Saturday's technology stories

YouTube to launch 40 free, original shows
YouTube announced it's planning to introduce a total of 40 original shows over the next year, available free to all consumers. The first few series will look a lot like content viewers are used to seeing on TV, with celebrities like Kevin Hart, Ellen DeGeneres and Katy Perry.
YouTube began producing original content series last year (30 in total) through its subscription service, YouTube Red, and heard positive feedback from advertisers. According to Bloomberg, YouTube is spending "hundreds of millions of dollars" on original content, a far cry from Amazon and Netflix's multi-billion dollar investments.
Why it matters: YouTube has taken many steps to win cord-cutting audiences through subscription-based products, but an ad-supported product available to all billion+ users is perhaps cable TV's biggest threat. Other big players that caught marketer's attention at this season's NewFronts in NYC were Twitter and Hulu.

Warren Buffett sours on IBM
Warren Buffett, who has a significant stake in IBM, has cut his holdings by a third this year. CNBC said that Buffett owned 81 million shares as of the end of last year, but has sold off a third of that this year.
I don't value IBM the same way that I did 6 years ago when I started buying... I've revalued it somewhat. — Buffett to CNBC
"When it got above $180 we actually sold a reasonable amount of stock," the Berkshire Hathaway CEO told CNBC, adding that he has stopped selling with the stock now below $160 per share.
Why it matters: Obviously, Buffett is not just a large shareholder, but an influential investor as well. IBM has weathered many past technology transitions, but people are raising questions about whether the company can continue that streak.

DOJ reportedly investigating Uber's 'Greyball'
The Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into Uber's use of software, called "Greyball," to evade law enforcement, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources.
Last week, Portland's transportation office published a report spotted by Bloomberg revealing an inquiry, but the company has now received a subpoena from a Northern California grand jury for certain documents, according to Reuters. Uber declined to comment.
Greyball: Uber's program, which involves manipulating what particular users see in its app, was uncovered by the New York Times in March, and the company has since said it will no longer use the software for this purpose. Uber has admitted that it used its Greyball technique on 17 rider accounts of mostly government officials in Portland during a two-week period in late 2014, before the city had implemented regulations for ride-hailing.


