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

Jay Peters / The Verge: Card game Marvel Snap, published by ByteDance’s Nuverse, is back online in the US; developer Second Dinner plans to find a new publisher to avoid future bans  —  Marvel Snap is back online in the US after access was cut off Saturday night due to the law that banned TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch: Trump signs an EO renaming the US Digital Service as the US DOGE Service, directing agency heads to form “DOGE Teams” of at least four employees within 30 days  —  The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory commission spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk recommending deep cuts … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bobby Allyn / NPR: Donald Trump signs an EO pausing the TikTok ban for 75 days to give ByteDance more time to reach a deal and aims to protect TikTok’s providers from liability  —  President Trump signed an executive order on Monday seeking to hit pause on a law banning TikTok and to provide a liability shield … Lees verder op Tech Meme

James Hunt / The Block: MicroStrategy bought 11,000 bitcoin for ~$1.1B, an average of $101,191, between January 13 and 20, taking its holding to 461,000, 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

Noah Smith / Noahpinion: How Trump’s memecoin, of which he reportedly holds $50B+ at January 19 prices, could be used to buy favors without any direct, observable transfer occurring  —  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 set to get a West Wing office, putting him close to 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

Counterpoint Research: Chinese smartphone sales fell 3.2% YoY in Q4 2024, the only 2024 quarter with a YoY drop; Apple fell 18.2% while Huawei rose 15.5% for an 18.1% market 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