10 things in tech you need to know today

CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong), head of Huawei's consumer business Group, speaks on stage during a presentation to reveal Huawei's latest smartphones "Mate 30" and "Mate 30 Pro" in Munich, southern Germany, on September 19, 2019. - The latest high-end smartphone of Chinese tech giant Huawei could be the first that could be void of popular Google apps because of US sanctions.

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday.

1. An employee has died at Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters in an apparent suicide. Police said an adult male jumped from the fourth floor of an office building, and the victim's name has not been released.
2. Airbnb, the $31 billion home rental company, said it plans to go public in 2020. The firm didn't gave further details, but was reportedly considering going public via direct listing.
3. Jeff Bezos has announced an ambitious climate pledge that aims to make Amazon carbon neutral by 2040. As part of the pledge, Amazon said it will meet the sustainability goals of the United Nations Paris Agreement 10 years early.
4. Huawei's new Mate 30 flagship phone doesn't come with any Google apps, and it's the first big tech casualty of the US-China trade war. The lack of Google services is likely to put European consumers off the new phone.
5. Mark Zuckerberg has been privately schmoozing with some of Facebook's biggest critics in Washington this week. The Facebook CEO meeting with lawmakers as Facebook faces intense regulatory and political scrutiny over issues including antitrust, data privacy, content moderation, and its digital currency plans.
6. Stripe's valuation has risen to $35 billion after a $250 million fundraise. The fintech's latest valuation puts it ahead of firms such as Airbnb and Palantir, according to the Wall Street Journal.
7. The US should halt its ban on supplying Huawei with Windows software for the Chinese firm's computers, Microsoft's president has said. According to BBC News, Brad Smith said he did not think the US security would be "undermined" by letting Huawei's customers use the Windows operating system or Office apps.
8. Apple's new iOS 13 update is now available to download on compatible iPhones, reports The Verge. A major aspect of the update is Dark Mode, which lets users view iMessage, Photos, Settings and more with a much darker theme.
9. Mark Zuckerberg held an unannounced meeting with President Trump during his visit to DC this week, according to Axios. A Facebook spokesman told the publication that the meeting was "good" and "constructive."
10. Popular YouTubers have been told they'll lose their verification checkmarks thanks to a YouTube policy change. YouTube announced Thursday that it was overhauling the qualifications for creators to get verified on the platform.

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