Tech Brew Ride Home

Tech companies dip their toes into vaccine mandate waters. Facebook in so many words says Apple’s privacy changes are about to impact earnings. Will Didi take itself private again to please the Chinese government? Is Peacock doing better than I at least thought? And a crypto startup is sliding into the biggest growth market I’ve seen in this space yet. Sponsors: NordPass.com/techmeme or code techm...

Apple reports earnings but warns of component shortages. Microsoft set profit records but noted shortage materially affected some divisions. Alphabet had good earnings too, but the real story there is YouTube. About the staff walkout at Activision Blizzard. Is Apple asking leakers to snitch on their sources? And an interesting raise to do next generation search on iOS. Sponsors: UpStart.com/techme...

Tesla is profitable beyond all caveats and hedges. Intel continues to telegraph its turnaround plans. Tangible numbers of the Chinese tech carnage. Instagram changes the rules for teens on the platform. And what are Facebook’s ultimate designs on building a Metaverse? Sponsors: Metalab.co TinyCapital.com Links: Tesla finally made a profit without the help of emission credits (The Verge) Tesla reco...

Is the DOJ probing Tether for bank fraud? When might FaceID come to the Mac? What do leaked photos tell us about the next Surface Duo? And I will spend the entire second half of the show trying my best to explain the seeming tech apocalypse happening in China right now. Sponsors: KiwiCo.com/ride for first month free SetApp.com Links: Tether Executives Said to Face Criminal Probe Into Bank Fraud (B...

Plus, the Hyper fund from Product Hunt, Automattic's acquisition game, and Twitter tests downvotes? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alphabet has a new moonshot company. Existing Big Bet DeepMind might have had a big breakthrough. Why Snap and Twitter are sharing an earnings narrative right now. Hint: it’s cause they’re growing again. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: CreditKarma.com/podcast SetApp.com Links: Google parent Alphabet launches Intrinsic: a new company to build software for industrial rob...

Twitter is testing downvotes. Tumblr gets into the subscription game. Google unveils a unified backup service for Android. Is HBO Max leading the pack of followers in the musical chairs streaming wars contest? The FTC is getting serious about right to repair. And let me introduce you to the Airbnb for back yard swimming pools. Sponsors: Masterworks.io promocode RIDE TinyCapital.com Links: Twitter...

Netflix’s growth has hit a wall, and so here come the games. What to do about a problem like those NSO hacks? Samsung’s next Unpacked event is announced. One of the biggest crypto raises of all time. And will Apple ever join the Android ecosystem and kill off SMS once and for all? Sponsors: Calm.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: Netflix’s gaming expansion starts with mobile (The Verge) On the li...

Apple puts a pause on its return to the office plans. Rumors of a new iPad mini redesign. Product Hunt launches an investment fund. If you want a tool to see if you’ve been pwned by NSO’s Pegasus software, I’ve got you. And Bezos in space… Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Links: Apple Delays Office Return by At Least a Month as Covid Spikes (Bloomberg) Exclusive: Apple planning redesigned iPad mini with...

The NSO Group is back in the headlines, and it’s maybe, the worst allegations of hacking for hire yet. The US and NATO blame China for the Exchange Server hacks. Does iOS now split the market with Android, at least in the US? And is Tesla charging customers for hardware they already paid for? Sponsors: Streak.com/techmeme TinyCapital.com Links: Private Israeli spyware used to hack cellphones journ...

Bloomberg's @Lucas_Shaw comes on to explain the math of that Black Widow stream release story from Monday. Then @alexeheath from the Verge explains the death of Fleets, the creator thirst at Facebook and then we all get into the questioning the real value/process of Twitter verification. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel is considering a major acquisition to leapfrog back into semi-conductor contention. Valve releases its long rumored hardware device. Why they were able to make a deep face of Anthony Bourdain’s voice. And of course, the weekend longread suggestions. Sponsors: CreditKarma.com/podcast Cybereason.com Links: Intel Is in Talks to Buy GlobalFoundries for About $30 Billion (WSJ) Valve’s gaming hand...

Netflix hires a big name gaming executive. Twitter retires Fleets. Facebook wants to make it rain for creators. TSMC says the chip shortage is starting to ease. Amazon launches serialized storytelling. And one of the biggest unicorns in the world, just 6x’d in less than a year. Sponsors: WealthFront.com/techmeme Canva.me/techmeme Links: Netflix Plans to Offer Video Games in Push Beyond Films, TV (...

Bunch of Apple news. A new “buy now, pay later” service. A MagSafe battery pack. Is content moderation a hot new area for startups? Facebook groups can now get actual designated experts. REvil has suddenly gone dark. And why does iOS seemingly find 69 degrees Fahrenheit to be NOT nice! Sponsors: AwayTravel.com/techmeme KiwiCo.com/ride for first month free Links: Apple, Goldman Plan ‘Buy Now, Pay L...

If Twitter verification is now run by humans, how did so many obvious bot accounts get verified? Why you might start seeing brand logos in your emails, and why that’s actually a good thing. Biden's non-compete clause executive order is a big deal for Big Tech. And a look at the absurdity of the right to repair situation when it comes to gadgets you own. Links: Twitter verified a number of bot acco...

Is InfoSec the new Fintech when it comes to investor hotness? Did ByteDance make the right move by putting its IPO on ice? Why Amazon looks like it’s going heavy into the sleep gadget game. Why the EU is postponing its digital tax initiative. And why Black Widow’s release this weekend is giving Hollywood streaming hope. Sponsors: Gabi.com/techmeme Gainful.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft Agrees to Ac...

State Attorneys General file an antitrust suit against Google. But why them, first? Visa wants you to spend crypto via their platform. Fintech leads a record first half of the year for VC raises. And if payment for order flow were nixed by the SEC, what would that do to Robinhood? Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Cybereason.com  Links: 36 states, D.C. sue Google for alleged antitrust violations in its An...

The Pentagon wants a do-over for that JEDI contract. YC wants to do Tinder but for founder matchmaking. Amazon open sources its gaming engine. How about NFT’s but for the stock market? And if you think China is cracking down on tech companies, wait till you hear how they want to regulate when and how kids can play videogames. Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride Cybereason.com Links: Pentagon cancels $10 bil...

Nintendo finally announces the new Switch, but how new is it really? What the heck is happening with Didi and China? REvil strikes again, and what that might mean for the hacking situation going forward. And on a day of big geopolitical news, might big tech platforms be chased out of India and Hong Kong because their employees are in danger of being sent to jail? Sponsors: Tovala.com/ride  Cyberea...

lex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter comes on to try to help us work out what happened with that Facebook Antitrust case blowup. Also, what does this mean for regulating other companies. Hosts: @chrismessina @brianmcc Check out Alex's Big Technology Newsletter Here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robinhood files for its long-awaited IPO. The Chinese government took the shine off of Didi’s recent IPO. More new features from Twitter. Is Apple the first to take advantage of 3nm chips? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: CreditKarma.com/podcast Calm.com/techmeme Links: Robinhood files for long-awaited IPO (Axios) How Robinhood's explosive growth rate came to be (Tech C...

Instagram and TikTok are on a collision course. Instagram wants to be more like TikTok, while TikTok hopes to move the goalposts first. Amazon wants Lina Khan to recuse herself. Big tech is not only taking over advertising, it’s consolidating it. And anyone can get their hands on Starlink next month, but not everyone might want to. Sponsors: Masterworks.io promocode RIDE Cybereason.com Links: Face...

Facebook launches its Substack clone. Emphasis on clone. Shopify joins the platform tax wars by going to zero. A truce between Microsoft and Google has just lapsed. A big raise in the drone space. And would you pay to get actual search results instead of ads? Sponsors: Cybereason.com Links: Facebook announces Bulletin, its Substack newsletter competitor (The Verge) Shopify drops its App Store comm...

A judge has completely thrown out the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook and sent them back to the drawing board. Microsoft and OpenAI and Github have a tool that will suggest code to you as you code. And Sam Altman, as I understand this, wants to do Universal Basic Income on the blockchain. But first, he wants to scan your eyeball.  Sponsors: Cybereason.com AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer...

The UK orders a halt to regulated activities by Binance, joining everybody, all the sudden. Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 888 Plus. Lenovo unveils an Android tablet that works as a portable monitor. And meet the activists perfecting the craft of anti-surveillance. Sponsors: Masterworks.io promocode RIDE AirMedCareNetwork.com/tech offer code TECH Links: Financial watchdog bans crypto exchange Bin...