Sanction hit Huawei says revenues down 29 percent this year

Chinese telecom giant Huawei said on Friday its annual revenue had fallen by nearly a third from the previous year, as it continued to be weighed down by US sanctions that have hit its smartphone sales. Huawei has been caught in the crossfire of a US-China trade and technology rivalry after the administration of former president Donald Trump moved to cripple the company over concerns it could pose a cybersecurity and espionage threat.
Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211231-sanction-hit-huawei-says-revenues-down-29-percent-this-year?source=Snapzu

In-depth report details Apple's shift to Chinese suppliers to 'cut costs and curry favor with Beijing'

While Apple has long been linked to Foxconn as its primary partner for product assembly, a new report from The Information goes in-depth on Apple’s newfound relationship with Chinese electronics manufacturers.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/30/in-depth-report-details-apples-shift-to-chinese-suppliers-to-cut-costs-and-curry-favor-with-beijing/?source=Snapzu

The Dirty Little Secret Developers Won't Tell You: Most Tech Is Just a Big Waste

Not too long ago, one of the companies I advise launched a new software product. It was a two-fer product, one that would enhance the capabilities of their current customers while also opening a new line of business to attract new customers. I love those.
Read more: https://www.inc.com/joe-procopio/technology-overkill.html?source=Snapzu

We Encrypted the Web: 2021 Year in Review

In 2010, EFF launched its campaign to encrypt the entire web—that is, move all websites from non-secure HTTP to the more secure HTTPS protocol. Over 10 years later, 2021 has brought us even closer to achieving that goal. With various measurement sources reporting over 90% of web traffic encrypted,...
Read more: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/12/we-encrypted-web-2021-year-review?source=Snapzu

A Deep Dive into the GameStop NFT Marketplace Platform

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have attracted much mainstream attention in the past few months. As a result, numerous brands are exploring opportunities in this space, including GameStop. The video game retailer intends to build a new NFT platform to "change the game" with the help of Ethereum technology. In addition, the company seeks to hire an Ethereum specialist to help build and maintain this NFT marketplace.
Read more: https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/a-deep-dive-into-the-gamestop-nft-marketplace-platform?source=Snapzu

McDonald's targets kids in lower-income countries with social media posts, study finds

Fast-food chain McDonald's may be targeting children in lower middle-income countries globally with marketing messages, potentially worsening diet problems in some of the world's most vulnerable populations, an analysis published Tuesday by the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention and Health found.
Read more: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2021/12/21/McDonalds-targets-youth-online-overseas-study/4991640120467/?source=Snapzu

More devs earn first $1M in annual revenue from App Store than Google Play

Over 900 app publishers are expected to earn more than $1 million in net revenue from digital app storefronts in 2021, a report claims, with the App Store minting more million-dollar earners than the Google Play Store.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/12/21/more-devs-earn-first-1m-in-annual-revenue-from-app-store-than-google-play?source=Snapzu

Search engines try to rival Google by offering fewer ads, more privacy

The name Google has become so synonymous with online search that it's become a verb. Want to find out something? Google it. But a new crop of search engines is taking a stab at the online search market, promising to provide an engine with more customizable options, fewer ads and more consideration for users' privacy.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/search-engines-try-to-rival-google-by-offering-fewer-ads-more-privacy-1.6286925?source=Snapzu

JPMorgan hit with $200 million in fines for letting employees use WhatsApp to evade regulators' reach

JPMorgan Chase is paying $200 million in fines to two U.S. banking regulators to settle charges that its Wall Street division allowed employees to use WhatsApp and other platforms to circumvent federal record-keeping laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday that JPMorgan Securities agreed to pay $125 million after admitting to “widespread” record-keeping failures in recent years. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission also said Friday that it had fined the bank $75 million for allowing unapproved communications since at least 2015.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/17/jpmorgan-agrees-to-125-million-fine-for-letting-employees-use-whatsapp-to-evade-regulators.html??source=Snapzu

Dungeons & Dragons Is a Case Study in How Capitalism Kills Art

The story of Dungeons & Dragons isn’t just about nerds creating a wildly popular game and then losing control of it. It’s also about how the dictates of the free market inevitably end up stripping even our leisure activities of joy.
Read more: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/11/dd-ttrpgs-gygax-arneson-peterson-games-capitalism?source=Snapzu

Reddit files to go public

Reddit on Wednesday announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/15/reddit-files-to-go-public-.html?source=Snapzu

Bitcoin could become ‘worthless’, Bank of England warns

People investing in the cryptocurrency should be aware of risks, central bank says
Read more: https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-could-become-worthless-bank-175236671.html?source=Snapzu

Steve Blank I Can’t See You but I’m Not Blind

If I ask you to think of an elephant do you see an elephant in your head when you close your eyes? I don’t. Regardless of how descriptive the imagery, story or text I can’t create any pictures in m…
Read more: https://steveblank.com/2021/12/14/i-cant-see-you-but-im-not-blind/?source=Snapzu

Dorsey's exit from Twitter reveals shortening 'shelf life' of tech's CEO-founders

As big tech companies amassed more scale and influence, these companies have faced pointed questions from investors and regulators about how they’re being run.
Read more: https://us.yahoo.com/finance/news/twitter-salesforce-amazon-reveal-shelf-life-for-techs-ceo-founder-model-140006574.html?source=Snapzu

We'll all be paying a lot more for food next year, says Canada's Food Price Report

Sky high food prices were one of many negative impacts that Canadians felt during the pandemic plagued year of 2021. And a new report suggests that problem is only going to get worse next year.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/food-price-report-charlebois-1.6277590?source=Snapzu

British Car Leasing Company Creates 'Apple Car' 3D Render Based on Patents

British vehicle leasing company Vanarama has taken a stab at imagining what the first Apple Car could look like, taking inspiration from iPhones, MacBooks, and other Apple products, and combining them with real Apple patents to come up with a 3D concept render that can be explored inside and out.
Read more: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/10/apple-car-3d-render-based-on-patents/?source=Snapzu

A novelist says fake editions of his works were listed on Amazon as centuries old, with one $7 book going for $1,008

John C. Boland found fake editions of his books claiming to be from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, with one listed for $1,008, a lawsuit says.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/novelist-sues-amazon-fake-book-listings-john-c-boland-2021-12?source=Snapzu

Apple made secret 5-year $275B deal with Chinese government

Apple's success in China is allegedly down to an agreement with the country's government to help develop its economy, with a report claiming CEO Tim Cook personally lobbied officials to get the best deal for the company.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/12/07/apple-made-secret-5-year-275b-deal-with-chinese-government?utm_medium=rss?source=Snapzu

Apple Invents a new method of detecting user ID and Presence to automatically awaken a Mac from Sleep Mode

Apple has been working on presence detection for Macs and a future TV since 2005 (published in 2009). Our cover graphic is from that patent. Over the years Apple's R&D teams have filed other patents covering user presence systems (01, 02, 03 and 04). On Thursday, the US Patent & Trademark Office published yet another patent application from Apple that relates to improved wake-up and authentication methods..
Read more: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2021/12/apple-invents-a-new-method-of-detecting-user-id-and-presence-to-automatically-awaken-a-mac-from-sleep-mode.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon is making its own containers and bypassing supply chain chaos with chartered ships and long-haul planes

For years, Amazon has been quietly chartering private cargo ships, making its own containers, and leasing planes to better control the complicated shipping journey of an online order. Now, as many retailers panic over supply chain chaos, Amazon’s costly early moves are helping it avoid the long wait times for available dock space and workers at the country’s busiest ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/04/how-amazon-beats-supply-chain-chaos-with-ships-and-long-haul-planes.html?source=Snapzu

CEO Feels Terrible About Laying Off 900 Employees Over Video Chat, Does It Anyway

"If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off," mortgage lender Better.com CEO Vishal Garg said.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en/article/88ggy3/ceo-feels-terrible-about-laying-off-900-employees-over-video-chat-does-it-anyway?source=Snapzu

Real estate has gone meta

The metaverse is getting hotter. Not hot, like a delicious meal or a Finnish sauna. This mostly fictional, virtual world is getting hot like a real estate market. Because lately, it is one.
Read more: https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/12/2/22812608/metaverse-real-estate-meta?source=Snapzu

Did HBO Max Win the Year?

We talked to Casey Bloys about the hot streaming service’s ups and downs.
Read more: https://www.vulture.com/2021/12/did-hbo-max-win-the-year.html?source=Snapzu

What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2022?

At the start of each year, on January 1st, a new crop of works enter the public domain. Find our highlights of what lies in store for 2022 here.
Read more: https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2022/?source=Snapzu

Members of hacking group sentenced for stealing millions in cryptocurrency

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced the sentencing of the last member of an international hacking group indicted for allegedly stealing millions in cryptocurrency as part of a “SIM hijacking” effort. Missouri-based Garrett Endicott, the sixth and final member of a hacking group known as “The Community,” was sentenced Monday to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay a fine of more than $120,000 for his part in the cryptocurrency scheme.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/583647-members-of-hacking-group-sentenced-for-stealing-millions-in?source=Snapzu

New rule will allow debt collectors to track you down on social media

Federal regulators have given debt collectors the okay to pursue debtors via email, text messages and social media sites.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/30/cfpb-debt-collector-rules-facebook-instagram/?source=Snapzu

Google has been ordered to unseal dozens of documents related to its secret anti-union campaign 'Project Vivian'

A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge has ordered Google to produce dozens of documents related to its secret internal anti-union drive "Project Vivian." The order was made as part of an ongoing NLRB hearing related to the "Thanksgiving Four", a group of Google employees who claimed the company fired them illegally over their internal organizing activities.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/google-anti-union-nlrb-project-vivian-2021-12?source=Snapzu

Elon Musk Frantically Warns Employees of Potential SpaceX Bankruptcy

SpaceX employees received a nightmare email over the holiday weekend from CEO Elon Musk, warning them of a brewing crisis with its Raptor engine production that, if unsolved, could result in the company’s bankruptcy. The email, obtained by SpaceExplored, CNBC, and The Verge, urged employees to work over the weekend in a desperate attempt to increase production of the engine meant to power its next-generation Starship launch vehicle.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-frantically-warns-employees-of-potential-spac-1848139856?source=Snapzu

In the Summer, Three Workplace Activists Were Making Waves at Apple. All Three Are Now Gone.

Last week, software engineer Cher Scarlett left Apple upon reaching a settlement with the company following months of workplace activism. Scarlett, who worked at Apple for a year and a half, is perhaps best known for her work with #AppleToo, an employee activist movement that seeks to collect and publicize concerns about pay equity, harassment, and other issues at the company. “I didn’t feel like I could feasibly continue to work and also advocate for others publicly,” Scarlett told me. “I felt like there was no place for me there.”
Read more: https://slate.com/technology/2021/11/apple-workplace-activism-cher-scarlett.html?source=Snapzu

The underwater 'kites' generating electricity as they move

A pair of sleek, winged machines are "flying" - or at least swimming - beneath the dark waters of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. Known as "sea dragons" or "tidal kites", they look like aircraft, but these are in fact high-tech tidal turbines, generating electricity from the power of the ocean. The two kites - with a five-metre (16ft) wingspan - move underwater in a figure-of-eight pattern, absorbing energy from the running tide. They are tethered to the fjord seabed by 40-metre metal cables.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59401199?source=Snapzu

The CEO of cosmetics retailer Lush says he's 'happy to lose' $13 million by deleting Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat accounts over teen mental-health harms

Cosmetics company Lush shut down its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat accounts globally on Friday, citing its concern about the harms of social media in the wake of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen's revelations. "In the same way that evidence against climate change was ignored and belittled for decades, concerns about the serious effects of social media are going largely ignored now," the company said in its press release earlier this week.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/lush-ceo-happy-to-lose-13m-deleting-social-media-accounts-2021-11?source=Snapzu

EU seeks to block political ads that target people's ethnicity or religion

Organizations would need to disclose how ads are paid for and how they are targeting certain groups.
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/eu-targeted-political-ads-ethnicity-religion-sexual-orientation-transparency-233011048.html?source=Snapzu

Jobless claims plunge to their lowest level in 52 years

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plummeted last week to the lowest level in more than half a century, with employers opting against layoffs amid a persistent shortage of workers. Jobless claims dropped by 71,000 to 199,000, the lowest since mid-November 1969, according to figures released by the Labor Department on Wednesday. The drop was much bigger than economists expected.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uneployment-jobless-claims-plunge-2021-11-24/?source=Snapzu

Grayscale Says Metaverse Is A Trillion Dollar Market Opportunity

The metaverse may represent an over $1 trillion annual revenue market opportunity, crypto investment giant Grayscale said in a report, without specifying the timeline.
Read more: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/25/grayscale-says-metaverse-is-a-trillion-dollar-market-opportunity/?source=Snapzu

Apple told the SEC it doesn't silence employees regarding workplace harassment or discrimination. New whistleblower documents show that isn't true.

Former Apple engineer Cher Scarlett's settlement agreement demonstrates how far the company goes to silence employees who allege misdeeds in the workplace.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-sec-response-under-scrutiny-after-whistleblower-comes-forward?source=Snapzu

Amazon and Apple handed $225 million in Italian antitrust fines

Italy's antitrust authority has fined U.S. tech giants Amazon.com and Apple Inc a total of more than 200 million euros ($225 million) for alleged anti-competitive cooperation in the sale of Apple and Beats products.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/italys-antitrust-fines-amazon-apple-more-than-200-mln-euros-alleged-collusion-2021-11-23/?source=Snapzu

Largest Farm to Grow Crops Under Solar Panels Proves to Be a Bumper Crop for Agrivoltaic Land Use

Agrivoltaics, growing crops under solar panels, increases the production of both, and Jack's Solar Garden farm is showing how it's done.
Read more: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/agrivoltaics-of-solar-power-and-farming-are-a-big-success-on-this-boulder-farm/#.YZkHbDc3slI.reddit?source=Snapzu

Why Moderna won't share rights to the COVID-19 vaccine with the government that paid for its development

Moderna claims its scientists alone invented the mRNA sequence used to produce its COVID-19 vaccine. The US government, which helped fund the drug, disagrees.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/why-moderna-wont-share-rights-to-the-covid-19-vaccine-with-the-government-that-paid-for-its-development-172008?source=Snapzu

Ford plans to produce 600,000 EVs a year by the end of 2023

Ford is aiming to double its production plans to keep up with demand..
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/ford-600000-electric-vehicles-2023-061606689.html?source=Snapzu

The forgotten oil ads that told us climate change was nothing

Since the 1980s, fossil fuel firms have run ads touting climate denial messages – many of which they’d now like us to forget. Here’s our visual guide
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/18/the-forgotten-oil-ads-that-told-us-climate-change-was-nothing?source=Snapzu

A look under the hood of the most successful streaming service on the planet

Netflix’s secret to success is happening behind the scenes.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/22787426/netflix-cdn-open-connect?source=Snapzu

Covid-19: Pfizer to allow developing nations to make its treatment pill

US drug company Pfizer has penned a deal to allow its experimental Covid-19 treatment pill to be made and sold in 95 developing nations. The deal with the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool not-for-profit could make the treatment available to 53% of the world's population. But it excludes several countries that have had large Covid-19 outbreaks, including Brazil.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59310582?source=Snapzu

Future of retail design

There is a shift happening in retail to move the focus from transactions to experiences and engagement. As the retail experience shifts, so will the designers who shape them. Dr. Jen Schlueter, Dean of Graduate Studies at Columbus College of Art & Design, explores how the industry is rethinking retail along with Rachel Friedman and Faith Huddleston from Tenfold, a design firm that just launched an experimental retail space called Tenspace, and Ed Hofmann, chair of the Master of Professional Studies in Retail Design advisory board at CCAD.
Read more: https://firstyouhustle.podbean.com/e/future-of-retail-design/?source=Snapzu

Is Protecting Copyright More Important Than Saving Lives During The COVID-19 Pandemic?

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked terrible suffering across the world, we are fortunate that we already have several vaccines that have been shown to be highly effective in reducing the number of deaths and hospitalization rates. Discovering...
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20211116/17024247955/is-protecting-copyright-more-important-than-saving-lives-during-covid-19-pandemic.shtml?source=Snapzu

UK announces plan to boost overseas trade

The government has announced plans to boost the UK's annual exports to £1 trillion by the end of the decade. The Made in the UK, Sold To The World plan is intended to help firms seize new opportunities in global markets. Last year, the UK exported about £600bn in goods and services. But only one in 10 British firms trades overseas.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59313263?source=Snapzu

How This Vertical Farm Grows 80,000 Pounds of Produce per Week

Bowery Farming uses technology to prioritize accessibility and sustainability in their produce growing operations
Read more: https://www.eater.com/22291112/vertical-farm-produce-technology-bowery-farming?source=Snapzu

Audi supervisory board to discuss McLaren partnership on Wednesday - sources

Audi's supervisory board will discuss on Wednesday ways for the company to enter Formula One, including via possible partnership with McLaren Automotive, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday, adding no decision has yet been made.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/audi-supervisory-board-discuss-mclaren-partnership-wednesday-sources-2021-11-16/?source=Snapzu

Giving the Authors a Voice in Litigation? An ACS v. ResearchGate Update

A ResearchGate motion asks the court to open the door for something big: communicating about the litigation with the actual authors of the articles posted to ResearchGate. Imagine that!
Read more: https://blogs.library.duke.edu/scholcomm/2019/02/14/giving-the-authors-a-voice-in-litigation-an-acs-v-researchgate-update/?source=Snapzu

New York City passed a bill requiring 'bias audits' of AI hiring tech

Let the AI auditing vendor brigade begin. A year since it was introduced, New York City Council passed a bill earlier this week requiring companies that sell AI technologies for hiring to obtain audits assessing the potential of those products to discriminate against job candidates. The bill requiring "bias audits" passed with overwhelming support in a 38-4 vote.
Read more: https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/nyc-ai-hiring-tools?source=Snapzu

I Write a Parenting Advice Column (or How I Became Famous in My Neighborhood)

None of my neighbors subscribe to my Substack newsletter, as far as I can tell. That’s fine with me. I don’t talk much about my vocation around here. We’ve lived in this house for many years (although we will be moving in a few days), and during that whole period I’ve never spoken to anyone on our street about my writing. From their perspective, I’m just another family man who works from home.
Read more: https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/i-write-a-parenting-advice-column?source=Snapzu