Tech Brew Ride Home

Is Apple finally throwing in the towel and giving us the sort of laptops we actually want? With these IPO first-day pops, forget banks screwing startups, are VC’s also undervaluing companies right now in a way that is unfair? Amazon wants to do in cars what it’s done successfully in homes. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Oracle For Startups - oracle.com/goto/ride Metalab.co Links: Kuo details 2021 MacBook Pro: new design with squared-off sides, MagSafe connector and IO return, Touch Bar removed (9to5Mac) Apple Plans Upgraded MacBook Pros With Return of Magnetic Charging (Bloomberg) Online clothing reseller Poshmark closes up more than 140% on first day of trading (CNBC) Amazon opens Alexa AI tech for the first time so car makers can build custom assistants (The Verge) Galaxy Book Flex2: Samsung’s first 5G laptop has an 11th-gen Intel Processor (Digital Trends) Shares in China’s Xiaomi tumble after US investment ban (Financial Times) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Is Letterboxd Becoming a Blockbuster? (NYTimes) Why the Canadian Tech Scene Doesn’t Work (AlexDanco.com) An Oral History of Wikipedia, the Web’s Encyclopedia (OneZero) CRISPR and the Splice to Survive (The New Yorker) Spotify Bets Big on Podcasts as a Path to Profitability (Bloomberg Businessweek) Subscribe to the premium feed here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the news from the Galaxy Unpacked event. The tech stock IPO first day pop bubble continues. Asus persists with that dual screen laptop thing. BMW has a new way to unlock your car with your phone. And Google absolutely swears it won’t use your fitbit data against you. Swears. Sponsors: Metalab.co TinyCapital.com Links: SAMSUNG GALAXY S21, S21 PLUS, AND S21 ULTRA FIRST LOOK: POLISHED DESIGN (AND PRICES) (The Verge) The Galaxy S21 Ultra packs two telephoto lenses and supports the S Pen (Engadget) Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag is a $29.99 Tile competitor (The Verge) Max Levchin’s Affirm pops nearly 100% in market debut (CNBC) Asus’ 2021 laptop line includes two new dual-screen ZenBooks (The Verge) BMW’s Digital Key Plus will let iPhones unlock the iX from a pocket or bag (The Verge) Google's Fitbit acquisition is official (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Visa/Plaid merger is called off, and I’ll tell you why I think this is a sign of the current situation for tech. More tectonic shifts in the chip industry including Qualcomm acquiring a startup and Intel losing its CEO. More smoke around the fire story of an Apple Car. And Facebook has noticed you downloaded Signal. Sponsors: Netgear.com/bestwifi Metalab.co Links: Visa Abandons Planned Acquisition of Plaid After DOJ Challenge (WSJ) Qualcomm eyes challenge to Apple, Intel with $1.4 billion deal for chip startup (Reuters) Intel CEO Bob Swan to step down, VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger to replace him (CNBC) AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su: Interview on 2021 Demand, Supply, Tariffs, Xilinix and EPYC (AnandTech) Every Deleted Parler Post, Many With Users' Location Data, Has Been Archived (Gizmodo) Parler Users Breached Deep Inside U.S. Capitol Building, GPS Data Shows (Gizmodo) Exclusive: Apple held talks with EV startup Canoo in 2020 (The Verge) WhatsApp clarifies it’s not giving all your data to Facebook after surge in Signal and Telegram users (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel’s new flagship chips are here. Lenovo’s new laptop lineup is here. Walmart wants in on the fintech startup game. GM is spinning off a new electric delivery truck startup. And I know foldable phones haven’t exactly taken over the world, but could I interest you in a rollable phone? Sponsors: NewYorker.com/techmeme BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Intel Previews 11th Gen Core Rocket Lake: Core i9-11900K and Z590, Coming Q1 (AnandTech) Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is less than half an inch thick (The Verge) Walmart to create fintech start-up with investment firm behind Robinhood (CNBC) Aptiv unveils new self-driving platform with wireless upgrades (Reuters) GM unveils electric delivery van with 250 miles of range as part of new spinoff business (The Verge) Parler sues Amazon, leveling far-fetched antitrust allegations (The Verge) Following Trump Ban, Facebook Tells Employees to Avoid Wearing Company-Branded Apparel (The Information) LG’s Rollable phone is real and launching in 2021 (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, did some things happen since we last spoke? A run-down of, especially, the Parler situation. And it’s the first day of CES. Here’s what we’re missing in terms of gadget announcements, cool gadgets we’d love to get hands-on time with and the weird gadgets that make CES so fun. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com promocode: ride ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service (Buzzfeed) Parler CEO Says Service Dropped By “Every Vendor” And Could End His Business (Deadline) San Francisco police are prepping for a pro-Trump rally at Twitter headquarters (TechCrunch) HP launches new Envy 14 laptop, Elite Folio 2-in1 tablet, and new… earbuds? (Android Authority) Lenovo's ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses can show up to five virtual displays (Engadget) HyperX made its first 60-percent mechanical gaming keyboard (The Verge) WHY CHAMBERLAIN BUILT A $3,000 AUTOMATIC GARAGE DOOR FOR YOUR DOG (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interesting new Apple Car rumors, including how they’ve basically raided Tesla for talent, apparently. Alex Stamos and Chris Krebs have formed the security Avengers. People do seem to be jumping ship from WhatsApp. Why Roku is maybe the dark horse of the Streaming Wars. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com DoubleUp.agency Links: Hyundai Motor says it’s in early talks with Apple to develop a car, sends shares soaring 19% (CNBC) SolarWinds hires former Trump cyber security chief Chris Krebs (Financial Times) Encrypted Messaging App Signal Sees Surge in Popularity Following WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update (MacRumors) Roku TV Was the Top Selling Smart TV OS in 2020 (The Streamable) A New Service Seeks to Streamline Your Streaming (WSJ) ‘TV Remote’ is an app that turns your iPhone into a universal control for your TV (9to5Mac) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Xbox: The Oral History of an American Video Game Empire (Bloomberg) FarmVille Once Took Over Facebook. Now Everything Is FarmVille. (NYTimes) Archaeology is going digital to harness the power of Big Data (Ars Technica) Here are the 6 most exciting space missions of 2021 (TNW) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some stuff happened yesterday at the US Capital, and there’s a tech angle to it. Is SolarWinds just the beginning of the supply chain compromises? There’s new wi-fi coming that is faster and broader. Did the Georgia runoff mean the floodgates are now open for tech antitrust? And what the final segment pre-supposes is: putting a 55 inch display inside a car is a good idea. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Liftoff.to Links: Twitter and Facebook Lock Trump’s Accounts After Violence on Capitol Hill (NYTimes) Widely Used Software Company May Be Entry Point for Huge U.S. Hacking (NYTimes) SuperData: Games grew 12% to $139.9 billion in 2020 amid pandemic (VentureBeat) Wi-Fi industry launches next-gen 6E certification, and new devices are up next (CNET) Democrats have won the Senate. Here’s what it means for tech. (Protocol) Mercedes-Benz unveils its absolutely massive 56-inch ‘Hyperscreen’ display (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two new GPT-3 models and now the robots have come for the graphic artists. Trump continues his tech cold war against China, but the question is, will Biden? WhatsApp is further absorbed into the Facebook mothership. Eve Online players broke the game by playing it so hard. And Cameo wants you to know there’s money in the banana stand—I mean... paying Tom Arnold to record a video for you. Sponsors: Audible.com/techmeme or text techmeme to 500-500 for a free 30-day trial Links: This avocado armchair could be the future of AI (MIT Technology Review) DALL·E: Creating Images from Text (OpenAI Blog) Trump bars U.S. transactions with eight Chinese apps including Alipay (Reuters) WhatsApp updates its Terms and Privacy Policy to mandate data-sharing with Facebook (XDA-Developers) CIRP: iPhone 12 sales strong at launch, but iPhone 12 mini ‘likely disappointed Apple’ (9to5Mac) Players in Eve Online broke a world record — and then the game itself (Polygon) Cameo launches hiring spree following banner year (Axios) Link to the Clubhouse parody video (@PottsJustin) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The OCC clears US banks to run crypto nodes and issue stablecoins. Microsoft wants to make One Outlook to rule all your email and calendar apps. Looks like Haven couldn’t solve healthcare. Why haven’t we seen Jack Ma in public for going on two months now? And Singapore says SYKE on that whole, not using Covid tracking data to keep track of citizens. Sponsors: SmartAsset.com/techmeme Links: US regulator: Federally chartered banks can facilitate stablecoin payments, issue their own (The Block) Twitter acquires social podcasting app Breaker, team to help build Twitter Spaces (TechCrunch) Microsoft’s new ‘One Outlook’ app leaks online (The Verge) Haven, the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan venture to disrupt health care, is disbanding after 3 years (CNBC) Kuo: Apple to Unveil AirTags, Augmented Reality Device, and More in 2021 (MacRumors) Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Has Been Missing For 2 Months (ZeroHedge) Singapore police can access COVID-19 contact tracing data for criminal investigations (ZDNet) Dell built a range of monitors for video conferencing (Engadget) Dell's new Latitude 9000 laptops feature an automatic webcam shutter (Engadget) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google/Alphabet workers launch an official union drive. We’ve got a date for the Galaxy Unpacked event. Microsoft wants to give Windows a good scrubbing this year. Everyone wants a piece of ShareChat. Gazelle is getting out of the trade-in business. And LG doesn’t want to give up on tv screens you can hide away when not in use. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Google, Alphabet employees seek to form a union (TechCrunch) Samsung officially confirms Galaxy S21 event for January 14th (The Verge) Microsoft planning ‘sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows’ (The Verge) Google and Snap in talks to invest in India's ShareChat (TechCrunch) Trade-in site Gazelle is ending trade-ins (The Verge) Apple will let Amphetamine app stay in the App Store after wrongly telling developer it violated App Store rules (The Verge) This LG display transforms from flat to curved for immersive gaming (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple loses an interesting copyright law case. Get ready to see TikToks in your Google searches. Amazon’s “other” business unit is becoming a monster. The tech consumers did, and did not AS MUCH partake in over the holidays. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. For the final time in 2020, here’s what you missed in the world of tech. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride DoubleUp.Agency Links: Apple loses copyright battle against security start-up Corellium (Washington Post) Google pilots a search feature that aggregates short-form videos from TikTok and Instagram (TechCrunch) Amazon’s advertising business booms in pandemic (Financial Times) Apple iPhone Devices Sweep 9 of Top 10 Devices on Christmas 2020 (Flurry) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Turing Test is obsolete. It’s time to build a new barometer for AI (Fast Company) Tech Choices Dictate Teen Friendships During Pandemic (WSJ) Ambani Sold a Tech Dream for $27 Billion. Now He Has to Deliver (Bloomberg) Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us (The Atlantic) With Money, and Waste, China Fights for Chip Independence (NYTimes) The Lasting Lessons of John Conway’s Game of Life (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coinbase is suspending trading of XRP. Ant Group tries to appease the CCP. Will we soon see immunity passports on our phones? We now know the identity of the first tech IPO of the new year. And why, if you’re doing to do some dirt, you might want to know that your car is probably going to bust your alibi. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com code: TECHMEME (all caps, one word) Tovala.com/ride Links: Coinbase to Suspend XRP Trading Following SEC Suit Against Ripple (CoinDesk) Ant Considers Holding Company With Regulation Similar to Bank, Sources Say (Bloomberg) Los Angeles Vaccine Recipients Can Put the Proof in Apple Wallet (Bloomberg) Qualtrics Files for U.S. IPO Two Years After Sale to SAP (Bloomberg) Insecure wheels: Police turn to car data to destroy suspects' alibis (NBC News) TV Ratings: First Streaming-Only NFL Game Scores Solid Numbers for Amazon (Variety) Link to the AMA Auction with Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling: https://lu.ma/tinyama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chinese Communist Party is throwing serious cold water on its entire tech sector by continuing to target Jack Ma. Did Elon Musk once try to sell Tesla to Apple? Drones are getting digital license plates, of a sort. And a look at the generation of search engine startups hoping to, you know, maybe strike at Google while the antitrust iron is hot. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride GetRoman.com/techmeme Links: Beijing launches antitrust investigation into Alibaba (Financial Times) China Tells Ant to Return to Its Payment Roots, Places Curbs (Bloomberg) Alibaba Probe Stirs Global Worry on What’s Next for Chinese Tech (Bloomberg) Kuo: Apple Car Still in Early Stages, Unlikely to Launch Until 2025-2027 at Earliest (MacRumors) Drone-Crowded Skies Get One Step Closer With U.S. Security Rules (Bloomberg) Search engine start-ups try to take on Google (Financial Times) Covid-19 Propelled Businesses Into the Future. Ready or Not. (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The SEC does indeed sue Ripple, and that could be a bigger deal than I thought. Twitter won’t hand over the @Potus Twitter followers to Biden. What Zoom wants to do for its next act beyond video. Controlling your AirPods with your teeth. And, special for this week, a Long Holiday Weekend edition of the Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Hawthorne.co, promocode: techmeme Tovala.com/ride Links: SEC Sues Ripple Over 7-Year, $1.3B ‘Ongoing’ XRP Sale (CoinDesk) Biden @POTUS Account Reset to Zero With Trump Followers Out (Bloomberg) Telegram, nearing 500 million users, to begin monetizing the app (TechCrunch) Buoyed by Video Success, Zoom Explores Email, Calendar Services (The Information) Apple Patent reveals new Through-Body' input for AirPods allowing users to control functionality by touching their face, clicking their teeth & more (Patently Apple) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Our Digital Lives Drive a Brick-and-Mortar Boom in Data Centers (NYTimes) The North Carolina Kid Who Cracked YouTube’s Secret Code (Bloomberg) What if life were a video game? These 650,000 people imagine it that way. (The Washington Post) Czech Startup Founders Turn Billionaires Without VC Help (Bloomberg) Inside the Whale: An Interview with an Anonymous Amazonian (Logic Magazine) Star Wars toys keep changing, and leaving kids behind (Polygon) Shigeru Miyamoto Wants to Create a Kinder World (The New Yorker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See… I had a feeling. Reuters says Apple really is revealing an Apple Car in the coming years. More details on that suit charging Facebook and Google allegedly agreed to divvy up the ad market. The third biggest cryptocurrency says the SEC is coming after it. And the crazy story behind those sexy butt-flap pajama ads you’ve seen all over the internet. Sponsors: CalderaLab.com, promocode TECHMEME (all caps, one word) at checkout for 20% off. Hawthorne.co promocode: techmeme Links: Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes 'next level' battery technology - sources (Reuters) Google, Facebook Agreed to Team Up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Draft Lawsuit Says (WSJ) U.S. vs. Facebook: Inside the tech giant’s behind-the-scenes campaign to battle back antitrust lawsuits (Washington Post) Ripple says it will be sued by the SEC, in what the company calls a parting shot at the crypto industry (Fortune) Dailyhunt is India's latest unicorn after backing from Microsoft, Google, others Ouster, maker of self-driving tech, agrees $1.9 billion deal to go public (Reuters) SoftBank launches blank-check company to join SPAC craze (CNBC) IAC shares jump after Vimeo spinoff announcement (CNBC) The bizarre case of the sexy butt-flap onesie that has taken over the internet (Business Insider) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huge day for Real Estate tech with Opendoor going public to a soaring valuation and RealPage getting bought for a ton of money. Microsoft might design its own custom silicon, cause, why not (to quote Vincent Hanna)? Is the first under the display selfie camera basically a fail? And could we actually see the Apple Car debut as soon as next year? Sponsors: GetArmorLock.com Hawthorne.co promocode: techmeme Links: Opendoor Rides SPAC Deal to Lofty $18 Billion Valuation at Market Debut (The Information) Real estate software and data analytics company RealPage to be acquired for $10.2 billion (VentureBeat) Russia’s Hacking Frenzy Is a Reckoning (Wired) Microsoft Designing Its Own Chips for Servers, Surface PCs (Bloomberg) U.S. States Weighs New Google Suit Over App Store Fees (Bloomberg) THE WORLD’S FIRST UNDER-DISPLAY SELFIE CAMERA ISN’T VERY GOOD (The Verge) Sketchy Report Says Apple Car is Years Ahead of Schedule, Will Debut Next Year (MacRumors) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drone maker DJI is blacklisted by the commerce department. Group video comes to Echo devices. Twitter launches Spaces. Sony offers refunds for Cyberpunk 2077. Coinbase files to go public. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io, promocode RIDE to skip the waitlist Calderalab.com use code TECHMEME (all one word, all caps) at checkout Links: US government adds DJI to Commerce blacklist over ties to Chinese government (The Verge) Amazon launches group video and audio calling for Echo devices (The Verge) Twitter launches its voice-based ‘Spaces’ social networking feature into beta testing (TechCrunch) Sony is pulling Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store and offering full refunds (The Verge) Source Code newsletter A moment of reckoning: the need for a strong and global cybersecurity response (Microsoft Blog) Coinbase announces IPO in a milestone for the crypto industry (Fortune) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Where Tech Workers Are Moving: New LinkedIn Data vs. the Narrative (Big Technology Newsletter) Why I Decided to Leave Substack (A Media Operator Newsletter) New WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar is moving to shake up Hollywood. Insiders are questioning if he has what it takes to turn around the entertainment giant without destroying it. (Business Insider) Can’t get a PlayStation 5? Meet the Grinch bots snapping up the holidays’ hottest gift. (Washington Post) How AltaVista, our first good search engine, fell into the digital abyss (Tedium) My $200,000 Sushi Dinner (NYTimes) Link to today's easter egg on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mommy and Daddy are fighting. This time it’s Apple and Facebook and it’s getting pretty heated. The EU okays Google’s acquisition of Fitbit. Substack has resurrected Google Reader, in spirit at least. And why the new antitrust lawsuit against Google is maybe the most serious yet, because we’re talking about actual felonies here. Potentially. Allegedly. Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride JoinFightCamp.com/techmeme Links: Apple’s seismic change to the mobile ad industry is drawing near, and it’s rocking the ecosystem (CNBC) Facebook Attacks Apple Software Changes in Newspaper Ads (Bloomberg) Apple Responds to Facebook's Anti-Tracking Criticism, Says Users Deserve Control and Transparency (MacRumors) Facebook Wades Into ‘Fortnite’ Maker’s Dispute With Apple (WSJ) Facebook criticizes Apple as it welcomes Europe’s new tech rules (CNBC) EU approves Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, subject to conditions (CNBC) HBO Max Is Launching on Roku, After Device Maker and WarnerMedia Finally Bury the Hatchet (Variety) Texas Accuses Google and Facebook of an Illegal Conspiracy (Wired) Substack launches an RSS reader to organize all your newsletter subscriptions (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Day three of the SolarWinds hack fallout sees major investors unloading stock at a suspicious time. M1 chip support comes to some major apps. Periscope joins the Deadpool. Bitcoin crosses $20k. An AirPods Max review. And what if you could make a digital platform for board games? Sponsors: OurCrowd.com/ride VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Stadia comes to the iPhone and iPad with new iOS beta (The Verge) Investors in breached software firm SolarWinds traded $280 million in stock days before hack was revealed (The Washington Post) Microsoft starts rolling out native Microsoft 365 for Mac apps for Macs with M1 (ZDNet) Firefox Updated With Native Support for M1 Macs, Mozilla Touts 'Dramatic Performance Improvements' (MacRumors) Exclusive: States close to filing new Google antitrust suit (Politico) Bitcoin Hits Record Above $20K as Analysts Remain Confident of Future (Coindesk) APPLE AIRPODS MAX REVIEW: LUXURIOUS SOUND FOR A LUXURY PRICE (The Verge) I’m so excited about this board games console I just peed a little (TNW) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Europe’s big new regulatory regime for big tech. More fallout from what looks like the biggest hack our government has ever seen. The FTC asks basically everyone in tech how they get their data. A ‘faraday fabric’ that can serve as an invisibility cloak for radio waves. An interesting raise to make exoskeletons. And a review of the new all electric Ford Mustang. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Tech Giants Face New Rules in Europe, Backed by Huge Fines (WSJ) FTC orders Amazon, Facebook and others to explain how they collect and use personal data (CNBC) U.S. Homeland Security, thousands of businesses scramble after suspected Russian hack (Reuters) Experimental "Faraday fabric" blocks almost all electromagnetic waves (New Atlas) German Bionic raises $20M led by Samsung for exoskeleton tech to supercharge human labor (TechCrunch) Ford’s New Mustang Mach-E Owes a Lot to Tesla (Debugger) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hackers attack the US Treasury in an attack so severe one person called it a 10 out of 10. Pornhub has removed millions of videos. Amazon’s Zoox has a robo electric taxi. Are the recent IPO pops sign of a bubble? And could Jony Ive’s next job be as the head of luxury automaker Ferrari? Sponsors: GetArmorLock.com Amazon.com/ridehome Links: Suspected Russian hackers spied on U.S. Treasury emails - sources (Reuters) U.S. Agencies Hacked in Foreign Cyber Espionage Campaign Linked to Russia (WSJ) Pornhub Just Purged All Unverified Content From the Platform (Vice) Amazon’s Zoox Unveils Robotaxi for Future Ride-Hailing Service (Bloomberg) Google Delays Return to Office and Eyes ‘Flexible Work Week’ (NYTimes) Sizzling Tech IPO Market Leaves Investors Befuddled (WSJ) Jony Ive is reportedly in the running to take the driver’s seat at Ferrari (Cult of Mac) Ferrari's Camilleri will be a hard act to follow (Reuters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Connie Chan, from Andreessen Horowitz, talking about: Live, Social, and Shoppable: The Future of Video Sponsors: VistaPrint.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney+ is about to get a bit more expensive, but you’re also gonna get a lot more stuff to watch. Are we in a tech IPO bubble? X64 emulation comes to Windows. Apple whispers that it will likely be dropping Qualcomm like it dropped Intel. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Amazon.com/ridehome Tinycapital.com Links: Disney Plus is increasing its price to $8 a month starting in March 2021 (The Verge) ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Pinocchio’ and More as Disney Leans Sharply Into Streaming (NYTimes) Airbnb skyrockets 112% in public market debut, giving it a market cap of $86.5 billion (CNBC) x64 emulation has come to Windows on ARM (The Verge) Apple Starts Work on Its Own Cellular Modem, Chip Chief Says (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Social Strikes Back (A16Z) “A damn stupid thing to do”—the origins of C (Ars Technica) 7 Rejections (Brian Chesky) Facebook Sees WhatsApp As Its Future, Antitrust Suit or Not (Bloomberg Businessweek) Who’s Behind the Fight Between Warner Bros. and Hollywood? It’s AT&T (NYTimes) Inside the Human Science of Spotify’s New Music Friday Playlist (Variety) How eBird Changed Birding Forever (Outside) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I try to give you the outlines of the Facebook antitrust thing, and what it might mean for tech. Airbnb makes its market debut. Crunchyroll finds a safe home away from AT&T. I bet folks at HBO are jealous. Boston Dynamics finds a new guardian as well, that hopefully can find something useful for it to do. And it really is, finally, the end of the road for Flash. Sponsors: Amazon.com/ridehome Tinycapital.com Links: The FTC is suing Facebook to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp (The Verge) Lawsuits Filed by the FTC and the State Attorneys General Are Revisionist History (Facebook Newsroom) Airbnb shares set to double in IPO — likely to be worth nearly $93 billion (CNBC) Sony’s Funimation acquires anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion (Polygon) Hyundai Motors Reportedly Bought Boston Dynamics For Almost $1 Billion (Gizmodo) Adobe to block Flash content from running on January 12, 2021 (ZDNet) Subscribe to the Kottke Ride Home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FireEye says it got hacked by a nation state. Microsoft’s cloud gaming is coming to iOS in the spring. Samsung’s unpacked event is coming in about a month, and we already got plenty of leaks about the phones we expect to see. Is Apple’s self-driving project still on track? And if you feel like you’ve been getting more spam calls this year, while rents in San Francisco have been plummeting, I’m here to tell you, neither of those trends seem to be imaginary. Sponsors: MasterWorks.io to skip the waitlist, promocode: RIDE Amazon.com/ridehome Links: U.S. Cyber Firm FireEye Says It Was Breached by Nation-State Hackers (WSJ) Microsoft confirms Xbox cloud gaming is coming to iOS in spring 2021 (9to5Mac) Google is opening Fuchsia OS development to the public (9to5Google) Here are the official Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra teasers (Android Police) DoorDash skyrockets 80% in market debut, opening at $182 per share (CNBC) Apple Shifts Leadership of Self-Driving Car Unit to AI Chief (Bloomberg) The state of European tech 2020: 20 things you should know (Sifted) Wikifactory has raised $4.5M for its ‘GitHub for hardware’ to make almost anything remotely (TechCrunch) Spam calls grew 18% this year despite the global pandemic (TechCrunch) San Francisco's 35% Plunge in Rents Shows Effects of Tech Fleeing City (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Say hello to AirPods Max. Cloudflare and Apple have developed a new internet privacy protocol. Google’s Stadia is finally flipping the switch on one of its biggest selling points. Uber is exiting the self-driving sweepstakes, but what does that mean for its future? And more fallout from that Warner Media streaming decision. Sponsors: Amazon.com/ridehome Wipers123.com promocode: ride Links: Apple introduces AirPods Max, the magic of AirPods in a stunning over-ear design (Apple Newsroom) Cloudflare and Apple design a new privacy-friendly internet protocol (TechCrunch) Google Stadia will let all users livestream games directly to YouTube tomorrow (The Verge) Samsung’s SmartThings can finally control your Google Nest devices (The Verge) SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network wins $885M in federal aid for rural broadband (GeekWire) Uber sells its self-driving unit to Aurora (CNBC) Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as "Worst Streaming Service," Denounces Warner Bros.' Plan (The Hollywood Reporter) ‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal (Variety) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple isn’t wasting any time when it comes to ARM-ing up its entire Mac lineup, according to Mark Gurman. Wish is about to go public too. Airbnb and DoorDash are lifting their ranges. Is email signatures a bigger market than I ever imagined? And how drone deliveries might change how we design or homes and neighborhoods. Sponsors: BuyRaycon.com/tech Kiwico.com promocode RIDE for 50% first month! Links: Apple Preps Next Mac Chips With Aim to Outclass Top-End PCs (Bloomberg) Wish plans to price between $22 and $24 per share at up to $14 billion valuation (CNBC) Airbnb Boosts IPO Price Range to Between $56 and $60 a Share (WSJ) Sequoia Capital Warned of a ‘Black Swan.’ Instead, 2020 Is One of Its Best Years Ever (Bloomberg) Exclaimer raises $133 million to help companies manage email signatures (VentureBeat) DRONES ARE POISED TO RESHAPE HOME DESIGN (WSJ) Disney faces digital dilemma despite streaming success (Financial Times) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As promised, here’s Recode’s Peter Kafka, the dean of the media reporters, someone we should have had on the podcast a long time before this. Do checkout his podcast, Recode Media with Peter Kafka. Sponsors: ProtonMail.com/techmeme VistaPrint.com/techmeme DoubleUp.agency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another monumental crack across the land as Warner Brothers has maybe signaled the death of the business model Hollywood has relied on for 100 years. Is Stripe signaling it wants to completely rewire the global monetary system? Have Chinese scientists achieved Quantum Supremacy? Would you be interested in deep sea tourism? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Warner Bros. will release all of its new 2021 movies simultaneously on HBO Max (The Verge) WarnerMedia’s CEO explains why he’s blowing up the movie business (Recode) Stripe to Offer Banking Services in Deal With Goldman Sachs, Citigroup (WSJ) Stripe: Platform of Platforms (Stratechery) China Stakes Its Claim to Quantum Supremacy (Wired) Triton's latest submarine puts six people in a bubble, 3,300 feet under (New Atlas) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Hollywood’s Obituary, the Sequel. Now Streaming. (NYTimes) Why Most Newsletters Fail (What Went Wrong) These Tech Startups Want to Sell You Their Life Insurance (WSJ) A.A. to Zoom, Substance Abuse Treatment Goes Online (NYTimes) An oral history of the hamburger icon (by the people who were there) (invision) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new bill could regulate crypto in a way that crypto folks say would defeat the point of decentralization. Facebook antitrust could be coming next week. Loon is the first to turn the skies over to artificial intelligence. Hackers are targeting the vaccine rollout. And now, you too can contribute to Street View on Google Maps. Sponsors: Impartner.com/ridehomedemo Liftoff.to Links: US Lawmakers Introduce Bill That Would Require Stablecoin Issuers to Obtain Bank Charters (Coindesk) PhonePe raises $700 million, becomes a separate entity (TechCrunch) FedEx to Buy ShopRunner in Quest for Closer E-Commerce Ties (Bloomberg) U.S. states plan to sue Facebook next week: sources (Reuters) Alphabet’s Loon hands the reins of its internet air balloons to self-learning AI (The Verge) Hackers Are Targeting the Covid-19 Vaccine ‘Cold Chain’ (Wired) Hulu’s Watch Party feature is now available to all subscribers (The Verge) Google Maps now lets you create Street View photos with just a phone (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A full analysis of the huge Salesforce/Slack deal. What HPE leaving Silicon Valley means, even if only symbolically. Qualcomm’s new flagship Snapdragon chip. All the announcements from AWS re:Invent. A smartwatch with a 9 day battery life and putting holograms right on your mantle might finally be getting practical. Sponsors: ImPartner.com/ridehomedemo GetRoman.com/techmeme Links: Salesforce buys Slack in a $27.7B megadeal (TechCrunch) Why Salesforce bought Slack (Divinations) Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the latest tech company to leave Silicon Valley, and is moving to Houston (CNBC) Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 is a glimpse into how much better your next Android phone will be (CNET) Amazon to roll out tools to monitor factory workers and machines (Financial Times) Techmeme Snapshot of re:Invent headlines Wyze announces $20 smartwatch with nine-day battery life (The Verge) Looking Glass’s next product is a holographic digital photo frame (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon launches EC2 Mac instances. Don’t call it Libra. At least, not the Libra Association. Is Samsung thinking about discontinuing the Galaxy Note line? Why DeepMind solving the protein folding problem is such a big deal. Are VR and AR about to blend? And the interesting case surrounding our main computer hacking law that was argued before the US Supreme Court yesterday. Sponsors: IMpartner.com/ridehomedemo Vistaprint.com/techmeme Links: AWS brings the Mac mini to its cloud (TechCrunch) Libra Rebrands to ‘Diem’ in Anticipation of 2021 Launch (CoinDesk) Airbnb seeks valuation of up to $35 billion in its IPO (CNBC) Samsung may discontinue high-end Galaxy Note smartphones - sources (Reuters) Reddit Claims 52 Million Daily Users, Revealing a Key Figure for Social-Media Platforms (WSJ) London A.I. Lab Claims Breakthrough That Could Accelerate Drug Discovery (NYTimes) AI Protein Breakthrough Tweetstorm (@adamRutherford) Varjo's lidar-enabled XR-3 VR headset shows where VR and AR are bound to blend (CNET) Justices express qualms about sweeping computer crime law (Politico) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DoorDash lines up for its IPO and seems to be cresting the wave perfectly. Airbnb is right behind it, swelling a bit as well. Salesforce looks like it will be buying Slack as soon as tomorrow. The UK finally, officially bans Huawei. The monster computer display I want very badly. And remembrances Tony Hsieh, gone, tragically, way too soon. Sponsors: MasterWorks.io promocode: ride MintMobile.com/ride Links: DoorDash seeks valuation of up to $32 billion in IPO, double what it was in June (CNBC) Airbnb, DoorDash Aim for Higher-Than-Expected Valuations Ahead of Debuts (WSJ) Salesforce deal to buy Slack expected to be announced Tuesday after market close (CNBC) U.K. Bans Installation of Huawei 5G Gear From September (Bloomberg) Bitcoin Hits New Record, This Time With Less Talk of a Bubble (NYTimes) SAMSUNG’S ODYSSEY G9 DOES THE WORK OF THREE MONITORS (The Verge) Apple Suppliers’ Exodus From China Won’t Slow Down Under Biden (Bloomberg) Tony Hsieh, RIP (Om.co) Tony. (Paul Bradley Carr) Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Legacy, From Tech Leaders Who Knew Him Well (Forbes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter is revving the little blue checkmark engine back up, but it will work slightly differently than before. Stripe is either already impossibly big, or not nearly as big as it should be, depending on your point of view. Are you ready to speculate about the next generation of Apple Silicon chips? And, uniquely for this week, the week… end longreads suggestions. Sponsors: VistaPrint.com/techmeme Tovala.com for $200 off the oven! Links: Twitter to relaunch account verifications in early 2021, asks for feedback on policy (TechCrunch) Payments Startup Stripe in Talks for Funding at $70 Billion Valuation or More (Bloomberg) MacBook Pro 16-inch M1X chip just leaked — and it's game over for Intel (Tom's Guide) Kuo: iPhone 12 demand strong, new form factor Apple Watch and MacBooks in late 2021 (9to5Mac) Ethereum 2.0’s Genesis Day Is Officially Set for Dec. 1 (Coindesk) Week-end Longread Suggestions: Can Shopify Compete With Amazon Without Becoming Amazon? (NYTimes Magazine) Hollywood’s ‘We’re Not in Kansas Anymore’ Moment (NYTimes) How Venture Capitalists Are Deforming Capitalism (The New Yorker) Substack got lucky, and so did Margins (Margins) Why a Paid Newsletter Won't Be Enough Money for Most Writers (And That's Fine): The Multi-SKU Creator (Hunter Walk) If your website's full of assholes, it's your fault (Anil Dash) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple’s head of global security is indicted on bribery charges. But… it’s a little nuanced. Facebook turned back the dial on divisive news stories after the election. Forget Substack; why OnlyFans might be the biggest story in terms of creator platforms right now. How Elon Musk became the second richest man in the world, and why Werner Herzog is mad at him. Sponsors: Tovala.com for $200 off the oven! VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Undersheriff, Apple security chief, businessman indicted in bribery schemes (PaloAltoOnline) Roiled by Election, Facebook Struggles to Balance Civility and Growth (NYTimes) OnlyFans Chief Talks Sports Ambitions and Role of Adult Content in Site (The Information) Elon Musk overtakes Bill Gates to become world’s second richest person behind Jeff Bezos (The Verge) SPACEX MARS CITY: WERNER HERZOG ISSUES A STARK WARNING TO ELON MUSK (Inverse) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cloning Snapchat isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Cloning TikTok. Even Snapchat has joined the bandwagon with Spotlight. Are people fleeing ads in feeds because the market is saturated? I break down all of last week’s big moves in Digital Media. And why the Covid Tracking Project deserves a friggin Nobel Prize. Sponsors: ProtonMail.com/techmeme Amazon.com/ridehome Links: Snapchat launches a TikTok-like feed called Spotlight, kick-started by paying creators (TechCrunch) Facebook Ads Could Be Reaching Saturation Point (WSJ) BuzzFeed to Acquire HuffPost in Stock Deal With Verizon Media (WSJ) Why the Success of The New York Times May Be Bad News for Journalism (NYTimes) Bots Grade Your Kids’ Schoolwork—and They’re Often Wrong (WSJ) Data Heroes of Covid Tracking Project Are Still Filling U.S. Government Void (Bloomberg Businessweek) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deep-dive conversation with hashtag inventor Chris Messina about what makes good product design, how to Product Hunt effectively, and his unique advice about finding success in the Tech Industry. Sponsors: VistaPrint.com/techmeme Netgear.com/bestwifi Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vekRLZcnfpU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook and Apple are calling each other names again. “Privacy Thief!” “Monopolist!” And why we might see more of this in the coming years. Roblox files maybe the most exciting S-1 of this IPO batch. Stadia is going to work around the App Store too. Another big milestone crossed for self-driving cars. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Netgear.com/bestwifi Amazon.com/techmeme Links: Apple doubles down on upcoming iOS 14 privacy features, slams Facebook for collecting ‘as much data as possible’ (9to5Mac) Roblox files for its IPO (Axios) Stadia will be playable on iOS via Safari in the coming ‘weeks’ (9to5Google) Robotaxi companies get the green light to charge for rides in California (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions ‘An overnight success 10 years in the making’: Atlanta is the future for Black leaders in tech (Protocol) Huawei, 5G, and the Man Who Conquered Noise (Wired) The Substackerati (CJR) Jack Ma vs. the Party: Inside the collapse of the world's biggest IPO (Nikkei Asia) Ok Google: please publish your DKIM secret keys (Matthew Green's Blog) ‘Like Being Grilled Alive’: The Fear of Living With a Hackable Heart (OneZero) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major strategy shift for Google Pay might be a big deal. But a minor shift in YouTube monetization is the same old, same old. Apple pays to settle an investigation into iPhone throttling. Affirm files for its IPO. Apple Silicon continues to absolutely wow people, and by the way, the iPhone 12 Pro Max camera is wowing professional photographers. Sponsors: MailmanHQ.com Amazon.com/ridehome Links: Google Pay gets a major redesign with a new emphasis on personal finance (TechCrunch) YouTube will run ads on some creator videos, but it won’t give them any of the revenue (The Verge) Affirm drops S-1, revealing sharply rising revenue on a narrower net loss (FinLedger.com) Apple to pay $113 million to settle state investigation into iPhone ‘batterygate’ (The Washington Post) Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service launches on iOS as a web app (The Verge) Pixelmator Pro gets update for M1 Macs (The Verge) Apple releases forked version of TensorFlow optimized for macOS Big Sur (VentureBeat) The iPhone 12 Pro Max: Real Pro Photography (Halide Blog) Apple embraces iOS 14 home screen customization by fixing how app shortcuts work (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The App Store has cracked open a bit. Apple will cut its vigorish in half, for most developers, but not the ones that make them the most money. Robinhood is probably gonna join the cavalcade of IPOs. Marissa Mayer is back. And the biggest social network you’ve probably never heard of is coming from France. Sponsors: Amazon.com/ridehome Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Apple will reduce App Store cut to 15 percent for most developers starting January 1st (The Verge) 'Fortnite' now offers Houseparty video calls on PC, PS4 and PS5 (Engadget) Robinhood Seeks Advisers for Potential IPO Next Year (Bloomberg) Marissa Mayer wants to clean up your contacts, and that’s just for starters (Fast Company) Beats debuts new glow-in-the-dark Powerbeats, available from Apple starting tomorrow (9to5Mac) Beats launches a glow-in-the-dark pair of Powerbeats for $200 (The Verge) Yubo could be the next big social app as it raises $47.5 million (TechCrunch) Not Dead Yet: News Site Mistakenly Runs Dozens of V.I.P. Obituaries (NYTimes) Tonight's bonus episode taping. 9pm eastern. 6pm pacific. https://zoom.us/j/91680804823 Meeting ID: 916 8080 4823 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon launches Amazon Pharmacy. Twitter launches Fleets, but the real news is they’re testing a Clubhouse clone with audio rooms. Airbnb finally files to go public. And running through the flood of reviews for the new Macs with Apple Silicon, I’m starting to become a believer. Apple might be able to revolutionize—and run away with—mobile computing with these chips. Sponsors: Amazon.com/ridehome Netgear.com/bestwifi Links: Amazon jumps into the pharmacy business with online prescription fulfillment, free delivery for Prime members (CNBC) Twitter rolls out Stories, aka ‘Fleets,’ to all users; will also test a Clubhouse rival (TechCrunch) Airbnb files to go public, turned a profit last quarter (CNBC) Adobe releases Arm beta version of Photoshop for Windows and macOS (The Verge) APPLE MAC MINI WITH M1 REVIEW: OVER-PERFORMER (The Verge) APPLE MACBOOK PRO WITH M1 REVIEW: FLEXING ARM (The Verge) MacBook Air M1 review: Faster than most PCs, no fan required (Engadget) Yeah, Apple's M1 MacBook Pro is powerful, but it's the battery life that will blow you away (TechCrunch) Office Hours Link (Tomorrow 9pm eastern): https://zoom.us/j/91680804823 Meeting ID: 916 8080 4823 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continued problems with Big Sur have some people wondering if this is Apple’s version of Windows Vista. But actual benchmarks continue to show Apple Silicon is probably a big win. All the details of the Galaxy S21 lineup have leaked. A monster new GPU for supercomputers. And a PC monitor that can actually double as a modern smart tv. Sponsors: MasterWorks.io: code RIDE to skip the waitlist BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models (MacRumors) Apple Silicon M1 Emulating x86 is Still Faster Than Every Other Mac in Single Core Benchmark (MacRumors) Exclusive: Specs and features of Samsung's Galaxy S21 smartphones (Android Police) Nvidia launches A100 80GB GPU for supercomputers (VentureBeat) Samsung’s new Smart Monitor is like a TV for your PC (The Verge) HBO Max Is Finally Coming to Amazon Fire TV (Variety) 'Godspeed': 4 astronauts make history as SpaceX's 'Resilience' launches for International Space Station (USAToday) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DoorDash files its S-1, and has a surprisingly good business, it looks like. The US backs down on TikTok. Is the whole Ant IPO thing, not business but personal? Why you should probably wait to download macOS Big Sur. How much Disney+ continues to kill it. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Calm.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: DoorDash files to go public (TechCrunch) U.S. Backs Down on TikTok (WSJ) China’s President Xi Jinping Personally Scuttled Jack Ma’s Ant IPO (WSJ) macOS Big Sur launch appears to cause temporary slowdown in even non-Big Sur Macs (Ars Technica) Disney Plus Hits 73.7 Million Subscribers As They Reach Their One-Year Anniversary (The Streamable) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Twitter Thread on ARM history (@kenfhirriff) China Has Caught Up To U.S. In AI, Says AI Expert Kai-Fu Lee (Forbes) Welcome Back to the Office. Please Wear This Tracking Device. (OneZero) Students Have To Jump Through Absurd Hoops To Use Exam Monitoring Software (Motherboard) Masayoshi Son Again Pulled SoftBank From the Brink. This Time He Had Help. (WSJ) The Digital Nomads Did Not Prepare for This (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Google sunsetting the free version of its Photos service has so many people riled up. Apple’s TestFlight update should make beta testing apps easier. Amazon’s Alexa Care Hub should make caring for elderly relatives easier. A “bank on rails” is an interesting raise. And is the HomePod mini worth buying? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com VistaPrint.com/techmeme Links: Google Photos will end its free unlimited storage on June 1st, 2021 (The Verge) Google warns Google Drive users: Use it, or lose your files (Mashable) Google Photos Just Made the Case for Breaking Up Big Tech (OneZero) Apple updates TestFlight beta testing app with support for automatic updates (9to5Mac) Amazon Alexa Care Hub update will make it easier to help aging family members (CNBC) Railsbank, the Banking-as-a-Service, raises $37M in growth funding (TechCrunch) APPLE HOMEPOD MINI REVIEW: PLAYING SMALL BALL (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So wait, is TikTok facing shutdown again, as soon as tomorrow or… what? Some analysis on how well those M1 chips might actually perform. Ring doorbells are catching fire. The Hyperloop takes its first passengers for a ride. And does China now ALSO think that big tech has gotten too big? Sponsors: VistaPrint.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: TikTok hasn’t heard from the Trump administration in weeks, prompting latest CFIUS petition (CNBC) Apple Announces The Apple Silicon M1: Ditching x86 - What to Expect, Based on A14 (AnAndTech) Samsung tops U.S. smartphone market in Q3: report (Yonhap News Agency) Roku Adds Apple AirPlay to 4K Devices, Which Gives Users New Workaround to Stream HBO Max and Other Mobile Apps (Variety) Ring recalls 350,000 smart doorbells after some of them caught fire (CNN Business) VIRGIN HYPERLOOP HITS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE: THE FIRST HUMAN PASSENGER TEST (The Verge) China drafts new antitrust guideline to rein in tech giants, wiping US$102 billion from Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan stocks (South China Morning Post) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple’s One More Thing Mac Event. The EU sues Amazon for antitrust. The Slingbox is no more. And, apparently, the MagSafe Duo charger is no good. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Wipers123.com, promocode: ride Links: EU accuses Amazon of breaching antitrust rules (FT) Slingbox discontinued, services sunsetting (SlashGear) Walmart and Cruise launch pilot to deliver orders via self-driving cars (Venture Beat) Apple MagSafe Duo Charger Review: Useful, but expensive and underwhelming (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple is not happy with a key parts supplier. If you’re running an old version of android, you might be shut out of some important websites soon. Is SoftBank’s Vision Fund, back, baby? Is the Raspberry Pi 400 any good to use? And what can Silicon Valley expect from a Biden administration. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com promocode: "ride" for 50% your first month TinyCapital.com Links: Apple Freezes New Business for Pegatron on China Labor Abuse (Bloomberg) Zoom and other ‘stay-at-home’ stocks are getting crushed on the positive vaccine news (CNBC) Many websites will stop working on older Android versions in 2021 (Android Police) SoftBank Recovery Gains Ground With Vision Fund’s Record Profit (Bloomberg) Raspberry Pi 400 review—the under-$100 desktop PC you didn’t know you needed (Ars Technica) 'Awakened a sleeping giant': Parler jumps to most popular app as conservatives rally support to leave Twitter and Facebook (Washington Examiner) Biden’s victory was just what tech wanted. Now what? (Protocol) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know the drill... Sponsors: Canva.me/ride Metalab.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it too soon to start talking about the iPhone 13? It’s review day. Reviews of the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the PlayStation 5. Why I think the DOJ suing to block the Plaid acquisition is such a big deal. And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Masterworks.io, promocode ride Metalab.co Links: Kuo: iPhone 13 to Come in Same Four Model Sizes As iPhone 12, Pro Models to Feature Major Upgrade to Ultra Wide Camera (MacRumors) Sizing up the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max (The Verge) DOJ files antitrust lawsuit challenging Visa’s $5.3 billion acquisition of Plaid (TechCrunch) PLAYSTATION 5 REVIEW: A BIG, CONFIDENT STEP INTO NEXT GEN (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Ben Thompson’s Stratechery, Part 2 (Tim Wu) The Xenobot Future Is Coming—Start Planning Now (Wired) 'This is revolutionary’: new online bookshop unites indies to rival Amazon (The Guardian) How a not-yet-mature web covered the Florida recount in 2000 (Fast Company) An Oral History of 'Marge vs The Monorail', the Episode That Changed 'The Simpsons' (Motherboard) Tonight! 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific, join the listener call-in episode here: https://zoom.us/j/94445550255 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WhatsApp gets disappearing messages ten years after Snapchat! A new entry-level, ultra-lightweight drone from DJI. Productivity laptops are getting interesting designs, ala gaming laptops. Ethereum 2.0 is coming. How and why Jack Ma pissed off the Chinese government. The Xbox Series X reviews are in. And Justice Department just sued to block Visa from buying Plaid. But that just broke, so I’m telling you it happened now. We’ll analyze it tomorrow. Sponsors: Fundrise.com/techmeme Canva.me/ride Links: WhatsApp now lets you post ephemeral messages that disappear after 7 days (TechCrunch) DJI Mini 2 drone arrives with 4K camera and ultra-portable design (SlashGear) Fortnite set to return to iPhones via Nvidia cloud gaming service (BBCNews) Ethereum 2.0 Set to Launch on December 1 (Decrypt) ‘The party is pushing back’: why Beijing reined in Jack Ma and Ant (Financial Times) TikTok Parent ByteDance Seeks to Raise Cash at $180 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg) Razer's first mainstream laptop still has an RGB keyboard (Engadget) XBOX SERIES X REVIEW: A NEXT-GEN PC (The Verge) Link for listener call-in episode TOMORROW night at 9pm eastern: https://zoom.us/j/94445550255 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices