Media update w.1937

Given many former private companies now are publicly traded companies – a lot of conversation in the tech related media is around who is a better group setting valuations. Uber, Lyft, Slack, Box, Pintrest, Square, SolarCity to name a few have all lost significant market valuation since going public. 


Tech

  • Don’t insult a startup as a VC or they’ll turn the back on you NYTimes
  • All Apple announcements from last nights Apple conference TechCrunch 
  • Facebook cryptocurrency Libra meets hardened resitance from France who suggests to the EU to create a state-backed rival and a ban of Libra within the EU WSJ
  • SoftBank say they they will buy USD 750 M of the USD 3 Bn in the We(Work) IPO WSJ
  • Argumentative article about if we’ve hit peak “tech” Vox/Recode
  • Defence startup Anduril co-founded by Oculus co-founder Palmer Lucky reached unicorn status last week. Another Palantir? Fortune
  • Jack Ma officially retires from Alibaba TechCrunch
  • WeChat released a face recognition solution for face ID payments Pandilay

Media

  • Apple brings on the competition by launching Apple TV+ in November in 100 markets at once. Pricing it lower than any competitor at USD 5 per month. I find this increadibly interesting. They’re now making money from Netflix, HBO and other services who subscribe through their ApplePay service. Now Apple is competing against the same revenue streams with a “under priced” service. Will follow this closely and my bet is it will force some ailienation from AppStore and ApplePay Wired
  • All you need to know about Apple TV+ Vox/Recode
  • Maybe not too surprisingly Disney CEO Robert “Bob” Iger resignes from Apple’s board – speaks to the competition between the companies about to come? WSJ
  • Moviepass ends the subscription service of all you can eat theater experiences WSJ
  • Spotify acquired Soundbetter – a market place for musicians and sound engineers TechCrunch

Transportation

  • Volkswagen says they are buying USD 100/kWh batteries from Northvolt and moves ahead with building plans. The threshold USD 100/kWh have been a long sought after milestone for the electrification of society Electrek
  • Voi keeps pushing their PR machinery – here’s an interview with CEO Fredrik Hjelm SvD
  • Uber lays off 435 people from their engineering and products team – a significant group TechCrunch

XR

  • AR headset company Daqri is shutting down TheVerge
  • It now is clear Apple is building and/or trying an AR headset. A readme file in the iOS 13 release described how to try AR apps without “the headset” Engadget

Binge

  • Has to be the anticipation of Apple TV+ feature Glass Playpilot

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