Mar 8, 2017

Hot in Silicon Valley: Instagram goes after Snapchat

Instagram continues to copy Snapchat: After copying Snapchat's Stories feature last year, Instagram has added stickers that users in certain locations can put on the photos and videos they share. Instagram's blatant copying of Snapchat has raised questions about the latter's ability to hold onto its users, especially given Instagram's bigger user base and more sophisticated tools for advertisers and brands.

Tinder has a version of its app for elite users: Tinder Select, as it's called, is reportedly an invite-only dating app for pre-vetted users, including including CEOs, models, and other ultra attractive people, according to TechCrunch. The secret version has apparently been around for at least six months without the company saying a public word about it. Of course, this is far from the first attempt at creating a dating app for the elite, the most famous of which is The League.

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Axios

China tries to contain coronavirus, as Apple warns of earnings impact

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

As China pushes to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus — placing around 780 million people under travel restrictions, per CNN — the economic repercussions continue to be felt globally as companies like Apple warn of the impact from the lack of manufacturing and consumer demand in China.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,775 people and infected more than 70,000 others, mostly in mainland China. There are some signs that new cases are growing at a slower rate now, although the World Health Organization said Monday it's "too early to tell" if this will continue.

Go deeperUpdated 1 hour ago - Health

Ina Fried

Apple will miss quarterly earnings estimates due to coronavirus

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple issued a rare earnings warning on Monday, saying it would not meet quarterly revenue expectations due to the impact of the coronavirus, which will limit iPhone production and limit product demand in China.

Why it matters: Lots of companies rely on China for production, but unlike most U.S. tech companies, Apple also gets a significant chunk of its revenue from sales in China.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Technology

Orion Rummler

America's dwindling executions

The Trump administration wants to reboot federal executions, pointing to a 16-year lapse, but Pew Research reports the government has only executed three people since 1963.

The big picture: Nearly all executions in the U.S. are done by states. Even those have been steadily dropping for two decades, per the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) — marking a downward trend for all executions in the country.

Go deeper4 hours ago - Politics & Policy