Mon. 09/23 - Google Play Pass And WeWork Soap Opera

The Meta layoffs are here and they’re brutal. But rumors are, TikTok is cutting back also. What even is the new Twitter subscription product at this point? Does anybody know? And if you look at today’s show title, and it’s just a bunch of gibberish, hopefully I can explain the big crypto blowup from yesterday. Sources: Kinsta.com Storyblok.com Links: Meta confirms 11,000 layoffs, amounting to 13% of its workforce (TechCrunch) TikTok slashes global revenue targets by at least $2bn (Financial Times) Twitter’s solution for ruining verification is another check mark (The Verge) Disney+ reaches 164.2M subscribers as it prepares for ad-supported tier launch (TechCrunch) The Story of Sam Bankman-Fried’s Backroom Deal With Binance’s CZ (CoinDesk) Lucas Nuzzi (Twitter Thread) FTX Venture Investors Fear Total Wipeout in Binance Rescue Deal (The Information) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Nov 202218min

Why has FTX appeared to have halted withdrawals? Innocent explanation, or could we have another big crypto blowup brewing? What if Elon just says, screw it, and puts all of Twitter behind a paywall? What happens if NFT marketplaces stop honoring royalties? And why is Apple having a hard time with its design team? Sponsors: Masterworks.com/ride Links: Binance to Sell Rest of FTX Token Holdings as Alameda CEO Defends Firm's Financial Condition (CoinDesk) Musk discusses putting all of Twitter behind a paywall (Platformer) Mysterious company with government ties plays key internet role (Washington Post) OpenSea Breaks Silence on NFT Royalties, But Creators Don't Like What They Hear (Decrypt) Apple’s Brain Drain Hinders Efforts to Pick Its Next Jony Ive (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Nov 202217min

Looks like those rumors of massive Meta layoffs might be coming true this week. Covid has led to brand new iPhone shortage worries. Is Apple about to make it easier to invoke Siri? Airbnb has made it easier to understand the true cost of a rental. And this weekend in the Twitter Clown Car. Sponsors: Storyblok.com/ridehome Links: Facebook Parent Meta Is Preparing to Notify Employees of Large-Scale Layoffs This Week (WSJ) Apple Issues iPhone 14 Pro Shipment Warning Ahead of Holiday Shopping Season (MacRumors) Apple’s Next Change for Siri: Dropping ‘Hey’ From ‘Hey Siri’ Trigger (Bloomberg) Airbnb to Make Cleaning Fees Clearer on Searches After Customer Complaints (WSJ) Elon Musk Appears To Threaten Advertisers Wary Of His Twitter Takeover (HuffingtonPost) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Nov 202219min

The layoffs have begun at Twitter. And while Twitter might shutter its Substack competitor, Substack has moved into Twitter’s turf by launching a sort of discussion platform. DALL-E API’s are now available for you to use. What it’s like to use Netflix’s new ad-supported tier. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: hiddenheroes.netguru.com Links: Elon Musk’s Twitter layoffs are starting (The Verge) Substack targets Twitter with launch of discussions feature, Substack Chat (TechCrunch) Amazon pauses hiring for corporate workforce (CNBC) DALL-E API released by OpenAI in public beta, potential boon for app builders (VentureBeat) With Netflix’s ads tier, you never know what you’re going to get (The Verge) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Bored Ape Yacht Club tell all: The untold story of the $4 billion crypto startup (FastCompany) The ‘Viral’ Secure Programming Language That’s Taking Over Tech (Wired) The Race to Be Figma for Devs: CodeSandbox vs. StackBlitz (TheNewStack) The Most Vulnerable Place on the Internet (Wired) Inside the weirdly competitive industry of robots writing letters in human handwriting (FastCompany) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Nov 202217min

Is TikTok still in danger of running afoul of government bans? WhatsApp gets Groups. Gmail gets package tracking. Instagram gets NFT minting. Patreon gets video hosting. Layoffs come for Stripe. Yes, there was some Twitter news too. And is the Adobe/Figma deal in trouble? Sponsors: hiddenheroes.netguru.com Split.io/techmeme Links: TikTok tells European users its staff in China get access to their data (The Guardian) WhatsApp officially launches its new discussion group feature, Communities (TechCrunch) Gmail to add a new package tracking feature ahead of holiday shopping season (TechCrunch) Meta’s Instagram Plans NFT Minting, Trading Tools (Decrypt) Patreon’s long-awaited video hosting feature is finally rolling out to creators (The Verge) Elon Musk Aims to Start Charging for Twitter Verification Next Week (Bloomberg) Stripe Cuts Headcount by 14%, Prepares for ‘Leaner Times’ (Bloomberg) DOJ takes aim at Adobe's $20 billion deal (Politico) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Nov 202216min

We know when the PlayStation VR2 is coming, when you can pre-order it, and how much it’s gonna cost. What do you know? A bunch of news in the whole Twitter saga. The reality of the ransomware industrial complex. And an interesting new Mac app to help you remember everything you’ve ever done on your computer. Sponsors: Akamai.com/techmeme Links: PlayStation VR2 launches on February 22nd for $549.99 (The Verge) Elon Musk to charge verified Twitter users to give ‘power to the people’ (SiliconRepublic) Elon Musk’s Twitter is working on paid-video feature with ‘high’ risk (Washington Post) Tumblr will now allow nudity but not explicit sex (The Verge) Twitch opens Guest Star up so anyone can run their own talk show not (TechCrunch) U.S. banks processed roughly $1.2 billion in ransomware payments in 2021, according to federal report (CNBC) Rewind wants to revamp how you remember, with millions from a16z (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Nov 202217min

Will charging for blue checks actually help Twitter monetarily or… frankly, any way, at all? Amazon has expanded ad-free Music. YouTube is bundling streaming services. Why Uber Eats is interesting inside of Uber earnings. And is it time to start worrying about Sony’s strategy with the Playstation? Sponsors: Medcline.com/techmeme Links: Scoop: Musk team working to reboot Vine this year (Axios) Jack Dorsey just saved Elon Musk about $1 billion by rolling over his shares of Twitter into a stake in the new private company (Insider) YouTube’s Primetime Channels bring streaming movies and TV into the YouTube app (The Verge) Amazon Prime now comes with a full music catalog of 100 million songs and ad-free podcasts (TechCrunch) Uber Shares Jump as Strong Ridership Eases Inflation Worries (Bloomberg) PlayStation Plus has lost nearly 2 million subscribers since its revamp (VGC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Nov 202216min

Just, massive wholesale changes at Twitter, including possibly making folks pay up for features. Pitty the poor tech billionaires who have collectively lost half a trillion in wealth this year. When the M2 MacBook Pros should be showing up. And what colors might you be blocked from using on Adobe products? Sponsors: RocketMoney.com/ride Links: Elon Musk wastes no time changing Twitter (The Verge) Twitter is planning to start charging $20 per month for verification (The Verge) The 20 Richest Tech Billionaires Have Lost Nearly Half a Trillion Dollars This Year (WSJ) Apple Gears Up to Launch Its Next Crop of Macs Early Next Year (Bloomberg) India's Central Bank to Start Wholesale CBDC Pilot Nov. 1 (CoinDesk) You’re Going To Have To Pay To Use Some Fancy Colors In Photoshop Now (Kotaku) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Okt 202216min