Tech News
Tech News and Analysis from around the web
Daniela Hernandez / Wall Street Journal:
A look at technology's role in professional surfing, as ML-based wave forecasting and biomechanics data help improve riders' performance and prevent injuries — As surfing completes its first-ever Olympic ride, the sport is poised for another sea change thanks to artificial intelligence and big data
Zheping Huang / Bloomberg:
Matrixport, led by Bitmain founder Wu Jihan, which offers crypto financial services, raises $100M+ Series C, and says a second tranche is to come — - DST, Tiger are among the latest backers of Wu Jihan's firm — Matrixport has raised $129 million since its 2019 founding
Greg Ahlstrand / CoinDesk:
Square reports Q2 revenue of $4.88B, up 143% YoY, while its Cash App service's bitcoin yearly revenue was $2.72B, up 200% — Cash App's bitcoin gross profit rose to $55 million, Square said in its Q2 letter to shareholders. — Jack Dorsey's Square said its Cash App service's bitcoin …
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Indian online insurance aggregator Policybazaar files for IPO, seeks to raise $809M and says it may raise about $100M in a pre-IPO round — Indian online insurance aggregator PolicyBazaar has filed for an initial public offering in which it is seeking to raise $809 million …
Brent Lang / Variety:
Profile of Netflix's head of movies Scott Stuber, who has grown original film output from 21 in 2016 to 70+ in 2021, as it makes deals with Spielberg and others — Two years ago, the legendary director reportedly opposed the idea that streaming films should qualify for Oscars.
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Bangalore-based online learning startup Unacademy raises $440M round led by Temasek at a $3.44B valuation — Unacademy has raised $440 million in a new financing round as the Indian online learning startup looks to expand into multiple additional categories.
Francis Agustin / Insider:
Filings: Starlink has secured a license to build a satellite ground station on the Isle of Man, aiming to provide “blanket coverage” across Great Britain — - Elon Musk's Starlink will seek to provide high-speed internet across Great Britain, the Telegraph first reported.
Maya Wolfe-Robinson / The Guardian:
Report: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok failed to act on 84% of posts spreading anti-Semitism reported via their own complaint systems — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok failing to act on most reported anti-Jewish posts, says study
Reuters:
Square says it's buying Australia-based buy now, pay later service Afterpay for $29B in an all-stock deal, paying a 30% premium on Afterpay's last closing — U.S. fintech company Square Inc (SQ.N) said on Monday it had agreed to purchase Australian buy now/pay later giant Afterpay Ltd …
Stitch / The Verge:
Some K-pop stars are bypassing Twitter and Facebook to create platforms for fans, like Universe, which features AI-generated voice calls with the idols — Fandom has changed a lot since I was a kid. As a tween, I had no hope of getting in touch with celebrities I adored like Britney Spears and Whitney Houston.
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Zoom agrees to pay $85M and bolster its security practices to settle a class action lawsuit over alleged user privacy violations and Zoombombing — Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) agreed to pay $85 million and bolster its security practices to settle a lawsuit claiming …
Kyle Chayka / New Yorker:
Profile of Bored Ape Yacht Club, an NFT collection that sold for $2M+ in April, spawned a collector community, and has since seen ~$100M in trading activity — N.F.T. clubs are all the rage among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Are they a get-rich-quick scheme or the future of culture?
Stephen K. Hirst / Ars Technica:
How the radical environmental themes of the game Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997 for the original PlayStation, influenced a generation of environmentalists — From activists to families, FFVII's cautionary, planetary tale still resonates. — In September of 1997 …
John Herrman / New York Times:
After a decade of online identities coming under increasingly centralized control, online anonymity is starting to look like a threatened privilege than a right — Reconsidering pseudonymity and what it means to “be yourself” online. — In early July, when England's soccer team lost …
Stephen Nellis / Reuters:
Qualtrics to acquire Virginia-based Clarabridge, which offers AI-powered customer experience management tools, for $1.125B in stock — Qualtrics International Inc on Thursday said it would acquire privately held Clarabridge for $1.1 billion in stock. — Qualtrics, which was spun …