Regulation Episodes

Legal and regulatory news and rumors for tech companies.
March 11, 2022

Fri. 03/11 – Russia Bans Instagram And Designates Meta As An “Extremist Organization”

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.
March 9, 2022

Wed. 03/09 – The Regulatory Era For Crypto Starts Today

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.
March 3, 2022

Thu. 03/03 – Epic Buys Bandcamp; Amazon Retrenches From Physical Retail

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.
March 2, 2022

Wed. 03/02 – Will Poker Be The Killer App For The Metaverse?

As of right now, you can no longer buy an iPhone in Russia. Big recall from Fitbit because their smartwatches might burn you. Meta tries to be transparent in a very Meta way, by redacting a key detail from a transparency report. And could poker be the killer app the Metaverse has been waiting for?
Feb. 25, 2022

Fri. 02/25 – The Ukraine Fallout Continues For Tech

Ukraine is seeking to raise its own hacker army. New export controls affect tech products. Why mobile subscriptions being a growth industry is more bad news for the App Store status quo. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
Feb. 21, 2022

Mon. 02/21 – When The Contract Allows Your NFTs To Be Stolen

OpenSea says 32 users had NFTs stolen when they were scammed into signing malicious smart contracts. Mark Gurman tells us every Mac he expects to be released this year. Is a new crackdown coming for Chinese tech? And Ford is revving up its attempts to unseat Tesla at the top of the EV mountain.
Feb. 18, 2022

Fri. 02/18 – Microsoft Account Now Required

Windows 11 now requires a Microsoft account just to load. Intel’s roadmap comes into view. Is Meta’s metaverse play already getting traction? Next week might be the biggest regulatory week for Crypto ever. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
Jan. 19, 2022

Wed. 01/19 – The 5G Flight Issue Comes To A Head

Today is the big day for the showdown between 5G and the airlines. Nobody’s blinked yet, but both sides have sort of blinked. An interesting raise in the NFT space. And I’ve heard of autonomous road cars, but autonomous rail cars? More fallout from the Activision/Microsoft tie-up, and how literally…
Jan. 14, 2022

Fri. 01/14 – Russia Cracks Down On REvil?

Russia has cracked down on REvil? Question-mark? Investing in crypto is so hot, FTX has launched its own monster venture fund. Why has the Android 12 rollout been such a disaster so far? How long is the Cybertruck going to be delayed? And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.
Dec. 28, 2021

Tue. 12/28 – China Is Mad At Elon’s Satellites

China is pissed at Elon Musk cause of his Starlink satellites. Xiaomi’s new smartphones. The delivery robots taking over college campuses. The three fund companies that made fully 12% of all venture investments this year. And why cybersecurity companies are the hot startup sector as we head into th…
Dec. 20, 2021

Mon. 12/20 – 5G To Ground Airlines?

Could a new 5G system lead the FCC to ground flights around some major metropolitan areas? Chipmakers are busting a gut to try to build out capacity. To what degree is Siri holding back Apple? A longtime Metaverse startup you should maybe have your eyes on. And is Microsoft best positioned to reali…
Oct. 14, 2021

Thu. 10/14 – LinkedIn Shuts Down In China

Microsoft is shutting down LinkedIn in China. The first major tech regulation bill of this wave is set to debut in the Senate today. TCL’s cheap smartphones sound pretty good, actually. The gaming industry is serious about combatting cheating. Instacart might be on strike this weekend, and Gitlab c…
Sept. 23, 2021

Thu. 09/23 – USB-C For Everybody! (Maybe By Law…)

We all sort of want the gadget world to move to USB-C, right? But do we want that to be government mandated? Very interesting executive departure from Facebook. Apple is telling leakers they don’t belong in Cupertino. Apple is still telling Fortnite to talk to the hand. And an interesting AR raise.
Sept. 13, 2021

Mon. 09/13 – Is China Dismantling Its Super Apps?

Is China dismantling its super apps and selling the parts for scrap? Toast has officially become my favorite Covid-times survival story. What to expect from tomorrow’s iPhone event, including 1 TB iPhone storage tiers. And a ...
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?