Axios

Memes have power, but candidate for Congress Matt West is about to test whether they have electoral power in his run in Oregon's 6th Congressional District, an open seat situated in counties just southwest of Portland.

Why it matters: Sometimes, if a political candidate approaches the internet just right, it can make all the difference.

March's massive theft from a crypto service built to support a video game can be tied to a hacking group associated with North Korea, according to information posted by the Treasury Department.

Details: In March, Ronin announced that roughly $620 million worth of Ethereum and USDC tokens was stolen by a hacker from its network bridge to the Axie Infinity game.

A representative for California Gov. Gavin Newsom told Axios that yesterday’s report claiming he directly interfered with the ongoing Activision Blizzard lawsuit is “categorically false.”

• “The Newsom administration supports the effective work [the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing] has done under Director Kevin Kish to enforce civil rights laws and protect workers, and will continue to support DFEH in their efforts to fight all forms of discrimination and protect Californians,” said communications director Erin Mellon.

SOC Investment Group is urging investors to vote against the proposed Activision Blizzard and Microsoft merger during Activision’s upcoming meeting on April 28.

Why it matters: SOC, which owns “a small percentage” of Activision stock, is calling for investors to elect “a new, competent, and dedicated board of directors” at the company’s next meeting.

Elon Musk on Thursday may have given Twitter's board of directors ample reason to reject his hostile takeover bid, even though it's at a significant premium to where the company's shares have traded in recent months.

Driving the news: Musk was interviewed on stage at the TED conference in Canada in his first public statements since disclosing his $43 billion offer.

The Department of Commerce has appointed more than two dozen experts to a committee that will advise President Joe Biden on artificial intelligence policy.

Why it matters: It's the Biden administration's first substantive step to shape U.S. policy on AI, as Europe, China and other countries leap ahead with their own rules.

Elon Musk filled in a few more details of his vision for a free speech-first Twitter Thursday after he offered to buy out the company and take it private.

Driving the news: In an onstage interview at the TED2022 conference, Musk said he believes Twitter should follow the laws of the countries it operates in and otherwise not regulate users' speech.

A leaked Meta product roadmap shows the company releasing its first version of augmented reality glasses in 2024, as Alex Heath scooped in The Verge.

• "Employees are racing to deliver the first generation by 2024 and are already working on a lighter, more advanced design for 2026, followed by a third version in 2028," Heath reports.

Meta came under fire Wednesday for the size of the cut it plans to take from creators selling digital goods inside its metaverse.

Driving the news: The company formerly known as Facebook announced Monday it was piloting a program for its Horizon Worlds that will "enable creators to experiment with different ways to monetize what they're building."

A new report urges the U.S. to invest billions of dollars in developing a workforce and infrastructure to support an economy built on biologically engineered and produced materials, medicines, fuel and food.

Why it matters: Proponents of developing the "bioeconomy" say that creating biologically based products will reduce manufacturing's reliance on fossil fuels and bolster supply chains, while creating jobs in the process.

A digital pet store might help sell the metaverse to the masses.

Why it matters: Hype and funding have flooded into development of a 3D internet, but consumers will need help finding a way in.

Just days after a verified account for Fox News appeared on former President Trump's social media app, Truth Social, a Fox News spokesperson says the network has nothing to do with the account.

Why it matters: Investors clearly would have viewed Fox News' participation as a boon for the struggling app.