China's digital yuan will not topple the dollar, SEC official says

China's planned digital yuan will not dethrone the dollar, a top Securities and Exchange Commission official said on Thursday, citing the growth of so-called stablecoins backed by the greenback.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-digital-yuan-will-not-topple-dollar-sec-official-says-2021-04-29/?source=Snapzu

Microsoft says LinkedIn topped $3 billion in ad revenue in the last year, outpacing Snap and Pinterest

Microsoft said Tuesday LinkedIn’s ads business has brought in more than $3 billion in revenue during the year ended March 31, outpacing pure-play digital ads competitors like Snap and Pinterest.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/27/microsoft-linkedin-topped-3-billion-in-ad-revenue-in-last-year.html?source=Snapzu

Microsoft shakes up PC gaming by reducing Windows store cut to just 12 percent

Microsoft is shaking up the world of PC gaming today with a big cut to the amount of revenue it takes from games on Windows. The software giant is reducing its cut from 30 percent to just 12 percent from August 1st, in a clear bid to compete with Steam and entice developers and studios to bring more PC games to its Microsoft Store.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/29/22409285/microsoft-store-cut-windows-pc-games-12-percent?source=Snapzu

Biden: Trickle-down economics "has never worked"

During his joint address to Congress on Wednesday, President Biden spoke of the need to tax the ultra-wealthy to fix economic inequality in the U.S.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/biden-trickle-down-economics-never-worked-8f211644-c751-4366-a67d-c26f61fb080c.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon is slated to overtake Walmart as the largest retailer in the US

Edge by Ascential calculated that Amazon's gross market value will reach $631.6 billion by 2025.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-walmart-retail-retailer-sales-comparison-winner-2021-4?source=Snapzu

A Graying China May Have to Put Off Retirement. Workers Aren’t Happy.

Most Chinese workers retire by 60. But with the population aging and pension funds running low, the government says that must change.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/world/asia/china-retirement-aging.html?source=Snapzu

Toyota snaps up Lyft's self-driving cars unit for $550 million

Toyota is hitting the gas to achieve its self-driving goals by buying Lyft's autonomous vehicle business for over half a billion dollars. The two players announced the $550 million acquisition on Tuesday, saying that it would allow them to create a "dream team" of about 1,200 researchers and engineers around the world.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/27/tech/toyota-lyft-woven-planet-intl-hnk/index.html?source=Snapzu

Farming Robot Kills 100,000 Weeds per Hour With Lasers

Carbon Robotics’ Autonomous Weeder is a smart farming robot that identifies weeds and then kills them using high-power lasers.
Read more: https://www.freethink.com/articles/farming-robot?source=Snapzu

‘They’re stealing our customers and we’ve had enough’: is Deliveroo killing restaurant culture?

Shukran Best Kebab – the finest Turkish restaurant in the Seven Sisters area of north London, according to some people (although it is surrounded by fierce rivals to the throne) – joined Deliveroo two years ago, and back then it seemed like a no-brainer. “Life as a small, independent restaurant is hard and the profit margins are slim,” says Hüseyin Kurt, Shukran’s owner. “We wanted more customers and money coming in and Deliveroo seemed to offer that. I didn’t think there was a downside.”
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/apr/25/deliveroo-tech-delivery-restaurant-service-dark-kitchens?source=Snapzu

'Not clean, not green, not even healthy': Author slams salmon farming

Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan slams the Tasmanian salmon industry, describing it as disastrous for the environment, with overstated health benefits — and alleging the public had not been told the extent of the expansion plans for fish farms around the state.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-22/richard-flanagan-allegations-salmon-farm-expansion/100085142?source=Snapzu

No, We’re Not In A Bubble

Real estate. It’s on everyone’s minds. At least it feels that way. Everywhere I look, there’s an article about home prices soaring to record highs, a tweet about someone getting outbid on a home they offered 10% above ask on, or a video trying to make sense of the market right now and if one should get involved. Anecdotes have prevailed in these uncertain times. It’s a bubble! Home prices have increased 25% in our market and it’s going to pop like 2008. We’ve all heard, or uttered, these words in the last several months.
Read more: https://cobylefko.medium.com/no-were-not-in-a-bubble-f6bc44b960dd#2821?source=Snapzu

Apple’s $64 billion-a-year App Store isn’t catching the most egregious scams

Recently, I reached out to the most profitable company in the world to ask a series of basic questions. I wanted to understand: how is a single man making the entire Apple App Store review team look silly? Particularly now that Apple’s in the fight of its life, both in the courts and in Congress later today, to prove its App Store is a well-run system that keeps users safe instead of a monopoly that needs to be broken up.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/21/22385859/apple-app-store-scams-fraud-review-enforcement-top-grossing-kosta-eleftheriou?source=Snapzu

Campaign to waive Covid jab patent highlights $26bn shareholder payouts

People’s Vaccine Alliance says profits inappropriate when poorer countries are struggling to get access
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/22/campaign-to-waive-covid-jab-patent-highlights-26bn-shareholder-payouts?source=Snapzu

Netflix subscriber growth slows after pandemic boom, shares fall 11%

Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) said slower production of TV shows and movies during the pandemic hurt subscriber growth in the first quarter, sending shares of the world's largest streaming service down 11% on Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-misses-expectations-quarterly-paid-subscriber-additions-2021-04-20/?source=Snapzu

AAPL fall amid wider sell-off as investors unmoved by event

Apple’s Spring Loaded event was a fast-paced one with plenty of good news, but it wasn’t enough to reverse an AAPL fall seen on the day, and continuing into after-market trading. The day saw AAPL fall 1.28% during trading, and it continued to fall (albeit at a slower pace) in after-market deals …
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/21/aapl-fall-despite-event/amp/?source=Snapzu

How product placements may soon be added to classic films

Getting consumer goods in shot is big business for movies and TV series, and items can now be added digitally.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56758376?source=Snapzu

UK Launches Digital Currency Task Force to Explore the Future of Money

The Bank of England and the UK’s Treasury have launched a task force to explore the use of a national digital currency, the British government announced in several press releases early Monday as part of April 2021 Fintech Week.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/uk-launches-digital-currency-task-force-to-explore-the-1846710980?source=Snapzu

Days Gone writer says if you love a game, you should buy at full price

The writer and creative director of Days Gone says that players shouldn't "complain if a game doesn't get a sequel" if they didn't buy it "at f-cking full price". In an interview on David Jaffe's YouTube channel, John Garvin was asked if the game's debut on Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service had sparked new interest in the title.
Read more: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-04-18-days-gone-writer-has-an-opinion-that-might-piss-off-some-gamers?source=Snapzu

How failing at fractions saved the Quarter Pounder

A&W tried to give McDonald's famous Quarter Pounder hamburger a run for its money. What happened next may surprise you.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/how-failing-at-fractions-saved-the-quarter-pounder-1.5979468?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar?source=Snapzu

CEO who gave employees $70K minimum wage says revenue tripled 6 years later

A CEO who cut his own salary to give all of his employees a minimum wage of at least $70,000 per year says his company's revenue has tripled since he made the move. 
Read more: https://thehill.com/news-by-subject/finance-economy/548480-ceo-who-gave-all-employees-70k-minimum-wage-says-6-years?source=Snapzu

Research: Adding Women to the C-Suite Changes How Companies Think

Executive teams that increase gender diversity became more open to change and less comfortable with risk.
Read more: https://hbr.org/2021/04/research-adding-women-to-the-c-suite-changes-how-companies-think?source=Snapzu

Here's how this futuristic, 95,000-square-foot vertical farm would bring fresh leafy greens and jobs to Compton

The vertical farm will contain rows upon rows of crops with the capacity to produce 365 harvests of high quality leafy greens per year. "From day one it's perfectly controlled...We don't use pesticides...there's nothing to wash off, it's usually not touched by human hands ever, and so we have a safe clean product that is ready to eat right out of the package."
Read more: https://abc7.com/vertical-farming-companies-stocks-compton-plenty/10433158/?source=Snapzu

Amazon Prime Passes 200 Million Subscribers

In his final letter to Amazon shareholders, Jeff Bezos says new CEO Andy Jassy "will muster the energy needed to keep alive in us what makes us special."
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amazon-prime-passes-200-million-subscribers?source=Snapzu

Burdened by debt and unable to eke out a living, many farmers in India turn to suicide

Kiran Kaur surveys her family's paltry plot of land in Mansa, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, and gestures dismissively at the three acres of wheat that will soon yield to cotton plants, which bring in little profit. "Cotton is a complete failure for us," she said. Prices are low, and the cost of producing the fibre is far too high.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/india-farmers-suicide-1.5968086?source=Snapzu

How the Paypal Mafia shaped Silicon Valley

Do you recognize any of these faces? Imagine, you are in this meetup, party, event, and you find yourself face to face with them… Did it happen to me, no?! And honestly, it’s unlikely to happen to you either. These guys are unreachable these days.
Read more: https://slidebean.com/blog/startups-paypal-mafia?source=Snapzu

From pencil sharpeners to a $539m lawsuit: how big tech weaponised design patents

In 1842, the US patent office registered 14 designs, including a bathtub and a ‘corpse preserver’. It now handles 35,000 a year. Why did this once sedate world became a corporate arms race?
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/apr/13/pencil-sharpeners-539m-lawsuit-big-tech-weaponised-patents?source=Snapzu

Gold is still going to $5,000: Peter Schiff

Despite dismal returns in the last three years, gold bug Peter Schiff stands behind his claim that the commodity could surge to $5,000.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/17/gold-is-still-going-to-5000-peter-schiff.html?source=Snapzu

Tech billionaires are staying "very, very quiet" on proposals to tax their wealth

It is relatively easy for a billionaire to say they support higher taxes. More is on the line if they are asked to do something about it.
Read more: https://www.vox.com/recode/22372857/washington-state-wealth-tax-bill-gates-steve-ballmer-mackenzie-scott-jeff-bezos?source=Snapzu

US senator proposes banning acquisitions by Big Tech

US Sen. Josh Hawley, a staunch critic of Big Tech, unveiled an antitrust bill on Monday that would prohibit all mergers and acquisitions by companies with a market value greater than $100 billion, which includes Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/us-senator-proposes-banning-acquisitions-by-big-tech/?source=Snapzu

Charter must pay $19 million for tricking customers into switching ISPs

Charter mailed false ads to convince users Windstream was going out of business.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/04/charter-must-pay-19-million-for-tricking-customers-into-switching-isps/?source=Snapzu

The 'Iron Man' body armour many of us may soon be wearing

Imagine wearing high-tech body armour that makes you super strong and tireless. Such technology, more specifically called an exoskeleton, sounds like the preserve of the Iron Man series of superhero movies. Yet the equipment is increasingly being worn in real life around the world. And one manufacturer - California's SuitX - expects it to go mainstream.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56660644?source=Snapzu

Do you think Podcasts+ is the next service coming to Apple One?

It’s been two years since Apple held its Services event to introduce Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and Apple Card. Last September, the company announced the Apple One subscription, where you can bundle services and pay less for them.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/11/poll-do-you-think-podcasts-is-the-next-service-coming-to-apple-one/?source=Snapzu

Facebook removes over 16,000 groups trading fake reviews

Facebook has removed more than 16,000 groups trading fake reviews after the UK’s competition regulator criticised the company for failing to make good on a previous promise to clamp down on the practice.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/09/facebook-removes-over-16000-groups-trading-fake-reviews?source=Snapzu

Howard Dean Is Out Stumping For Big Pharma Patent Protection, No Matter How Many People In Poor Countries Die As A Result

If ever there was a situation that called for a circumvention of the normal patent process and lifespan, surely it would be the COVID-10 pandemic. It seems obvious that a global pandemic is the perfect situation to go beyond the normal restrictive...
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210408/11212246578/howard-dean-is-out-stumping-big-pharma-patent-protection-no-matter-how-many-people-poor-countries-die-as-result.shtml?source=Snapzu

Beijing now has more billionaires than New York

Beijing has knocked New York out of the top spot for cities with the most billionaires. The Chinese capital added an incredible 32 billionaires to its ranks last year, bringing the city's total to 100, according to Hurun Report's latest global rich list. New York, which has led the ranking for years, has 95 billionaires.
Read more: https://money.cnn.com/2016/02/24/investing/beijing-new-york-billionaires/index.html?source=Snapzu

Impossible Foods in talks to go public, sources say

Impossible Foods is preparing for a public listing which could value the U.S. plant-based burger maker at around $10 billion or more, according to people familiar with the matter. This would be substantially more than the $4 billion the company was worth in a private funding round in 2020. It would highlight growing demand for plant-based meat products, driven by environmental and ethical concerns among consumers.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/impossible-foods-in-talks-to-go-public-sources-say.html?source=Snapzu

Victory! Saks Fifth Avenue Joins The Growing Number Of High Fashion Brands That Are Going Fur-Free!

Saks Fifth Avenue has committed to stop selling products made of animal fur by the end of 2022. This includes both brand partner and private label merchandise sold online and in stores.
Read more: https://worldanimalnews.com/victory-saks-fifth-avenue-joins-the-growing-number-of-high-fashion-brands-that-are-going-fur-free/?source=Snapzu

Predatory debt collectors would be barred from government’s pandemic relief loans under new bill

Debt collectors already have gained more than $520 million in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill would bar debt collectors that have been sanctioned from participating any more in the program.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/07/debt-collectors-ppp-congress-bill/?source=Snapzu

Apple presses ahead with aim to replace paper passports and ID with iPhone

Apple is continuing to research how to ensure the identity of someone presenting an iPhone to a passport official, or using any other digital ID document. This is coming — your passport, drivers' licence, and probably all paper ID is going to go digital. The iPhone has already replaced everything from wallets to compact mirrors, and if it doesn't know when ID will make the move to digital, Apple is certain it's going to happen.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/04/08/apple-presses-ahead-with-aim-to-replace-paper-passports-and-id-with-iphone?source=Snapzu

Are you foolish enough to innovate?

“Stay hungry, stay foolish” — Steve Jobs How can you make a great breakthrough? How can you start the next era-defining business, write the next great song, create the next political mo…
Read more: https://markgreville.ie/2021/04/07/are-you-foolish-enough-to-innovate/?source=Snapzu

Restaurants across the country are experiencing a ketchup shortage

Not the ketchup!
Read more: https://www.ketv.com/article/restaurants-across-the-country-are-experiencing-a-ketchup-shortage/36042849#?source=Snapzu

Best Buy launches a new $200 membership program to fight Amazon

Best Buy has a new plan to hold on to shoppers in the crowded electronics market.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/business/best-buy-beta-membership/index.html?source=Snapzu

24% of unemployed workers have been jobless for over a year

The share of long-term unemployed is rising even as the U.S. jobless rate is falling. That's an unusual dynamic for recessions, economists said.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/06/24percent-of-unemployed-workers-have-been-jobless-for-over-a-year.html?source=Snapzu

Magic Keyboard and Trackpad combo – Apple patent app

An Apple patent application seemingly shows a single device comprising a Mac Magic Keyboard and Trackpad, with Apple Pencil support across the entire surface of the device.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/06/magic-keyboard-and-trackpad-combo/?source=Snapzu

Clubhouse teams up with Stripe so anybody can send creators money

Clubhouse has started rolling out its first monetization feature for creators. The social audio chat app has teamed up with Stripe to introduce Clubhouse Payments, which gives all users a way to send money directly to speakers on the platform. All a user has to do is go to their favorite speaker's profile, tap the Send Money button at the bottom and then choose the amount they want to give. They'll, of course, need to register a credit or a debit card if they haven't yet. As TechCrunch notes, it's like a virtual tip jar and isn't all that different from similar features on other apps and websites.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/clubhouse-payments-060935128.html?source=Snapzu

Is Apple’s Privacy Push Facebook’s Existential Threat?

Tim Cook says no.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/opinion/is-apples-privacy-push-facebooks-existential-threat.html?source=Snapzu

U.S. Supreme Court sides with Google in major copyright dispute with Oracle

The U.S. Supreme Court handed Alphabet Inc’s Google a major victory on Monday, ruling that its use of Oracle Corp’s software code to build the Android operating system that runs most of the world’s smartphones did not violate federal copyright law.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2BS1A9?il=0?source=Snapzu

Amazon Illegally Fired Activist Workers, Labor Board Finds

The two employees had publicly pushed the company to reduce its impact on climate change and address concerns about its warehouse workers.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/05/technology/amazon-nlrb-activist-workers.html?smtyp=cur?source=Snapzu

Uber will pay a blind woman $1.1 million after drivers stranded her 14 times

They left her in the dark and in the rain, among other humiliations
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/3/22365859/uber-blind-woman-win-arbitration-lisa-irving-guide-dog?source=Snapzu

No Federal Taxes for Dozens of Big, Profitable Companies

FedEx and Nike are among those found to have avoided U.S. tax liability for three straight years.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/business/economy/zero-corporate-tax.html?source=Snapzu