10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.
1. Huawei's CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei broke a years-long silence to deny that his company spies for the Chinese government, and to say he misses his daughter, arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, 'very much.' Ren hasn't spoken to the international press for three years.
2. Ren Zhengfei tried to dispel the narrative that Huawei is a victim of the US-China trade war, calling President Donald Trump a great president. Ren called for collaboration and 'shared success' with the US.
3. Netflix is rolling out its biggest price increase ever to US subscribers. Netflix's most popular plan will see the biggest increase, to $13 from $11.
4. Snap's stock plummeted after the company confirmed it was losing its CFO after less than a year. Snap said in an SEC filing that Tim Stone was walking away after just eight months on the job.
5. Facebook is introducing new rules for employees about discussing politics and religion on its internal Workplace app. In an internal memo to employees seen by Business Insider, Facebook chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer said on Monday that the company has developed "a set of ground-rules for open and respectful communication at work, and a central moderation model."
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6. $2 billion takeaway startup Deliveroo has lost its CTO, chief people officer, and chief legal officer in a big reshuffle. The departures come as expectation grows for a Deliveroo float, sale, or further fundraise.
7. Facebook says it's granting $300 million to news programs, partnerships and content over the next 3 years, matching Google's commitment of $300 million towards news initiatives last year. Facebook's project is meant to support local journalists with immediate newsgathering needs while helping them build long-term sustainable business models, on and off its platform.
8. Chinese tech giant Bytedance, the most valuable startup in the world, has launched a new video messaging app to compete with Tencent's WeChat. Named "Duoshan," the app lets people send ephemeral videos and GIFs.
9. 2019 was supposed to be a blockbuster year for tech companies going public - but the volatility of the public markets is making some employees at IPO-bound tech companies nervous. Uber employees worry about the firm's valuation, while Airbnb is doubling down on safety and customer service.
10. PewDiePie's has bucked YouTube's trend of slowing subscriber growth in his campaign to stay the most popular YouTuber. The vlogger managed to boost his monthly subscribers 700% in his effort to keep Indian channel T-Series from the top spot.
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