WSJ Tech News Briefing
Episodes
Elon Musk on the State of Innovation in America
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this special episode, we bring you a conversation between WSJ Editor in Chief Matt Murray and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, from the WSJ'...
Facebook Hit With Antitrust Suits by FTC, State Attorneys General
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Federal Trade Commission, along with 46 states, sued Facebook on Wednesday, alleging that the social network engaged in a yearslong campaign to ac...
What to Watch For as DoorDash and Airbnb Go Public
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Both DoorDash and Airbnb are going public this week, after boosting their price ranges in recent days. Markets reporter Maureen Farrell explains how t...
Cell-Grown Chicken Gets a Nod in Singapore
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For years, some have raised concerns about the environmental and ethical implications of traditional meat production. Developers have been working on ...
Why Salesforce Agreed to Buy Slack-And What Comes Next
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Salesforce has agreed to buy Slack for $27.7 billion. Reporter Aaron Tilley discusses how the deal would help both companies compete with rival Micros...
India Works Toward Smartphone Dominance
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
China is the world's largest smartphone producer, but increasing tensions between China and the U.S. have put that reputation in danger. WSJ video jou...
Pandemic Accelerates Use of Mobile Payments, Loans in Africa
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Consumers in sub-Saharan Africa have been relying on their phones to pay for goods and services for more than a decade. Our reporter Alexandra Wexler ...
Nasdaq Seeks to Require Board Diversity for Listed Companies
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Nasdaq has historically been the stock exchange of choice for tech companies. Tuesday, the exchange operator submitted a proposed rule to the SEC ...
Why Bitcoin Prices Are Soaring Again
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The price of Bitcoin set a new record Monday, capping off a year of strong gains. Reporter Anna Hirtenstein explains what is driving the surge. Amanda...
Google Plans a New Corridor for Internet Traffic
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Around 500 major undersea cables carry the world's digital data between data centers around the globe. Now Google is laying the groundwork for a new c...
Virgin Hyperloop's Jay Walder on the Future of Transportation
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this special episode of Tech News Briefing, we bring you a conversation between Personal Tech Editor Wilson Rothman and Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Ja...
Best Tech Gifts 2020: WSJ's Favorite Gadgets of the Year
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, our Personal Tech team compiles a list of the best gadgets of the year, separating out the truly useful from the overhyped. This year, the...
Some Tech Workers Who Left Silicon Valley Are Also Changing Jobs
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tech workers have been leaving the San Francisco Bay Area in droves, setting up camp in lower-cost locales to wait out the pandemic. Now some workers ...
GM to Use Data on Your Driving to Sell Car Insurance
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Connected cars are on the rise, and automakers are looking for ways to use the data they collect on how you use the vehicles. Now General Motors says ...
The Tech Behind the Leading Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As coronavirus case counts continue to surge in the U.S., all eyes are on two promising vaccine candidates from drug companies Pfizer and Moderna. Bot...
Apple Cuts Developer Fees for Smaller App Makers
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the biggest tech battles this year has been the fight over developer fees, the 30% cuts that Apple and Google take from transactions in their A...
Why Aren't Covid Tracking Apps More Effective?
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Contact-tracing could help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Tech companies have been working to automate parts of the contact tracing process, but ...
Fed Up With Facebook and Twitter, Some Conservatives Turn to Parler
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As mainstream social-media companies ramp up restrictions on hate speech and misinformation on their platforms, some complain that the measures unfair...
Tech Startups Look to Go Public Sooner
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The stock market has become more bullish on tech stocks during the pandemic. Coupled with the reemergence of special-purpose acquisition companies, mo...
Why Temperature Scanners Are Raising Concerns
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic sparked demand for thermal imaging devices. We've seen them used in schools, offices, and other types of spaces to scan individuals' temp...
TikTok Asks Court for Extension on Divestiture Deadline
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the U.S. government's deadline for TikTok to find an American buyer for its U.S. operations. But there's a lot still up in the air. Now, the ...
Private 5G Networks Bring Bandwidth Where Carriers Aren't
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A confluence of regulation changes and technological advancements have made it so you don't have to be a big carrier to build a 5G network. Our tech c...
Zoom Tackles Tricky Role of Policing Its Service
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, the videoconferencing service Zoom experienced an astronomical rise to popularity. But with greater usership comes greater pressure...
How Artificial Intelligence Could Help Predict Election Outcomes
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pollsters have had trouble getting an accurate understanding of the electorate in recent years. Now some experts say artificial intelligence could hel...
Why Quibi Shut Down
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Quibi, the erstwhile short-form video service, was supposed to revolutionize Hollywood, but just six months after it launched, executives shut it down...
Why Chinese Regulators Pulled the Plug on the Biggest IPO in History
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Chinese fintech giant Ant Group was expected to go public today, but regulators pulled the plug at the 11th hour. Finance Editor Charles Forrelle ...
How to Navigate Social Media Post-Election
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Election Day in the U.S. has passed, and false and misleading posts are still circulating on social media despite measures to cut back on misinformati...
Where Trump and Biden Stand on Cybersecurity Policy
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While cybersecurity issues haven't been major talking points in the U.S. presidential candidates' stump speeches, how the next administration proceeds...
What California's Proposition 22 Could Mean for the Gig Economy
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As California voters go to the polls and mail in their ballots, they're being asked to vote on Proposition 22, a ballot initiative so heavily supporte...
Why So Many Chipmakers Want to Merge
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The semiconductor industry has been in a merger frenzy lately. Reporter Asa Fitch explains why all the deal activity is happening now. Amanda Lewellyn...
How Airbnb Came Back From the Brink
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Travel ground to a halt at the outset of the pandemic. That could have spelled the end for Airbnb. But we report that under the leadership of CEO Bria...
Social Media CEOs in the Senate Hot Seat over Content Policies
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Google are set to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee, where they will face questions about how their platfo...
Facebook Prepares for Possible Election Unrest in U.S.
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook has used internal tools to quell civil unrest around elections in countries it considers to be "at risk," such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Now ...
Reid Hoffman and Fei-Fei Li on Human-Centered AI (Special Episode)
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, a conversation between LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, Co-Director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intell...
Tech Live: Bridging the Digital Divide and the Road to Tech Equity
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has exacerbated the digital divide: who has access to the internet, and who doesn't. On today's episode, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenwo...
Tech Live: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on Big Tech's Power
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week, the Justice Department dropped its long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging that Google illegally uses anticompetiti...
Justice Department Files Antitrust Suit Against Google
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The DOJ has filed a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company engaged in anticompetitive conduct to preserve monopolies...
Tech Live: Tech Platforms and the Power of Persuasion
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our annual Tech Live conference has begun. On today's show: a town-hall style debate between Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mic...
Kicking Off WSJ's Annual Tech Live Conference
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Day 1 of The Wall Street Journal's annual Tech Live conference, where we talk to movers and shakers in the tech sector. Normally, we hold the eve...
Twitter, Facebook Questioned Over Restricting New York Post Articles
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Twitter and Facebook took steps this week to limit the spread of New York Post articles that made allegations about Democratic presidential candidate ...
Silicon Valley Companies Cut Pay for Remote Workers, Igniting Tensions
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As tech workers pack their bags and decamp to cheaper cities to work remotely during the pandemic, some companies are adjusting compensation to reflec...
What You Need to Know About the iPhone 12
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Apple is rolling out four models of its new iPhone 12. The phones promise an updated design, improved cameras-and 5G capability. Senior Personal Tech ...
Amazon's Prime Day Could Help It Break Records
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Day is typically held in the summer to help Amazon drum up business during the slower months. This year, the company pushed it back to keep up w...
How the Fight Against Misinformation Extends Beyond Social Media
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social-media companies are taking steps to cut back on misinformation ahead of the U.S. election, including limiting state-run media sites like RT, fo...
The Future of Computing Might Not Be So Battery-Powered
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Demand for batteries is through the roof, but that might not be the case forever. Tech columnist Christopher Mims says the future of computing might b...
Amazon Accused of Abusing Power in Rise to E-commerce 'Gatekeeper'
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've been digging into the House Antitrust Subcommittee's 449-page report, concluding its investigation into big tech. Yesterday, we looked at the br...
House Panel Says Big Tech Wields Monopoly Power
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The House Antitrust Subcommittee has completed its investigation into Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google, concluding that some of America's largest te...
How the White House is Taking On Remote Work
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After President Trump and several other White House figures were diagnosed with the coronavirus, many aides have been sent to work from home. But gett...
QAnon Lands on LinkedIn
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we spend more time online during the pandemic, the conspiracy theory QAnon has been gaining followers. Now, we report that supporters have made the...
California Firefighters Use AI to Battle Wildfires
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a record year for wildfires on the West Coast. That's why some firefighters are using artificial intelligence to help them battle the flames...
Twitter Partner's Alerts Highlight Divide Over Surveillance
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A Twitter data partner, Dataminr, sells a service to law enforcement and other agencies that monitors Twitter's full feed and sends alerts that includ...
Why We're Seeing So Many Ransomware Attacks Right Now
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In recent days, ransomware attacks have affected schools and one of the country's largest hospital systems. Our reporter Robert McMillan says the atta...
Hackers Target Schools in the Pandemic
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, a hacker released a trove of confidential information about students and employees in a Las Vegas-area school district, after officials the...
Apple Exempts Some Apps From Paying Developer Fees
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Developer fees: They're the cut that Apple takes when you buy an app from its App Store, or if you make a purchase within an app. Apple says the fees ...
Why Huang's Law Is the New Moore's Law
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, Moore's Law held that the number of transistors on a microchip would double every 18 months or so. But physics has gotten in the way. Now...
Amazon Restricts How Rivals Buy Ads On Its Site
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has been coming under scrutiny for its treatment of third-party sellers on its platform. The latest: a Wall Street Journal investigation has un...
Nikola, Tesla and Drama in the Electric Vehicle Space
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nikola is a rising star in the electric vehicle space. But in recent weeks, allegations have surfaced that Nikola's founder and executive chairman Tre...
TikTok and the Global Fracturing of the Internet
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Countries have been making moves to treat citizens' data as a national security issue. But the effect has been a more Balkanized internet. Reporter Aa...
Another Rollercoaster Weekend for TikTok
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, President Trump signed off on a deal between TikTok, Oracle, and Walmart. Reporter Alex Leary helps us break down what's in the deal...
Remote Classrooms Make Social and Emotional Learning Harder
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The switch to remote learning hasn't been smooth. One part of the curriculum that has gotten muddled along the way is social and emotional learning, o...
How Trump and Biden Compare on Tech Policy
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As part of an ongoing election series, The Wall Street Journal is breaking down how President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden comp...
Apple Event Highlights: New Watch and Fitness Service But No iPhone
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Apple unveiled a host of new products and services at its annual special event yesterday. Senior Personal Tech Columnist Joanna Stern breaks down what...
What Does Oracle See in TikTok?
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, we found out that Oracle has struck up a partnership with TikTok for the video-sharing company's U.S. operations. At first glance, i...
Who Is Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai?
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As CEO of Google parent Alphabet, Sundar Pichai leads one of the most powerful companies in the world. But he also is more low-key than many other Sil...
Mystery Seeds Prompt Amazon to Ban Foreign Plant Sales to the U.S.
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For months, thousands of people have been receiving packages containing unmarked or mislabeled plant seeds that they didn't order. Reporter Jesse Newm...
Ireland to Order Facebook to Stop Sending User Data to the U.S.
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland's data protection authority has issued a preliminary order to Facebook, seeking to enforce a European Union ruling on data-sharing restriction...
Why Tech Keeps Getting Caught Up in U.S.-China Tensions
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
China has rolled out an initiative to set global data-security standards, in response to U.S. efforts to shut Chinese tech out of its internet infrast...
John Foley on Peloton's Growth in the Pandemic (Special Episode)
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's special episode, our columnist John D. Stoll interviews Peloton C.E.O. and cofounder John Foley. They talk about Peloton's just-announced n...
Facebook Rolls Out Policies Meant to Protect November Election
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Less than two months from the November election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced new measures meant to combat misinformation and the potential ...
What's TikTok Without Its Core Algorithm?
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New rules from China restrict exports of artificial intelligence, which could include TikTok's core recommender algorithm. The news has thrown ongoing...
FAA Approval Brings Amazon Closer to Drone Deliveries
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has been pushing to use drones in package deliveries for years. Reporter Sebastian Herrera explains how a key approval from the Federal Aviatio...
New Tech Being Developed to Respond to Oil Spills
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Spurred by BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, researchers have been working on new, tech-powered ways to clean up oil spills. Reporter Eric Syl...
How Agriculture Is Using Tech to Make Farming More Efficient
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Farms have made use of various tech advancements in recent years: everything from self-driving tractors to genetic engineering for hardier plants. Rep...
Why Apple and Tesla Are Splitting Their Stocks
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tech companies' share prices are skyrocketing, and some companies are enacting stock splits to make it easier for investors to buy shares at a lower c...
Colleges Weigh Transparency vs. Privacy on Covid-19 Data
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As thousands of students across the country return to campuses, colleges and universities are trying to figure out how to share important health data ...
Tech Companies Seek to Combat Bias in Algorithms
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Algorithms are everywhere, helping to do things like determine who gets loans and what content shows up in your search results. But what happens when ...
Why TikTok Is Suing the Trump Administration
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that would effectively ban TikTok if it doesn't find a buyer for its U.S. operations. Now...
How Covid-19 Is Exacerbating Workforce Inequality
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of new technologies, especially automation. While that's made it easier for white-collar workers to adjust i...
Sheryl Sandberg On Facebook and Elections (Special Episode)
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, our business columnist John D. Stoll interviews Facebook C.O.O. Sheryl Sandberg. Since we're coming up on an election, they talk a...
Slack and Teams Make Work-From-Home Easier-But Sometimes, Less Civil
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many groups are conducting most of their day-to-day workplace communications over services like Slack and Teams. But it can be hard to eke out your co...
Disagreement Inside the D.O.J. Over Possible Google Antitrust Suit
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Justice Department has been investigating Google's competitive practices, and we've reported it aims to file a suit by this summer. Now we report ...
How Our Internet Habits Have Changed in the Pandemic
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Shutdown orders have forced much of our daily lives online. A new Wall Street Journal analysis provides insight into how we're spending our time onlin...
An Epic Fight: How the 'Fortnite' Creator is Taking on Apple, Google
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The videogame maker Epic Games mounted a fight against developer fees, the fees that Apple and Google charge developers to distribute their software a...
Why Businesses Are Pushing Back on WeChat Restrictions
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order restricting dealings with the social-media app WeChat. Now major U.S. companies are pushing back....
What Kamala Harris's V.P. Candidacy Could Mean for Tech
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Before she was the Democratic Party's presumptive vice presidential candidate, Senator Kamala Harris built her career in the Bay Area. She has a long ...
SoftBank is Back in the Black
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the first quarter, tech investor SoftBank reported its worst financial results ever. Now it's swung back into the black, recording a profit of near...
Why Some Officials Are Calling for a National Cyber Director
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Several high-profile attacks have renewed some lawmakers' push for a director of cybersecurity at the White House level. Our reporter Dave Uberti expl...
A Look at Tim Cook's Apple
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been nearly a decade since Tim Cook succeeded founder Steve Jobs as the C.E.O. of Apple. While Jobs was known as a visionary and a gregarious lea...
Tech Stocks Rally as Small Investors Buy Fractions of Shares
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Services from Robinhood, Fidelity, and others are making it easier to buy slivers of shares on the stock market. Our reporter Alexander Osipovich join...
Hackers Get the Green Light to Test Elections Systems
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After years of keeping security researchers at bay, election equipment makers are opening their devices to hackers to try and uncover vulnerabilities ...
How a Teenager Allegedly Masterminded Twitter's Worst Hack
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, hackers broke into dozens of major Twitter accounts, pushed a bitcoin scam, and - in some cases - downloaded users' data and DMs. Accordin...
How Would TikTok Fit Into Microsoft's Business Strategy?
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Talks between Microsoft and the Chinese-owned video app TikTok are in limbo after a regulatory rollercoaster last weekend. In the meantime, the questi...
TikTok's Rollercoaster Weekend
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As of Friday, it looked like the video-sharing app TikTok had come up with a plan to save itself from regulatory scrutiny. Then, everything changed, a...
Big Tech's Big Week
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google reported their quarterly earnings on Thursday. Just a day after CEOs from those companies faced questions from Con...
NASA's Most Ambitious Mars Mission Launches Today
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, NASA is expected to head to the red planet. If everything goes as planned, it'll be the third launch from Earth to Mars this summer alone. Our ...
What You Need to Know About Today's Tech Hearing
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Four of the most powerful CEOs in tech are scheduled to testify before the House Antitrust Subcommittee today, and it's expected to be a blockbuster h...
Why Google's Keeping Workers Remote Until Summer 2021
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As companies all over the country are grappling with when to return to the office, Google executives have decided to wait until next year. Our reporte...
How Election Officials Are Building Up Their Cyber Defenses
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're less than 100 days from the presidential election. As we get closer, local officials have been working on their cyber defenses. Cybersecurity re...
For Some Startups, Amazon Funding Is a Double-Edged Sword
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We report that Amazon met with startups about investing, and then launched their own, competing products. The news comes just days before CEO Jeff Bez...
Why Slack Filed an Antitrust Complaint Against Microsoft
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the companies that make remote-work software, the competition is fierce. Now, Slack has formally accused Microsoft of throwing some elbows in its ...