Journals

Bloomberg: A look at a16z’s growing DC lobbying operation, which spent almost $1M in 2023, easily the most among VCs, and aims to help its defense-focused startups  —  Breaking with industry custom, the VC firm has begun lobbying to help… Read More »A look at a16z’s growing DC lobbying operation, which spent almost $1M in 2023, easily the most among VCs, and aims to help its defense-focused startups (Bloomberg)

Dade Hayes / Deadline: As YouTube marks one year as Nielsen’s top US streaming service, a Q&A with YouTube VPs Nicky Rettke and Tara Levy on the NFL, ad innovation, creators, and more  —  EXCLUSIVE: YouTube has been racking up… Read More »As YouTube marks one year as Nielsen’s top US streaming service, a Q&A with YouTube VPs Nicky Rettke and Tara Levy on the NFL, ad innovation, creators, and more (Dade Hayes/Deadline)

Bloomberg: Sources: Apple COO Jeff Williams makes a rare visit to Taiwan to celebrate Foxconn’s 50th anniversary, joining SVP of Operations Sabih Khan at a gala event  —  – Foxconn is a key piece in Apple’s global supply chain network … Read More »Sources: Apple COO Jeff Williams makes a rare visit to Taiwan to celebrate Foxconn’s 50th anniversary, joining SVP of Operations Sabih Khan at a gala event (Bloomberg)

New York Times: How Anthropic raised $7.3B in the past year, including using unusual deal structures; sources say its valuation tripled to $15B and its monthly revenue hit $8M  —  The company raised $7.3 billion over the last year, as… Read More »How Anthropic raised $7.3B in the past year, including using unusual deal structures; sources say its valuation tripled to $15B and its monthly revenue hit $8M (New York Times)

Financial Times: Sources: UK digital bank Monzo is nearing a deal to raise £350M led by Alphabet’s CapitalG at a £4B post-money valuation, up from £3.5B in December 2021  —  Fintech could finalise deal in next two weeks to raise… Read More »Sources: UK digital bank Monzo is nearing a deal to raise £350M led by Alphabet’s CapitalG at a £4B post-money valuation, up from £3.5B in December 2021 (Financial Times)

Jacob Pramuk / CNBC: Walmart agrees to buy TV maker Vizio for $2.3B, or $11.50/share, to boost its ad business via Vizio’s SmartCast OS, which lets users stream ad-supported content  —  – Walmart is buying TV maker Vizio for $2.3… Read More »Walmart agrees to buy TV maker Vizio for $2.3B, or $11.50/share, to boost its ad business via Vizio’s SmartCast OS, which lets users stream ad-supported content (Jacob Pramuk/CNBC)

Antonia Mufarech / Bloomberg: Tinder plans to roll out its new ID checks in the US, the UK, Brazil, and Mexico, after tests in Australia and New Zealand, to combat AI scams and dating crimes  —  – Verification will require… Read More »Tinder plans to roll out its new ID checks in the US, the UK, Brazil, and Mexico, after tests in Australia and New Zealand, to combat AI scams and dating crimes (Antonia Mufarech/Bloomberg)

Jon Porter / The Verge: Samsung details its Auracast, 360 Audio, and Auto Switch features, rolling out to Buds 2, Buds FE, the S24 series, Neo QLED and OLED TVs, Book laptops, and more  —  None are appearing on Samsung’s… Read More »Samsung details its Auracast, 360 Audio, and Auto Switch features, rolling out to Buds 2, Buds FE, the S24 series, Neo QLED and OLED TVs, Book laptops, and more (Jon Porter/The Verge)

Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: Law enforcement arrests two LockBit operators in Poland and Ukraine, issues three arrest warrants, releases a decryption tool, and seizes 200+ crypto wallets  —  Law enforcement arrested two operators of the LockBit ransomware gang in Poland… Read More »Law enforcement arrests two LockBit operators in Poland and Ukraine, issues three arrest warrants, releases a decryption tool, and seizes 200+ crypto wallets (Sergiu Gatlan/BleepingComputer)

Chris Kerr / Game Developer: Steam Annual Summary for 2023: more than 500 games earned $3M+ in gross revenue for the first time ever, concurrent users reached a record 33M, and more  —  More than 500 games earned over $3… Read More »Steam Annual Summary for 2023: more than 500 games earned $3M+ in gross revenue for the first time ever, concurrent users reached a record 33M, and more (Chris Kerr/Game Developer)