Thu. 04/14 – Elon Hostile Takeover Of Twitter (Funding Secured?)
Well, he went and did it. Elon Musk told Twitter’s board he wants to buy the whole company. The bids for a Jack Dorsey NFT are anemic. A warning from the US government about industrial cyber-attacks. Meta’s entire metaverse product roadmap. And say hello to the new hottest social network among the kids. Sponsors: CodeCademy.com promocode ride LiveOuter.com/techmeme Links: Elon Musk Makes $43 Billion Unsolicited Bid to Take Twitter Private (Bloomberg) US agencies warn of custom-made hacking tools targeting energy sector systems (The Record) ‘Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet’ NFT Went on Sale for $48M. It Ended With a Top Bid of Just $280 (CoinDesk) MARK ZUCKERBERG’S AUGMENTED REALITY (The Verge) Gen Z’s new favorite app (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Huhti 202218min
Wed. 04/13 – Microsoft and ESET Help Ukraine Keep The Lights On
ESET and Microsoft helped Ukraine stop an attack on a power plant. Might CNN+ become a high profile casualty of the streaming wars? Elon Musk is facing a Twitter shareholder lawsuit. People aren’t happy that Meta’s metaverse vig is higher than even Apple dares charge. And, the new privacy-focused browser from Duck Duck Go. Sponsors: Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup Links: Researchers find new malware variant after stopping attack on Ukrainian energy provider (The Record) Former Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Sentenced to 5+ Years in Prison for North Korea Trip (CoinDesk) CNN+ struggles to lure viewers in its early days, drawing fewer than 10,000 daily users (CNBC) Big cuts coming for CNN+ after slow start (Axios) Elon Musk Sued Over Delay in Disclosing Twitter Stake (Bloomberg) Meta's New 47.5% Fee on Metaverse Items Has NFT Twitter Pissed (CNET) Meta: 124 Quest Apps Have Earned More Than $1M, 8 Have Earned More Than $20M (RoadToVR) DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Browser Finally Lands on Desktop (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Huhti 202218min
Tue. 04/12 – Meta Will Pay You To Get Creative In VR
Meta rolls out a test to sell virtual items in Horizon Worlds. Ethereum takes a major step toward its proof-of-stake upgrade. Would you watch a Bored Ape movie? Apple has delayed a major feature for the Watch. Etsy sellers are on strike. And Netflix’s new two-thumbs-up button. Sponsors: CreditKarma.com Links: Meta will let Horizon creators sell virtual items (The Verge) Ethereum Undergoes Another Stress Test Ahead of Software Change (Bloomberg) Bored Apes Go Hollywood With Coinbase-Produced Movie Trilogy (CoinDesk) Apple Targets Watch Blood-Pressure Tool for 2024 After Snags (Bloomberg) Over 14,000 Etsy sellers are going on strike to protest increased transaction fees (TechCrunch) Digital Ad Revenue Jumped 35% in the U.S. Last Year, Biggest Gain Since 2006 (WSJ) TikTok Ad Revenue Set To Triple in 2022 (The Information) How Netflix tests Netflix: The story behind the service’s new two-thumbs-up feature (Protocol) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
12 Huhti 202215min
Mon. 04/11 – Elon DECLINES A Twitter Board Seat
By declining a seat on Twitter’s board, does that mean Elon has chosen violence? Plenty of signs of a mixed reality headset in the code of the next version of iOS. Meta tried and failed to design its own chip. China has decided to let some new games launch. And even if drone delivery is moving forward, is Amazon being left behind? Sponsors: ConstantContact.com MasterWorks.io Links: Elon has decided not to join our board. I sent a brief note to the company, sharing with you all here. (Parag Agrawal) China Ends Game Freeze by Approving First Titles Since July (Bloomberg) Apple Sets the Date for Another Virtual WWDC—Here’s What to Expect (Bloomberg) Meta Platforms is Struggling to Develop Its Own Device Chips (The Information) Amazon Drone Crashes Hit Jeff Bezos' Delivery Dreams (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 Huhti 202216min
(Portfolio Profile) MRGN, With Yoni Rubin
MRGN.ai is all about intelligent budgeting for small businesses. Founder Yoni Rubin joins me to discuss the realities of founding a SaaS company in 2022, and much more. Another great company joining the Ride Home Fund portfolio! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Huhti 202229min
Fri. 04/08 – Elon To Give A “Hello, Fellow Tweeps” AMA
Some folks at Twitter are nervous about Elon Musk’s arrival, so he’s going to do an AMA to rally the troops. Twitter is testing unmentioning. Robinhood is fully rolling out that promise wallet feature. The increasing lexicon of euphemisms people have to use to speak freely on sites like TikTok. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup Links: Elon Musk to address Twitter staff after internal outcry (Washington Post) Twitter test lets you 'unmention' yourself in tweets (Engadget) Robinhood widens user access for crypto wallet transfers, unveils plan to support Lightning payments for bitcoin (The Block) Gartner forecasts global tech spending to hit $4.4 trillion this year, up 4% (Silicon Angle) Internet ‘algospeak’ is changing our language in real time, from ‘nip nobs’ to ‘le dollar bean’ (Washington Post) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Scoop: Inside Fast’s Rapid Collapse (The Pragmatic Engineer) Millennial Billionaire Ryan Breslow Created Buzz, And Enemies, Attacking Stripe And Shopify. He’s Just Getting Started. (Forbes) SCOOP: Crypto Fund Paradigm's Assets Under Management Climb 343% to $13.2 Billion (Newcomer) The Metaverse Has Bosses Too. Meet the ‘Managers’ of Axie Infinity (Motherboard/Vice) This Startup Promised People Free Crypto If They Scanned Their Eyeballs. Now People Feel They've Been Scammed. (BuzzFeed) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 Huhti 202220min
Thu. 04/07 – Zuck Bucks
The crypto dream might have died, but Meta still thinks the metaverse will need some for of currency. Maybe Zuck Bucks? OpenSea adds Solana NFTs. Shein is the world’s latest mega unicorn. Is Bolt pivoting from one-click checkouts to crypto payments instead? Legos in the metaverse. And DALL-E 2. Sponsors: Rocketlawyer.com/workconfidently Links: Facebook owner Meta targets finance with ‘Zuck Bucks’ and creator coins (FT) Google Play will hide and block downloads for outdated apps starting later this year (TechCrunch) Solana NFTs Can Now Be Traded on OpenSea (Decrypt) Facebook won’t hold its F8 developer conference this year after pivoting to Meta (The Verge) Shein Valued at $100 Billion in Funding Round (WSJ) Crypto Startup Wyre Being Acquired by Payments Company Bolt for $1.5 Billion (WSJ) Lego and Epic Games partnership aims for a kid-friendly metaverse (Washington Post) OpenAI’s DALL-E AI image generator can now edit pictures, too (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Huhti 202217min
Wed. 04/06 – Twitter Says Yes To An Edit Button?
I told you Elon had no intention of being a passive investor. Twitter says an edit button is probably coming soon. So, you know, that Elon, he gets things done. One-click checkout startup Fast is shutting down completely. A deep dive into how the new Unreal Engine 5 fits into Hollywood, fits into gaming, fits into the metaverse. And beware: “Will Smith” might come into your Elden Ring game and slap you. Sponsors: Witful.com Links: Musk Refiles Twitter Disclosure to Show He’s an Active Investor (Bloomberg) Twitter is adding an edit button (The Verge) Sky Mavis raises $150 million to reimburse Ronin hack victims (The Block) Fast, the Troubled Fintech Startup, Is Shutting Down (The Information) MicroStrategy Funds Latest Purchase With Bitcoin-Backed Loan (Bloomberg) Inside Epic's Unreal Engine 5—and What It Means for the Future of Gaming, Movies, and the Metaverse (Time) How Epic Games is changing gaming—and maybe the metaverse (Fast Company) Elden Ring players called Will Smith keep invading and slapping people (TechRadar) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 Huhti 202219min
