10 things in tech you need to know today
1. Samsung has announced what caused the Galaxy Note 7 to explode. A bad battery design and the rush to release an updated version caused the dangerous smartphone defect.
2. Hugo Barra, the ex-Google executive who led Xiaomi's international expansion, has quit. TechCrunch reports he is leaving the Chinese tech company and returning to the US.
3. US regulators are investigating whether Samsung should have reported its two huge data breaches sooner, The Wall Street Journal reports. The SEC's investigation could set a precedent for how companies deal with major hacks.
4. Apple is suing Qualcomm, one of its most important suppliers. Apple accuses it of withholding $1 billion (£800 million) in rebates.
5. About 700 Microsoft employees will be laid off next week, sources say. It is expected to coincide with the company's quarterly earnings on January 26.
6. Twitter has apologised for making people follow Donald Trump against their will, Gizmodo reports. The social network accidentally made people who chose to follow Barack Obama follow the new president as well.
7. Lavabit, a secure email service used by Edward Snowden, is relaunching. The exiled whistleblower used the service before leaking information about US spying, and it subsequently closed down to protect its users' data.
8. The world's best poker bot is learning, and crushing humans at the game once again. Libratus is currently facing off against four human players in a 20-day competition.
9. Here are the power players who really run Uber. We've rounded up the top executives who control the transportation company.
10. Samsung will not be showing off the upcoming Galaxy S8 at Mobile World Congress next month, Reuters reports. The South Korean electronics company had been expected to debut its new phone at the Barcelona conference.