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Lee Fang / The Intercept : As Uber keeps opposing Spain's law to treat drivers as employees and lobbies against similar statutes, its CEO claims such rules don't break its business model — Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reassured investors concerned about new European Union regulations in December … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3F6su2N

Take-Two will acquire Zynga for $12.7B, or $9.86 per share, a 64% premium on Zynga's January 7 closing price; Take-Two develops GTA, Read Dead, and other titles (Business Wire)

Business Wire : Take-Two will acquire Zynga for $12.7B, or $9.86 per share, a 64% premium on Zynga's January 7 closing price; Take-Two develops GTA, Read Dead, and other titles — Take-Two to acquire all the outstanding shares of Zynga for a total value of $9.861 per share - $3.50 in cash and $6.361 in shares … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ta4hWL

Munich-based Arive, which partners with premium stores and brands to deliver consumer goods in 30 minutes, raises a $20M Series A led by Balderton Capital (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch : Munich-based Arive, which partners with premium stores and brands to deliver consumer goods in 30 minutes, raises a $20M Series A led by Balderton Capital — Instant purchase and delivery of food and other essentials was one of the big bubbles of opportunity in the world of e-commerce in the last year … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3HPPDrX

Despite China's sweeping crackdown on the tech industry over the summer, VC investments in China reached an estimated $130.6B in 2021, up from $86.7B in 2020 (Coco Liu/Bloomberg)

Coco Liu / Bloomberg : Despite China's sweeping crackdown on the tech industry over the summer, VC investments in China reached an estimated $130.6B in 2021, up from $86.7B in 2020 — When China's government launched a sweeping crackdown on the technology industry over the summer, panicky venture capital investors … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3r2NT7T

French startup Ankorstore, an online wholesale marketplace for independent retailers across Europe, raises a €250M Series C at a €1.75B post-money valuation (Romain Dillet/TechCrunch)

Romain Dillet / TechCrunch : French startup Ankorstore, an online wholesale marketplace for independent retailers across Europe, raises a €250M Series C at a €1.75B post-money valuation — French startup Ankorstore has raised a $283 million Series C funding round (€250 million). from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3GoBGkc

Sources: Pine Labs, which provides payments services in Asia, filed confidentially for a US IPO, seeking to raise about $500M at a $5.5B to $7B valuation (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg : Sources: Pine Labs, which provides payments services in Asia, filed confidentially for a US IPO, seeking to raise about $500M at a $5.5B to $7B valuation — Pine Labs Pvt, an Asian digital payments provider backed by Sequoia India and Mastercard Inc., is moving ahead with preparations … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3JZ7DBS

Gurman: Apple's upcoming mixed reality headset will not be an all-day device and will be used for bursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption (Chance Miller/9to5Mac)

Chance Miller / 9to5Mac : Gurman: Apple's upcoming mixed reality headset will not be an all-day device and will be used for bursts of gaming, communication, and content consumption — Apple is widely expected to take the wraps off of its first mixed reality headset this year, with a focus on augmented reality and virtual reality experiences. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3qaiiSx

A look at the turmoil inside Pudgy Penguins, one of the most successful NFT projects, as community members clash with founders over the future of the project (Tracy Wang/CoinDesk)

Tracy Wang / CoinDesk : A look at the turmoil inside Pudgy Penguins, one of the most successful NFT projects, as community members clash with founders over the future of the project — There's trouble brewing in the huddle. — The beloved NFT project Pudgy Penguins voted out its founders on Thursday … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3HLiDB6

Profile of Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director, who says social media will incubate future political violence unless governments intervene (Jeff Horwitz/Wall Street Journal)

Jeff Horwitz / Wall Street Journal : Profile of Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director, who says social media will incubate future political violence unless governments intervene — Katie Harbath says she left Facebook disillusioned; now she pushes for more online guardrails — Katie Harbath joined Facebook … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3r0aYIq

Profile of Anne Neuberger, the NSC deputy advisor at the center of increasing tension over control between US agencies handling cybersecurity (William Turton/Bloomberg)

William Turton / Bloomberg : Profile of Anne Neuberger, the NSC deputy advisor at the center of increasing tension over control between US agencies handling cybersecurity — Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration's Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology, organized a virtual summit on ransomware for Oct. 13, 2021. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3F41e4Z

A look at the opportunities and challenges of ultra-wideband, as UWB beacons see widespread adoption in smartphones, smartwatches, and other devices (Christopher Mims/Wall Street Journal)

Christopher Mims / Wall Street Journal : A look at the opportunities and challenges of ultra-wideband, as UWB beacons see widespread adoption in smartphones, smartwatches, and other devices — The ultra-wideband, or UWB, technology that powers Apple's AirTags could reshape how we interact with devices—if companies can overcome privacy concerns and other hurdles from Techmeme https://ift.tt/33hSKcZ

Strava CEO Michael Horvath says the app's revenue increased 68% YoY in 2021, suggesting a revenue of approximately $170M and a paid subscriber base of 2M to 3M (Max Chafkin/Bloomberg)

Max Chafkin / Bloomberg : Strava CEO Michael Horvath says the app's revenue increased 68% YoY in 2021, suggesting a revenue of approximately $170M and a paid subscriber base of 2M to 3M — The app's revenue spiked 68% in 2021. But retaining the New Year's resolution crowd is a perennial problem, especially come quitter's day—aka Jan. 17. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3r7EPyO

How Ryan's World, launched in 2015 with a then three-year-old Ryan Kaji, grew into a content behemoth with 10 YouTube channels and deals with Amazon and others (Jay Caspian Kang/New York Times)

Jay Caspian Kang / New York Times : How Ryan's World, launched in 2015 with a then three-year-old Ryan Kaji, grew into a content behemoth with 10 YouTube channels and deals with Amazon and others — Ten-year-old Ryan Kaji and his family have turned videos of him playing with toys into a multimillion-dollar empire. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3HJKd1y

How the peer pressure to be a part of the blue bubble iMessage text groups keeps US teens locked into Apple's ecosystem (Tim Higgins/Wall Street Journal)

Tim Higgins / Wall Street Journal : How the peer pressure to be a part of the blue bubble iMessage text groups keeps US teens locked into Apple's ecosystem — The iPhone maker cultivated iMessage as a must-have texting tool for teens. Android users trigger a just-a-little-less-cool green bubble: 'Ew, that's gross.' from Techmeme https://ift.tt/33cpGnl

Ethereum co-founder responds: "the properly authenticated decentralized blockchain world is coming", but is slowed by "limited technical resources and funding" (Vitalik Buterin/r/ethereum on Reddit)

Vitalik Buterin / r/ethereum on Reddit : Ethereum co-founder responds: “the properly authenticated decentralized blockchain world is coming”, but is slowed by “limited technical resources and funding” — The word “server” imo is not very useful in the blockchain context; it combines together a bundle of concepts that are best treated separately. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3zB97xD

Pixel art video games have experienced a renaissance over the past decade, led by indie developers, countering an industry obsessed with horsepower and realism (Aidan Moher/Wired)

Aidan Moher / Wired : Pixel art video games have experienced a renaissance over the past decade, led by indie developers, countering an industry obsessed with horsepower and realism — How retro blocks overtook 3D gaming to win the hearts of modern players. — Playing Chucklefish's Eastward is like coming home to a place I've never been before. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3GdS9I3

Ottawa-based Assent Compliance, a SaaS provider that helps companies with product compliance, trade compliance, and ESG, raises $350M at a $1B+ valuation (Mary Ann Azevedo/TechCrunch)

Mary Ann Azevedo / TechCrunch : Ottawa-based Assent Compliance, a SaaS provider that helps companies with product compliance, trade compliance, and ESG, raises $350M at a $1B+ valuation — Never before has the importance of a smooth-flowing supply chain been as clear as it has been in the COVID-19 pandemic era. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3G8pww1

John Pinette, Meta's VP of Global Communications, leaves the company; he had overseen the company's public relations teams since 2019 (Meghan Bobrowsky/Wall Street Journal)

Meghan Bobrowsky / Wall Street Journal : John Pinette, Meta's VP of Global Communications, leaves the company; he had overseen the company's public relations teams since 2019 — John Pinette ran the company's public relations teams since 2019 — Meta Platforms Inc.'s head of communications said he is leaving the company … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3f0ygs7

How Tim Cook's supply chain expertise and diplomacy helped him grow Apple's annual revenues from $108B in 2011 to $365B in 2021, with profits up 3.7x to $95B (Patrick McGee/Financial Times)

Patrick McGee / Financial Times : How Tim Cook's supply chain expertise and diplomacy helped him grow Apple's annual revenues from $108B in 2011 to $365B in 2021, with profits up 3.7x to $95B — Two years after the death of Steve Jobs, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison claimed it was inevitable Apple would struggle under Tim Cook. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3q2Z2Gz

Sources: Reddit could go public as soon as March at a valuation of as much as $15B; the company was last valued at $10B in August 2021 (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg : Sources: Reddit could go public as soon as March at a valuation of as much as $15B; the company was last valued at $10B in August 2021 — - Social media company could go public as soon as March — Reddit could be valued at as much as $15 billion in listing from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3GiNGUk

Samsung expects Q4 operating profit of $11.4B, up 52% YoY, on revenue of $63B, up ~24% YoY, thanks to improved returns from its contract chip-making business (Jiyoung Sohn/Wall Street Journal)

Jiyoung Sohn / Wall Street Journal : Samsung expects Q4 operating profit of $11.4B, up 52% YoY, on revenue of $63B, up ~24% YoY, thanks to improved returns from its contract chip-making business — South Korean company benefits from continued strength of the semiconductor business — SEOUL— Samsung Electronics Co. is forecasting … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3G5AYIG

A look at the potential of soccer in the metaverse, as Manchester City and Sony partner to build a virtual version of Manchester City's Etihad stadium (Leo Lewis/Financial Times)

Leo Lewis / Financial Times : A look at the potential of soccer in the metaverse, as Manchester City and Sony partner to build a virtual version of Manchester City's Etihad stadium — When European football was having conniptions last year over plans for a breakaway Super League, a key theme in the row was the concept of the “real fan”. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3JR1SX6

Online appointment scheduling service FlexBooker discloses a breach that saw info stolen from 3.7M accounts, including partial credit card info, on December 23 (Ionut Ilascu/BleepingComputer)