inFotouch

Debby Wu / Bloomberg : TSMC says it plans to spend $100B over the next three years to expand its chip fabrication capacity   —  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to spend $100 billion over the next three years to expand its chip fabrication capacity, the company said Thursday. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3sG0ygP

JP Mangalindan / TechCrunch : Tonal, which makes a smart home strength training workout system, raises $250M Series E at a $1.6B valuation; Tonal's sales rose 800% from Dec. 2019-Dec. 2020   —  When the pandemic unfolded last year, demand for at-home fitness equipment skyrocketed, and Tonal was no exception. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/39u3xkU

Tim Hardwick / MacRumors : Microsoft has officially discontinued its Cortana mobile app for both iOS and Android   —  As expected, Microsoft today discontinued its Cortana mobile app.  As a result, the company has ended all support for third-party Cortana skills and eliminated the Cortana app for iOS and Android devices. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3cEGo0O

Nandita Bose / Reuters : During an address, President Biden said Amazon uses “various loopholes” to avoid paying any federal income taxes, but says he doesn't want to “punish” them   —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Wednesday singled out Amazon.com Inc for not paying federal taxes during … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/31ygCoK

Bloomberg : Sources: draft Biden executive order would require companies doing business with the federal government to report hacks of their networks within a few days   —  - Biden using cyber crisis to mandate tighter security practices  — Order would require basic security practices for U.S. agencies from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ucp1KK

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat : Manticore Games, a Roblox-like platform to build and play games using Epic's Unreal Engine, raises $100M Series C led by XN Ventures   —  Join Transform 2021 for the most important themes in enterprise AI & Data.  Learn more.  —  Manticore Games has raised $100 million for user-generated games in the … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3ftvQU9

Catalin Cimpanu / The Record : Study: Android and iOS transmit telemetry even when devices are idle or users opt out; Google collects 20x more data from Android than Apple from iOS   —  Academic research published last week looked at the telemetry traffic sent by modern iOS and Android devices back to Apple and Google servers … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2PI3D1h

Josh Taylor / The Guardian : Facebook now lets users and pages turn off comments on posts, after a 2019 Australian court ruling that news outlets are liable for comments on their pages   —  The new feature to limit comments comes after an Australian court ruling that found news outlets are liable for comments on their pages from Techmeme https://ift.tt/39wAop3

Aoife White / Bloomberg : A group of ad-tech companies, including PubMatic, details SWAN, an anonymous identifier that lets users control ads they see, as an alternative to web cookies   —  - SWAN network, backed by PubMatic, others, to launch in summer  — Google's FLoC has been criticized by privacy advocates from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2PNIa6P

Nikkei Asia : Hitachi says it will acquire US-based software developer GlobalLogic for $9.6B to expand its IoT platform Lumada   —  Japanese electrical equipment company's shares fall more than 7%  —  TOKYO — Hitachi is set to acquire U.S. software developer GlobalLogic for $9.6 billion in what is expected … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3m77zEM

Nick Clegg / Medium : Nick Clegg defends Facebook, saying it is not in the company's interest, financially or reputationally, to push users towards ever more extreme content   —  In  —  a recent article for The Atlantic, Adrienne LaFrance compared Facebook to a Doomsday Machine: “a device built with the sole purpose of destroying all human life.” from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3whZWQK

Arjun Kharpal / CNBC : Huawei reports 2020 revenue of $136.7B, up 3.8% YoY but slower than the 19%+ growth it saw in 2019, and net profit of $9.9B, up 3.2% YoY   —  - Huawei's revenue for 2020 totaled 891.4 billion yuan ($136.7 billion), a 3.8% year-on-year rise in yuan terms.  That was slower than the more than 19% revenue growth Huawei saw in 2019. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3diGY3K

Yonhap News Agency : S. Korea's antitrust regulator to fine Apple Korea $265,000 and refer the company to prosecution for allegedly impeding a probe into unfair business practices   —  (ATTN: ADDS Apple's reaction in paras 6-7; Minor edits)  —  South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has decided … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3cBp50B

Sami Fathi / MacRumors : Facebook announces News Feed changes, including a Most Recent mode that will show posts in chronological order, available on Android now and iOS in coming weeks   —  Facebook today announced a slew of new changes coming to its app on iOS and Android, making it easier for users to turn off … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3sECQkZ

Reuters : Sources: India is considering giving cash incentives of more than $1B to each company that will set up chip fabrication units in the country   —  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is offering more than $1 billion in cash to each semiconductor company that sets up manufacturing units in the country … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3udbt1x

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch : Apple leads $50M Series B of music distributor UnitedMasters, with a16z and Alphabet participating; UnitedMasters enters a strategic partnership with Apple   —  Independent music distribution platform and tool factory UnitedMasters has raised a $50M series B round led by Apple. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3cCJ6Eh

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg : A look at Roku's experiment with original programming: acquiring shows at a fire-sale price instead of committing billions of dollars to original shows   —  Roku Sells You TV Dongles.  So Why Is It Making TV Series?  —  When Cody Heller found out Roku was buying her show “Dummy,” she was thrilled. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3uanpBj

Eric Geller / Politico : Interviews with 15 people show CISA is underfunded, short on talent, outmatched by adversaries, and overwhelmed by the fallout from two massive cyberattacks   —  The agency that protects the U.S. from hackers is hobbled by funding woes, a talent shortage and growing pains that are jeopardizing … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3sFBuWX

John Tozzi / Bloomberg : BrightInsight, which helps drug/device makers build apps for patients and doctors, raises $101M Series C led by General Catalyst, source says at $750M valuation   —  - Startup builds digital tools for drugmakers, medical devices  — Investors have put $26 billion into digital health ventures from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3rytPIV

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch : Deliveroo debuts on the LSE at £3.31, down ~30% on its private pricing of £3.90 valuing the company at £7.59B; poor debut likely due to labor practice issues   —  Update: It seems that the market is volatile indeed.  After pricing its shares at the lower end of the range … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/31vZ24K

Swetha Gopinath / Bloomberg : Deliveroo IPO raises $2.1B, after pricing shares at 390 pence per share, amid rider and investor revolt   —  - Shares price at 390 pence apiece, bottom end of initial range  — Food-delivery startup's IPO was beset by investor revolt  —  Food-delivery startup Deliveroo Holdings Plc sank … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2QTeXIp

Bloomberg : Coursera prices its shares at the top of the IPO range, at $33, raising $519M and giving it a market value of ~$4.3B   —  Online education provider Coursera Inc. priced its shares at the top of a marketed range in an initial public offering to raise $519 million. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3w89huh

Katie Jennings / Forbes : Rightway, maker of an app that helps employees at its client companies navigate digital care and pharmacy benefits, raises $100M Series C at a $1.1B valuation   —  I am a staff writer covering healthcare.  Email me at kjennings@forbes.com.  —  Growing up Jordan Feldman could always call on his dad … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2QWIHEp

Lulu Yilun Chen / Bloomberg : Chinese grocery app Nice Tuan, which focuses on community group buying and claims to have 15M orders per day, raises $750M led by Alibaba and DST Global   —  - D.E. Shaw, Anatole, Jeneration Capital invest in grocery app  — Nice Tuan also attracts backing from CDH, GGV, Kunlun Capital from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3mhY45X

Ken Klippenstein / The Intercept : Leaked doc sheds light on “Veritas”, an Amazon FC Ambassador program conceived in 2018 that sought to train employees to defend Amazon and Bezos on social media   —  Amazon's small Twitter army of “ambassadors” was quietly conceived in 2018 under the codename “Veritas,” … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3rDExh2