Tech Meme

Todd Spangler / Variety: Amazon’s IMDb says founder Col Needham will step down as CEO and move to executive chair, and appoints COO Nikki Santoro as CEO; Needham launched IMDb in 1990  —  Col Needham, who founded of entertainment info site IMDb in 1990, is stepping aside as CEO of the Amazon-owned property. Lees verder op Tech Meme

James Hunt / The Block: MicroStrategy bought 11K bitcoin for ~$1.1B from January 13 to 20, at an average of $101,191 per BTC, taking its holding to 461K, worth $48B+, or 2%+ of supply  —  – MicroStrategy has purchased another 11,000 BTC for approximately $1.1 billion at an average price of $101,191 per bitcoin. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Counterpoint Research: Chinese smartphone sales fell 3.2% YoY in Q4 2024, the only negative quarter in 2024; Apple fell 18.2% to a 17.1% share and Huawei rose 15.5% to an 18.1% share  —  – During the quarter, Huawei secured the top spot, followed by Xiaomi.  Huawei’s sales grew 15.5% YoY, supported by the release of the Mate 70 series in early December. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Anna Gross / Financial Times: The UK debuts digital driving licenses and veteran ID cards, launching in 2025 via the GOV.UK Wallet, and AI tools, nicknamed “Humphrey”, to help civil servants  —  New app will also include documents showing criminal record checks and proof of eligibility for state benefits Lees verder op Tech Meme

Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: Grindr debuts two of six features set for 2025, including an opt-in AI chat summary, and says 10K US users are testing its AI-based “Wingman”, ahead of schedule  —  – LGBTQ dating brand hopes new features will drive engagement  — Some additions will initially be free; may later be paywalled Lees verder op Tech Meme

Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post: Donald Trump signs an EO ending “federal censorship” of online platforms, and directs the AG to investigate if the Biden admin censored US citizens’ free speech  —  President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to stop “government censorship,” a sweeping action … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Todd Spangler / Variety: IMDb says founder Col Needham will step down as CEO and become executive chair, and appoints COO Nikki Santoro as CEO; Needham launched IMDb in 1990  —  Col Needham, who founded of entertainment info site IMDb in 1990, is stepping aside as CEO of the Amazon-owned property. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Noah Smith / Noahpinion: How purchasing Trump’s memecoin, of which he reportedly holds $50B+ at January 19 prices, could be used to buy favors without actually transferring him funds  —  Crypto is, in fact, about sending people money.  —  Financial disclosure: I hold a modest amount of BTC and ETH. Lees verder op Tech Meme

New York Times: Sources: Elon Musk is likely to get a West Wing office, putting him close to Donald Trump, after Musk had for many days been asking about his level of access  —  The world’s richest man had been expected to be situated in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, but a West Wing office would give him closer access to President Trump. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: Grindr unveils new features, including an opt-in AI chat summary, plans to launch six features in 2025, and says 10K users are testing its AI-powered “Wingman”  —  – LGBTQ dating brand hopes new features will drive engagement  — Some additions will initially be free; may later be paywalled Lees verder op Tech Meme