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Motherboard shames the telecom companies into not selling us out, shareholders are suing Alphabet’s board, the government shutdown claims more tech victims, Apple says, “We can add more cameras also!” and the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Go.Bitrise.io/ride Metalab.co Links: I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone (Motherboard) AT&T says it’ll stop selling your location data, amid calls for a federal investigation (Washington Post) Google Board Sued for Hushing Claims of Executive Misconduct (Bloomberg) Government shutdown: TLS certificates not renewed, many websites are down (ZDNet) Apple Plans Three New iPhones This Year, Plays Catch-Up on Cameras (WSJ) Amazon Developing Game Streaming Service (The Information) The Smart Touch Weekend Longreads: Demon Underneath: John DeLorean and the Invention of the Future (The Outline) The Rise and Demise of RSS (Motherboard) Pitchfork’s Ryan Schreiber shaped Internet music journalism and now leaves it behind (Los Angeles Times) Inside look

We have a good idea when that foldable Samsung phone is coming, Google is actually close to a big legal win in Europe (for a change), the government shutdown might actually be affecting CES and why the “gig economy” might actually be a big nothingburger. Sponsors: Flatironschool.com/podcast Metalab.co Go.BitRide.io/ride Links: Samsung to Show Off Its New Foldable Phone in February (WSJ) Amazon Web Services calls MongoDB’s licensing bluff with DocumentDB, a new managed database (GeekWire) Google Nears Win in Europe Over ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ (WSJ) Google Only Has to Respect Your 'Right to Be Forgotten' in the EU, Court Says (Gizmodo) 2019 is already full of weird and wonderful monitors (The Verge) Government shutdown halts FCC device approvals (Axios) How Estimates of the Gig Economy Went Wrong (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now we know why Google has gone so big at CES: they want to put Assistant in everything, the first foldable phone arrives at CES, Twitter wants to show you only half of an NBA game, and Marc Zuckerberg wants to host his own version of a podcast, I guess.  Sponsors: go.bitrise.io/ride Metalab.co Links: GOOGLE’S PLAN TO TAKE ON ALEXA: NEW FEATURES, NEW DEVICES, AND A TROJAN HORSE (The Verge) The world’s first foldable phone is charmingly awful (The Verge) Twitter hopes you want to watch NBA games from a camera focused on just one player (Recode) Zuckerberg's 2019 Challenge Post VC funding in U.S. startups nears $100 billion in 2018, highest since dot-com era (GeekWire) Venture Capital Funding Report 2018 (CBInsights) Cable operators will fight off 5G with 10-gigabit cable modems (VentureBeat) This pretax benefits startup is giving hourly workers a raise (Fast Company) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are we in a smartphone recession, mooooaaaar tv new from CES, AT&T wants to make 5G confusing, and why WeWork is now, simply, We (company). Sponsors: Metalab.co go.bitrise.io/ride Links: Sorry, Samsung. Seems nobody is immune to peak smartphone (The Register) Apple’s Errors (Stratechery) Sony doubles down on 8K TVs and the entertainment to play on them (VentureBeat) AT&T decides 4G is now “5G,” starts issuing icon-changing software updates (ArsTechnica) Uber’s Confidential Documents Show Path to $90 Billion IPO (The Information) Exclusive: WeWork rebrands to The We Company; CEO Neumann talks about revised SoftBank round (Fast Company) Amazon's new ad strategy: Free samples based on what it knows about you (Axios) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Apple willing to sacrifice Apple TV for the greater subscription good, is Google Assistant is coming to feature phones, what is the use-case for a tv you can roll up into a box, and plenty more like that because it’s time to let the CES headlines rain over you. Sponsors: go.bitrise.io/ride metalab.co Stories from: @henrytcasey, @AshleyRReports Tweets:  @geoffreyfowler Links: Apple is putting iTunes on Samsung TVs (The Verge) Google Assistant will soon be on a billion devices, and feature phones are next (The Verge) Everything you may have missed from Nvidia's CES keynote (Techspot) HP Launches First-Ever AMD Chromebook (LaptopMag) Withings undercuts Apple Watch, debuts $129 ECG monitoring smartwatch (ArsTechnica) LG’s groundbreaking roll-up TV is going on sale this year (The Verge) Keeping up with Netflix originals is basically a part-time job now (QZ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Verge and AT&T have a trademark dispute, the city of Los Angeles and The Weather Channel app have a location data dispute, more on how shows like Bandersnatch really might be the future of storytelling and the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsor: Mealime.com (iOS App) (Android App) Links: AT&T tries to trademark ‘Verge TV’ as if we’re going to let them get away with it (The Verge) Los Angeles Accuses Weather Channel App of Covertly Mining User Data (NYTimes) D-Link debuts a 5G Wi-Fi router with 40 times wired broadband speeds (Venture Beat) BLACK MIRROR: BANDERSNATCH COULD BECOME NETFLIX’S SECRET MARKETING WEAPON (The Verge) Longreads: Podcast suggestion: Daily Fortnite Courier Prime He Hawks Young Blood As A New Miracle Treatment. All That’s Missing Is Proof. (HuffPo) Curbs on A.I. Exports? Silicon Valley Fears Losing Its Edge (NYTimes) The Bird Box Effect: How Memes Drive Users to Netflix (The Ringer) Birding Like It’s 1899: Inside a Blockbuster American West Video Game (Audubon) How Space and T

Apple lowers its guidance and the tech world freaks out, the company that you can outsource your censorship friendly China content to, a more durable e-scooter is coming and what to expect from CES. Sponsor: Mealime.com (iOS App) (Android App) Links: Letter from Tim Cook to Apple investors  Censoring China’s Internet, for Stability and Profit (NYTimes) Segway unveils a more durable electric scooter and autonomous delivery bot (TechCrunch) What to expect from CES 2019 (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Roku is quietly a major combatant in the Streaming Wars, Tesla slashes prices, how many cameras can we fit on a smartphone, how much would it cost to convince you to quit Facebook, and why Bandersnatch might just be the beginning of the choose your own adventure trend. Sponsor: Mealime.com (iOS App) (Android App) Links: Activision Plans to Fire CFO Neumann, Puts Him on Paid Leave (Bloomberg) ROKU BREAKS FREE FROM BOXES AND TVS (Wired) Tesla slashes EV prices by $2,000 to offset reduced tax credits (Engadget) [Exclusive] Nokia 9 PureView Penta-camera Phone Revealed in Full Glory in First-ever Promo Video (Mysmartprice) Economists calculate the true value of Facebook to its users in new study (ArsTechnica) Popsugar's Twinning app was leaking everyone's uploaded photos (TechCrunch) HOW THE SURPRISE NEW INTERACTIVE BLACK MIRROR CAME TOGETHER (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 2019! And... here's what we've got on tap for the pod in the new year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instagram briefly goes horizontal, more on how epic Fortnite has been for Epic Games this year, Larry Ellison joins Tesla’s board, the global GPS wars are joined and the last weekend longreads of the year. Links: Instagram briefly switched to a horizontal feed and people freaked out (The Verge) Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, banked a $3 billion profit in 2018 (TechCrunch) Exclusive: Foxconn to begin assembling top-end Apple iPhones in India in 2019 - source (Reuters) Tesla Taps Ellison, HR Expert to Prove Musk Is Reined In (Bloomberg) China ramps up global coverage for domestic Beidou satellite navigation system as rival to GPS (South China Morning Post) The Betterment Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Devchat.tv podcasts The GPS wars have begun (TechCrunch) Amazon gets into health insurance — and more 2019 health-tech predictions from top experts (CNBC) The biggest technology failures of 2018 (MIT Technology Review) Why Your Next Home Might Not Need Any Energy at All (WSJ) THE 'FUTURE BOOK' IS HERE

Amazon has a record-breaking holiday season, surprising absolutely no one, another Instagram crackdown, a look at Austin as a tech hub, and why mobile alerts are a Frankenstein monster increasingly out of control. Amazon Says Alexa Voice Shopping Tripled During 2018 Holiday Season (Fortune) Instagram’s Christmas Crackdown (The Atlantic) Tesla's Supercharger network will cover all of Europe in 2019 (Engadget) With Tech Expansion, Austin Is Still Weird. It’s Just More Wired Now, Too. (NYTimes) Pushed Even Further: US Newsrooms View Mobile Alerts as a Standalone Platform (CJR) Movie Theaters Bounce Back: What’s Behind the 2018 Rebound (Variety) Watch the trailer for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, releasing Friday 28th on Netflix (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How the US government shutdown affects cybersecurity, how the Open Government Data Act is possibly good tech governance, Airbnb and Slack are considering non-traditional IPOs and the state of AI research at the end of 2018. How a government shutdown affects America’s cybersecurity workforce (FifthDomain) In a huge win for open data, Congress passes the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act (BoingBoing) Wall Street Quietly Shelves Its Bitcoin Dreams (Bloomberg) Layoffs Underway Amid ‘Adjustments,’ Bitcoin Miner Bitmain Confirms (CoinDesk) HQ Trivia launches HQ Words as reinstalled CEO seeks a game-changer (TechCrunch) Airbnb and Slack are considering untraditional IPOs that box out bankers like Spotify did (Recode) Geoffrey Hinton and Demis Hassabis: AGI is nowhere close to being a reality (VentureBeat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook is developing a cryptocoin for WhatsApp, Blind was not quite anonymous enough, which is the most accurate voice assistant and of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Internet of Things Podcast Links: Facebook Is Developing a Cryptocurrency for WhatsApp Transfers, Sources Say (Bloomberg) At Blind, a security lapse revealed private complaints from Silicon Valley employees (TechCrunch) Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Gets Promotion to Senior Vice President (MacRumors) Annual Smart Speaker IQ Test (LoopVentures) The Betterment Weekend Longreads: Software Defined Talk (Podcast) Apple Computers Used to Be Built in the U.S. It Was a Mess (NYTimes) Inside Shenzhen’s race to outdo Silicon Valley (Bloomberg) The 2019 IPO class headlined by Uber will create a ton of new wealth. Will the billions go to mansions or missions? (Recode) Venture Capital Blind Spots: The Top 7 Reasons Why VCs Miss Billion-Dollar Outcomes (645 Ventures) Prime and Punishment (The Verge) 7 Modern BBSes

Now some iPhones can’t be sold in Germany, is there an iPad Pro bend-gate brewing, drones shut down a major UK airport, and why Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is suing the makers of Fortnite. Sponsors: Metalab.co The Cyberwire Podcast Links: Apple to Stop Selling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 Models in Germany While Appealing Broader Sales Ban [Updated]  (MacRumors) Apple confirms some iPad Pros ship slightly bent, but says it’s normal (The Verge) Justice Department charges Chinese nationals in ‘extensive’ global hacking campaign (CNBC) Uber's self-driving cars return to public roads after fatal crash (CNET) Drones cause holiday chaos at one of London's busiest airports (Engadget) Gatwick Airport: Drones ground flights (BBC News) Pinterest Readies Itself for Early 2019 IPO (WSJ) FORTNITE KEEPS STEALING DANCES — AND NO ONE KNOWS IF IT’S ILLEGAL (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sorry. I truly am. Another Facebook scandal to tell you about. The Boring Company unveils its tunnel, Zwift is gamification, a fitness app play, a social network, VR, and e-sports all in one startup and why Touch ID might return to the iPhone. Sponsors: Metalab.co Grumpy Old Geeks Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google presses pause on that Chinese search project, what’s delaying Facebook’s Clear History project, AT&T’s 5G goes live and Audi unveils its autonomous vehicle ambitions. Sponsors: FlatironSchool.com/podcast Metalab.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook got all the press but the Russians really loved Instagram to spread misinformation, more tech real estate moves, the CEO of HQ Trivia passes away, and how to break into somebody’s phone with a 3D-printed head.Sponsors:Techmeme.Robinhood.comMetalab.coLinks:Instagram Was Bigger Russian Election Tool Than Facebook, Senate Report Says (Bloomberg)Google Details Major New York Expansion (WSJ)Colin Kroll, 34, HQ Trivia and Vine Co-Founder, Is Found Dead (NYTimes)We Broke Into A Bunch Of Android Phones With A 3D-Printed Head (Forbes)Robinhood Will Retool Checking Product Following Scrutiny (Bloomberg)Apple hires designer Andrew Kim away from Tesla (The Verge)My Talk at Google (Me) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fri. 12/14 - Facebook Faces a GDPR Inquiryhttps://feedpress.me/RideHome - Direct RSS feed starting this weekend, just in caseThe bomb scare email scam that demanded bitcoin, Facebook’s Photo API gave away too many photos, Apple strikes back at Qualcomm, Apple kills its second music-based social network, an Apple analyst sounds alarm bells about iPhone unit sales, Instacart breaks up with Whole Foods, PlanetScale brings mega-scaling technology to the masses, and of course the Weekend Longreads suggestions.Sponsors:MacStadium.com/ridehome Tiny.websiteLinks:Bitcoin scammers send bomb threats worldwide, causing evacuations (The Verge)Facebook bug exposed up to 6.8M users’ unposted photos to apps (TechCrunch)Irish regulator to investigate Facebook after new data leak (Financial Times)Apple Says China iPhone Ban Would Force Settlement With Qualcomm (Bloomberg)Apple Music removes ability for artists to post to Connect, posts removed from Artist Pages and For You (9to5Mac)Ming-Chi Kuo cuts first quarter iPhone sales

Apple keeps Austin weird with a new campus, RobinHood launches checking and savings accounts, hands on with the Apple Watch ECG thingy, and the most disliked video in YouTube history. Sponsors:MacStadium.com/ridehome Tiny.websiteLinks:Apple to invest $1 billion in new Austin campus (Axios)Amazon Hires Lobbyists for N.Y. Site and Tries to Fend Off Ocasio-Cortez’s Supporters (NYTimes)Amazon Went to City Hall. Things Got Loud, Quickly. (NYTimes)High-Tech Degrees and the Price of an Avocado: The Data New York Gave to Amazon (NYTimes)After losing half its value, Nvidia faces reckoning (TechCrunch)Robinhood launches no-fee checking/savings with Mastercard & the most ATMs (TechCrunch)A look at the Apple Watch’s ECG, from someone who needs it (Ars Technica)Apple now has dozens of doctors on staff, showing it's serious about health tech (CNBC)POSTMATES' QUEST TO BUILD THE DELIVERY ROBOT OF THE FUTURE (Wired)YouTube Rewind 2018 is officially the most disliked video on YouTube (The Verge) Learn more about your ad

Intel’s next generation architecture revealed, was China behind that massive Marriott hack, Good Money wants to give customers a stake in their own banking, and what is Michael Dell’s long game?Sponsors:Eero.com/ride (promo code: ride)Tiny.websiteLinks:Intel unveils a new architecture for 2019: Sunny Cove (Ars Technica)Intel is bringing teraflop integrated graphics to 10nm chips in 2019 (Engadget)AN INTEL BREAKTHROUGH RETHINKS HOW CHIPS ARE MADE (Wired)Marriott Data Breach Is Traced to Chinese Hackers as U.S. Readies Crackdown on Beijing (NYTimes)Apple Suppliers Are Considering Moving iPhone Output if Tariffs Hit 25% (Bloomberg)U.S. investigators point to China in Marriott hack affecting 500 million guests (The Washington Post)Indonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank's Vision Fund (TechCrunch)At this new online banking platform, customers are the owners (Fast Company)Apple’s ‘Netflix for Magazines’ Getting a Chilly Reception (Bloomberg)Dell’s long game is in hybrid and priv