European lawmakers came to an agreement early Saturday in Brussels on a legislative package that will impose major new obligations on how Big Tech companies handle content on their platforms — and big fines if they fail to comply.
Why it matters: It's another aggressive step forward on tech for Europe, which has led the way in regulating the digital age and has already set the tone for how the world deals with online privacy and competition.
Making a comeback: Roberta Williams, whose pioneering design work helped popularize adventure games like King’s Quest in the 1980s through a company she co-founded with husband Ken.
Driving the news: Roberta and Ken are working with a team of more than a dozen developers to remake a 1970s classic that inspired them, Colossal Cave Adventure.
Launch House, which runs in-person and virtual programs for startup founders, is debuting the first product of its media ambitions: an email newsletter, dubbed Homescreen, geared towards entrepreneurs.
Why it matters: Producing high-quality content remains a popular and powerful marketing tactic in the startup world, with everyone from VCs like Andreessen Horowitz to vendors like Stripe partaking.
Crusoe Energy Systems, a Denver-based flared gas bitcoin miner, raised $350 million in Series C venture capital funding led by G2VP. It also secured $155 million in new credit facilities.
Why it matters: Crusoe's tech, which uses waste natural gas to power mining activities, could cut conflicts between crypto and climate. The company soon plans to expand its commercial efforts into cloud computing, which also has giant energy requirements.
Every decade or two, a new wave of innovators tells us they've found the technological key to eliminating society's gatekeepers and empowering individuals — but every time the music stops, big companies remain in charge.
Driving the news: Today's prophets of web3 — which promises a new financial and cultural order based on the decentralizing power of blockchains — are the latest in this lineage.
Netflix's market swan dive and CNN+'s sudden death underscore a fundamental shift in the streaming economy toward ad-supported services.
Why it matters: For years Wall Street has rewarded companies like Netflix and rival Disney for adding paid users, then punished them when they hit a ceiling. Every streaming service is now looking toward ads as a way off that rollercoaster.
A federal judge dismissed much of a former Sony PlayStation employee's gender discrimination lawsuit against the gaming giant on Thursday, but is giving her an opportunity to make a stronger case.
Driving the news: In a 20-page order, U.S. magistrate judge Laurel Beeler dismissed 10 of ex-worker Emma Majo's 13 claims without prejudice, including those focused on pay discrimination and harassment.
