Tech Meme

Todd Spangler / Variety: Roku plans to lay off 300+ staff, or 10% of its workforce, to cut costs and will take a ~$65M impairment charge in the current quarter to remove some content  —  Roku will cut more than 300 staffers — laying off 10% of its workforce — as the streaming-platform company continues its battle to control costs. Lees verder op Tech Meme

André Beganski / Decrypt: Story Protocol, a blockchain-based IP ownership network that aims to address creatives’ concerns over AI, raised over $54M led by Andreessen Horowitz  —  Andreessen Horowitz invested in a startup that uses blockchain tech to address problems heightened by artificial intelligence. Lees verder op Tech Meme

New York Times: A look at U.S. et al v. Google, the federal government’s first monopoly trial of the modern internet era, set to last 10 weeks; top execs are likely to testify  —  The 10-week trial, set to begin Tuesday, amps up efforts to rein in Big Tech by targeting the core search business that turned Google into a $1.7 trillion behemoth. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Samuel Stolton / Bloomberg: The EU lists the 22 services falling under the Digital Markets Act, including TikTok and Facebook, and will assess if Microsoft’s services and iMessage qualify  —  – Tech firms set to challenge EU in digital antitrust clampdown  — Apple’s App Store, Google Search, Amazon marketplace on list Lees verder op Tech Meme

Kate Duffy / Bloomberg: The UK says a bug caused its air traffic system to confuse two checkpoints 4,000 nautical miles apart, leading to a huge outage, and plans to review the issue  —  – Checkpoints 4,000 miles apart had duplicate identifiers  — System update in the works, NATS says after day of disruption Lees verder op Tech Meme

Financial Times: Sources: KKR plans to float chip equipment maker Hitachi Kokusai Electric in Tokyo, aiming for a ~$2.7B valuation, up 60% from KKR’s 2017 acquisition price  —  Private equity group aims to float Hitachi Kokusai Electric at valuation that would make it Japan’s biggest initial public offering since 2018 Lees verder op Tech Meme

André Beganski / Decrypt: Story Protocol, a blockchain-based IP ownership network that aims to address creatives’ concerns over AI, raised over $54M led by Andreessen Horowitz  —  Andreessen Horowitz invested in a startup that uses blockchain tech to address problems heightened by artificial intelligence. Lees verder op Tech Meme

RT Watson / The Block: MetaMask says its customers in the US, the UK, and parts of Europe can now convert ether for traditional fiat currency via its new sell function  —  – Company announces customers can now convert crypto for traditional fiat currency with a new sell function. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Sundar Pichai / The Keyword: Sundar Pichai reflects on Google turning 25: search is “still our biggest moonshot”, AI will be the biggest tech shift “we see in our lifetimes”, and more  —  Editor’s note: Google will officially celebrate our 25th birthday later this month. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Zuha Siddiqui / Rest of World: Pakistan’s tech workers are leaving the country, as funding dries up, companies close, and more; data: 800K+ Pakistanis got jobs abroad in 2022, up 189% YoY  —  Inflation and dried-up VC funding have caused the country’s tech ecosystem to plummet, prompting young people to search for greener pastures abroad. Lees verder op Tech Meme