WSJ Tech News Briefing
Tech News Briefing is your guide to what people in tech are talking about. Every weekday, we’ll bring you breaking tech news and scoops from the pros at the Wall Street Journal, insight into new innovations and policy debates, tips from our personal tech team, and exclusive interviews with movers and shakers in the industry.
1951
Amazon Invests in Driverless Startup Aurora
Amazon's investment in high-profile autonomous-vehicle startup Aurora starts a relationship with a company developing tech that could be a natural fit for package delivery. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has more.
7 min
1952
Tesla Cuts the Model 3 Price Again
Tesla cut the price of its mass-market Model 3 sedan for the second time this year, another step in Chief Executive Elon Musk's quest to drive the sticker price-not counting tax credits and fuel savings-down to $35,000. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has more.
5 min
1953
Snap's Revenue Jumps in 'Stable' Earnings Report
Snap Inc. posted record revenue in its latest quarter and narrowed its loss considerably, as the social-media firm rode a boom in online advertising to inch closer to profitability. Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group breaks it down.
6 min
1954
Slack Follows Spotify With Nontraditional IPO
Slack Technologies has filed paperwork for its direct listing on the stock market, setting it up to be the second major company to use the nontraditional method for an initial public offering. Wall Street Journal reporter Maureen Farrell has more.
7 min
1955
Apple Sets Fix for FaceTime Bug This Week
Apple apologized for a security flaw in its FaceTime video-chat system and said a software fix is coming this week, as the iPhone maker addresses an embarrassing vulnerability that drew the attention of government officials. The Wall Street Journal's Robert McMillan has more.
7 min
1956
New York Insurers Can Use Algorithms to Set Rates
New York State will allow life insurers to use algorithms to comb through data to determine a customer's risk. Wall Street Journal reporter Leslie Scism says it could have an impact beyond the state's borders.
8 min
1957
Facebook's Record Profit
Facebook posted a record quarterly profit despite a drumbeat of negative headlines, prompting CEO Mark Zuckerberg to say the social-media giant has turned a corner and plans to focus this year on building new products. Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group has more.
5 min
1958
Apple Pulls FaceTime Group After Bug Let Users ...
This week, Apple scrambled to fix a bug in its FaceTime video-chat system that lets callers eavesdrop on users of iPhones, iPads and Macs. The Wall Street Journal's Robert McMillan explains the awkward setback for a company that has touted its commitment to privacy.
8 min
1959
Facebook Fights Fake News With New Tools
Facebook plans to make more information available world-wide about political ads purchased on its services, expanding its effort to defend against politically motivated interference in elections from India to the European Union. The Wall Street Journal's Sam Schechner has more.
9 min
1960
Amazon Gets Exclusive Products From Big Brands
To build a big line of exclusive products on its site, Amazon is pushing other brand manufacturers to do most of the work. The Wall Street Journal's Annie Gasparro has more.
7 min
1961
How AI Keeps World's Largest Beer Maker Running
The world's largest beer maker is using machine learning to predict when brewery motors might malfunction. Sara Castellanos, reporter for WSJ's CIO Journal, explains how the Anheuser-Busch InBev SA plant uses wireless sensors that can detect ultrasonic sounds to keep machines running smoothly.
6 min
1962
Boeing's Autonomous Taxi Takes Flight
Boeing says its prototype for an autonomous air taxi completed a first test flight, heating up a race among aerospace companies hoping to transform urban transit. The Wall Street Journal's Andrew Tangel has more.
7 min
1963
Google Fined $57 Million Under New European Law
A French regulator fined Google $56.8 million-the biggest penalty so far under a new European privacy law-alleging the search-engine giant didn't go far enough getting valid user consent to gather data for targeted advertising. The Wall Street Journal's Sam Schechner has more.
5 min
1964
Can Microsoft's $500 Million Solve Seattle's Ho...
Microsoft pledged $500 million to support affordable housing in the Seattle area, an effort to address concern that technology companies' financial success has pushed less wealthy people out of their communities. The Wall Street Journal's Jay Greene has the details.
6 min
1965
Netflix Earnings: A Mixed Bag as Competition He...
Netflix continued to expand its customer base at a rapid clip in the fourth quarter thanks to strong growth overseas, but increased spending on content weighed on the streaming-video giant's profit and it forecast slower revenue growth for the current quarter. Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group has more.
6 min
1966
Motorola Razr Phone: The Next Comeback?
Motorola seeks to revive flip phone that was dethroned by the iPhone a decade ago. The Wall Steet Journal's Sarah Krouse has more.
6 min
1967
Netflix Raises Prices on All of Its Subscriptio...
Netflix has raised prices for all of its subscription plans, a move that will give the streaming-video giant more flexibility to continue its aggressive spending on content in the face of stepped-up competition from rivals. The Wall Street Journal's Joe Flint has more.
6 min
1968
Cloud Still Shines for Amazon, Microsoft
Can Amazon and Microsoft keep their cloud businesses growing strong? The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher has more on the new $1.6 trillion question.
7 min
1969
Apple: Time to Blast Through 'Walled Garden?'
For years, Apple's software and services were only available on its hardware. At this year's CES tech show in Las Vegas, it's become apparent that the company is ready to try something different. The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Mims has more.
10 min
1970
CES 2019: Air Taxis, Wall TVs, 5G Hype, Walking...
At the annual CES convention, companies showcase their most ambitious projects and hint at what's in store for the future of technology. The Wall Street Journal's Wilson Rothman and Brian Fitzgerald talk what's on the tech horizon with a recap of the world's biggest tech show-and-tell.
12 min
1971
Fake 5G? Wireless Rivals Fuel Confusion, Contro...
Companies like AT&T and Verizon are putting their own spin on 5G wireless standards to appear more cutting-edge. As some decry fake 5G, the Wall Street Journal's Drew FitzGerald talks more on a brewing controversy.
7 min
1972
AI Robots Speed Up E-Commerce in Warehouses
Companies like XPO Logistics and Rakuten are rolling out automation in warehouses to boost productivity -- increasing human-machine collaboration. The Wall Street Journal's Jennifer Smith explains how robots help speed up e-commerce.
7 min
1973
Telsa's New China Factory
Tesla started construction of its new China factory, the first wholly foreign-owned car plant in the country and crucial to the electric-auto maker's goal to scale up production. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins has more.
7 min
1974
Apple: Time to Think Very Different?
Slowing iPhone sales triggered a nearly unprecedented warning from Apple about lower-than-expected revenue for its fiscal first quarter. The Wall Street Journal's Dan Gallagher explains why defending Apple's margins may now be coming at a significant cost to what is no longer the world's most valuable company.
6 min
1975
Roku Takes Cues From Amazon With Premium Subscr...
Beginning later this month, Roku will directly sell subscriptions to premium TV channels such as Starz, Showtime and Epix. The Wall Street Journal's Benjamin Mullin has more on how this shakes up a competitive streaming market.
6 min