10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.
- Sonos is suing Google and wants it to stop selling smartphones and speakers in the US, alleging it 'has been blatantly and knowingly copying our patented technology'. It alleges Google has copied includes the tech that lets smart speakers pair and sync.
- Facebook exec Andrew Bosworth warned fellow employees against using their power to stop Trump's re-election. In an internal memo leaked to The New York Times, Bosworth said he "desperately" didn't want Trump to win in 2020 but that the company shouldn't try and stop him.
- SoftBank-backed robotic pizza startup Zume plans to lay off up to 400 employees - 80% of its staff- and won't renew its Seattle lease. The layoffs come as the startup has struggled to secure additional funding from SoftBank.
- Ring's CEO says the company's security was 'at the top of the industry standards' as its devices were being hacked. Jamie Siminoff said that customers' insecure passwords were to blame for the hacks.
- Fake text messages about a military draft are being sent to Americans, the US Army has warned. The messages claimed the sender was "contacting you through mail several times and have had no response," according to pictures obtained by Insider.
- Elon Musk says a device resembling a 'UFO on a stick' will connect people to SpaceX's new Starlink satellite internet service. After SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink internet satellites, making it the largest spacecraft operator to date, Musk explained how users would connect.
- Mercedes-Benz unveiled a bizarre car inspired by 'Avatar' at CES which can drive sideways, has no steering wheel, and features scales. The AVTR is an electric concept car which uses a glowing mould instead of a steering wheel.
- Tech and gaming workers seeking to organize have received a boost from one of the country's largest labor unions. Communications Workers of America is launching a new initiative to support unionization efforts by increasingly vocal workers in the tech and gaming sectors.
- Salesforce billionaire Marc Benioff was spotted front row at Ivanka Trump's controversial CES speech. The outspoken CEO appeared to be front and center at Ivanka Trump's keynote talk - wearing his signature fedora, of course.
- YouTube star Logan Paul and NFL player Antonio Brown are trading insults online and hinting at a possible boxing match. Both Paul Brown have left paths of controversy in their respective careers in YouTube and the NFL.
Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.
You can also subscribe to this newsletter here - just tick "10 Things in Tech You Need to Know."