10 things in tech you need to know today
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Tuesday.
- Leaked emails show Amazon is stockpiling products made in China because of the risk that the coronavirus poses to its supply chain. Amazon reached out to a number of suppliers last week and placed last-minute orders to increase its inventory of products made in China.
- Uber and Postmates have lost a bid to temporarily block California's new gig-worker law, a legal setback that could immediately affect their financials. A statement from Uber reiterated the company's commitment to continuing to challenge the case in court.
- China has launched an app that lets people check whether they've been at risk of catching the coronavirus. The app tells people if they've been near someone who's been confirmed or suspected of having coronavirus, BBC News reports.
- Apple has seen $27 billion of market value wiped out amid the delayed reopening of its main Chinese iPhone plants. Foxconn recently got permission to reopen its Zhengzhou plant, but other factories remain closed, Reuters reported.
- Facebook employees reportedly feel guilty that the company didn't fix a known security risk fast enough to prevent its biggest data breach ever. The Telegraph reported that Facebook was "repeatedly warned" about a security flaw that contributed to the biggest data breach in company history.
- Bill Gates says the best way to help poorer countries fight climate change is to make sure they're healthy enough to survive it. Countries near the equator - which are disproportionately poor by global standards - are likely to be worst hit by climate change.
- The SoftBank-backed company that sold everything for $3 is abruptly shutting down, refusing orders, and laying off employees. SoftBank-backed e-commerce firm Brandless, which sold private-label household essentials for $3 each, is shutting down.
- Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, is preparing to lay off 15,000 workers as it tries to adapt to electric cars. Daimler is wasting no time in making deep cuts to its workforce as the German auto industry continues to face tough times.
- YouTube's documentary series on Justin Bieber has broken a record for the platform. "Seasons" already set a record as YouTube's most expensive deal: The platform reportedly paid more than $20 million for the series.
- Elon Musk took another shot at Mark Zuckerberg by calling Facebook 'lame' and saying people should delete it. Musk and Zuckerberg have previously disagreed about the future of artificial intelligence.
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