(Bonus) CoinDesk's Brady Dale On Libra and the "Crypto Spring"

Google has refreshed the entire Nest lineup and I guess TPU’s will be a thing going forward. Ethereum’s latest hard fork is live and bringing big changes. There’s a new Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative with Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and the government all combatting cyberattacks. And if some companies are seeing a Covid Times hangover, nobody bothered to tell Hopin. Sponsors: WealthFront.com/techmeme Metalab.com Links: Google’s new Nest cameras and doorbell have lower prices and more smarts (The Verge) Ethereum just activated a major change called the ‘London hard fork’ — here’s why it’s a big deal (CNBC) Senators propose exclusion of miners, software developers in infrastructure bill's crypto 'broker' definition (The Block) U.S. Taps Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Others to Help Fight Ransomware, Cyber Threats (WSJ) Nintendo profits decline year-on-year as Switch hits 89 million sold (The Verge) Two-year-old events start-up Hopin boomed in the pandemic. Now it’s a $7.75 billion business (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Aug 202116min

Robinhood’s shares are up so much after that busted IPO that trading had to be halted today. What gives? Also, what’s up with the rush into Buy Now Pay Later all of the sudden? Vudo will become Roku’s official video store. Superhuman raises another round. And do you need a smart soap dispenser in your life? Probably not. Metalab.com TinyCaptial.com Links: Robinhood surges as much as 81% in second day of wild trading (CNBC) Apple, Affirm to Join on Buy Now, Pay Later for Canadian Purchases (Bloomberg) WhatsApp launches its ‘View Once’ disappearing photos and videos (The Verge) New ‘Google Identity Services’ consolidate sign-in for 3rd-party apps, includes ‘One Tap’ (9to5Google) FandangoNOW and Vudu merge into a new streaming service with titles to rent, buy or stream free (TechCrunch) Blizzard’s head of HR is out (The Verge) Superhuman Raises $75 Million For Its Waitlist-Only Email Productivity App (Forbes) This $55 Amazon Smart Soap Dispenser is dumb as dirt (The Verge) Smart homes and vegetable peelers (Benedict Evans) Link to the Twitter Space reminder! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Aug 202118min

Google unveils the new Pixel 6 lineup, but the really interesting detail is the chip inside them. Apple makes Magic Keyboard with Touch ID available as a standalone product. Microsoft makes Windows as a service live. Now China says games are the opium of the spirit. And what if drone delivery is running into the same wall as self-driving cars? Sponsors: SetApp.com Metalab.com Links: THIS IS THE PIXEL 6, GOOGLE’S TAKE ON AN ‘ULTRA HIGH END’ PHONE (The Verge) Microsoft's Windows 365 Cloud PC service will range from $20 to $162 per user per month (ZDNet) Apple Makes Magic Keyboard With Touch ID Available for Separate Purchase (MacRumors) Tencent Sinks After China Denounces Online Gaming (WSJ) Xiaomi Tops European Smartphone Market in Q2 2021 (Strategy Analytics) The slow collapse of Amazon’s drone delivery dream (Wired UK) Spotify is testing a less restrictive ad-supported tier costing $0.99 a month (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Aug 202117min

YouTube is demoing a diet version of YouTube. Square is paying a pretty penny to join the buy now, pay later sweepstakes. Did an Intel exec accidentally leak the specs for Thunderbolt 5? And did Google’s quantum computer create a perpetual motion machine? Sponsors: UE.com/fits, use promocode RIDE for 15% of Ultimate Ears FITS Grammarly.com/techmeme Links: YouTube ‘Premium Lite’ subscription offers ad-free viewing for less (The Verge) Twitter's Dorsey leads $29 bln buyout of lending pioneer Afterpay (Reuters) Intel Executive Posts Thunderbolt 5 Photo then Deletes It: 80Gbps and Pam-3 (AnandTech) Tech Startup Financing Hits Records as Giant Funds Dwarf Venture Capitalists (WSJ) Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real (QuantaMagazine) Robinhood Sold IPO Shares to More Than 300,000 of Its Customers (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Aug 202117min

Are ads a bigger cash cow for Amazon than even AWS? Follow up on Robinhood’s trading debut. How the SEC is dealing with the Chinese tech stock problem. Gopuff indicates that grocery delivery is still white hot to investors. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: Voices.com Metalab.co Links: Amazon Gets Record $888 Million EU Fine Over Data Violations (Bloomberg) Robinhood falls in its public market debut, closes more than 8% lower at $34.82 per share (CNBC) U.S. SEC says Chinese IPO hopefuls must provide additional risk disclosures (Reuters) Gopuff confirms new $1B cash injection at a $15B valuation to expand its instant grocery delivery service (TechCrunch) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Groceries in 10 Minutes: Delivery Start-Ups Crowd City Streets Across Globe (NYTimes) THE SUMMER INTEL FELL BEHIND (The Verge) Why the US can’t just beam internet into authoritarian states like Cuba (Quartz) Social-Media Manager, the Most Millennial Job, Comes of Age (WSJ) Hollywood Calls the Russo Brothers When It’s Time to Build a New Universe (Bloomberg Businessweek) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Juli 202118min

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 techmeme for 50% off for 2 years Metalab.co Links: Most Apple Stores to Require Masks Again for Shoppers, Staff (Bloomberg) Facebook beats earnings expectations, but warns of significant growth slowdown (CNBC) Didi Global Considers Going Private to Placate China and Compensate Investors (WSJ) Robinhood CEO on the meme stock craze: ‘I think it’s a real thing’ (CNBC) Peacock Reaches 54M Sign-Ups Thanks to Olympics, 20M Monthly Active Users (The Streamable) OpenAI proposes open-source Triton language as an alternative to Nvidia's CUDA (ZDNet) Bitcoin Seized by DOJ Headed to Crypto Custodian Anchorage in $6.6 Million Deal (Decrypt) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Juli 202116min

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/techmeme Oracle.com/goto/ride Links: Apple’s iPhone hot streak is going to run into the global chip shortage (CNBC) Xbox hardware sales spike 172% as Microsoft reports $3.7B in quarterly gaming revenue (GeekWire) YouTube Q2 Ad Revenue Hits Record $7 Billion as Alphabet Trounces Estimates (Variety) Taiwan Greenlights TSMC's 2nm Fab: Coming Online in 2024 ~ 2025 (Tom's Hardware) Activision CEO Apologizes After Employees Threaten to Walk Out (Bloomberg) Apple Tells Leaker to Snitch on Sources or It Will Report Them to the Police (Motherboard) Brain Technologies raises $50M+ for the launch of Natural, a natural language search engine and 'super app' (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Juli 202117min

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 records $23 million in bitcoin-related impairments after cryptocurrency’s second-quarter plunge (CNBC) Intel to build Qualcomm chips, aims to catch foundry rivals by 2025 (Reuters) Apple releases fix for iOS and macOS zero-day, 13th this year (The Record) China Crackdown Makes Hong Kong Index World’s Biggest Tech Loser (Bloomberg) Instagram's new protections for teens come as experts say tween venture poses big risks (NBC News) Facebook announces Metaverse product group headed by Instagram VP Vishal Shah (Protocol) Element bolsters decentralized team messaging with $30M raise (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Juli 202116min