Meta Episodes

Facebook news and rumors, including updates on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus.
Aug. 19, 2021

Thu. 08/19 – FTC Files Its Facebook Mulligan

Headlines out of time: Amazon wants to do department stores. Google partners with GE Appliances. But Intel continues to look to the future with its new hybrid architecture chips. Facebook wants your next conference call to take place in VR. And has Robinhood put all its eggs in the Doge basket?
Aug. 18, 2021

Wed. 08/18 – WhatsApp Shuts Down Taliban “Helpline”

A look at how all the platforms are dealing with the Taliban being a modern social media enterprise. Amazon is bigger than Walmart for the first time. Samsung stops cluttering its phones with ads. Attempting to hire the hacker who hacked you. And I get my answer to why all the platforms want to pro…
July 3, 2021

(SPC CST) The Facebook Antitrust Blowup With @Kantrowitz

Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology newsletter comes on to try to help us work out what happened with that Facebook Antitrust case blowup. Also, what does this mean for regulating other companies.
July 1, 2021

Thu. 07/01 – Instagram Is “No Longer A Photo-Sharing App”

Instagram and TikTok are on a collision course. Instagram wants to be more like TikTok, while TikTok hopes to move the goalposts first. Amazon wants Lina Khan to recuse herself. Big tech is not only taking over advertising, it’s consolidating it. And anyone can get their hands on Starlink next mont…
June 30, 2021

Wed. 06/30 – Facebook’s Substack Clone

Facebook launches its Substack clone. Emphasis on clone. Shopify joins the platform tax wars by going to zero. A truce between Microsoft and Google has just lapsed. A big raise in the drone space. And would you pay to get actual search results instead of ads?
June 29, 2021

Tue. 06/29 – Facebook Beats The Rap

A judge has completely thrown out the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook and sent them back to the drawing board. Microsoft and OpenAI and Github have a tool that will suggest code to you as you code. And Sam Altman, as I understand this, wants to do Universal Basic Income on the blockchain. …
June 21, 2021

Mon. 06/21 – Can Facebook Win Audio?

Facebook’s Clubhouse clone rolls out. Here’s how it works. China really does seem to be cracking down on Bitcoin mining. Here’s why that could be important. Some power companies in Texas are remotely adjusting the smart thermostats of users. Here’s why that’s likely the future of things. And had yo…
June 17, 2021

Thu. 06/17 – How About Some Ads On Your Oculus?

Facebook is bringing ads to Virtual Reality cause, why not, right? Stories are coming to the Xbox. Why is Google downsizing it’s healthcare team? Why are music artists flooding to Twitch? And is Facebook cornering the VR market like it cornered social media?
June 2, 2021

Wed. 06/02 – Facebook’s F8 Refresh

All the headlines from Facebook’s F8 Refresh. Etsy buys a used clothes marketplace. Another ransomware attack shutting down a major player in a vital industry, this time, literally in the meat-space. And you can start trading Dogecoin on Coinbase tomorrow.
May 5, 2021

Wed. 05/05 – Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Trump Ban

Facebook’s Oversight Board upholds the Trump account suspension. Signal trolls Facebook using its own ad system. An appeals court has ruled that Section 230 does not apply to app design. Kind of. It’s complicated. And the not complicated reason why some exchanges can’t tell you the price of Berkshi…
April 26, 2021

Mon. 04/26 – Listen To The Podcast On Facebook, I Guess?

Facebook rolls out that Spotify integration. Roku accuses Google of making anticompetitive demands for YouTube TV. iOS 14.5 rolls out, and with it that App Tracking Transparency tool. Apple plans a big new campus in North Carolina. And DoNotPay’s latest service helps protect your selfies from the g…
April 19, 2021

Mon. 04/19 – Facebook To Announce Going Big On Audio, Via Audio?

Mon. 04/19 – Facebook To Announce Going Big On Audio, Via Audio? Facebook has probably just outlined its plans to go big on audio, via a digital audio room. Clubhouse has officially announced that big new raise, probably in reaction to that, to some degree, A16Z did indeed triple down, and I try t…
March 31, 2021

Wed. 03/31 – Everything Old Is New Again In The News Feed

Facebook has announced News Feed changes to bring chronology back. LinkedIn is working on a Clubhouse rival and I think that makes total sense. Apple actually leads an interesting investment round. Deliveroo has a disastrous first day on the public markets. And how about Roblox, but inside the Unre…
March 19, 2021

Fri. 03/19 – A Rebel Alliance, Led By Facebook, And Born In A Clubhouse Room?

It’s app platform product news day! Instagram is working on a version of the service suitable for kids. Twitter wants you to watch YouTube in-stream. Telegram is basically adding all the Clubhouse features I’ve been dreaming of. Was an anti-Apple rebel alliance born last night in a Clubhouse room? …
March 1, 2021

Mon. 03/01 – Instagram Launches Live Rooms For Group Broadcasts

Instagram launches Live Rooms for group broadcasts, which, depending on how you use it is either basically FaceTime for Instagram, or another shot across the Clubhouse bow. Is the micromobility space revving up to roar back to health? Are US-based drone makers about to step into the void left by DJ…