Techmeme Ride Home

Have we uncovered the hackers behind Lapsus$, that crazy new hacker group? Another crack in the App Store wall as Google unilaterally decides to test alternative payment systems? Uber is actually teaming up with the Taxi drivers here in New York City. And would you buy a 15 inch MacBook Air? Sponsors: Policygenius.com NewRelic.com/techmeme Links: Teen Suspected by Cyber Researchers of Being Lapsus$ Mastermind (Bloomberg) A Closer Look at the LAPSUS$ Data Extortion Group (KrebsonSecurity) Google Play to pilot third-party billing option, starting with Spotify (TechCrunch) Twitter’s DM search will finally actually help you find conversations (The Verge) Uber Reaches Deal to List All New York City Taxis on Its App (WSJ) Report: Apple developing new 15-inch MacBook Air that could come in 2023 (9to5Mac) YouTube is taking on over-the-air TV with nearly 4,000 free episodes of TV (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Customers are getting frustrated with Okta over that potential Lapsus$ hack. Apple’s acquisition of an open banking startup is interesting. Yuga Labs is the (forgive me) 800lb gorilla of the NFT space. And why Zuckerberg’s personal remote work regimen might explain why he’s so obsessed with having meetings in VR. Links: Linkedin.com/ride Links: The Third-Party Okta Hack Leaves Customers Scrambling (Wired) Apple acquires UK open banking startup Credit Kudos (The Block) Apple Buys UK Fintech Start-Up Credit Kudos (CNBC) El Salvador postpones bitcoin bond issue, expects better conditions (Reuters) Bored Ape Yacht Club creator raises $450 million to build an NFT metaverse (The Verge) Crypto investor Katie Haun raises $1.5 billion, the largest debut fund ever by a female VC (CNBC) Mark Zuckerberg and Meta’s Leadership Take Remote Work to the Extreme (WSJ) Zoom’s new virtual avatars let you show up to your next meeting as a dog (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.

When it rains, it pours cybersecurity news. The White House warns that Russian hacks may be incoming. Lapsus$ has now allegedly hit Okta and Microsoft. A big alleged hack to HubSpot might hurt a bunch of crypto companies. And why does that Apple Studio display have 64GB of storage it’s (mostly) not using? Sponsors: RocketLawyer.com/workconfidently Links: Statement by President Biden on our Nation’s Cybersecurity (WhiteHouse.gov) Is Russia exploring cyberattacks against U.S. in response to hacktivists? (VentureBeat) Okta hack puts thousands of businesses on high alert (The Verge) Lapsus$ hackers leak 37GB of Microsoft's alleged source code (BleepingComputer) Hacker Steals Customer Data From Circle, BlockFi, Other Big Crypto Firms (Decrypt) Alphabet’s quantum tech group Sandbox spins off into an independent company (CNBC) Apple Studio Display Contains 64GB of Storage, But Only 2GB Used (MacRumors) Roku OS 11 will let you set your own photos as a screensaver (The Verge) Learn more about

An alternative title to today’s show could be Schrödinger’s Brazilian Telegram Ban. I’ll explain. Ukrainians say Elon Musk’s Starlink donation is proving quite useful. Toronto has become the third-largest tech hub in North America. Should Apple make routers again? And where will the advertising dollars go in 2022? Sponsors: Hapbee.com/techmeme do.co/trh Links: Telegram forgot to check its email and now it’s banned in Brazil (The Verge) Brazil Lifts Its Ban on Telegram After Two Days (NYTimes) Elon Musk’s Starlink is keeping Ukrainians online when traditional Internet fails (Washington Post) Chipmakers face two-year shortage of critical equipment (FT) Toronto, the Quietly Booming Tech Town (NYTimes) Apple Should Make Home Wi-Fi Routers Again as Part of Mac Reboot (Bloomberg) TV, merchant media and the unbundling of advertising (Ben-Evans.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talked to Nathan Baschez and Dan Shipper, the founders of the media startup Every.to. We talked to them about the realities of being two years in as a modern, from the ground up media company, the shifting landscape in the “creator economy” (remember that?) And a lot about Substack and its business model and philosophy. Around the hour mark, Chris and I have a lengthy conversation about the Mac Studio, my purchasing of one, my cancelling of my order for a Studio Display. And also, Chris has a very interesting 8 dimensional chess theory about where Apple is headed as a company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australia sues Meta for alleged cryptocurrency scam ads. Bored Apes Yacht Club had, what we might call a busted IPO, if that was term we were using. Amazon is now officially the proud owner of James Bond. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: GetVultr.com/techmeme or promocode 150OFFER30 LiveOuter.com/techmeme Links: Australian watchdog sues Facebook-owner Meta over scam advertisements (Reuters) Bored Ape Yacht Club Ethereum NFT Sales Surge as ApeCoin Price Pops, Then Drops (Decrypt) U.S. antitrust enforcers won't challenge Amazon's MGM deal, dashing hopes of monopoly critics (Politico) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Substack’s Ideology (Divinations) A Big Bet to Kill the Password for Good (Wired) Razzlekhan: The Untold Story Of How A YouTube Rapper Became A Suspect In A $4 Billion Bitcoin Fraud (Forbes) Six months in, El Salvador’s bitcoin gamble is crumbling (Rest Of World) The neon shortage is a bad sign (Recode) Beating Japan at Its Own (Video) Game: A Smas

Google kind of returns to an in person I/O but just a little bit. The harsh new British law that could put tech executives behind bars. Netflix says the free ride of password sharing is over. Though, the gravy train of subsidized 15 minute delivery seems to be back on. Oh, and the rave reviews of the new Mac Studio. Sponsors: Codecademy.com promocode ride for 15% off Codecademy Pro What's Your Problem podcast Links: Google I/O takes place May 11th and 12th, and it will be fully available online (The Verge) Tech Executives Threatened With Jail Time Under Proposed U.K. Law (The Information) Netflix Will Prompt Subscribers to Pay for Users Outside Their Households in New Test to Address Unauthorized Password Sharing (EXCLUSIVE) (Variety) Bored Apes NFT project gets official 'ApeCoin' token (TechCrunch) APPLE MAC STUDIO REVIEW: FINALLY (The Verge) Two ultra-fast delivery startups shut down in one week (CBS58) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta has a new Family Center to keep kids monitored. Zuck says NFTs are coming to Instagram “soon.” Google’s Stadia strategy is coming into focus, and it’s interesting. Is Vimeo threatening longtime users to pay up? And a review of the latest iPad Air iteration. Sponsors: RocketLawyer.com/workconfidently IPVanish.com/techmeme and promocode techmeme for 70% savings Links: Instagram rolls out new safety tools for parents (TechCrunch) Mark Zuckerberg confirms NFTs are coming to Instagram (Engadget) Google casually announces Steam for Chrome OS is coming in alpha for select Chromebooks (9to5Google) Google Stadia is subtly reinventing itself to attract new games and gamers (The Verge) Microsoft says Windows 11 File Explorer ads were ‘not intended to be published externally’ (The Verge) Vimeo is telling creators to suddenly pay thousands of dollars — or leave the platform (The Verge) APPLE IPAD AIR (2022) REVIEW: IT’S THE NICE ONE (The Verge) FC Barcelona agree to sponsorship deal with Spotify

Layoffs at Arm signal the IPO is nigh. Microsoft has brought that fast loading games technology from Xbox to Windows. Twitter heard you were made and has backed down. Crypto dodges another bullet in the EU. And some solid, tangible numbers to prove that streaming has taken over Hollywood. Sponsors: do.co/ridehome2022 Priceline.com Links: UK chipmaker Arm to cut up to 1,000 jobs after $40bn sale collapses (The Guardian) Get Ready for Faster Game Load Times With DirectStorage for Windows (PC Mag) Twitter rolls back its decision to force you into the out-of-order timeline (The Verge) iOS 15.4 now live as Universal Control comes to iPads and Macs (The Verge) Apple releases macOS 12.3 with Universal Control, new emoji, head tracking for Spatial Audio, more (9to5Mac) Proposal Limiting Proof-of-Work Is Rejected in EU Parliament Committee Vote (CoinDesk) HBO Max, Discovery+ to Combine for “Blowout” Product, CFO Says (The Hollywood Reporter) Streaming boom propels film industry's pandemic recovery 

Well, what can I tell you? Foxconn is shutting factories in China again cause of the new Omicron outbreak there. Will Apple only give new chips it its pro phones going forward? Why people are mad at Twitter now. How people actually watch Netflix. And… checks notes... A robot goat. Sponsors: shop.SiempreTequila.com Promo Code RIDE The Traceroute Podcast Links: Foxconn Halts iPhone Shenzhen Site Due to Covid Lockdown (Bloomberg) Kuo: Only iPhone 14 Pro Models to Get 'A16' Chip, Standard Models to Retain A15 (MacRumors) Twitter makes it harder to choose the old reverse-chronological feed (The Verge) Using a New Cyber Tool, Westerners Have Been Texting Russians About the War in Ukraine (WSJ) These are Netflix's Most Popular Shows (According to Netflix) (Bloomberg) APPLE’S NEW IPHONE SE IS A MODERN PHONE STUCK IN YESTERDAY’S DESIGN (The Verge) Kawasaki's Rideable Robotic Goat Is the Electric Car for Wandering Cowpokes (Gizmodo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho

As I said on Friday's show, I figured that since Chris Messina has been co-hosting with me for about a year, maybe it's time to republish the Internet History Podcast episode I did with him. After all, many of you might know him as the inventor of the hashtag, but did you know about all of the early Web 2.0 stuff he did? It might help you better understand the perspective Chris brings to our interview episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia moves to ban Instagram and designate Meta as an “extremist organization.” The EU and UK open an antitrust probe into Google and Meta about ads collusion. Stripe now supports crypto. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: WealthFront.com/techmeme Links: Russia Asks Court to Label Facebook, Instagram as ‘Extremist’ (Bloomberg) DuckDuckGo reverses course, will demote Russian propaganda in search results (Engadget) EU and UK open antitrust probe into Google and Meta over online ads (FT) Stripe launches payments support for crypto businesses, partners with FTX (The Block) The great NFT sell-off: has the digital collectibles craze hit its peak? (FT) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Great Tech Hub Exodus Didn't Quite Happen (Wired) Deep Learning Is Hitting a Wall (Nautilus) Will Transformers Take Over Artificial Intelligence? (Quanta Magazine) The rise of Canva, the $40 billion design juggernaut (Fast Company) AngelList: A Venture Constellation (The Generalist)

Apple hasn’t forgotten about the Mac Mini. Amazon’s first stock split since the dotcom era. Tinder leans into background checks as a service. Hands on with the new Magic Leap 2 AR glasses. And forget about delivery by drone, now imagine getting packages delivered to you from space. The wildest startup I’ve heard about in a while. Sponsors: Masterworks.io/ride Workable.com Links: Exclusive: Updated Mac mini to have versions with M2 and M2 Pro chip (9to5Mac) 27-Inch 'Studio Display Pro' With Mini-LED and ProMotion Could Launch in June (MacRumors) Amazon announces 20-for-1 stock split, $10 billion buyback (CNBC) Tinder rolls out in-app access to background checks, powered by nonprofit Garbo (TechCrunch) Magic Leap 2 Hands-On: AR Glasses That Can Dim The Real World (CNET) Dreaming of Suitcases in Space (NYTimes) The a16z Episode With Myself And Chris Dixon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That telegraphed Executive Order for Crypto is being signed, probably as we speak. Is Congress pressing criminal charges against Amazon? LimeWire is back, but for the NFT era. And a deep dive look at that mind boggling new M1 Ultra chip that Apple announced yesterday. Sponsors: Composer.trade Smith.ai promocode techmeme for $100 off signup Links: Biden Orders Study of Cryptocurrency Risk, Creation of U.S. Digital Currency (WSJ) Amazon Flagged to Justice Department for Possible Criminal Obstruction of Congress (WSJ) Twitter Launches Tor Onion Service Making Site Easier to Access in Russia (Motherboard) Lumen, a second major American Internet carrier, pulling out of Russia (Washington Post) EU Says Russia, Belarus Sanctions Extend to Crypto (CoinDesk) LimeWire Is Making a Comeback, But Not As You Know It (Bloomberg) Apple Announces M1 Ultra (AnandTech) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All the news from the Spring Apple event this afternoon. Google is buying a cybersecurity company. A bunch of cybersecurity companies band together to protect critical infrastructure. Amazon launches an app to allow anyone to be a DJ. And the arrival of Android 12L. Sponsors: do.co/trh Traceroute Podcast Origins.dev Links: Apple’s Mac Studio is a new desktop for creative professionals (The Verge) Apple unveils the M1 Ultra, its most powerful chip yet (Engadget) Apple unveils iPhone SE 3 with A15 chip, same home button design (9to5Mac) Google is buying the cybersecurity company that uncovered the SolarWinds hack (The Verge) Cloudflare, CrowdStrike and Ping Identity to provide free cybersecurity to vulnerable industries (Silicon Angle) Amazon launches a ‘live radio’ app, Amp, which lets you play DJ with music and call-ins (TechCrunch) Android 12L will come to Samsung, Lenovo, and Microsoft devices (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The evolving hack story involving Nvidia has now hit Samsung as the same hackers apparently have some of their source code. Are the iMac updates I’m really hungry for getting pushed all the way back to next year? The real reason why brands are leaving Russia. And consumer beware: scams seem to be rampant on Zelle, and your bank might not be willing to help you. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme IPVanish.com/techmeme and promocode techmeme for 70% savings Links: Cybercriminals who breached Nvidia issue one of the most unusual demands ever (ArsTechnica) Malware now using NVIDIA's stolen code signing certificates (Bleeping Computer) Hackers leak 190GB of alleged Samsung data, source code (Bleeping Computer) Kuo: 27-inch Apple external display coming this year, new iMac Pro and Mac Pro in 2023 (9to5Mac) TikTok Suspends Livestreaming in Russia on ‘Fake News’ Law (Bloomberg) How are the Big Sanctions hurting Russia so far? (NoahPinion Substack) Fraud Is Flourishing on Zelle. The Banks Say It’s No

Chris was in town again! So we asked the great Charlie O'Donnell of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures to come over to my kitchen to talk about the tech news of the week. But Charlie also gives us his analysis and history of the New York Tech scene, and the state of venture and tech generally, coming out of these Covid years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out Rownd.io! Get involved yourself: rownd.io/techmeme  Or book a time with the founder: https://calendly.com/rob-rownd/mutant-podcast-army Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twitter’s return to the office is a real covid era milestone. Ok, how about Disney+ but with ads? Is crypto usage in Russia actually falling? Something something, wasn’t this the original use case for crypto? Are NFT prices falling? And of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: Twitter to reopen offices March 15, though remote work remains an option (CNBC) Disney+ to launch cheaper ad-supported tier later this year (CNBC) Ethereum Companies Suddenly Ban Users In Certain Countries (Motherboard) SpaceX sent Starlink internet terminals to Ukraine. They could paint a ‘giant target’ on users’ backs, experts say (CNN Business) NFT Mania Show Signs of Cooling as Average Price and Sales Decline (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: How shunning Russia could offer the U.S. tech giants an easy win (Politico) Tech Companies Are Reopening Their Offices, but Tech Work Has Changed Forever (WSJ) The Role Of Turkish Drones In Ukraine's War (NDTV) These women are staking their claim to Web3

The story of the young Ukrainian Minister who has bent the conscience of western tech companies, and coordinated the reachout to crypto. Is regulation coming for NFTs? Epic Games acquired Bandcamp. Amazon pulls back from its IRL retail experiments. And a big update on the return to the office watch. Links: Ukraine cancels crypto airdrop, plans to sell NFTs instead (The Block) The Ukrainian leader who is pushing Silicon Valley to stand up to Russia (Washington Post) Crypto Powerhouse ConsenSys Faces Action by Former Employees (Bloomberg) SEC Scrutinizes NFT Market Over Illegal Crypto Token Offerings (Bloomberg) Epic Games Acquires Bandcamp as ‘Fortnite’ Maker Expands Into Music (Variety) Amazon is shutting 68 retail stores, ending Amazon Books, 4-star and Pop Up shops (CNBC) Apple Event Announced for March 8: 'Peek Performance' (MacRumors) Google tells employees in Bay Area and other U.S. locations to return to offices in April (CNBC) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f