Calls for advertisers to boycott Facebook grew this week, amid increased scrutiny around the tech giant for the way it moderates content.
Why it matters: Tension between advertisers and the tech giant have existed for years, but now — as the country faces a reckoning over longstanding systemic racism — marketers feel more compelled to take a public stand against companies that waffle on filtering hate speech.
Uber and Lyft both announced moves this week as they look for a profitable path forward.
The big picture: Both companies have been devastated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, delaying their efforts to achieve profitability. But they are adapting for the long haul.
After wide criticism, Snapchat apologized and withdrew a filter it offered users to commemorate Juneteenth by inviting users to "smile and break the chains."
The big picture: Users' complaints that they found Snap's feature offensive landed at a moment when the U.S. is reexamining racism in every corner of society, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protest.
Apple announced Friday that 11 of its stores in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arizona will temporarily close this weekend after a spike in coronavirus cases in those states.
The big picture: The states where Apple is closing the stores saw some of the highest coronavirus case growth in the country over the past week, per an Axios analysis.
"The Last of Us Part II" is debuting Friday to rapturous reviews and towering expectations as the sequel to a landmark 2013 Playstation game. Its tale of a society shattered by an infection also turns out to be full of unplanned resonances in a season of pandemic and civil unrest in the U.S.
The big picture: Nintendo's "Animal Crossing," the video game hit of the spring, offered escapism as people hunkered down for an extended stay at home. "The Last of Us Part II," with a post-apocalyptic storyline full of moral quandaries, could become the game of the current moment.
Twitter labeled a video posted by President Trump of a black toddler and a white toddler — edited with a fake chyron that read "terrified todler runs from racist baby" — as "manipulated media" on Thursday night.
Why it matters, via Axios' Ina Fried:Although Twitter's label on the tweet is weaker than two other recent moves, it is sure to irk the president, who has already criticized Twitter and issued an executive order seeking to limit the legal shield protecting social media companies.
Apple on Thursday rejected an appeal from Basecamp over the availability of its new email app Hey in Apple's App Store.
Driving the news: Apple said the company needs to either offer an in-app subscription option or offer an email reader for nonsubscribers in order to be in compliance with its App Store rules.
Facebook has taken down an ad from the Trump campaign that went after antifa and leftist groups with a prominent display of an inverted red triangle in a black outline, a symbol the Nazis used for political dissenters.
Why it matters: Facebook has given politicians and campaigns wide latitude in what they say on its platform, but this appears to have been a step too far.
Salesforce chief Marc Benioff and PayPal Ventures are joining the latest funding round for Oakland-based start-up Even, which aims to provide a better alternative to payday loans.
Why it matters: Historically, those who need an advance on their pay often have few options and pay extremely high fees and interest rates.
San Francisco’s board of supervisors has proposed November ballot measures that would tax companies that grant stock to their employees and those who pay top execs more than 100 times their median salary.
Why it matters: If passed, the measures, which aim to raise money for the cash-strapped city, could add to the growing acrimony between San Francisco and its tech-focused companies.
Spotify announced two mega podcast deals in the past 24 hours: A deal with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment to produce a slate of original podcasts, and a deal to distribute podcasts exclusively from Kim Kardashian West.
The big picture: The company is doubling down on its commitment to podcasting, a medium it thinks can drive higher profits for the company through advertising. Spotify also aims to use its partnership with Warner Bros. and DC to unlock a new type of podcast storytelling.
A new Justice Department proposal Wednesday accelerates a headlong charge in Washington to rewrite a law that protects online services from being sued over user-created content.
Why it matters: If Congress approves any of the bills in play, every dispute over content moderation on platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter could turn into a court case — while the government could find itself with a big new job deciding whether companies like Facebook and Twitter are acting neutrally and "in good faith."
Ahead of a House Intelligence Committee virtual hearing with Facebook, Google and Twitter on Thursday, committee chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tells Axios that he worries the president's attacks on Twitter and other tech companies could complicate Congress' and the intelligence community's efforts to learn more about election interference.
Driving the news: Schiff says the president's criticism "certainly heightens the concerns of the social media companies and how they interact with the Congress and with the Administration which threaten to make it more difficult to get information from them. I hope it won't have that impact."
