop chips launch. Xi brings the hammer down on Chinese tech. And the craziest cellphone hack I’ve ever heard isn’t a hack at all, since it’s in a nutso-buttso unregulated grey area. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Google announces 2nd-gen Nest Hub with Soli-powered ‘Sleep Sensing’ for $99 (9to5Google) Intel’s 11th Gen desktop chips are here with faster speeds but fewer cores (The Verge) Dropbox will have a free password manager in April — if you’ve got 50 or fewer passwords (The Verge) Xi Warns Against Tech Excess in Sign Crackdown Will Widen (Bloomberg) Alibaba browser pulled from Chinese app stores (FT) Exclusive: Investors value China's Ant Group at over $200 billion after IPO halt - sources (Reuters) A Hacker Got All My Texts for $16 (Motherboard) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stripe, by some measures, has become the most successful Silicon Valley startup of all time, with their recent raise. Airtable too has an impressively interesting raise. Facebook wants to find you a vaccine appointment. The US is looking to overhaul its cybersecurity missile shield. And checking in on the whole Jack Ma situation. Sponsors: MintMobile.com/ride ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Stripe valuation soars to $95bn after latest fundraising (Financial Times) Airtable Tops $5.7 Billion Valuation On Growing Enterprise Sales And A Soaring Cloud Market (Forbes) Facebook aims to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19 (CNET) Massive Facebook study on users’ doubt in vaccines finds a small group appears to play a big role in pushing the skepticism (Washington Post) White House Weighs New Cybersecurity Approach After Failure to Detect Hacks (NYTimes) China Lays Plans to Tame Tech Giant Alibaba (WSJ) Clubhouse announces accelerator program for creators on its platform (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Netflix is cracking down on password sharing. Apple sues a former employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets. Masa Son is back, baby! I guess we have to watch ads on our $1500 smart tvs now, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. EditorX.com ThoughtWorks Technology Podcast Links: Netflix Begins Test to Crack Down on Password Sharing Outside Your Household (The Streamable) Apple sues former employee for stealing trade secrets, leaking information to the media (9to5Mac) SoftBank-Backed Coupang Prices U.S. IPO Above Target (Bloomberg) I guess I have to watch ads everywhere on my $1,500 LG TV now (The Verge) Weekend Longread Suggestions: Interview: Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of Stripe (Noahpinion.substack.com) TWITTER IS REINVENTING ITSELF (The Verge) Excel Never Dies (Not Boring) How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation (MIT Technology Review) Bilibili: How a Chinese site dedicated to anime subculture grew up with its Gen Z users to become a mainstream success (South China Morning Post) Sometimes It’s OK to Give Up (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roblox’s public market debut and why people are so excited about it. Twitter to open up spaces to everyone next month. An Apple silicon friendly version of Photoshop sports so eyebrow raising performance gains. Are iPhones about to get heavier? And the NFT sales record has been shattered thanks to Beeple. Sponsors: StartMail.com/techmeme Links: Roblox jumps to $38 billion market cap as public investors get their first crack at the popular kids game app (CNBC) Twitter plans to let anyone start hosting Twitter Spaces in April (The Verge) Verkada Workers Had Extensive Access to Private Customer Cameras (Bloomberg) Google paves way to monetize Pay users’ data in India (TechCrunch) Photoshop now runs natively on Apple’s M1 Macs (The Verge) iPhone 13 to Finally Feature Bigger Batteries (MacRumors) Oppo Find X3 Pro goes official w/ Snapdragon 888, 120Hz display, ‘microlens’ camera (9to5Google) Beeple sold an NFT for $69 million (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hackers breached the security cameras used by everybody from prisons and hospitals to Tesla factories. Why you will no longer “subscribe” to this podcast, but will “follow” it. Why T-Mobile is signing everyone up to have their usage data tracked by advertisers. And Facebook’s 10 year roadmap for AR and VR. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com use code TECHMEME (all caps one word) at checkout Uber.com/techmeme Links: Hackers Breach Thousands of Security Cameras, Exposing Tesla, Jails, Hospitals (Bloomberg) Apple slashes planned iPhone 12 mini production for 1H (NikkeiAsia) Google links Android phones to Chromebooks with new Phone Hub feature (The Verge) TikTok adds new comment controls to discourage bullying (Engadget) 'Follow our podcast': Apple Podcasts to stop using 'subscribe' (Podnews) T-Mobile to Step Up Ad Targeting of Cellphone Customers (WSJ) Amazon has over 800 people working on its secretive 'Vesta' home robot — but insiders are worried that it's a niche, gimmicky product that could fail (Insider) Inside Facebook Reality Labs: The Next Era of Human-Computer Interaction (Tech@Facebook) Facebook's ready to talk about how its AR glasses will work with neural wristbands (CNET) Samsung sets March 17 for its second Unpacked event of 2021 (CNET) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Joe Biden about to name the architect of the current antitrust movement to a seat on the FTC? Are other bad actors swooping in to take advantage of the SolarWinds hack? Is Microsoft gonna play both sides of the fence with new Surface devices? And why popular YouTubers are suddenly building their own platforms. Sponsors: EditorX.com Links: POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: Biden taps another Big Tech trustbuster (Politico/Playbook) Amazon’s Antitrust Antagonist Has a Breakthrough Idea (NYTimes) Attacks on SolarWinds Servers Also Linked To Chinese Threat Actor (The Record) Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 will reportedly include both AMD and Intel configurations (The Verge) Apple releases iOS 14.4.1 and macOS 11.2.3 to address a WebKit vulnerability (Engadget) Why popular YouTubers are building their own sites (BBC News) LOGITECH’S CIRCLE VIEW DOORBELL IS THE CLOSEST THING WE HAVE TO AN APPLE-MADE DOORBELL (The Verge) The Kottke Ride Home Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ming-Chi Kuo’s grand unified Apple rumor includes AR enabled contact lenses. Is the US about to retaliate in kind for the SolarWinds hack? Mobile World Congress is gonna go ahead and do it live! And in person. Why is Google making Google Pay worse? And do we need a new podcast wager about meaningful quantum computing by 2023? Sponsors: Kiwico.com, promocode "ride" for 30% off BuyRaycon.com/tech for 15% off Links: Kuo: Apple to Launch Mixed Reality Headset in Mid 2022 and Augmented Reality Glasses by 2025 (MacRumors) Preparing for Retaliation Against Russia, U.S. Confronts Hacking by China (NYTimes) Smartphone Lobby Wants Conference for 50,000 People in June (Bloomberg) The new Google Pay repeats all the same mistakes of Google Allo (Ars Technica) Quantum-Computing Startup IonQ Plans Public Debut in $2 Billion SPAC Merger (WSJ) Sidewalk robots get legal rights as "pedestrians" (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don’t think this one requires any in depth intro. The great Brady Dale of Coindesk, walks us though the whole NFT phenomenon. What are NFTs? How do they work? Why are people so crazed about them at the moment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Wu joined the Biden administration and that sound you hear is a big collective gulp from Silicon Valley. A tweet undo button has been unearthed. Turntable.fm has resurfaced. New data suggests the death of silicon valley has been exaggerated. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Audible.com/techmeme or text techmeme to 500-500 Links: A Leading Critic of Big Tech Will Join the White House (NYTimes) Here’s what Twitter’s rumored ‘undo send’ feature could look like (The Verge) Turntable.fm is back from the dead — and now there are two (The Verge) Survey finds that the reported exodus of tech companies from San Francisco's Bay Area is 'greatly exaggerated' (Insider) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The problem for Paramount+ (and every other streamer)? Everyone already has Netflix. (Recode) Who Really Writes Twitter’s ‘Trending’ Summaries (OneZero) Blockchain, QR codes and your phone: the race to build vaccine passports (Protocol) How a tiny startup is reinventing the DVR for the cord-cutter era (Fast Company) China’s Tencent Becomes an Investment Powerhouse, Using Deals to Expand Its Empire (WSJ) I have one of the most advanced prosthetic arms in the world — and I hate it (Input) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Square is acquiring a majority stake in Tidal, and either this makes little sense, or it’s a watershed moment in this NFT/creator economy phenomenon that’s suddenly washing over all of us. Apple walks the walk in terms of data portability. But they’re facing serious new anti-trust scrutiny in the UK and Arizona. And our year of Covid, at least measured in internet traffic numbers. Sponsors: Masterworks.io, promocode ride LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Square acquires majority of Tidal, Jay-Z’s streaming service, in $297 million deal. (NYTimes) Apple Launches Service for Transferring iCloud Photos and Videos to Google Photos (MacRumors) Apple Probed by U.K. as App Store Payments Scrutiny Mounts (Bloomberg) Arizona App Store Bill (The Verge) Ethereum now an option on Amazon’s managed blockchain service (The Block) Comcast: Pandemic drove peak internet traffic up 32% in 2020 (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google says it’s getting out of the ad tracking game. Kinda. I’ll explain what’s really going on here. Headline wrapup from Microsoft’s Ignite conference includes AR excitement. Brave is launching a privacy search engine. And why Amazon’s app icon redesign reminded people of Hitler’s mustache. Sponsors: PingIdentity.com NewYorker.com/techmeme, promocode: techmeme Links: Google promises it won’t just keep tracking you after replacing cookies (The Verge) Google to Stop Selling Ads Based on Your Specific Web Browsing (WSJ) Microsoft says China-backed hackers are exploiting Exchange zero-days (TechCrunch) Recovering from the SolarWinds hack could take 18 months (MIT Technology Review) Microsoft launches Power Fx, a new open source low-code language (TechCrunch) Microsoft Mesh feels like the virtual future of Microsoft Teams meetings (The Verge) Brave is launching its own search engine with the help of ex-Cliqz devs and tech (TechCrunch) Amazon shaves app icon mustache that raised eyebrows (The Verge) My podcast NFT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the iPhone about to lose the notch and join the hole-punch universe? Whole bunch of new features for Microsoft Teams, and also a new Microsoft smart-speaker. Instacart has a monster raise. Grimes has a monster NFT sale. Discovery+ is an interesting dark-horse in the streaming wars. Oh. And “fly” drones. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: Kuo: iPhone 13 series to feature smaller notch, 120Hz display, larger batteries, more (9to5Mac) All 270 US Apple Stores are open for the first time since March 2020 (9to5Mac) Microsoft to add new shared channels, encryption for calls, webinar features to Teams (ZDNet) Microsoft’s new Intelligent Speakers deliver its promised meeting room of the future (The Verge) Instacart’s valuation doubles to $39 billion (CNBC) Grimes made $5.8 million in under 20 minutes selling crypto-based artwork (Insider) How a 10-second video clip sold for $6.6 million (Reuters) Forget ‘Succession.’ You Can Watch ‘90 Day Fiancé’ for 100 Hours Straight. (NYTimes) Researchers introduce a new generation of tiny, agile drones (MIT News) Tonight's Clubhouse Experiment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instagram launches Live Rooms for group broadcasts, which, depending on how you use it is either basically FaceTime for Instagram, or another shot across the Clubhouse bow. Is the micromobility space revving up to roar back to health? Are US-based drone makers about to step into the void left by DJI? And Chris Dixon tries to contextualize NFTs for us. Sponsors: SmartAsset.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: Instagram launches ‘Live Rooms’ for live broadcasts with up to four creators (TechCrunch) Verizon support says you should turn off 5G to save your phone’s battery (The Verge) Lime says it will spend $50 million on a huge e-bike expansion (The Verge) Skydio valuation raises American hopes in drone war with China (Financial Times) Klarna Valued at $31 Billion After U.S. Growth Stoked Investors (Bloomberg) As BNPL startups raise, a look at Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay earnings (TechCrunch Extra) NFTs and a Thousand True Fans (Chris Dixon/Andreessen Horowitz) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Messina and I go deeper on some of the news of the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter just wants to give us everything all of the sudden, including charging for tweets, sort of groups based on interests, and even blocking and muting accounts. Google gives devs a Sleep API. Why has LastPass decided to piss everyone off all of the sudden? Why Xiaomi is the up-and-comer to keep your eye on. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com use code TECHMEME (all caps one word) at checkout Links: Twitter announces paid Super Follows to let you charge for tweets (The Verge) Twitter planning a feature to let you auto-block and mute abusive accounts (The Verge) Google launches Android Sleep API to detect snoozing, waking up; available to apps now (9to5Google) 1Password has none, KeePass has none... So why are there seven embedded trackers in the LastPass Android app? (The Register) European Smartphone Market Down 14% YoY in 2020; Xiaomi gains while Huawei and Samsung Lose (Counterpoint Research) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Xiaomi is undercutting the whole tech industry. And it’s working (Wired) American Idle (Eugene Wei) Why Plus Is a Minus When Naming Your Streaming Site (NYTimes) Shockingly Real Tom Cruise Deepfakes Are Invading TikTok (Daily Beast) We're Just Rediscovering a 19th-Century Pandemic Strategy (The Atlantic) Subscribe to RideHome+ to listen to the Gadgets episode here: tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration signs an executive order addressing the chip shortage. I’ll tell you why this is evolving into a big deal. Coinbase files its S-1 so we get to look under the hood of their business for the first time. Paramount+ reveals pricing and content details for the first time. And timely interesting raises in the Ethereum space which means: NFTs. Sponsors: Oracle.com/goto/ride FlatFile.io Links: Biden Orders Broad Supply-Chain Review Amid Chip Shortages (WSJ) Coinbase Reveals $322M in Profit For 2020 Ahead of Landmark Public Debut (Decrypt) ViacomCBS bets you will subscribe to 5 or more streaming services, leaving plenty of room for Paramount+ (CNBC) Verizon Leads 5G Airwave Bidding With Record $45 Billion Splurge (Bloomberg) NFT marketplace Sorare raises $50 million in Series A led by Benchmark (The Block) Ethereum scaling startup Optimism raises $25 million Series A led by a16z (The Block) Otter.ai raises $50 million for AI transcription (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook defends its stance in Australia. MicroStrategy doubles down on its stance vis-à-vis bitcoin. Is “Sign In With Apple” the new stick the antitrust folks might use to beat Apple with? But conversely, have you noticed that social networking has gotten hella competitive lately? What does that mean for anti-trust arguements vis-à-vis Facebook. Oh, and a skateboard for AR glasses. Flatfile.io AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH Links: The Real Story of What Happened With News on Facebook in Australia (Facebook Newsroom) Facebook got everything it wanted out of Australia by being willing to do what the other guy wouldn’t (Nieman Lab) MicroStrategy Buys $1 Billion More Bitcoin, Totalling $4.5 Billion (Decrypt) HP is buying gaming accessory brand HyperX for $425 million (The Verge) Apple’s App Sign-in Button Becomes Hot-Button Issue in U.S. Antitrust Probe (The Information) How social networks got competitive again (Casey Newton's Platformer) VCs are chasing Hopin upwards of $5-6B valuation (TechCrunch) Qualcomm’s new AR ‘Smart Viewer’ lets you pin virtual screens to your walls (The Verge) Link to the Clubhouse Event Tonight at 10pm eastern, 7pm pacific Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australia caves in to Facebook. PlayStation is planning a big new push in VR. The Mate X2 keeps the foldable dream alive. The weird new malware infecting Apple Silicon Macs. And let’s use NBA Top Shot as a lens to explain NFTs. Sponsors: Kiwico.com promocode: ride EditorX.com Links: Facebook to reverse news ban on Australian sites, government to make amendments to media bargaining code (ABC.net.au) PlayStation CEO says PS5 will get its own VR headset, explains console supply chain shortfall (Washington Post) Huawei’s Mate X2 foldable adopts Samsung’s dual-screen design (The Verge) Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models With HDMI Port and SD Card Reader to Launch Later This Year (MacRumors) New malware found on 30,000 Macs has security pros stumped (ArsTechnica) Inside 'NBA Top Shot,' the Digital Highlights Marketplace Worth Millions (Bleacher Report) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spotify’s new HiFi subscription tier. Clubhouse has security concerns. Apple is king of the smartphone hill once again. Maybe the biggest survival story of the Covid-19 era is about the IPO. And is the Facebook news ban pushing Australians into the arms of the news publishers themselves? Sponsors: ManlyBands.com/techmeme code: techmeme for 20% NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode: techmeme Links: Spotify HiFi is a lossless streaming tier coming later this year (The Verge) Clubhouse Chats Are Breached, Raising Concerns Over Security (Bloomberg) Apple Surpassed Samsung as World's Largest Smartphone Maker in Fourth Quarter (MacRumors) Restaurant-Software Provider Toast Prepares for IPO (WSJ) Google fires another AI ethics leader (Axios) Australia’s ABC News shot to the top of the App Store charts following Facebook’s news ban (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As mentioned, for my birthday this year I got my first VR rig, an Occulus Quest 2 because if an Apple AR/VR thingy is coming, if Facebook continues to invest in VR, then I figured it was time to, you know, not be functionally inexperienced with the space. I have a little bit of crypto to understand the space. Looking to get my hands on some NFTs to understand the space. I’ve got an onlyfans account to understand the dynamics of what works in the creator economy. And that’s the only reason, I swear. Anyway, in this episode we’re going to talk about some of the things I’ve learned and to do so, we’re going to talk to two folks. First, some of you might know Kyle Hilliard, he was for a long time the host of our Gaming Ride Home podcast, before the pandemic put paid to that show. He’s a veteran games journalist, and actually, you can still hear Kyle talk gaming on the MinnMax podcast. Link in the show notes. Kyle helps me understand the state of the industry from a developer and corporate and startup perspective. And also, we’re going to talk to Seth Rininger (@Sethmr1989) who is a kind-hearted listener to this show who, when I put out the word for someone to help me get onboarded with Oculus platform, kindly answered the call and helped guide me through getting my VR legs under me. My discussion with Seth is designed to give you an idea of where VR is at right now, in case you’re looking to give it a go yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber has lost one of its most significant independent contractor battles, in this case, in the UK. The Android 12 Developer Preview is here. Office 2021 is coming. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH Tovala.com/ride Links: Uber loses a major employment rights case as the UK’s top court rules its drivers are workers (CNBC) Android 12 developer preview is available now with many under-the-hood updates (The Verge) Apple Is Working on Magnetic Battery Pack Attachment for IPhones (Bloomberg) Microsoft announces Office 2021, available for Windows and macOS later this year (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Bizarre Reaction To Facebook's Decision To Get Out Of The News Business In Australia (TechDirt) Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin) Why the three biggest vaccine makers failed on Covid-19 (Financial Times) Citibank just got a $500 million lesson in the importance of UI design (Ars Technica) All Your Base Are Belong To Us has turned 20 (The Verge) What Peter Jackson’s original two-movie Lord of the Rings almost looked like (Polygon) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’ll do my best to explain this Australia situation with Facebook and Google. SpaceX is our interesting raise today. Nvidia unveils a line of chips just for crypto. Does Apple want to set the standards for 6G? And if remote work is the future, why is Big Tech still building so much office space? Sponsors: Uber.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Facebook restricts users, publishers from sharing news content in Australia (AP) Facebook calls Australia's bluff (Platformer) SpaceX Funding Round at $74 Billion Valuation Was Led by Sequoia (Bloomberg) NVIDIA Annoucnes CMP 30HX, 40HX, 50HX and 90HX GPUs For Mining, Cripples Hash Rate Of RTX 3060 (WCCFTech) Apple Hiring Engineers to Develop 6G Wireless (Bloomberg) If Work Is Going Remote, Why Is Big Tech Still Building? (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Epic Games takes its war with Apple to Europe. But Apple wins a skirmish in North Dakota of all places. New York sues Amazon over worker issues. Google maps will now let you pay for parking. Some tangible numbers about the recent NFT explosion. And why the new headphone emoji look suspiciously like AirPods Max. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride PingIdentity.com Links: Epic Games files EU antitrust complaint against Apple (FT) Apple wins victory as North Dakota votes down bill that would regulate app stores (CNBC) New York Sues Amazon, Saying It Inadequately Protected Workers From Covid-19 (NYTimes) Amazon won’t build this Alexa cuckoo clock unless it hits a preorder goal (The Verge) Google Maps will now let you pay for public transportation and parking through its app (The Verge) Chromebooks outsold Macs worldwide in 2020, cutting into Windows market share (GeekWire) Ethereum NFT Market Primed for Explosive Growth in 2021 (Decrypt) First Look: 217 New Emojis in iOS 14.5 (Emojipedia) The essay we hope to discuss on Clubhouse tonight: Why did I leave Google or, why did I stay so long? (Noam Bardin) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bitcoin hits its latest, biggest milestone. A OnePlus cofounder’s latest startup is: Nothing. But it bought something: Essential. I’ll explain why this “who’s on first” routine might be interesting. Why government antitrust action has a tendency to open the litigation floodgates. And if you’ve been hearing about that new app Dispo, I’ve got an explainer for you. Cause that’s what I’m here for. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Bitcoin Jumps to $50,000 as Record-Breaking Rally Accelerates (Bloomberg) Essential is now officially owned by Carl Pei’s Nothing Technologies (9to5Google) Microsoft’s new Office app now available on iPad (The Verge) New Samsung laptops rumored to include OLED screens and S Pen support (The Verge) Big Tech’s Next Big Problem Could Come From People Like ‘Mr. Sweepy’ (NYTimes) Retro photo app is winning buzz (Axios) The bull case for Dispo (Justin Potts) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve got our first look at how Microsoft plans to bring xCloud to every device, even iOS. Is Facebook building a smartwatch? Maybe because they’re so pissed at Apple? Is everyone trying to scupper the Nvidia/ARM deal? And why I failed to mention that Paramount+ is the new entrant in the streaming wars. Sponsors: ExpressVPN.com/techmeme MintMobile.com/ride Links: Here’s a first look at Microsoft’s xCloud for the web (The Verge) Facebook Plans Smartwatch With Focus on Messaging, Health (The Information) Facebook Meets Apple in Clash of the Tech Titans—‘We Need to Inflict Pain’ (WSJ) Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm Protest Nvidia’s Acquisition of Arm Ltd. (Bloomberg) Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All (Wired) ViacomCBS Goes ‘All-In’ on Streaming, But Without Many of Its Top Shows (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want the single best person in economics twitter to follow, it’s Noah Smith, Bloomberg’s Economics Opinion Columnist. If you want to him, its @noahpinion, by the way. If you want a great substack to sign up to, try noahpinion.substack.com… the free article this week is called Triumph of the HODler’s… I hope I remember to link to it in the show notes. It’s the best summation I’ve read of what’s going on with Bitcoin at the moment. But also, as you’ll hear, he has a great new podcast with another economist I respect, Brad Delong. Noah is just a smart, smart guy. If you want a smart economics angle to anything happening in the world right now, he’s just the best. Noah and I have been friendly on Twitter over the years, occasionally exchanging DMs about obscure details about the Holy Roman Empire, but this is the first time I “met” him if you will. It’s been a while since I was sort of starstruck to interview someone, but here you go. The great Noah Smith… Sponsors: AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google adds some photo editing features to Google Photos that maybe points to a larger subscription play. Is Apple’s new AR app for TV+ a sign of things to come? Disney+ numbers are amazing. Apple Watch estimated numbers are impressive. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Oracle.com/goto/ride TinyCapital.com Links: Google Photos gets new paywalled editing features for Google One subscribers (The Verge) First Apple TV+ AR app launches with ‘For All Mankind’ backstory through mixed reality (9to5Mac) Disney says it now has 94.9 million Disney+ subscribers (CNBC) Apple Watch Is Now Worn on 100 Million Wrists (Above Avalon) Bumble stock closes up 63% after soaring in market debut (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT): Beginner's Guide (Decrypt) 20 years of orange cones: The history of VLC (Protocol) N.Y.’s Vaccine Websites Weren’t Working. He Built a New One for $50. (NYTimes) Cadillac Super Cruise Review: Better Than Tesla’s Autopilot (MotorTrend) Chip Shortage Spirals Beyond Cars to Phones and Consoles (Bloomberg | Quint) HOW SONY DESIGNED THE PS5’S ULTIMATE EASTER EGG (The Verge) Who Really Created the Marvel Universe? (The New Yorker) Listen to this weekend's Interesting Raise Episode by signing up right here: tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook wants to copy Clubhouse too, and meanwhile I got to try out Twitter Spaces last night. Did Microsoft make a run at acquiring Pinterest, and would the government let that happen? Is Peacock the sick man of the streaming wars? And an interesting raise around the creator economy. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com code TECHMEME at checkout AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH Links: Facebook Is Said to Be Building a Product to Compete With Clubhouse (NYTimes) Microsoft approached Pinterest about a takeover (Financial Times) iOS 14.5 Beta Directs 'Safe Browsing' Traffic in Safari Through Apple Server Instead of Google to Protect Personal User Data (MacRumors) Bumble makes Wall Street debut in a milestone moment for female founders (CNN Business) NBCUniversal’s Streaming Strategy Raises Prospect of WarnerMedia Merger (The Information) Andreessen Horowitz Wins Deal for Creator Economy Startup Stir at $100 Million Valuation (The Information) Machines Are Inventing New Math We've Never Seen (Motherboard) tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe… the whole TikTok kabuki theater is at its endpoint. Salesforce thinks the whole concept of the “9-to-5 workday” is at its endpoint. More smoke around the Apple Goggles fire. Why you need to get hip to the concept of non-fungible tokens. And why cops have gotten hip to playing Sublime songs to prevent you from filming them. Sponsors: EditorX.com TinyCapital.com Links: TikTok Sale to Oracle, Walmart Is Shelved as Biden Reviews Security (WSJ) Salesforce declares the 9-to-5 workday dead, will let some employees work remotely from now on (The Verge) Apple reportedly developing next-gen ultra-thin displays for AR devices with TSMC (The Verge) How Did A LeBron James Video Highlight Sell For $71,455? A Look At A Burgeoning Product Called NBA Top Shot. (Forbes) Biggest Ever NFT Sale Made as 'Axie Land’ Goes for $1.5 Million (Decrypt) Microsoft launches Bulletins and Milestones apps for Teams (Windows Central) Apple Maps Adds Waze-Like Features in iOS 14.5 for Crowdsourcing Accidents, Speed Traps and Hazards (MacRumors) Is This Beverly Hills Cop Playing Sublime’s ‘Santeria’ to Avoid Being Live-Streamed? (Vice) Subscribe to RideHome+ at tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon is ginning up a new Echo device that’s like a dashboard for your household. Big changes to Android leaked to the internet. Reddit raises a big round. Mark Cuban is gunning for Clubhouse. And I’ve been warning y’all of industrial hacking. We almost had a big disaster down in Tampa Bay. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme, promocode: techmeme AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH Links: Amazon Plans Wall-Mounted Echo as Smart Home Command Center (Bloomberg) This may be our first look at Android 12, Google’s next Android OS (XDA) Reddit’s Valuation Doubles to $6 Billion After Funding Round (WSJ) Mark Cuban is co-founding a podcast app where hosts can talk to fans live and monetize their conversations (The Verge) Qualcomm's new X65 5G modem downloads data at lightning-fast 10Gbps speeds (CNet) The Rust programming language just took a huge step forwards (ZDNet) Hacker Tried to Poison Florida City's Water Supply, Police Say (Motherboard) tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The singularity is near, cause all our meme stories are colliding. Tesla has bought a ton of Bitcoin while Elon is tweet-pumping Dogecoin. Clubhouse is blocked in China. Cold water on the Apple Car story from Hyundai itself. TikTok is skipping directly to an ecommerce buildout. And Xiaomi’s big new global flagship phone. Sponsors: Kiwico.com promocode: ride BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Tesla buys $1.5 billion in bitcoin, plans to accept it as payment (CNBC) Clubhouse is now blocked in China after a brief uncensored period (TechCrunch) Apple Car Talks Aren’t Happening, Say Automakers Hyundai, Kia (Bloomberg) Twitter Considers Subscription Fee for Tweetdeck, Unique Content (Bloomberg) TikTok takes on Facebook with US ecommerce push (FT) Follow the CAPEX: Cloud Table Stakes 2020 Retrospective (Platformonomics) Xiaomi’s global Mi 11 has a Snapdragon 888 for €749 (The Verge) RideHome+ feed at: tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Are Apple’s coming IDFA changes going to have a bigger ripple effect across the entire tech industry than we’re even anticipating? Chinese users are flocking to Clubhouse which… probably means the end of Clubhouse in China. Why a shortage of silicon is causing automakers to cut vehicle production. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Audible.com/techmeme or text "techmeme" to 500-500 Metalab.com Links: Facebook’s not the only one worried about Apple’s privacy change — Snap and Unity both just warned investors about it (CNBC) An Interview with Eric Seufert about Apple, Facebook, and Mobile Advertising (Stratechery) Google taps your phone cameras to measure your heart rate (Engadget) Chinese flock to freewheeling US chat app Clubhouse (Nikkei Asia) Ford says ‘millions’ of its vehicles will run on Google’s Android starting in 2023 (The Verge) Car manufacturing hit by global semiconductor shortage (FT) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Andy Jassy Twitter Thread (@ankithharathi) This Hedge Fund Made $700 Million on GameStop (WSJ) PFOF is the Ad Model for Brokerage (Justin Paterno) Superstar Cities Are in Trouble (The Atlantic) They’re Flocking to America to Make a Fortune Playing Video Games (NYTimes) Subscribe to RideHome+ at tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whole bunch of Apple rumors today. The most details yet on the Apple headset. Will the Apple car be an AV first, and does that just mean it will be for delivering things? Is the iPhone 13 getting better cameras? And also, Amazon is deploying cameras on its trucks. And Senator Klobuchar wants to put the burden of proof on the acquirers, when it comes to tech mergers. Sponsors: AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH LinkedIn.com/ride Links: New Apple Mixed-Reality Headset Details: Swappable Headbands, Eye-Tracking (The Information) Apple and Hyundai-Kia pushing toward deal on Apple Car (CNBC) Kuo: iPhone 13 Now More Likely to Get Upgraded Ultra Wide Camera With Improved Low-Light Performance (MacRumors) Amazon is using AI-equipped cameras in delivery vans and some drivers are concerned about privacy (CNBC) Klobuchar to Introduce Antitrust Bill Raising Bar for Technology Deals (WSJ) The Technology 202: Klobuchar's new antitrust bill may hit Big Tech where it hurts (Washington Post) tech.supercast.tech for the premium feed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon CEO, to be replaced by Andy Jassy. Google is losing a ton of money on its Cloud, but YouTube is finally hitting its stride. Apple might formally do an Apple Car-related tie-up with Kia in a matter of weeks. And why I finally got off the fence and decided to investigate the AR/VR space. Sponsors: Oracle.com/goto/ride Metalab.com Links: Email from Jeff Bezos to employees (Amazon) Amazon’s next CEO, Andy Jassy, transformed e-commerce company into a cloud computing giant (CNBC) Amazon.com Announces Financial Results and CEO Transition (Amazon Investor Relations) Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Results (Alphabet Investor Relations) Kia Motors Shares Jump After Report Apple to Invest $3.6 Billion (Bloomberg) Facebook starts rolling out Messenger on Oculus headsets (Engadget) 60+ Oculus Quest Apps Made More Than $1 Million (UploadVR) Google Meet’s new ‘green room’ lets you do an audio / video pre-check (The Verge) Zoom adds virtual receptionists for when people start going back to the office (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google is getting out of the game development business, but is it getting out of the Stadia business or just pivoting to infrastructure? Apple acknowledges that Covid has basically hobbled Face ID. Uber gets into the liquor delivery business. And Amazon’s plans for its HQ2 architecture shows at least somebody in Silicon Valley is not buying the remote work hype. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme AirMedcareNetwork.com/tech offer code: TECH Links: Google Stadia Shuts Down Internal Studios, Changing Business Focus (Kotaku) Google now gives you more information about the sites in your search results (TechCrunch) iOS 14.5 will let Apple Watch owners unlock iPhones while wearing a mask (Engadget) Uber buying booze delivery company Drizly for $1.1 billion (Axios) Kuo: 'Apple Car' to use Hyundai's E-GMP platform, GM and PSA partnerships possible (Apple Insider) Robinhood Raises Another $2.4 Billion From Shareholders (WSJ) Amazon Unveils Outdoorsy New HQ2, Renewing Its Commitment to Offices (WSJ) tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a day ending in -a-y, so that must mean Google discontinued another flagship product. Microsoft reports that its next growth industry is cybersecurity. Ring has basically doubled the amount of police and fire departments that can request access your doorbell videos. And what happened when Elon Musk showed up in Clubhouse last night. Sponsors: SmartAsset.com/techmeme Metalab.co Links: [Update: Final] Pixel Slate discontinued and removed from Google Store (9to5Google) Apple’s iCloud Passwords extension for Chrome on Windows is now available (9to5Google) Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella: There is ‘a big crisis right now’ for cybersecurity (Yahoo Finance) Facebook Knew Calls for Violence Plagued ‘Groups,’ Now Plans Overhaul (WSJ) US police and fire departments partnering with Amazon’s Ring passes 2,000 (Financial Times) New Linux SUDO flaw lets local users gain root privileges (Bleeping Computer) Augmented Reality Gets Pandemic Boost (WSJ) Elon Musk busts Clubhouse limit (TechCrunch) Recording of Musk on Clubhouse (Final Stand/YouTube) RideHome+ Feed Signup: tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sponsor: Grammarly.com/techmeme If you want to hear the 2nd half of this episode, subscribe to the RideHome+ feed by tapping here: tech.supercast.tech Links: This Nifty Strap Lets You Control the Apple Watch With Gestures (Gizmodo) Sony reveals full details on its upcoming 360 Reality Audio speakers (Engadget) Sony's new premium speaker looks like a giant electric razor (Android Police) LG TO REINFORCE INDUSTRY DOMINANCE WITH ULTIMATE TV TECHNOLOGY (LG Newsroom) LG’s 2021 TV lineup includes its brightest OLED ever (The Verge) This new module keeps Philips Hue bulbs connected even when the wall switch gets flipped (TechCrunch) Asus’ new Chromebook CX9 offers military-grade durability (The Verge) Asus ZenBeam Latte projector is as portable as a cup of coffee (SlashGear) Razer Unveils RGB Face Mask and Immersive Gaming Chair Concepts (IGN) Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 2 i bakes a bigger, better e-ink touchscreen into the lid (SlashGear) TCL 20 5G and TCL 20 SE are new affordable smartphones for entertainment (GSMArena) Vuzix’s new microLED smart glasses look like tech you’d actually want to wear on your face (The Verge) Vuzix’s new microLED-powered smart glasses will arrive this summer (TechCrunch) This is Sony’s Airpeak drone (The Verge) (Sign up to give Airpeak feedback here) Linksys unveils a next-gen router that senses motion in your home (CNET) Western Digital SSDs (AnAndTech) YSL’s lipstick pod gadget will create whatever shade you want (The Verge) Samsung's new robot vacuum uses lidar and empties its own bin like a fancy Roomba (CNET) How Samsung’s JetBot 90 AI+ Reimagines Cleaning (Samsung Newsroom) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What once was a story about Game Stop and Reddit, has suddenly become a story about Robinhood. I’ll catch you up. Everybody wants in on the newsletter game all the sudden. Hyundai is having second thoughts about building an Apple Car, and a special stonks themed edition of the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely.com code TECHMEME15 at checkout ManlyBands.com/techmeme Links: Robinhood, in Need of Cash, Raises $1 Billion From Its Investors (NYTimes) Facebook is said to be planning newsletter tools to court independent writers. (NYTimes) Hyundai wrestles with the risks of embracing Apple (Reuters) SEC scrutiny delays Roblox stock market listing (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestion: Inside the Reddit army that's crushing Wall Street (CNN Business) The Big Short SQUEEZE from $5 to $50? Could GameStop stock (GME) explode higher?? Value investing! (Roaring Kitty) How a Penny Stock Explodes From Obscurity to 451% Gains Via Chat Forums (Bloomberg) Think Americans Wouldn’t Wager on Russian Table Tennis? Care to Bet? (NyTimes) CashApp Is King (Aika's Newsletter) Can Growth Go Out of Style? (Irrelevant Investor) YouTube’s Spammy Sex Bots Make a Ton of Money (OneZero) Who’s Making All Those Scam Calls? (NYTimes Magazine) Subscribe to the RideHome+ Feed: tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We finally get to the whole GameStop story cause Robinhood has frozen trading for some folks looking for fresh “tendies.” Apple and Facebook release absolutely killer earnings. As expected. But are they about to go to world war in court? Tesla’s earnings disappoint. And Facebook’s Oversight Board issues its first rulings. Sponsors: Netgear.com/bestwifi TinyCapital.com Links: Robinhood restricts trading in GameStop, other names involved in frenzy (CNBC) How WallStreetBets Pushed GameStop Shares to the Moon (Bloomberg) WallStreetBets Founder Reckons With Legacy Amid Stock-Market Frenzy (WSJ) 'Smack It Like E. Honda': Buying NFTs for Pleasure and Profit (CoinTalk) Mark Zuckerberg says Apple is now one of Facebook’s biggest competitors (CNBC) Facebook Preps Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple (The Information) Apple's App Tracking Transparency Feature will be enabled by default and arrive in 'early spring' on iOS (TechCrunch) Tesla disappoints Wall Street despite strong profits (CNN Business) Facebook's 'Oversight Board' overturns 4 cases in first rulings (NBC News) Subscribe to Ride Home+ at tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft earnings are insane, as expected. Wonder Woman might have made HBOMax a contender. YouTube is still the king of getting creators paid. What if I told you Atari doesn’t want to be left out of the game streaming wars. And listen to the end of this episode for the big podcast announcement I’ve been promising. Sponsors: Oracle.com/goto/ride Links: Microsoft profits jump 33 percent as pandemic continues shift to cloud computing. (NYTimes) AT&T Q4: HBO Max Activations Double to 17.2 Million, Warner Bros. Revenue Declines 21% (Variety) Apple fixes another three iOS zero-days exploited in the wild (ZDNet) Apple just had its best quarter in India (TechCrunch) YouTube has paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and others over the last three years (The Verge) Plex is launching a game subscription service filled with Atari games (The Verge) Google open sources Tilt Brush VR software as it shuts down internal development (TechCrunch) !!! Subscribe to Ride Home+ tech.supercast.tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter acquires a Substack competitor. It’s also iterating product in terms of… check’s notes: content moderation? The black hats are targeting the white hats in infosec. Interesting executive shuffle at Apple. A $2500 smartphone from Sony that really might be a “pro” device. And would you let me put a 5G gear box in your front lawn? You might not have a choice. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode: techmeme Jamf.it/techmeme Links: Twitter acquiring newsletter publishing company Revue (Axios) Twitter launches 'Birdwatch,' a forum to combat misinformation (NBC News) Google warns of ‘novel social engineering method’ used to hack security researchers (The Verge) Dan Riccio Transitioning to New Project, John Ternus to Lead Apple's Hardware Engineering Team (MacRumors) Sony’s creator-focused Xperia Pro arrives in the US priced at $2,499 (The Verge) Americans spend average of $47 a month on streaming services (The Desk) 5G boxes are coming to people’s homes, whether they want them or not (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clubhouse has become a unicorn in, what… nine months? Google is making its facilities available as vaccine centers, while its workers are union organizing globally. Apple wants you to get up and walk. And why the SPAC frenzy could potentially transform the startup ecosystem over the coming months. Sponsors: Uber.com/techmeme Kiwico.com promocode: ride Links: Clubhouse announces plans for creator payments and raises new funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (TechCrunch) Big Revolution - Inside the Clubhouse (Big Revolution) Google will turn some of its offices into COVID-19 vaccination sites (Engadget) Google Maps and Search to show COVID-19 vaccination locations (LaptopMag) Exclusive: Google workers across the globe announce international union alliance to hold Alphabet accountable (The Verge) Apple officially launches new ‘Time to Walk’ feature for Apple Watch and Fitness+ (9to5Mac) Apple warns iPhone 12 and MagSafe accessories can interfere with medical devices (Silicon Angle) SPAC boom could finally provide an exit ramp for digital publishers like Buzzfeed and Vice Media (CNBC) When SPACs Attack! A New Force Is Invading Wall Street. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2017, scientists sighted the first interstellar object, the first thing we definitively know came from outside our solar system… something that was not bound to the gravity pull of our sun. But that was just the beginning of the oddness exhibited by the object known as Oumuamua. It didn’t behave like a comet. It didn’t seem to be made of materials we expect. It was shaped in a way that nothing in nature should be shaped like. And as it curved around our sun, it actually accelerated in a way that we couldn’t account for by the laws of physics. In his new book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, which comes out Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top Astronomer, argues that Oumuamua was most likely an alien craft, or artifact of some kind. It likely had some sort of solar sail mechanism, and actually, suggests it might be functioning as some sort of interstellar buoy. We’re going to get into that in this episode, but stay to the end, because forget small satellites, do you know we could shoot a super small probe, about the size of a small satellite, attached to a solar sail and pushed by a laser right now, today? Humanity could reach another star for the first time in just 20 years… in all of our lifetimes, and we could get the data and pictures back within 24 years. Avi is working on this with the backing of Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg among others. So, come for Oumuamua, and stay for the crazy space project that, in my opinion, should be the one we all band together to pursue. Sponsors: Netgear.com/bestwifi Metalab.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean for Alphabet if it’s starting to cut bait on its “moonshots?” Is Google going to cut bait entirely, on the entire country of Australia? More signs that Apple is atoning for their laptop design sins. Looks like we were right, Plaid is very much, no Visa, no cry. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Metalab.com Links: Alphabet Pops Loon’s Balloons—but Won't Call It a Failure (Wired) Google threatens to shut down search in Australia if digital news code goes ahead (The Guardian) Apple Plans Thinner MacBook Air With Magnetic Charger in Mac Lineup Reboot (Bloomberg) Plaid Shareholders Field Offers at $15 Billion After Merger Collapse (The Information) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Biden picks Jessica Rosenworcel as acting FCC chief (NBC News) The Inside Story of How the Lowly PDF Played the Longest Game in Tech (Marker) The Moderation War Is Coming to Spotify, Substack, and Clubhouse (OneZero) SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA REVIEW: THE REAL DEAL (The Verge) Samsung Galaxy S21 review: The best Android phone for the money (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple’s first foray into VR is coming next year, says Mark Gurman, but the real game is in AR and that’s a ways down the road. Amazon wants to help roll out the vaccines. Are laptops getting taller? One chat app to unify them all? And everybody wants a dark mode, even the White House. Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme promocode: techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Apple’s First Headset to Be Niche Precursor to Eventual AR Glasses (Bloomberg) LG considers exiting smartphones in 2021 (The Verge) Amazon sends letter to President Biden, says it is ‘ready to assist’ with U.S. vaccination efforts (GeekWire) Facebook refers Trump ban to independent Oversight Board for review (Axios) Goodbye and good riddance to the 16:9 aspect ratio (The Verge) Pebble founder promises iMessage on Android and Windows with universal chat app (The Verge) WhiteHouse.gov now has dark mode (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Andreessen Horowitz about to spin up its own media platform? Anthony Levandowski gets a pardon and Jack Ma resurfaces. Netflix is about to start printing money, and they’re about to give you a “shuffle play” button. And why Ben Thompson thinks Intel is in even more trouble than everybody thinks. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: Andreessen Horowitz Looks to Launch Opinion Publication as Its Media Ambition Grows (The Information) The Unauthorized Story of Andreessen Horowitz (Newcomer) Donald Trump pardons ex-Waymo, Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski (Engadget) Jack Ma Emerges for First Time Since Ant, Alibaba Crackdown (Bloomberg) Brave becomes first browser to add native support for the IPFS protocol (ZDNet) Netflix shares rise on strong subscriber growth, considers share buybacks (CNBC) Netflix’s ‘Shuffle Play’ feature will roll out to all users worldwide this year (TechCrunch) Intel Problems (Stratechery) Twitter Thread on the Intel stuff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 870. Cruise, Microsoft and GM all get together in a beautiful marriage that is just as much about cloud computing as it is self-driving. Has the policy controversy endangered WhatsApp in India? And why the whole Smart Home and Internet of Things industry might be taking a breather. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme MintMobile.com/ride Links: Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 870 reheats the Snapdragon 865 for 2021 phones (The Verge) Microsoft invests in Cruise in new $2 billion round (TechCrunch) India asks WhatsApp to withdraw new privacy policy over ‘grave concerns’ (TechCrunch) 5G Rivals Face an $81 Billion Tab After Spectrum Buying Spree (WSJ) DuckDuckGo surpasses 100 million daily search queries for the first time (ZDNet) Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced (The Guardian) CES 2021: A deep breath for the smart home to determine its future (Stacey On IOT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first ever interesting raise omnibus episode! Links: Hipcamp, ‘Airbnb of the Outdoors,’ Raises $57 Million (The Information) Local news app News Break raises $115M (TechCrunch) Perfect Corp., developer of virtual beauty app YouCam Makeup, closes $50 million Series C led by Goldman Sachs (TechCrunch) Veo raises $25M for AI-based cameras that record and analyze football and other team sports (TechCrunch) Graphcore raises $222M for its ultrafast AI chips (SiliconAngle) AI chipmaker Graphcore raises $22M at a $2.77B valuation and puts an IPO in its sights (TechCrunch) Fintech startup Oxygen raises $17M in Series A round (SiliconAngle) AMP Robotics raises $55 million for AI that picks and sorts recyclables (VentureBeat) WeLink raises $185M to deliver high-bandwidth wireless internet to the home using 5G (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices