WSJ Tech News Briefing

Browser Startups Say Google, Apple Hold Back Competition

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rivals in the web-browser market are raising concerns about the dominance of Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome, and global regulators are taking ...

Protecting Satellites From Hackers: Calls for Industry Standards Grow

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cyber threats to the space sector are growing as the industry expands, and satellites in particular are vulnerable. WSJ Pro Cybersecurity reporter Cat...

Finding Your Personal Data Online Is Easy. Taking It Down Is Harder.

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Personal information such as phone numbers, email and home addresses have become more easily accessible over the internet. But getting that informatio...

How Secret Talks Over an Apple-Facebook Partnership Fell Apart

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apple and Facebook are at war over privacy and data-collection policies. But before their feud heated up, the tech giants engaged in secret discussion...

Lithium Bottlenecks Risk Future of EVs

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lithium is a key component to the batteries in electric vehicles. But the part of the world with the largest known lithium deposits is stifling produc...

Efforts to Expand Digital Privacy Protections Get Boost From FTC

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Regulators are looking to make new rules that would govern how online data is gathered and stored. The Federal Trade Commission has begun the process ...

Samsung Sees Foldable as the Future. Will Customers?

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Samsung sees foldable technology as the next step for improving our smart devices and has been leading the charge with its Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold. B...

Tech Hiring Slowdown: What’s Different This Time?

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tech sector’s hiring spree seems to be coming to a close. Rising inflation and slowing demand for tech products are leading some companies to an...

Celsius Founder Left a Trail of Unhappy Colleagues and Investors

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky grew his company to be one of the biggest crypto lenders. Now the company has filed for bankruptcy protection, and inve...

More of China’s Social-Media Users Head to Under-the-Radar Platforms

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To avoid harassment and greater oversight on social-media platforms, some users in China are leaving the country's dominant sites for under-the-radar ...

Big Tech’s Western Values Help It Find Allies Abroad

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Often short on friends at home, big U.S. tech companies are finding their size and commitment to openness are viewed favorably in other parts of the w...

Protecting Your Privacy With (and From) Home Security Cameras

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Home surveillance cameras, like those made by Ring, Nest and others, can protect your property or alert you when visitors or packages arrive. But poli...

SoftBank’s Losses Mount as History Repeats Itself

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CEO of SoftBank, Masayoshi Son, promised to be more disciplined with his investing after billion-dollar losses piled up in the firm’s first Visi...

Hacked Crypto Platforms Try New Strategy for Recovering Stolen Funds

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The targets of crypto hacks are making an offer to the thieves: Keep some and give back the rest. The strategy is raising concerns among ethical hacke...

Microsoft Rallies Rivals to Crimp Amazon’s Government Cloud Dominance

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Microsoft is rallying support from other cloud providers to take aim at Amazon’s dominance in government cloud contracts. It wants Alphabet’s Goog...

Facing Competition, Instagram and Facebook Revamp Hits Snags

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook parent Meta has been revamping its platforms to make them more competitive with rivals like TikTok, and to keep advertisers. But users are ex...

Early-Stage Startups Face Investment Slowdown

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For years, competition and cheap money led venture-capital firms to invest heavily in early-stage startups. But now, as VCs tighten their belts amid e...

Tesla Looks to Open Its Charging Network to Competitors

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla is looking to take advantage of state and federal money aimed at expanding the nation's network of electric vehicle chargers, according to regul...

New SIM Cards Could Make Your Phone Slimmer and More Flexible

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. cell phone carriers have long required SIM cards to let you use devices on their networks. Now, the traditional plastic SIM cards are being phase...

To Disrupt Hacking, U.S. Officials Turn to New Techniques

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. officials say they were able to disrupt a ransomware campaign from North Korean state sponsored hackers that targeted hospitals - and were even a...

Amazon Makes Bigger Push Into Healthcare by Buying One Medical

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon is making a renewed push into the healthcare space with a $3.9 billion deal to buy the company behind One Medical. Purchasing the operator of p...

DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub Change Tactics as Growth Slows

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After years of rapid expansion, and a big boost from people staying home during the pandemic, food delivery giants in the U.S., like DoorDash and Uber...

Major Cyber Bug Poses ‘Endemic’ Risk, Despite Patch

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A flaw discovered in a widely used piece of software, called Log4J, poses an “endemic” risk, according to a new government panel. In its inaugural...

Christie’s Bets on Future of Art and Tech as Crypto Market Stumbles

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Christie's, the world’s largest auction house, has announced a new venture capital arm to invest in tech that helps art collectors. The move comes a...

How to Keep Your Phone From Sharing Too Much Personal Data

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We have a lot of personal information on our phones. And many apps may be collecting more information than you realize, all of which could be used by ...

Ukrainian Tech Bosses on the Sector’s Future

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine’s tech sector was growing rapidly before Russia invaded earlier this year. How has Russia’s invasion changed the outlook? Two tech CEOs wi...

Crypto Downturn Spells Trouble for Web3 Startups

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Businesses that staked their value on digital tokens and the future of Web3 technology are struggling with the downturn in crypto. WSJ startups and ve...

SpaceX Battles Dish Over 5G Airwaves

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

SpaceX is lobbying telecom regulators not to approve an expansion of the airwaves used for 5G frequencies, saying the change would interfere with its ...

Google Offers to Change Ad Business to Head Off Antitrust Suit

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Google has offered to make changes to its digital ad business in an effort to head off a possible antitrust lawsuit, according to people familiar with...

Musk Wants Out of Twitter Deal; What Comes Next?

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk says he wants out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. But after months of back and forth, it won't be so easy for him to walk away. WSJ ...

As Crypto Market Falters, Investors Find Few Protections

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For years, the crypto industry has argued against regulation. Now turbulence in the market is exposing just how unprotected crypto investors are. WSJ ...

How the Biggest Cloud Players Got Even Bigger

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon, Google and Microsoft cemented their place as the most dominant players in cloud computing during the pandemic. WSJ enterprise-tech reporter Aa...

EU Lawmakers Pass Landmark Tech Rules

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Legislators in the European Union have approved two sweeping digital regulations aimed at tech companies and online businesses. The laws are the most ...

AI’s Perception Gap Masks Its Shortfalls

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A recent incident involving a now-suspended Google engineer has sparked debate about artificial intelligence and whether it could become sentient. WSJ...

Introducing: Hack Me If You Can

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wall Street Journal reporter Robert McMillan has spent years trying to find a Russian hacker who would tell him their story. And then, he met Dmitry S...

Will Twitter’s Data Dump Push Elon Musk Deal Forward?

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk says he put his $40 billion acquisition of Twitter on hold over bots on the platform, and he demanded to see the social-media company’s da...

Celsius Said It Was Low Risk; Documents Show the Opposite

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Celsius, one of the largest crypto lenders, has been under pressure. And people active in the sector have been keeping a watchful eye. The lending gia...

After Roe v. Wade Ruling, Period-Tracker Apps Look to Anonymize Data

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apps that track menstrual cycles or fertility collect a trove of sensitive data about users. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last Frida...

Do Kwon Tries Again After $40 Billion Crypto Crash

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD was supposed to maintain its value at $1 with the help of its sister-crypto, Luna. But TerraUSD’s price collapsed to...

VR Tech to Combat Social Isolation Among Seniors

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To tackle social isolation among seniors, some caregivers have turned to virtual reality. One company developing that technology is Rendever. At The W...

Why Amazon’s CEO Is Working to Undo A Bezos-Led Overexpansion

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andy Jassy took over as Amazon CEO nearly a year ago. Since then the company’s stock price has fallen, online shopping demand has shrunk and the e-c...

Why Many Rural Americans Are Still Waiting For Fast Internet

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The federal government has set aside billions of dollars aimed at improving internet speeds for rural Americans. But, despite multiple government prog...

Crypto Volatility: Your Questions Answered

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crypto has been on a wild ride lately, experiencing huge dips and volatility impacting investors and companies, and catching the eye of regulators. WS...

How YouTube Shorts Became TikTok’s Biggest Rival

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Short-form videos have become the latest big battleground for social-media platforms. TikTok is the most popular, but hot on its heels is Google’s r...

Musk Tells Twitter Employees His Plans for the Company

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a town hall meeting with rank-and-file Twitter employees, Elon Musk fielded questions on free speech, his plans for company leadership and returnin...

Tesla Tops List of Suspected Driver-Assistance-Tech Crashes

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. traffic safety regulators have released a first-ever survey of crashes suspected of involving advanced driver-assistance technology. At the top o...

Microsoft Shuts Down Internet Explorer After 27 Years

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The web browser that introduced many people to the internet is being retired on Wednesday. WSJ reporter Alyssa Lukpat joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss...

Suspended Google Engineer Says AI Chatbot Is Sentient

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A software engineer at Google claims the company has developed an artificial intelligence chatbot that is sentient. Google has dismissed the claims, a...

Meta Investigates Sandberg’s Use of Facebook Corporate Resources

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lawyers for Facebook’s parent company Meta are investigating the extent to which outgoing Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg used corporate res...

A Facebook User’s Oculus Odyssey to Reach Customer Service

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many social media users who have problems with their accounts quickly learn there is no one to call, write to, or chat with to fix the issues. Some Fa...

Carbon Removal Tech Gets Billions In Funding. Can It Deliver?

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Investors and businesses, including big tech, are pouring money into the nascent carbon removal industry. The technology holds the promise of reducing...

WeWork Founder Looks For Next Chapter in Web3

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Web3, built on blockchain technology, is seen by some as the future of the internet. In fact, some investors are so positive about the idea they are w...

Ransomware Groups Break Up Into Smaller Cells to Skirt Sanctions

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hacking groups with ties to Russia are changing their approach to cyber attacks amid an increase in sanctions and pressure from U.S. law enforcement. ...

What’s Behind Sheryl Sandberg’s Departure From Facebook Parent Meta?

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After 14 years of helping build Meta into an advertising powerhouse, Sheryl Sandberg is leaving the company. As chief operating officer and the number...

Space Cleanup: What Will It Take to Clear Out Space Junk From Orbit?

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no secret that the area just outside Earth’s atmosphere is filling up with dangerous space junk. Tech is under development to clean up all th...

Space Rules: Who’s in Charge in Space?

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Outer space is like international waters, where rules are set by treaty and enforcement can be complicated. With a growing number of private companies...

Space Manufacturing: Building an Economy Beyond Earth

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Private space companies have big plans, from setting up space hotels and factories to powering missions to distant planets. But to do those things, th...

Now Hiring: Industry Jobs for the New Space Age

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The modern space race has taken off, thanks in large part to the growing role played by private companies. As businesses send up more missions, build ...

What’s Next for the Space Economy?

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A new era of human activity in space is taking shape, one increasingly defined by private companies rather than government agencies. This week on a sp...

Could the Next School Shooting Be Prevented With Tech?

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Software that detects warning signs of violence could help teachers, principals and counselors identify possible school shooters before they act. But ...

Amazon Grows Beyond E-commerce With Consumer Tech

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon wants its gadgets, such as home-assistance robots and Kindle readers, to connect people to the world around them. The company’s senior vice p...

Health Tech Beyond the Pandemic

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The use of technology in healthcare boomed during the pandemic and led to record investment in health startups. At The Wall Street Journal’s Future ...

Twitter Employees Pay ‘Chaos Tax’ for Musk’s Takeover Plan

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk’s plans to buy Twitter are creating chaos and uncertainty inside the company, according to staff. Employees say they don't know what their...

Tech Startups Cut Spending As Investors Pull Back

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a 13-year financing bonanza that saw hundreds of companies reach billion-dollar-plus valuations, the fun may be over for tech startups. WSJ repo...

Crypto CEO on Volatility, Ownership and Regulation

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cryptocurrency values have been plummeting recently, raising questions about investors’ safety and regulations. At The Wall Street Journal’s Futur...

Where Is Augmented-Reality Tech Headed Next?

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Augmented-reality headsets are already being used in some workplaces. What will it take for them to be more widely adopted? At The Wall Street Journal...

Will ‘Instant Delivery’ Eventually Become Profitable?

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival this week, Gopuff co-CEO Rafael Ilishayev spoke with WSJ tech columnist Christopher Mims ...

Buffalo Shooter Live-Streamed Attack; How Platforms Reacted

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., on Saturday left 10 people dead and 3 others wounded. Nearly all the victims were Black, and authorities are investi...

Tech Industry Warns Remote Work Could Hurt U.S. Competitiveness

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A lobbying group for the tech sector warns that remote work may mean highly skilled jobs are headed out of the U.S. Host Zoe Thomas is joined by Jenni...

Why Bitcoin, TerraUSD and Other Cryptos Are Plunging

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The values of the most popular cryptocurrencies, and even some stablecoins, have been nosediving, leading regulators to speak out about the lack of ov...

Cyber Leaders on the Biggest Threats and How to Defend Against Them

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How are cyber leaders from the U.S. and U.K. tackling hacking and ransomware risks as the war in Ukraine continues? At The Wall Street Journal’s rec...

SoftBank’s $100 Billion Bet on the Tech Boom Falls Behind

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hailed by its leader as "a goose that lays golden eggs,” SoftBank's Vision Fund launched in 2017 with the goal of funding a whole generation of futu...

Inside TikTok’s Stressful and Secretive Work Culture

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok has been adding users and growing rapidly. But employees say that growth is fueling an atmosphere of anxiety, stress and relentless pressure. W...

Can Social Media Be Fixed? New Platforms Aim To Change How We Connect

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Former employees from Facebook and WhatsApp are among those developing new social media platforms aimed at improving online discourse. WSJ reporter De...

Facebook Caused Havoc to Influence Australian Law, Whistleblowers Say

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Testimony from whistleblowers and internal documents from Facebook reveal that the company deliberately caused havoc in the leadup to the passing of a...

Smart Buildings Promise Happier Workplaces But Could Pose Cyber Risks

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Smart office buildings offer ways to reduce energy use, protect the health of employees and make going to work more pleasant. But once a building is e...

Why Meta’s E-Commerce Plans Have Stumbled

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook parent Meta hopes e-commerce will help the company offset revenue it lost after Apple started letting users share less of their data with app...

Grindr Users’ Data Could Be Purchased Through Ad Networks

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Wall Street Journal reports exclusively that the precise movements of millions of users of the gay-dating app Grindr were collected from a digital...

Open-Source Data Shows Possible War Crimes. Can It Be Used in Court?

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Technology and social media have made it easy for everyday people in Ukraine to post images of potential war crimes. But that doesn’t mean the video...

Why Autocorrect Sometimes Gets It Wrong

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Autocorrect is a staple of our digital lives. But the software sometimes picks the wrong word or even inserts grammatical errors. WSJ Senior Personal ...

Crypto Startups Keep Getting Hacked. Investors Keep Bailing Them Out.

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite hackers pulling off massive heists and robbing crypto startups and their users of record amounts of money, investors in those companies seem u...

What Will Musk’s Twitter Acquisition Mean for Its Users and Employees?

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The news that Elon Musk is buying Twitter has been met with joy from some and anger from others. But what will the deal mean for the platform's millio...

How Crypto Thieves Are Scoring Bigger Hauls

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hackers are stealing record amounts of cryptocurrency this year, even though the number of attacks is on pace to match last year. WSJ crypto reporter ...

How BeReal Is Winning Over Gen Z With Authenticity

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A social-media app with no filters and limits on how often you can post is gaining popularity with young users. BeReal aims to appeal to people who ar...

Sheryl Sandberg Pressured Daily Mail to Drop Story About Bobby Kotick

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Exclusive reporting by The Wall Street Journal reveals Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was part of an effort to push the U.K.’s Daily M...

Russia Pushes Its Homegrown Social-Media Alternatives

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As part of its effort to control the narrative about the war in Ukraine, Russia is pushing its citizens to use locally developed social-media platform...

How Ukraine’s ‘Internet Army’ Is Pressuring Western Firms

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine has recruited volunteers to mount social-media pressure campaigns aimed at getting Western companies like McDonald’s and Johnson & Johnson t...

Are Stablecoins Backed by Algorithms All That Stable?

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cryptocurrencies known as stablecoins are meant to give investors some reassurance of value in an otherwise volatile market. But critics say a more re...

Tech and the War in Ukraine: Your Questions Answered

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, technology has played a key role on and off the battlefield. WSJ tech reporter Sam Schechner joins host Zoe Thomas to an...

Will Twitter Accept Elon Musk’s Takeover Offer?

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In just two weeks, Elon Musk has gone from Twitter user to shareholder to prospective board member to corporate raider. The billionaire has submitted ...

Digital Ad Market Faces Challenges After Record Year

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last year was a record setter for the digital advertising sector. But the industry is facing changes around privacy and the way marketers place ads. W...

Cyberwar in Ukraine Could Be Entering a New Phase

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Experts expected hacking to be a key weapon Russia used in its war against Ukraine, but until now Russians’ persistent cyber strikes have had a mode...

What Elon Musk’s Latest About-Face Means for Twitter

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has changed his mind about joining Twitter’s board. So what are his plans now? And what will it mean for the social-media company going fo...

How Is TikTok Changing Children’s Brains?

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Social media allows us to consume lots of short-form content, but how does that endless feed affect young children? WSJ Family and Tech Columnist Jul...

Covert Code Gathered Data on Millions of Android Users

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Data-harvesting software from a company with links to U.S. national-security contractors was found on dozens of apps in the Google Play Store. Google ...

What Does Elon Musk Have Planned for Twitter?

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has been an outspoken critic of some of Twitter’s policies. Now that he is joining the company’s board, what changes will he try to impl...

Amazon Plays Catchup in Satellite Internet

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon is pushing forward with plans to enter the broadband satellite market. But the e-commerce giant is running behind SpaceX, the market leader. WS...

Elon Musk Goes From Twitter User to Twitter Shareholder

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has purchased a 9% stake in Twitter, making him the company’s largest shareholder. What does that me...

How a Key Microsoft Strategy Could Help Seal a $75B Deal

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Microsoft is looking to get regulators on board with its plans to buy video game publisher Activision. To do that, it's building relationships with la...

Apps Make Getting ADHD Drugs Easy. Some Say Too Easy.

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Digital-health startups such as Cerebral and Done Health seized on looser pandemic rules for prescribing ADHD drugs like Adderall. Some workers say th...