Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg is in Dallas today to testify in a lawsuit against Oculus, the virtual reality outfit the social network bought in 2014. A company called ZeniMax Media alleges Oculus stole parts of its technology.
Snapchat is secretive. According to Bloomberg, the company's CEO Evan Spiegel is so private that he communicates with his executives primarily via Snap messages, which vanish after they're read. Some other juicy bits from the big Bloomberg takeout:
In 2015, a Bloomberg reporter called to confirm what sources had said about an executive hire. Following the call, the executive's offer was quickly rescinded.
When employees asked about a leaked report that a new product — Snapchat glasses — was hitting the market, they received an email to stop the chatter: You may have seen reports about a product that we may or may not be working on, it read. Don't talk about it. Hours later the company publicly announced its new product: Snapchat spectacles.
After Bloomberg revealed specifics about Snap's offering size, the company "scolded" the IPO's underwriters, assuming they were behind the leaks. Snap execs threatened to cut some employees fees if confidential information continued to appear in the news without the company's blessing, reported Bloomberg.
Apple is upping the prices it charges for apps in the U.K. as much as 25% after the pound's drop in value following Brexit, according to Bloomberg. A purchase that previously cost 79 pence will now sell for 99 pence.
Apple told developers the changes will be made within the week. This isn't the first time Apple's raising prices post-Brexit. The company raised the price of hardware products, including the iPhone, back in October.
Context: Earlier this morning, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May said that Brexit is definitely happening, and that the U.K. will not "hold on to bits of membership" as they leave.
"China's Google" nabs a Microsoft vet to help run the company
Qi Lu, a former Microsoft executive who ran the Office and search groups during his tenure, is joining Baidu, China's largest search engine, as group president and COO, the company told media outlets. Lu left Microsoft last year for health reasons.
Why now: One particular area of Lu's expertise is artificial intelligence. While AI is still going through its period of massive hype in the industry, it will undoubtedly be important to future technologies and products. Baidu is already working on AI-related technologies such as self-driving cars and augmented reality.
