SoftBank Group has agreed to sell SoftBank Ventures Asia to a new entity co-founded by Taizo Son, the younger brother of SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son.
Why it matters: Beyond the nepotism, this is SoftBank walking away from one of its oldest venture capital efforts. SBVA was launched in 2000 and reports over $2 billion in funds under management.
The crypto winter might not be over, but there could be signs of spring.
Why it matters: Crypto was in freefall in late 2022 as faith in digital assets suffered amid the FTX scandal and the collapse of other notable crypto companies.
Recent attacks linked to North Korean state-backed hackers are spotlighting how technically adept and creative the regime's cyber activity has become.
The big picture: Experts say public perception of North Korea's cyber threat risks painting the regime as an underfunded country solely focused on cybercrime to fund its government, but those perceptions aren't quite right.
A network of Chinese-language Twitter accounts appears to be spreading disinformation to discredit two well-known Chinese activists and dissidents, including one who was the focus of a recent Axios investigation, researchers at NewsGuard first told Axios.
What's happening: NewsGuard has detected 18 coordinated and "seemingly inauthentic" Chinese-language Twitter accounts that are sharing disparaging messages advocating against the work Chinese human rights activist Wang Qingpeng and political dissident Wang Jingyu have done to hold Beijing accountable, according to a note sent to NewsGuard clients last week.
The French Competition Authority is likelyto move forward soonwith an antitrust investigation into Apple over complaints tied to 2021 changes to its app tracking policies, sources told Axios.
Why it matters: A formal investigation would mark the first major government move taken globally against Apple related to privacy rule changes that upended the digital advertising world.
Donald Trump has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Facebook and Google ads in recent weeks, leveraging the chaos around his indictment to fundraise and collect data ahead of his 2024 run.
Why it matters: Trump used the exact same playbook ahead of the 2020 election.
The federal government is taking what could be the first steps toward requiring safer, more transparent AI systems as a Commerce Department agency invited public comment to help shape specific policy recommendations.
Why it matters: The move is far short of the comprehensive AI legislation critics have advocated. But with the frenzy over generative AI continuing to grow, the Biden administration is trying to get a head start on a government response to the fast-moving industry.
Some venture capitalists are nurturing small upstarts amid the ongoing crypto winter.
Zoom in: Rarely as of late is the venture capitalist making it rain on the crypto sector. Rather, investments are small and are going to smaller operations whose missions are pointed at boning up the crypto ecosystem, VCs tell Axios.
There are many theories out there that say crypto could ruin everything — and now the U.S. has given one firm the nod to study how.
Why it matters: The same government agency credited with developing life-changing technologies like, GPS, Siri and the internet, is digging in to further its understanding of digital assets.
The PC sector has been suffering a similar fate as retail — too much inventory and too little demand.
Why it matters: No major brand has been spared from the slowdown, Bloomberg notes, which comes after the industry saw explosive growth during the earlier part of the pandemic.
