10 things in tech you need to know today
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1. Amazon will soon let you buy stuff now and pay for it later. Through a partnership with "buy now, pay later" platform Affirm, Amazon will let customers split the cost of purchases of $50 or more into smaller monthly installments. Here's how it'll work.
2. The T-Mobile hacker came forward, calling the company's security "awful" - and frustrating customers. Customers whose information was breached are frustrated by the apparent ease of the attack, as well as T-Mobile's response. See what the company's CEO said in his apology.
3. Y Combinator is no longer the elite startup club it once was. We spoke with 51 YC alumni, who told us what's better, what's worse, and why they still think the three-month program - which is part startup school, part mentorship - is worth it. Here's what they told us.
4. Google is pulling the plug on another health app. The company is shuttering Streams, the clinical app developed by DeepMind, following the shutdown of Google's health division. Get the rundown on the app's demise.
5. One of the world's richest men created an apocalypse-ready SUV - and we got to ride in it. We rode shotgun in the Ineos Grenadier, an SUV created by Sir James Ratcliffe, Chairman and CEO of the Ineos Chemicals Group. Check out what the off-road vehicle is like.
6. The Discord server where Apple employees discuss workplace issues has a 250-person waitlist. A software engineer (who helped launch the #AppleToo website) said more than 400 current and former Apple employees are on the server, where they can discuss workplace issues away from upper management. More on that here.
7. Blue Origin's lawsuit against the US government is being delayed for a week. The problem? The DOJ is having a hard time converting documents into PDFs. More on the DOJ's technical issues.
8. Instead of office snacks, a tech company is using care packages and virtual parties to help staff bond remotely. Infragistics used to spend $50,000 a year on candy for employees, but now it's shifted to care packages to create a sense of belonging as staff work from home. See how it's going.
9. Apple and Google's contact-tracing apps have struggled to live up to their promises. The tech titans' rare partnership fizzled because people in the US barely used the contact-tracing apps. Why the companies' attempt to fight COVID-19 with smartphones faltered.
10. Some innovative tech projects are redefining Wall Street. We profiled 14 transformative tech projects at firms like AQR, Blackstone, Citi, and Bank of America, and found that APIs and data connectivity are key trends across financial firms. From quantum computing to sustainable investing, see what tech projects are transforming the way Wall Street works.
Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.
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