Tech Brew Ride Home

Questions about: tech in the time of coronavirus, podcasting in the time of coronavirus, WeWork and co-working spaces after the coronavirus, Netflix's position among the competition right now, are subscriptions the future of podcasting, how I source news, and what are my biases, among other questions and answers.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US strikes at Huawei again. Apple acquires a VR startup and there’s conflicting rumors on those AR glasses. Is Silicon Valley really about to become a ghost town? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Classified Ad: IbisWritingAcademy.com Links: U.S. moves to cut Huawei off from global chip suppliers as China eyes retaliation (Reuters) Scoop: Facebook to buy Giphy for $400 million (Axios) Apple Acquires Startup NextVR that Broadcasts VR Content (Bloomberg) Apple’s computerized glasses won’t be ready until 2022 ‘at the earliest,’ top analyst says (Bloomberg) Latest leak has "sleek" Apple Glasses coming out in 2021 instead of 2022 (Apple Insider) Uber’s CEO, a Seasoned Dealmaker, Pursues His Biggest One Yet (Bloomberg) Chrome will start blocking resource-heavy ads in August (VentureBeat) Tech Workers Consider Escaping Silicon Valley’s Sky-High Rents (Bloomberg Businessweek) Weekend Longreads: OnlyFans, Influencers, And The Politics Of Selling Nudes During A Pandemic (Elle.com) How Sporcle followed trivia fans from bars to Zoom and built a $2.5M business (Protocol) Founder Of Borders Bookstores, Webvan Returns With Dreams Of Beating Amazon At Food Delivery (Forbes) Inside HBO Max, the $4 Billion Bet to Stand Out in the Streaming Wars (Variety) The Confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the Hacker Who Saved the Internet (Wired) Our weird behavior during the pandemic is messing with AI models (MIT Technology Review) Yes, websites really are starting to look more similar (The Conversation) Link to zoom meeting, 1pm eastern time Saturday: https://zoom.us/j/92079645112 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is "monstrous" chip news from Nvidia, the world’s first camera sensor with AI built-in, a crypto experiment on Reddit that I feel like might actually have a shot at working, how long will Google stick with hardware, and new members of the $100MM ARR club. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Nvidia unveils monstrous A100 AI chip with 54 billion transistors and 5 petaflops of performance (VentureBeat) Nvidia’s first Ampere GPU is designed for data centers and AI, not your PC (The Verge) Sony Says It Created World’s First Image Sensor With Built-in AI (Bloomberg) Reddit to launch Ethereum-based tokens for cryptocurrency and Fortnite subreddits (The Block) Chrome will soon group tabs together to save pack rats from themselves (Engadget) The mastermind behind the Pixel's camera has left Google (AndroidCentral) Adding three more companies to the $100M ARR club (TechCrunch) Submit questions for the Zoom call this weekend here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New XPS laptops, new Fire HD tablets, Facebook is compensating content moderators, how the pandemic has affected clothes shopping, and how the aftermath of the pandemic might affect offices in the sense of: will we actually ever go back to them? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com BuyRaycon.com/tech Links: Dell launches new XPS 17 and redesigned XPS 15 with 16:10 edge-to-edge displays (The Verge) Amazon updates the Fire HD 8 with a faster processor, more RAM, and USB-C (The Verge) Facebook will pay $52 million in settlement with moderators who developed PTSD on the job (The Verge) Apple plans to add audio versions of publisher articles to Apple News+ (Digiday) US e-commerce sales jump 49% in April, led by online grocery (TechCrunch) Twitter Will Allow Employees To Work At Home Forever (Buzzfeed News) Apple Plans to Return More Staff to Offices in Break From Rivals (Bloomberg) Subscribe to the ad free feed in 60 seconds, right here inside your podcast app! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Uber about to gobble Grubhub? Twitter does something Facebook and YouTube did a long time ago. Details on Apple’s forthcoming over the ears headphones. New releases for developers and music producers. And look, let’s have a conversation about Quibi. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Rhone.com/ridehome promo code: ridehome Links: Twitter launches labels, warnings on misleading COVID-19 information (Reuters) Exclusive: AirPods Studio to feature head and neck detection, custom equalizer settings, more (9to5Mac) Apple releases 'major' update to Logic Pro X (AppleInsider) Microsoft's VS Code 1.45 is out: GitHub integration plus JavaScript debugger update (ZDNet) Jeffrey Katzenberg Blames Pandemic for Quibi’s Rough Start (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A flaw in Thunderbolt basically means no computers are secure. Qualcomm’s new flagship chip. Eric Schmidt has finally left the Googleplex. Detecting malware via grayscale images. Apple is reopening stores, and we might have a new tech IPO as soon as next month. Sponsors: Tinycapital.com Links: Thunderbolt Flaws Expose Millions of PCs to Hands-On Hacking (Wired) Qualcomm's latest mobile gaming chip packs faster graphics and global 5G (Engadget) Eric Schmidt, who led Google's transformation into a tech giant, has left the company (CNET) Microsoft and Intel project converts malware into images before analyzing it (ZDNET) Microsoft adds protection against Reply-All email storms in Office 365 (ZDNET) Apple plans gradual reopening of US retail stores beginning next week (9to5Mac) Apple to reopen stores in US starting next week (CNBC) Online Car Seller Vroom Files Confidentially for IPO (WSJ) Book mentioned: Atrocities by Matthew White Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course not. But also: it's more nuanced than you might think... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uber continues the things-could-be-worse tech earnings parade, Google is consolidating all of its messaging efforts under one team, this whole Reliance Jio Platforms story really has me intrigued, a semi-decent $18 Apple watch ripoff, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Caramba.store Tibco.com/ride Links: Uber shares shoot up after CEO says ride volume is increasing again after April bottom (CNBC) UK may ditch NHS contact-tracing app for Apple and Google model (The Guardian) Google unifies all of its messaging and communication apps into a single team (The Verge) Vista Equity Partners to invest $1.5B in India's Reliance Jio Partners (TechCrunch) Developers say Google's Go is 'most sought after' programming language of 2020 (ZDNET) This Apple Watch copycat is surprisingly good for just $18 (CNET) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The System That Actually Worked (The Atlantic) THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PC GAMES ARE FIGHTING A NEW SURGE OF CHEATERS AND HACKERS (The Verge) How Apple reinvented the cursor for iPad (TechCrunch) Instacart’s Frantic Dash From Grocery App to Essential Service (Bloomberg Businessweek) It’s the 50th Anniversary of Humanity’s Favorite Activity: Staring at an LCD (WSJ) Steven Sinofsky lived Microsoft history. Now he’s writing it (Fast Company) One-Man Hedge Fund Gains 56% With Virus-Resistant Tech Bets (Bloomberg) Subscribe to the ad-free feed, support the podcast directly, and get started in 60 seconds, right here inside your podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoom makes its first acquisition, Google Authenticator now makes it easier to switch phones, Lyft earnings gives hopes to the ride hailing industry, new Sonos gear and a deep dive into Facebook’s new Oversight Board. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride ExpressVPN.com/techmeme Links: Zoom buys Keybase — its first acquisition — as part of 90-day plan to fix security flaws (CNBC) Google releases unscheduled Android 11 DP4 as first beta pushed back to next month (9to5Google) Google Authenticator app update finally lets you transfer two-factor codes between devices (AndroidCentral) Lyft shares jump 15% as company reports more riders than last year despite coronavirus (CNBC) How Lyft intends to navigate and survive Covid-19 (TechCrunch) Sonos debuts new Arc soundbar, next-generation Sonos Sub, and Sonos Five speaker (TechCrunch) How Facebook’s oversight board could rewrite the rules of the entire internet (Protocol) Facebook Names the 20 People Who Can Overrule Mark Zuckerberg (Wired) A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Surface Gos, New Surface Books, New Surface Headphones and the Surface Buds finally arrive. The rumored layoffs come to Uber and Airbnb. Disney+ is saving Disney’s bacon at the moment. And why Peloton is one of those companies having a positive Corona moment. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride Caramba.store, code BRIAN50 at checkout Links: Microsoft’s new Surface Go 2 has a bigger display and better Intel processor (The Verge) Microsoft's Surface Book 3 has 10th-gen Intel CPUs and new NVIDIA GPUs (Engadget) Uber to lay off 3,700 employees, about 14% of workforce (CNBC) The layoffs at Airbnb cast a dark shadow over Silicon Valley (Recode) Magic Leap is turning to a major health care company to save its future, potentially raising as much as $100 million (Business Insider) Disney says it now has 54.5 million Disney+ subscribers (CNBC) People Are Panic-Buying Meat, Toilet Paper … and Pelotons? (NYTimes) Bitcoin Is Staging a Comeback Reminiscent of 2017 Bubble Frenzy (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The virtual WWDC begins June 22! The UK hasn’t played by Google and Apple’s rules and it seems like their contact tracing app is failing because of that. And yet, are Google and Apple making decisions above their station? Uber might be bailing out Lime. Microsoft is reconsidering its Windows X strategy. And Sensor Tower is the interesting raise of the day. Sponsors: Tibco.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: Apple kicking off week of virtual WWDC on June 22, jackets and pins for Swift Challenge winners (9to5Mac) UK finds itself almost alone with centralized virus contact-tracing app that probably won't work well, asks for your location, may be illegal (The Register) The U.K.’s Coronavirus Contact Tracing App Is a Complete Mess (Vice) Apple, Google ban use of location tracking in contact tracing apps (Reuters) Uber in Talks to Lead $170 Million Lime Investment at Lower Valuation (The Information) Confirmed: Intel is buying urban mobility platform Moovit in a $900M deal (TechCrunch) Microsoft confirms Windows 10X is coming to laptops amid big jump in Windows usage (The Verge) Facebook’s Oculus Is Developing a New Quest VR Headset (Bloomberg) Google Meet starts rolling out in Gmail, continuing Google’s quest to unseat Zoom (The Verge) Sensor Tower raises $45M as demand for app data grows (TechCrunch) https://www.reddit.com/r/RideHome/comments/gdyyoh/listener_feedback_post/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Usable keyboards return to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. What is going on at Amazon? Jio Platforms gets another huge investment. Another potential blockbuster acquisition in the Israeli transport-tech space. And can the Apple watch help with Covid-19? Sort of. Let me explain. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency Kiwico.com/ride Links: Apple announces new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Magic Keyboard (The Verge) Amazon VP Resigns, Calls Company ‘Chickenshit’ for Firing Protesting Workers (Vice) Bye, Amazon (Tim Bray) Silver Lake to invest $747M in India's Jio Platforms (TechCrunch) Exclusive: Uber will soon require drivers and riders to wear face coverings in the US (CNN Business) Intel set to buy Israeli co Moovit for $1b (Globes) European Heart Journal: Apple Watch ECG detects signs of coronary ischemia missed by hospital ECG (9to5Mac) Apple Watch blood oxygen detection feature found in iOS 14 code snippet (9to5Mac) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICANN finally does the right thing on the whole .org mess. Earnings from Apple and Amazon. Could Amazon face actual perjury charges? Reddit walks back those chat rooms. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: MintMobile.com/ride Links: A Private Equity Firm Is Blocked From Buying .Org (NYTimes) Amazon says it’ll spend $4 billion or more dealing with COVID-19 (The Verge) House lawmakers demand Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos testify in antitrust probe, threatening potential subpoena (Washington Post) Reddit removes chat room feature after one day due to site-wide bug (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Common Sense Comes Closer to Computers (Quanta) The challenges of developing autonomous vehicles during a pandemic (VentureBeat) This Should Be V.R.’s Moment. Why Is It Still So Niche? (NYTimes) Apple still depends on traditional American engineers, and is slowly losing them (Apple Insider) How Well Can Algorithms Recognize Your Masked Face? (Wired) Inside the MIT spinoff that’s making Inception-style dream manipulation possible (Digital Trends) You Have a TikTok Hit! Now, Quick — Change the Title (Rolling Stone) The "Farts and Procreation" Wiki page. Subscribe to the ad free podcast feed and support this show directly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four big earnings reports for four big tech companies, but we’ll leave that to the end. Intel launches a new flagship clip line, Andreessen Horowitz launches a new crypto fund, Zoom fesses up on MAUs, and Reddit goes old school with chat rooms. Sponsors: Tovala (text TOVALARIDE to 710-23) Metalab.co Links: Intel's 10th Gen Comet Lake for Desktops: Skylake-S Hits 10 Cores and 5.3 GHz (AnAndTech) Andreessen Horowitz raises $515 million for second crypto fund (Axios) Zoom admits it doesn’t have 300 million users, corrects misleading claims (The Verge) Reddit adds chat rooms for subreddits (Engadget) Smartphone Production to Drop by 16.5% YoY in 2Q20, Setting Historical Record in YoY Decline, Says TrendForce (TrendForce) Lyft lays off 17% of workforce, furloughs hundreds more (CNBC) Facebook soars after reporting ‘stability’ in ad revenue after fall in March (CNBC) Press Release & Webcast (Microsoft Investor Relations) Twitter Q1: sales up 3% to $808M as it swings to a loss on COVID-19, mDAUS hit record 166M (TechCrunch) Tesla posts profit despite hit from coronavirus (CNN Business) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest tech earnings season in a while kicks off and so far, it’s so good for Alphabet. Spotify says its holding up as well. Though Uber might lay off 20% of its workforce, Ford is delaying its self-driving road map, and that has me asking again, why isn’t this the perfect moment for self-driving tech? Sponsors: Tovala (text TOVALARIDE to 710-23) Metalab.co Links: Alphabet earnings hit by ‘significant slowdown’ in ad sales, but revenue boosts stock (Marketwatch) Google Meet video conferencing is now free for anybody (The Verge) Spotify Q1 beats on sales of $2B with monthly active users up 31% to 286M (TechCrunch) Uber Discusses Plan to Lay Off About 20% of Employees (The Information) Ford postpones autonomous vehicle service until 2022 (TechCrunch) How a handful of Apple and Google employees came together to help health officials trace coronavirus (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shopify unveils its own shopping app. DJI unveils the Mavic Air 2. The Pixel Buds 2 finally arrive. Tesla pushes out a new auto driving update. What really accounts for Magic Leap’s crash and burn? And why deepfakes are probably going to be in a bunch of commercials soon. Sponsors: Metalab.co Plume.com/techmeme Links: Shopify launches Shop, a new mobile app (TechCrunch) NHS rejects Apple-Google coronavirus app plan (BBC News) DJI’s new Mavic Air 2 has an upgraded camera and much longer flying time (The Verge) GOOGLE PIXEL BUDS REVIEW: SECOND TIME’S THE CHARM (The Verge) Tesla says cars can automatically stop for traffic lights (Associated Press) Magic Leap's $2.6 billion bait and switch (TechCrunch) Magic Leap is a Tragic Heap (The Blog of Palmer Luckey) An ESPN Commercial Hints at Advertising’s Deepfake Future (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

iPhone production might be delayed, but the launch might not be, and actually, that might bounce in Apple’s favor. Autocomplete for coding. A little more background on John Stankey. Progress on my robot burrito delivery. And a crucial SpaceX rocket passes a key test by finally not blowing up. Sponsors: Sanebox.com/techmeme F5.com/ride Links: Apple Delays Mass Production of 2020 Flagship iPhones (WSJ) Two Million Australians Download Coronavirus Contact-Tracing App (Bloomberg) Germany flips to Apple-Google approach on smartphone contact tracing (Reuters) Codota picks up $12M for an AI platform that auto-completes developers' code (TechCrunch) Blunt New CEO Inherits Challenge of Turning AT&T Into Media Star (Bloomberg) John Stankey’s challenge: Making AT&T’s $100 billion bet on Time Warner pay off (CNBC) The pandemic is bringing us closer to our robot takeout future (Ars Technica) SpaceX’s future deep-space rocket passes key test, paving the way for short flight (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This piece: John Luttig's When Tailwinds Vanish caused me to go on a random jag this afternoon. Since I had nothing better to do than post it to Medium, I read it into the microphone too... PS: the medium piece I wrote up is here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you’re about to hear, I’ve wanted to do a deep dive episode discussion on Shopify and how they’re suddenly the big up and coming, potential tech behemoth… arguably the most successful tech IPO of the last five years; seemingly the only company that can challenge Amazon in ecommerce… so when James McLeod from the Financial Post got in touch wanting to talk about Shopify, it was like someone was reading my mind. You’ll see why I’ve found the Shopify story so interesting because… well, we get right into it… Sponsors: ReadyCloud.com/pod TinyCapital.com James’ recent reporting on Shopify and other tech stories: https://business.financialpost.com/author/jmcleodpostmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AT&T’s CEO rides off into the sunset is both a surprise and not a surprise at all. Whole bunch of interesting Google news all at once. More on that iOS zero-day, more data on tech industry hiring and layoffs, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com CognitoHQ.com Links: AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to step down, COO Stankey to take over (CNBC) Google to cut marketing budgets by as much as half, directors warned of hiring freezes (CNBC) Google ditched tipping feature for donating money to sites (TechCrunch) Google will make all advertisers prove their identities, so people can see who they are and which country they’re in (CNBC) Apple Finds No Evidence Hackers Exploited iPhone, iPad Mail Flaw (Bloomberg) Tech companies pull back on hiring, flashing another grim warning sign for the U.S. economy (CNBC) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Silicon Valley balanced grueling schedules with workplace perks. Coronavirus is forcing change (CNET) Preppers Are Quite Prepared to Enjoy Some Vindication (NYTimes) Following the money in a massive “sextortion” spam scheme (Sophos) How Instagram managed to survive antitrust scrutiny when it was acquired by Facebook (Fast Company) IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA, THE FORCE IS STILL WITH JACK DORSEY (Vanity Fair) Subscribe to the ad-free feed right here, inside your podcast app! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Custom Mac chips by 2021? Robot nurses already in hospitals? Bill Gurley into the sunset? Why some people are accusing France of digital privacy hypocrisy, and an interesting raise in the remote work space. Specifically: remote whiteboarding. Sponsors: F5.com/ride TinyCapital.com Links: Apple Aims to Sell Macs With Its Own Chips Starting in 2021 (Bloomberg) Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is helping hospitals remotely treat coronavirus patients (The Verge) Magic Leap Cuts Half of Jobs In Major Restructuring (Bloomberg) Worldwide Digital Video Game Spending Hits All-Time High of $10B in March (The Hollywood Reporter) Venture Capitalist Bill Gurley Isn’t Joining Benchmark’s Next Fund (WSJ) France urges Apple and Google to ease privacy rules on contact tracing (The Guardian) French Hypocrisy: Fines Google For Being Soft On Privacy; Now Angry That Google Won't Let It Spy On Users (TechDirt) Mire lands $50M Series B for digital whiteboard as demand surges (TechCrunch) Subscribe to the ad-free feed RIGHT HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huge Facebook investment in India. Tech earnings season is back, and this promises to be a super interesting one for all the reasons you can imagine. Two iPhone zero days found out in the wild. Patreon does do layoffs but says creator numbers are holding up. And a roundup of the iPhone SE reviews. Sponsors: CognitoHQ.com Tinycapital.com Links: Facebook invests $5.7B in India's Reliance Jio Partners (TechCrunch) Facebook Invests $5.7 Billion in Indian Internet Giant Jio (NYTimes) Netflix blows away new subscriber expectations (CNBC) Snap has the pieces in place to fight off the coronavirus downturn in advertising better than rivals, and the stock is soaring (CNBC) Researchers Say They Caught an iPhone Zero-Day Hack in the Wild (Vice) Patreon lays off 13% of workforce (TechCrunch) APPLE IPHONE SE REVIEW: EVERYTHING YOU NEED (The Verge) iPhone SE Review: An iPhone for People Who Don’t Like New iPhones (WSJ) Review: Apple iPhone SE (2020) (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonos launches its own streaming radio service, huge trove of Facebook accounts purchased on the dark web, Google goes with free to compete with Amazon in product search, Kickstarter is seeing a huge drop in project launches and we finally have a date for the HBO Max launch. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Rhone.com/ridehome promocode ridehome for 20% off Links: Sonos launches its own streaming radio service (The Verge) 267 million Facebook profiles sold for $600 on the dark web (BleepingComputer) Apple launches App Store, Music, Arcade, Podcasts, and iCloud in new countries (9to5Mac) In major shift, Google Shopping opens up to free product listings (Search Engine Land) Facebook removes some events calling for protests of stay-at-home orders (NBC News) Google's Head of Quantum Computing Hardware Resigns (Wired) WarnerMedia Sets Late May HBO Max Launch (The Hollywood Reporter) AT&T’s HBO Max Will Dive Into Crowded Streaming Market on May 27 (Bloomberg) Kickstarter plans layoffs after new projects on the site drop off by 35 percent (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paging Farmville: Facebook takes another stab at owning mobile gaming. Rupert Murdoch's longstanding wish is granted. Dropbox had longstanding doubts about its erstwhile partner Zoom. More data on the health of tech investing, and the first reviews of the iPad as laptop are… mixed. Sponsors: Plume.com/techmeme Mintmobile.com/ride Links: Facebook to Introduce an App for Gaming (NYTimes) Facebook and Google to face mandatory code of conduct to 'level playing field' with traditional news media (ABC News Australia) Zoom’s Security Woes Were No Secret to Business Partners Like Dropbox (NYTimes) With Shut-In Kids Flocking to Streaming, Disney Channel Retools (Bloomberg) The Q1 2020 Global VC Report: Funding Slowly Impacted By Coronavirus (Crunchbase News) Private Equity Sees $20 Billion of Tech Deals Shelved by Virus (Bloomberg) MAGIC KEYBOARD FOR THE IPAD PRO REVIEW: THE BEST WAY TO TURN AN IPAD INTO A LAPTOP (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I wasn’t supposed to do a weekend episode this weekend. I’ve got one scheduled for next week that I still need to record. But a few days ago, I saw Alex Wilhelm at TechCrunch tweet that he was doing a piece about why everyone in Silicon Valley and the VC world and the startup world still seem to be preparing for a nuclear winter, while the stock market has been roaring back to life, and I was like YES! I need to talk about that with somebody right now! I’m asking myself that question every day. It’s not that I’m rooting for a crash, it’s not that I want the economy to suffer, but everyone I know in the Tech world thinks we're in for a bad recession and yet… well, we get into all this. I needed to have this discussion with somebody right away, so forgive me if this is a little self indulgent, but join Alex and I as we ask the question: who’s right about the economy right now? Silicon Valley, or Wall Street? PS: This is Alex's piece I was referring to: As stocks recover, private investors aren't buying the hype Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Microsoft has some AI tech that can catch bugs 99% of the time, Y Combinator is going to be more picky about who it invests in, macOS is getting a smarter battery management system for your laptop, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency CognitoHQ.com Links: AI spots critical Microsoft security bugs 97% of the time (VentureBeat) Changing policy, Y Combinator cuts its pro rate stake and makes investments case-by-case (TechCrunch) Google's fast-growing Meet video tool getting Zoom-like layout, Gmail link (Reuters) Apple changes default MacBook charging behavior to improve battery health (Six Colors) Apple CEO Talks Covid-19 Crisis, Return to Work Plan at Company-Wide Meeting (Bloomberg) 'Needle in a haystack': Reborn tech offices may need distance and mass testing (Protocol) The coronavirus pandemic turned Folding@Home into an exaFLOP supercomputer (Ars Technica) Can Comic Books Survive the Coronavirus Era? (NYTimes) LIDAR: Peek Into The Future With iPad Pro (Halide) The Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young Coder (Wired) In Half-Life’s improv scene, anyone can speak for Gordon Freeman (Ars Technica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The video conferencing space is so hot, we’re getting steamy M&A action now. Apple wants to get stylish with over the ear headphones. Robinhood bucks a couple of trends with a new round. And is Facebook’s Libra just gonna drop like a stone? Sponsors: Kiwico.com/ride DoubleUp.agency Links: Verizon Buys Zoom Conferencing Rival BlueJeans (The Verge) Apple Developing High-End Headphones With Interchangeable Parts (Bloomberg) Sony Plans Limited PlayStation 5 Output in First Year (Bloomberg) Robinhood Is Raising New Funds at About $8 Billion Value, Sources Say (Bloomberg) Google to Slow Hiring for Rest of 2020, CEO Tells Staff (Bloomberg) Facebook-Backed Libra Cryptocurrency Project Is Scaled Back (NYTimes) Amazon Retools With Unusual Goal: Get Shoppers to Buy Less Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (WSJ) Amazon to close French warehouses until next week after court order (Reuters) TikTok now lets parents set restrictions on their kids’ accounts (The Verge) Lawn love job opening: https://apply.workable.com/lawn-love/j/A749319261/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hellooooo new iPhone SE. Airbnb raises another debt round. Amazon kneecaps affiliate marketers. Now it’s Medium’s turn to face fake news (or, at least, fake experts) scrutiny. And why Houseparty is now, officially, another unlikely winner of the Coronavirus moment. Sponsors: CognitoHQ.com BuyRaycon.com/tech Podapalooza tickets at: PLZA.org Links: Apple announces the new $399 iPhone SE for 2020 (The Verge) Airbnb raises another $1bn (Financial Times) Amazon slashes commission rates for program that gives publishers a cut of sales (CNBC) Github is now free for all teams (TechCrunch) Washington AG sues Facebook for violating state political ad law (GeekWire) How Medium became the best and worst place for coronavirus news (The Verge) Houseparty Vies With Zoom to Be Homebound Chatters’ App of Choice (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have an actual smartphone launch event to report on! Google is apparently close to powering it’s devices with its own custom-design silicon. Microsoft Teams is getting closer to Zoom in a good, feature-wise way. An update on the venture funding environment and new gaming ratings to alert people to loot boxes. Sponsors: LinkedIN.com/ride Plume.com/techmeme Links: OnePlus Announces OnePlus 8 & OnePlus 8 Pro: Step-Up 2020 Flagships (AnAndTech) ONEPLUS 8 PRO REVIEW: BIG LEAGUE (The Verge) Q&A: Apple and Google discuss their coronavirus tracing efforts (TechCrunch) iPhone China Shipments Rebound as Manufacturing Resumes (Bloomberg) Scoop: Google readies its own chip for future Pixels, Chromebooks (Axios) Zoom will let paying customers pick which data center their calls are routed from (The Verge) Over 500,000 Zoom accounts sold on hacker forums, the dark web (BleepingComputer) New Microsoft Teams features: Video to show 9 people on screen with more coming soon (ZDNet) Amazon to Expand Shipments of Nonessential Items, Continue Adding Staff (WSJ) VC Firms Raised $21 Billion Last Quarter Despite Pandemic Chaos (Bloomberg) ESRB introduces a new label to indicate that a game has loot boxes (The Verge) Links to job openings: https://botsociety.io/careers/account-manager or [email protected] https://zen.ly/jobs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deeper dives into that Google/Apple contact tracing project, solid rumors about the new iPhone design, the telecom industry might lose $25 billion dollars this year and international roaming charges are to blame, and an open source live streaming and video streaming app that can help you Twitch and YouTube better, without being beholden to their tools. Sponsors: Harrys.com/techmeme F5.com/ride Links: @moxie Tweet Thread How Apple and Google are tackling one of the toughest parts about tracking COVID-19 exposures (The Verge) NHS phone app holds key to lifting UK’s coronavirus lockdown (The Times (UK)) Apple Plans iPad-Like Design for Next iPhone, Smaller HomePod (Bloomberg) SoftBank Group forecasts $7-bn full-year net loss (Yahoo Finance) Son’s $2 Billion Guarantee at Risk as Virus Hits SoftBank Star (Bloomberg) Fall of the roaming empire: telecom groups face revenue loss as travel collapses (Financial Times) As YouTube Traffic Soars, YouTubers Say Pay Is Plummeting (OneZero) ‘It’s still niche’: Esports see audience surge, more tepid ad demand (Digiday) Anyone's a Celebrity Streamer With This Open Source App (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I couldn’t tell you the amount of times, over the last two years, I’ve quoted pieces from Alex Kantrowitz on this show. Hundreds of times? Easy? Alex is the senior tech reporter at Buzzfeed News, and, while I don’t have favorite people to quote from on this show (I shouldn’t anyway) the sheer number of times I quote from someone should tell you something about the amount of news they break. The insights they have. Alex has an amazing new book out called Always Day One- How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay On Top Forever. And as I said yesterday, it’s an amazing breakdown of not only the cultural DNA of each of the tech giants, but also a useful playbook to their success… a way to understand how they do what they do and why they win more often than not. Amazing book. Anyone who listens to this show every day will find it useful in informing the competitive analysis we always engage in. Sponsor: Tovala.com/ride Buy the book here! Always Day One - How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay On Top Forever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon is creating a system to test its own employees for Coronavirus, Google creates a system to help with unemployment claims, one more attempt to keep track of the Google messaging branding mess, more evidence Zuckerberg really is jealous of Instagram, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Caramba.store Code: Brian50 Links: Apple, Google debut major effort to help people track if they’ve come in contact with coronavirus (Washington Post) Amazon developing coronavirus testing lab for workers (Washington Post) The pandemic is playing to almost every one of Amazon's strengths (CNN Business) Google creates online unemployment application with state of New York (CNBC) Google is rebranding Hangouts Chat as just Google Chat (The Verge) Everyone can now access their Instagram DMs on the web (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Can Airbnb Survive Coronavirus? (Citylab) Atlassian’s tools helped build today’s tech. How’s it prepping for the future? (Protocol) Zuckerberg’s Jealousy Held Back Instagram and Drove Off Founders (Bloomberg Businessweek) Was Leisure Suit Larry Really an Accomplice in Early Banking Cyberattacks? (Vice) Has Apple finally bitten off way more than it can chew? (WiredUK) Apple, Amazon, and Common Enemies (Stratechery) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney+ continues to blow the doors off the place. Good old phone calls are back, along with the Desktop web. Don’t expect to see new emoji for a while. Stadia is free for anyone with a Gmail account, COBAL skills are in high demand and why the pandemic might be a long-term good for Internet infrastructure. Sponsors: Caramba.store CognitoHQ.com Plume.com/techmeme Links: Disney+ Surpasses 50 Million Paid Subscribers After Launches in Europe & India (The Streamable) Zoom removes meeting IDs from client title bar to boost security (Bleeping Computer) MICROSOFT THINKS CORONAVIRUS WILL FOREVER CHANGE THE WAY WE WORK AND LEARN (The Verge) The Humble Phone Call Has Made a Comeback (NYTimes) Microsoft: Don't expect any Windows 10X devices this calendar year (ZDNet) No one’s getting new emoji in 2021 because of the pandemic (The Verge) Google Stadia now free to anyone with a Gmail address (Polygon) Now It’s Falling Apart (OneZero) Why the coronavirus lockdown is making the internet stronger than ever (MIT Technology Review) Twitter notifies users that it’s now sharing more data with advertisers (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Dorsey literally puts his money to work for Coronavirus relief. More details on that Airbnb lifeline raise. Details on an interesting telemedicine raise. Netflix has increased parental controls, Google is pushing a mandatory new setup for Android development and why the desktop web is back, for the time being anyway. Sponsors: Caramba.store; promocode: BRIAN50 CognitoHQ.com Links: @jack's tweet storm Airbnb Paying More Than 10% Interest on $1 Billion Financing Announced Monday (WSJ) Airbnb In Talks To Raise More Debt (Bloomberg) Update on Zoom’s 90-Day Plan to Bolster Key Privacy and Security Initiatives (Zoom Blog) Netflix will allow parents to remove movies and shows, filter by rating in new update (The Verge) Google is requiring Virtual A/B on new Android 11 devices, paving the way for mandatory Seamless Updates (XDA Developers) Microsoft is freezing hiring except in some unspecified 'strategic areas' (Business Insider) All Microsoft events will be digital-only until July 2021 (The Verge) The Virus Changed the Way We Internet (NYTimes) Restaurant management platform Toast cuts 50% of staff (TechCrunch) Tyto Care raises $50 million to grow its telehealth examination and diagnostic platform (VentureBeat) Google's video chat service adds 2 million users a day amid coronavirus (CNET) Don’t be surprised when ‘Hangouts Meet’ becomes ‘Google Meet’ (9to5Google) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WhatsApp wants to make it harder for things to go viral. Airbnb buys some runway. Foursquare merges with another location data company. Checking in with Masa Son. And the latest startup to say it wants to blow up email and unseat Gmail. Sponsors: Caramba.store code: Brian20 F5.com/ride Links: WhatsApp to impose new limit on forwarding to fight fake news (The Guardian) Airbnb is raising $1 billion amid fallout from coronanvirus (CNBC) Foursquare Merges With Factual, Another Location-Data Provider (WSJ) Masayoshi Son Talks WeWork, Vision Fund and Softbank Under Siege (Forbes) Pixel April updates land, bringing eyes-open face unlock setting to the Pixel 4 (Android Police) Microsoft Buys Corp.com So Bad Guys Can’t (KrebsonSecurity) This tiny startup thinks it can do email better than Google (Protocol) Subscribe to the ad free feed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Quibi day everybody. Check out your Quick Bites for free while you can! Apparently the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is a hella powerful laptop, but that’s apparently why the battery life sucks. And the Covid-related conspiracy theory inspiring people to set cellphone towers on fire in Britain. Sponsors: MindSET Podcast - Leidos.com/podcast Caramba.store, code BRIAN20 for 20% your first order Links: Quibi app review: shifting landscape (The Verge) How to stream Quibi (The Verge) SAMSUNG GALAXY CHROMEBOOK REVIEW: BEAUTIFUL TO A FAULT (The Verge) Samsung Galaxy Chromebook review: Great, until the battery runs out (Engadget) Tim Cook: Apple shipping custom face shields to medical workers as mask donations cross 20M (9to5Mac) Call for social media platforms to act on 5G mast conspiracy theory (The Guardian) Russian telco hijacks internet traffic for Google, AWS, Cloudflare, and others (ZDNet) Microsoft Edge is now 2nd most popular desktop browser, beats Firefox (BleepingComputer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tech companies are, in fact, stepping up to track Covid-19. We have a name for the new low-end iPhone. Tesla soars but the Space X Starship doesn’t. Watch some free HBO this weekend, and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: No Parking Podcast TinyCapital.com Links: Google uses location data to show which places are complying with stay-at-home orders — and which aren’t (The Verge) In coronavirus fight, oft-criticized Facebook data aids U.S. cities, states (Reuters) PRIVACY EXPERTS SAY RESPONSIBLE CORONAVIRUS SURVEILLANCE IS POSSIBLE (The Intercept) Exclusive: iPhone 9 launch imminent, 2020 ‘iPhone SE’ in red, white, and black with up to 256GB (9to5Mac) Tesla soars on delivery numbers -- company delivered 88,400 vehicles in Q1 (CNBC) A third prototype of SpaceX’s Starship rocket bursts on the test stand (The Verge) Airbnb lowers internal valuation by 16% to $26bn (FT) HBO Will Stream 500 Hours of Free Programming, Including Full Seasons of ‘Veep,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ (Variety) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Google Data Centers’ Secret Cost: Billions of Gallons of Water (Bloomberg Green) Microsoft Edge is becoming the browser you didn’t know you needed (Ars Technica) The Xbox Series X master plan (Polygon) From courts to consoles: With live sports canceled, pro athletes join the streaming surge (The Washington Post) Telemedicine, Once a Hard Sell, Can’t Keep Up With Demand (WSJ) The Medical News Site That Saw the Coronavirus Coming Months Ago (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoom apologizes, but also reveals some INSANE growth numbers. Facebook Messenger comes to desktop. YouTube wants to clone TikTok. Apple let’s some people avoid the App Store tax. More gross firings by teleconference and a timely interesting raise. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com No Parking Podcast Links: A Message to Our Users (Zoom Blog) Facebook debuts standalone Messenger app on Mac and PC (Engadget) 'Content network effect' makes TikTok tough to copy (TechCrunch) YouTube Plans ‘Shorts’ to Rival TikTok (The Information) Apple Lets Some Video Apps Sell Shows Without Taking 30% Cut (Bloomberg) 'It Felt Like a Black Mirror Episode' The Inside Account of How Bird Laid off 406 People in Two Minutes via a Zoom Webinar (dot.LA) Notion, Maker of Collaboration Software, Raises $50 Million (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve reached the end of the John Legere era. Samsung thinks we’ve reached the end of the LCD era. Comcast is inadvertently proving ISP datacaps are BS. Is Zoom a victim of its own success? And it’s maybe not overstating things to say it’s past time Amazon should start thinking more humanely about… people. Sponsors: No Parking podcast TinyCapital.com Sponsors: Legere is out as T-Mobile CEO as Sprint merger officially closes (CNBC) Samsung Display to end all LCD production by end 2020 (Reuters) Marriott discloses new data breach impacting 5.2 million hotel guests (ZDNet) Comcast waiving data caps hasn’t hurt its network—why not make it permanent? (Ars Technica) Zoom Lets Attackers Steal Windows Credentials via UNC Links (Bleeping Computer) @c1truz_ thread about Zoom Amazon's Covid Hiring Boom Has Applicants Packed Into Job Fairs With No Special Precautions (Bloomberg) Amazon Struggles to Find Its Coronavirus Footing. ‘It’s a Time of Great Stress.’ (WSJ) Amazon's past catches up with it (The Interface) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Snapchat launches its Stories syndication program. Fitbit has a powerful new fitness tracker. Microsoft and Spotify release some family friendly features and apps. It’s time for Zoom to come under the spotlight for privacy concerns. And a court has ruled that simply breaking a site's terms of service does not constitute criminal hacking. Sponsors: F5.com/ride TinyCaptial.com Links: Apple purchases hyperlocal weather app Dark Sky, ending API and killing Android apps (9to5Mac) Snapchat preempts clones, syndicates Stories to other apps (TechCrunch) Surprise! Fitbit's First New Product Since Google Deal Is A Fitness Tracker (Gizmodo) Microsoft announces Teams for consumers, Skype daily active users up 70% to 40 million (VentureBeat) Microsoft 365 bundles Office 365 with AI and cloud-powered features (VentureBeat) Spotify Brings Standalone Kids’ App to U.S., Featuring a ‘Wash Your Hands’ Playlist (Variety) New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom’s Privacy Practices (NYTimes) ZOOM MEETINGS AREN’T END-TO-END ENCRYPTED, DESPITE MISLEADING MARKETING (The Intercept) Comcast says voice and video calls have skyrocketed 212 percent during widespread self-isolation (The Verge) Apple Tests Its Secrecy Somewhere New: Employee Homes (Bloomberg) Court: Violating a site’s terms of service isn’t criminal hacking (Ars Technica) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HQ Trivia resurrects itself thanks to an anonymous investor. Facebook tries to squeeze Apple out of the AR screen market. Some crowdsourced data reveals who where layoffs are happening in tech but also which companies are still hiring. And a major hack takes down a big chunk of the dark web. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Feals.com/techmeme Links: HQ Trivia Returns Thanks to Anonymous Investor (WSJ) Facebook Strikes Deal for AR Displays, Squeezing Out Apple (The Information) Government Tracking How People Move Around in Coronavirus Pandemic (WSJ) Coronavirus has led to a 775 percent increase in usage of Microsoft Azure cloud services (BetaNews) Apple's factories are running, but suppliers wary about iPhone demand (Reuters) Candor: 267 companies have frozen hiring, 44 had layoffs, 36 rescinded offers, 111 are hiring (VentureBeat) OneWeb files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Space News) Airbnb to Halt All Marketing, Most Hiring as Losses Mount (The Information) Lyft Tells Drivers to Work for Amazon After Ridership Plummets (Bloomberg) Bird lays off about 30% of workforce amid COVID-19 pandemic (TechCrunch) Hack Attack Takes Down Dark Web Host: 7,595 Websites Confirmed Deleted (Forbes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple has released an official Covid-19 App. Kuo says Arm-based Macbooks are coming next year. Sony is spinning off a lot of the parts of itself that make it a tech company. Instacart workers are planning a nationwide strike on Monday. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co Kiwico.com/ride Links: Apple releases new COVID-19 app and website based on CDC guidance (Apple Newsroom) Kuo: Apple to Launch Several Macs With Arm-Based Processors in 2021, USB4 Support Coming to Macs in 2022 (MacRumors) Sony Spins Off Camera Business Into Separate Company (PetaPixel) Instacart’s Gig Workers Are Planning a Massive, Nationwide Strike (Motherboard) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Everything Is So Fucked, You Might As Well Get A Facebook Portal (Buzzfeed News) We Need A Massive Surveillance Program (IdleWords.com) Bosses Panic-Buy Spy Software to Keep Tabs on Remote Workers (Bloomberg) Why Don’t We Just Ban Targeted Advertising? (Wired) DJI Won the Drone Wars, and Now It’s Paying the Price (BusinessWeek) We visited a small Virginia town where drone deliveries have begun for real (Input Magazine) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple is weighing its options, and delaying the release of the 5G iPhone until 2021 is being discussed. Airbnb is offering free housing for medical workers. An interesting raise Thursday that wants to be the flip side of Shopify in the ecommerce space. And a preview of Huawei’s upcoming Google-less flagship phone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Sanebox.com/techmeme Links: Apple weighs delaying 5G iPhone launch by months, sources say (Nikkei Asian Review) Apple Testing AR/VR Headset With HTC Vive-Like Controller, Crosswalk Bowling Game, and More (MacRumors) What Qualcomm's new chips mean for upcoming true wireless earbuds (CNET) Airbnb Hosts to Help Provide Housing to 100,000 COVID-19 Responders (Airbnb Newsroom) TripActions, Zeus Living Laying Off Employees Due To COVID-19 Slowdown (Crunchbase News) What it feels like to be laid off on Zoom during this crisis (Protocol) Lime’s Valuation May Fall 80% in Emergency Fundraising (The Information) StubHub furloughs employees, other ticket sites face challenges in wake of pandemic (ESPN) Stripe leads $20M Series A into Fast, which is building a universal checkout service for e-commerce (TechCrunch) LIVING A GOOGLE-FREE LIFE WITH A HUAWEI PHONE (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Facebook is coping with Corona, Google Podcasts comes to iOS, ad blocking officially comes to Safari, when Apple thinks it can re-open stores, Singapore open-sources it’s Corona-contact-tracing app, and have your screen time notifications horrified you this week? You’re not alone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Rhone.com/ridehome Promocode: ridehome for 20 percent off Links: Facebook Is ‘Just Trying to Keep the Lights On’ as Traffic Soars in Pandemic (NYTimes) The Coronavirus Revives Facebook as a News Powerhouse More than half of all news consumption on Facebook in America (NYTimes) Google Podcasts is finally available of iOS (TechCrunch) Apple updates Safari’s anti-tracking tech with full third-party cookie blocking (The Verge) Apple May Start Reopening Stores in First Half of April (Bloomberg) iPhone Makers Suspend India Production Due to Lockdown (Bloomberg) Coronavirus: S'pore Government to make its contact-tracing app freely available to developers worldwide (The Straight Times) Court in Telegram case blocks gram token issuance, says token distribution likely violates securities law (The Block) Our iPhone weekly screen time reports are through the roof, and people are ‘horrified’ (Washington Post) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A wicked Windows zero day is out in the wild without a patch. Google is open sourcing a cool new AI architecture. Instagram wants you to co-watch your feed with a friend. A popular “challenger bank” comes to the US. And the iPad Pro reviews are in. Sponsors: Metalab.co Zapier.com/ride Links: Microsoft says hackers are attacking Windows users with a new unpatched bug (TechCrunch) Apple promises App Store expansion to 20 new countries starting next month (9to5Mac) Google open-sources framework that reduces AI training costs by up to 80% (VentureBeat) Google opens Stadia Makers program for indie game developers (9to5Google) Google unveils Android Performance Tuner, Android GPU Inspector, and Cloud Firestore for game developers (VentureBeat) Instagram has a new way for people isolated by coronavirus to connect: sharing posts via video chat (CNBC) Exclusive: Disney+ Sees Huge Subscription Spike As Homebound Audiences Clamor For Content (Forbes) Revolut launches its neobank in the US (TechCrunch) Review: Apple iPad Pro (2020) (Wired) APPLE IPAD PRO REVIEW 2020: SMALL SPEC BUMP, BIG CAMERA BUMP (The Verge) Buy my book for $2.99 (Kindle) Buy my book for $2.99 (B&N) How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pros and cons of using big data, cellphones and the surveillance economy to combat the coronavirus. More iPhone rumors from Ming-Chi Kuo. Is the Oculus Quest bringing VR into the mainstream? And how to block your messy background when you’re on a Zoom conference call for work. Sponsors: Metalab.co Mintmobile.com/ride Links: European mobile operators share data for coronavirus fight (Reuters) Taiwan's new 'electronic fence' for quarantines leads wave of virus monitoring (Reuters) Hidden data is revealing the true scale of the coronavirus outbreak (Wired) Google’s coronavirus website finally launches alongside enhanced search results (The Verge) Google cancels I/O 2020 entirely in light of coronavirus (9to5Google) Kuo: Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization Coming to 6.7-Inch iPhone in 2020, Periscope Lens to Follow in 2022 (MacRumors) Facebook: 90% Of Quest Users For Christmas Were ‘Brand New’ To Oculus (UploadVR) Apple Acknowledges Personal Hotspot Issues Affecting Some iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 Users (MacRumors) This is how you do that Zoom background thing everyone is talking about (CNET) Glenn's FREE Book: Take Control of Working from Home Temporarily - TakeControlBooks.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WSJ Technology columnist Chris Mims and I talk WFH best practices, and how the Tech Industry has responded to the Covid-19 crisis thusfar. Sponsors: DoubleUp.agency * KeepComingBackPodcast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yelp is showing how the restaurant industry is in deep trouble. Instagram makes ready to clone the last Snapchat feature it hadn’t copped yet. The very interesting lessons behind a self-driving startup closing its doors. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Zapier.com/ride Links: Amazon AWS launches $20 million initiative to help fight the coronavirus (CNBC) Instagram prototypes Snapchat-style disappearing text messages (TechCrunch) Microsoft’s DirectX 12 Ultimate unifies graphics tech for PC gaming and Xbox Series X (The Verge) Ex-Uber executive Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to trade-secret theft (Washington Post) The End of Starsky Robotics (Medium) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How Reddit's coronavirus community became a destination (NBC News) Can Smart Thermometers Track the Spread of the Coronavirus? (NYTimes) Correlation and Market Meltdowns (Fred Wilson/AVC) Zoom conquered video chat — now it has even bigger plans (Protocol) The tech industry’s quest to help us sleep better is just beginning (Fast Company) How TikTok Is Taking the Tunes out of Pop (HighSnobiety) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Square wants to become a bank. Microsoft Teams might be rocketing ahead of Slack in terms of user numbers. The EU wants streaming companies to cut back on HD streams. Covid might be depressing music streaming, and some analysis of the iPad becoming a regular old computer. Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Blinkist.com/techmeme Links: Square gains FDIC conditional approval for a banking license (Silicon Angle) Microsoft Teams passes 44 million daily active users, thanks in part to coronavirus (VentureBeat) What worries Mark Zuckerberg (The Interface) EU warns of broadband strain as millions work from home (Financial Times) Improved iPhone, AirPods availability suggests Chinese production nearing normality (Apple Insider) Music streaming may actually be falling because of coronavirus (QZ) Apple's iPad Pro becomes more like a Surface, and that's a problem for Microsoft (Windows Central) Steven Sinofsky tweet thread about the iPad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a day of new! New iPads pro, new Macbooks Air, new Macs Mini, and more bye bye butterfly keyboard! A new Transcribe for Android, a new design overhaul for Slack, all the specs for the new Playstation 5, and why Cameo is a new app to keep your eye on. Sponsors: Tinycapital.com Zapier.com/ride Linkedin.com/ride Links: Apple announces new iPad Pro with trackpad support and a wild keyboard cover (The Verge) The MacBook Air gets an updated keyboard and souped-up specs, starting at $999 (TechCrunch) Apple's $799 Mac mini debuts with double the storage (Apple Insider) Google Translate launches Transcribe for Android in 8 languages (VentureBeat) Slack unveils its biggest redesign yet (The Verge) PlayStation 5 hardware specifications revealed (Polygon) How Cameo Turned D-List Celebs Into a Monetization Machine (Marker) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices