Discord began in 2015 as a way for gamers to talk to one another before, during, and after play. Now, the chat company is pursuing a far broader vision: to be the Slack for your non-work life.
Why it matters: In the age of COVID-19, more than ever before, people need the online equivalent of social spaces like bars, restaurants and stages.
As Microsoft and Walmart work together on a deal to buy TikTok's U.S. business from China's ByteDance, the giants each see fresh opportunities to expand into long-coveted markets — advertising in Microsoft's case and e-commerce for Walmart. But both companies have decidedly mixed track records in these realms.
By the numbers: Walmart currently makes less than 8% of its total revenue on e-commerce, despite pricey forays into the industry, like its $3.3 billion acquisition of the now-defunct Jet.com in 2016. Microsoft makes less than 5% of its revenue on digital ads, despite its $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016 and numerous other forays into ad-supported businesses
Congress is more worried about Big Tech now than it was a year ago, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Axios on Thursday during a virtual event.
What he's saying: "Their power is only getting larger, and in the world of COVID, it's getting larger because they have more influence. But I don't think they're forthcoming on a lot, I have real concerns on what Google has been doing."
Microsoft is working with Walmart on its efforts to buy TikTok's U.S. business from China's ByteDance, Axios has learned from multiple sources close to the process.
The state of play: The idea would be to helpturn TikTok U.S. into more of an e-commerce app for creators and users, much like what TikTok parent company ByteDance does with a similar app in China.
Flipboard on Thursday said it would bring its ad-supported video service "Flipboard TV" for free to Android and iOS devices.
Why it matters: The new venture expands and strengthens Flipboard's relationship with publishing partners and provides users with a new way to consume news and information on the app.
The U.S. Navy plans to tap Google's cloud and machine learning technology and use drone imagery, to modernize its process for determining when vessels and facilities are in need of repair.
Why it matters: The planned move comes amid internal and external scrutiny over the ties between Big Tech and the U.S. military.
Salesforce announcedon Wednesday it is cutting roughly 1,000 jobs, though it said it continues to hire for some growth areas.
Why it matters: The move comes just a day after the company announced blowout earnings and raised its guidance, sending shares up 26% on Wednesday. Salesforce had also pledged in March not to lay off employees for at least 90 days, but that was five months ago.
After initially taking no action on militia pages organizing an armed counter-protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Facebook said Wednesday that the pages and related comments violate a just-enacted policy that imposes stricter limits on QAnon, militia and other extremist groups.
Why it matters: Facebook's handling of the issue raises fresh question about its ability and willingness to enforce policies in time to prevent violence rather than after the fact.
A new fight between Facebook and Apple over the mechanics of ad tech is surfacing an industry divide over user privacy and spotlighting longstanding dilemmas about the tracking and use of personal information online.
Why it matters: Privacy advocates have been sounding alarms for years about tech firms' expansive, sometimes inescapable data harvesting without making much headway in the U.S. But the game could change if major industry players start taking opposite sides.
