10 things in tech you need to know today

Flickr/Brendon Thorne

Google may be banned from San Francisco Pride.

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.

1. Google executives are trying to persuade the Trump administration to allow it to continue doing business with Huawei, according to the Financial Times. Last month the Department of Commerce imposed a ban on US companies working with Huawei, and Google responded by suspending its right to use the Google version of Android.
2. Lakestar, an early backer of Airbnb and Spotify, is trying to raise Europe's biggest ever venture capital fund of $800 million but six sources say the company has struggled to persuade LPs on board. The sources said there is a mismatch between the massive fund size, and Lakestar's investing strategy to date.
3. Microsoft revealed details for its new Xbox game console, currently code-named "Project Scarlett." The console will arrive by the end of 2020, and will have improved load times and more processing power.
4. One of the main leaders of last year's Google Walkout, Claire Stapleton, has decided to leave the company, citing fears of retaliation if she stayed. "If I stayed, I didn't just worry that there'd be more public flogging, shunning, and stress, I expected it," Stapleton said in her leaving letter.
5. Google is facing backlash from LGBTQ+ communities in San Francisco following a controversial decision by YouTube last week. In a board meeting on Wednesday evening, members of LGBTQ+ communities - some of whom were former Google employees - petitioned San Francisco Pride to exclude Google thanks to its decision not to punish a YouTube channel for homophobic slurs.
6. Facebook has cut ties with the Chinese tech giant Huawei, no longer allowing the preinstallation of Facebook apps such as Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp on Huawei phones. Last month the Trump administration placed Huawei on a trade blacklist, meaning US companies must seek permission before doing business with the firm, which the government says poses a national security risk.
7. Apple will buy self-driving car startup Drive.AI in a talent acquisition, according to Bloomberg. Apple won't be keeping any intellectual property from the startup, but will instead pick which staff it wants to keep.
8. The Trump administration's acting budget chief is asking for a delay in restrictions against Huawei Technologies Co Ltd products, according to a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and nine members of Congress. The letter, seen by Reuters, said the timetables for the restrictions against Huawei would cause a "dramatic reduction" in the number of contractors able to sell to the US government.
9. Boston Dynamics says its creepily lifelike robot dog is finally going on sale later this year. Spot, the robotic pup,achieved viral fame for its lifelike movements after the company published a series of videos showing the machine undertaking mundane everyday tasks, like opening a door or loading a dishwasher, with realistic precision.
10. The Washington Post and The Guardian are now blocked on China's internet. The two newspapers were among the last major English news site still accessible to mainland Chinese residents, according to a report in The Post.

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