Adblocking People and Non-adblocking People Experience a Totally Different Web

I’ve been browsing the web with an adblocker for so long that I’d totally forgotten about the existence of ads being spliced into video content. Ah, silly me.
Read more: https://imlefthanded.com/2022/adblocking-people-and-non-adblocking-people-experience-a-totally-different-web/?source=Snapzu

Apple revenue pops 11% to $123.9 billion, Cook says supply chain improving

Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Thursday that the company's supply chain challenges were improving, sending shares up about 5% in extended trading, while delivering a solid beat on earnings. Apple beat analyst estimates for sales in every product category except iPads and overall revenue was up 11% annually.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/01/27/apple-aapl-earnings-q1-2022.html?source=Snapzu

Sen. Ron Johnson says it's not 'society's responsibility' to care for 'other people's children' while arguing against child care subsidies for working parents

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson argued against government efforts to make child care cheaper for parents during a visit on Tuesday to Kwik Trip's headquarters in La Crosse. "People decide to have families and become parents. That's something they need to consider when they make that choice," Johnson told local Wisconsin TV station WKBT. "I've never really felt it was society's responsibility to take care of other people's children."
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/sen-ron-johnson-says-not-061211125.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon has disbanded the Twitter army it paid to tweet about how great Amazon is

Amazon has shuttered a controversial influence campaign in which it paid workers to tweet about how much they love working at Amazon, reports The Financial Times. Employees at the retailer’s warehouses (which it calls fulfillment centers) were paid to share positive impressions about the company and to deny widely-reported workplace failings — like employees being forced to urinate in bottles in order to meet performance targets.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/27/22904145/amazon-fc-ambassadors-twitter-army-paid-influence-campaign-disbanded?source=Snapzu

IRS wants to scan your face

Millions of Americans will soon have to scan their faces to access their Internal Revenue Service tax accounts, one of the government’s biggest expansions yet of facial recognition software into people’s everyday lives. Taxpayers will still be able to file their returns the old-fashioned way. But by this summer, anyone wanting to access their records — including details about child tax credits, payment plans or tax transcripts — on the IRS website will be required to record a video of their face with their computer or smartphone and send it to the private contractor ID.me to confirm their identity.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/01/27/irs-face-scans?refer=reddit?source=Snapzu

Society has a trust problem. More censorship will only make it worse.

We will always view censorship as a last resort, because we believe open discourse is better for writers and better for society. 
Read more: https://on.substack.com/p/society-has-a-trust-problem-more?source=Snapzu

Amazon shut down its program that paid warehouse 'ambassadors' to tweet positively about the company, report says

Amazon is no longer paying warehouse workers to tweet nice things about the company, The Financial Times reports. The company shuttered its Ambassador Program at the end of last year, sources with knowledge of the matter told the outlet. The sources said that senior executives felt the program's reach wasn't good enough,
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-shut-down-twitter-ambassador-program-reports-2022-1?source=Snapzu

Apple world's most valuable brand 2022; TikTok fastest-growing brand

Apple is not only a hugely valuable company, but it’s also the world’s most valuable brand – a title it lost for five years before winning back the top slot last year and retaining it this year. The annual Brand Finance Global 500 index sets out to calculate the value of just the brand, distinct from the value of the company…
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/26/apple-worlds-most-valuable-brand-2022/?source=Snapzu

iPhone took top slot in China in holiday quarter, with highest ever market share

The iPhone took the top slot in China during Q4, with Apple achieving its highest ever share of the smartphone market in the country – led by the iPhone 13. Apple was previously in 4th place in the market share stakes, behind Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo… Counterpoint says that Apple hit 23% market share in Q4 2021, compared to just 16% in the same quarter a year earlier. For the year as a whole, Apple rose one slot from 4th to 3rd place.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/26/iphone-took-top-slot-in-china/?source=Snapzu

A former Amazon delivery contractor is suing the tech giant, saying its performance metrics made it impossible for her to turn a profit

A former Amazon delivery contractor is accusing the tech giant of squeezing her with performance metrics to the point where she couldn't turn a profit. Ahaji Amos is suing Amazon, claiming among other things that it misrepresented how much money she could make as an Amazon Delivery Service Partner, according to a lawsuit filed in a North Carolina court Monday and first reported by Protocol.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-delivery-service-partner-performance-metrics-squeeze-profit-ahaji-amos-2022-1?source=Snapzu

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to abandon its $40 billion takeover of Arm

Nvidia is “quietly” preparing to abandon its $40 billion acquisition of British chip designer Arm, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. The U.S. chipmaker has told partners it’s not expecting the deal to be finalized, the news agency reported, citing people familiar with the matter. SoftBank, which currently owns Arm, is ramping up preparations for Arm to go public in lieu of the Nvidia takeover, according to Bloomberg.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/25/nvidia-preparing-to-abandon-arm-takeover-bloomberg-reports.html?source=Snapzu

Plaid, the service used by Venmo, Acorns, Robinhood, and more, may owe you some money

If you’ve connected your bank account to financial apps like Robinhood, Acorns, Venmo, American Express, Coinbase, and Credit Karma, you may be entitled to some cash, according to a report by Fast Company.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/23/22898009/plaid-financial-venmo-acorns-robinhood-class-action-lawsuit?source=Snapzu

Netflix could lose 750,000 UK subscribers as Disney takes control of hit shows

Netflix is facing a fight to stop as many as 750,000 UK subscribers defecting as its rival Disney takes back exclusive control of hits such as Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and Sons of Anarchy to bolster its own service. The streaming company, which last week forecast the lowest number of new global subscribers in the first quarter since 2010, has lost the UK rights to five popular titles to Disney+ this month, with more set to follow.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/24/netflix-could-lose-750000-uk-subscribers-as-disney-takes-control-of-hit-shows?source=Snapzu

Paytm, Zomato, Nykaa, PolicyBazaar stocks drop to record lows

Shares of Paytm, Zomato, PolicyBazaar, and Nykaa — four Indian tech startups that went public last year — on Monday tumbled to their record lows since market debuts last year as analysts predict a global market correction amid US investors worrying about the prospect of high interest rates.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/23/paytm-zomato-nykaa-and-policybazaar-shares-drop-to-record-lows/?source=Snapzu

Netflix shares fall 20% on slowing subscriber growth

Netflix reported earnings after the bell. Here are the results.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/20/netflix-nflx-earnings-q4-2021.html?source=Snapzu

Russian c.bank proposes banning cryptocurrencies, crypto mining

Russia's central bank on Thursday proposed banning the use and mining of cryptocurrencies on Russian territory, citing threats to financial stability, citizens' wellbeing and its monetary policy sovereignty.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/russian-cbank-proposes-banning-cryptocurrencies-crypto-mining-2022-01-20/?source=Snapzu

MIT Lays Out Strategy To Help the U.S. Regain Its Place as a Semiconductor Superpower

The global semiconductor shortage has grabbed headlines and caused a cascade of production bottlenecks that have driven up prices on all sorts of consumer goods, from refrigerators to SUVs. The chip shortage has thrown into sharp relief the critical role semiconductors play in many aspects of everyday life.
Read more: https://scitechdaily.com/mit-lays-out-strategy-to-help-the-u-s-regain-its-place-as-a-semiconductor-superpower/?source=Snapzu

Facebook loses bid to dismiss users’ data-privacy antitrust claims

A California federal judge has handed a partial win to consumers suing Facebook, in a ruling that denied the company's bid to dismiss claims that it exploited user data to thwart industry competitors.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/facebook-loses-bid-dismiss-users-data-privacy-antitrust-claims-2022-01-18/?source=Snapzu

Lyft is spending millions to stop its Massachusetts drivers from becoming employees | Engadget

Two years after kneecapping efforts to classify drivers in California as employees rather than contractors, Lyft is returning to the same, expensive playbook on the East Coast..
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/lyft-massachusetts-13-million-ballot-measure-uber-025834250.html?source=Snapzu

UK regulator fines Mastercard, others for prepaid cards cartel

Britain's payments regulator on Tuesday fined five payments companies including Mastercard a total of 33 million pounds ($45.01 million) for cartel behaviour involving prepaid cards issued to vulnerable people on welfare benefits.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/uk-regulator-fines-mastercard-others-prepaid-cards-cartel-2022-01-18/?source=Snapzu

Microsoft will buy Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion, a big bet on the metaverse.

With the deal, the largest in the software maker’s history, Microsoft will gain Activision’s nearly 400 million monthly users and access to some of the world’s most popular games.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/business/microsoft-activision-bilzzard.html?source=Snapzu

How To Write Your Website Biography to Inspire Others to Thrive

You are not a big brand. They don’t know you. They don’t trust you. They don’t know if they want to do business with you. That’s why you need your biography on your website. When it comes to small business, it’s not about the company – it’s about the person behind the company.
Read more: https://inspiretothrive.com/how-to-write-your-website-biography/?source=Snapzu

Effortless personal productivity (or how I learned to love my monkey mind)

I recently discovered a simple step-by-step process that significantly increased my personal productivity and made me happier along the way.
Read more: https://jakobgreenfeld.com/personal-productivity?source=Snapzu

Here's another reason you should be careful about what you post online

Social media posts are having a significant impact on employability
Read more: https://www.techradar.com/news/heres-another-reason-you-should-be-careful-about-what-you-post-online?source=Snapzu

Walmart Plans to Sell Virtual Goods, Create Cryptocurrency and NFTs

Walmart files applications seeking trademarks for digital currency, software to manage cryptocurrency and other digital assets and for online retail services.
Read more: https://www.thestreet.com/investing/walmart-plans-to-sell-virtual-goods-create-cryptocurrency-and-nfts?source=Snapzu

Virgin Galactic stock falls as space tourism company plans to raise up to $500 million in debt

Shares of Virgin Galactic fell in trading on Thursday after the company announced plans to raise up to $500 million in debt. “The company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund working capital, general and administrative matters and capital expenditures to accelerate the development of its spacecraft fleet,” Virgin Galactic said in a statment.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/13/virgin-galactic-stock-falls-after-plans-to-raise-500-million-in-debt.html?source=Snapzu

Crypto CEO becomes one of the world's richest billionaires

A cryptocurrency CEO has become one of the richest people on Earth.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/business/binance-changpeng-zhao-net-worth-intl-hnk/index.html?source=Snapzu

Should Microsoft sell Windows and Office? This former exec believes so

A former Microsoft executive has offered up some advice for current CEO Satya Nadella: spin off Windows and Office and focus on Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing crown jewel. Ben Slivka, a 14-year veteran at Microsoft who left in 1999, gave the unsolicited advice to Nadella in an interview with CNBC, saying: "The right thing probably is to bet the future on the cloud."
Read more: https://www.techradar.com/news/should-microsoft-sell-windows-and-office-this-former-exec-believes-so?source=Snapzu

The FTC can move forward with its bid to make Meta sell Instagram and WhatsApp, judge rules

A federal judge has thrown out an attempt by Facebook to block a Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit against the company. Judge James Boasberg ruled on Tuesday that the FTC can proceed with a bid to force Facebook, now Meta, to sell its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/ruling-ftc-meta-facebook-lawsuit-instagram-whatsapp-can-proceed-2022-1?source=Snapzu

Farmer using VR headsets to trick cows into thinking they're outside part of growing trend

The headsets simulate a summer pasture and have resulted in a higher yield and quality of milk.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/farmer-using-vr-headsets-trick-cows-thinking-theyre-outside-part-growing-trend-1667592?source=Snapzu

Apple glasses could adjust lenses to match user's prescription

Apple Glass could potentially be used by people that need vision correction, with lenses that adjust to correct the wearer's vision. The concept of smart glasses runs into a problem when it comes to people who normally wear glasses to see. Those who can wear contact lenses could feasibly use a typical smart glasses setup without too much issue, but those who have to wear glasses can end up in trouble.
Read more: https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/01/11/apple-glass-could-adjust-lenses-to-match-users-prescription?source=Snapzu

John Deere unveils fully autonomous 8R tractor

“The autonomous 8R tractor is doing something that was once thought impossible,” says Julian Sanchez, director, emerging technology for John Deere.
Read more: https://www.agriculture.com/news/technology/john-deere-unveils-fully-autonomous-8r-tractor?source=Snapzu

Why Tesla Soared as Other Automakers Struggled to Make Cars

The yawning disparity between the performance of the electric car company and established automakers last year reflects the technological change roiling the industry. For much of last year, established automakers like General Motors and Ford Motor operated in a different reality from Tesla, the electric car company.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/08/business/teslas-computer-chips-supply-chain.html?source=Snapzu

Mark Zuckerberg reportedly signed off on a Facebook algorithm change that throttled traffic to progressive news sites — and one site says that quiet change cost it $400,000 to $600,000 a year

Facebook worried that an algorithm change would harm right-wing media, so it dinged traffic to liberal news outlets, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-throttled-traffic-to-progressive-news-sites-wsj-2020-10?source=Snapzu

Payment apps will now have to report transactions to IRS

The IRS is cracking down on payments made through third-party apps, requiring platforms like Venmo, PayPal and Cash App to report transactions if they exceed $600 in one year.
Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10372327/Venmo-PayPal-Cash-App-report-transactions-totaling-600-IRS.html?source=Snapzu

David Bowie estate sells his songwriting catalog to Warner Chappell Music in latest such mega-deal

David Bowie's estate has sold the publishing rights to his "entire body of work" to Warner Chappell Music, the company said Monday, the latest massive deal in a roaring song rights purchasing boom. Warner Chappell didn't reveal financial terms of the agreement, but according to trade publications the price tag is estimated at upwards of $250 million.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-bowie-estate-songwriting-catalog-warner-chappell-music/?source=Snapzu

Evergrande shares placed in trading halt after luxury island demolition order

Troubled Chinese property giant Evergrande's shares have been suspended from trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Evergrande has more than $400 billion in debts, triggering financial woes in the world's second-biggest economy.
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-03/china-evergrande-shares-halt-detb-crisis/100735938?source=Snapzu