Twitter sends Periscope to its app abattoir while MacKenzie Scott sets a $4 billion example for the rest of the tech billionaires
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Alexei Oreskovic
Dec 16, 2020, 23:27 IST
Jack Dorsey in 2019.Toby Melville/Reuters
Hello, and welcome to this Wednesday's edition of the Insider Tech newsletter, where we break down the biggest news in tech. This will be the last weekly newsletter of 2020 - Insider Tech will be back in January!
This week: Twitter's app abattoir and MacKenzie Scott's $4 billion example
Periscope, the livestreaming app, that Twitter acquired in 2015, is going the way of Vine. Twitter announced plans Tuesday to shut down the Periscope standalone app, the latest example of Twitter's odd habit of euthanizing apps that it buys.
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Many commentators pointed out that Vine's demise came shortly before TikTok conquered the world with its similar service of looping video clips. The counterargument is that TikTok's secret sauce is more about the discovery AI than the basic concept of looping clips. Still, it's reasonable to wonder whether Twitter is being myopic by sending Periscope into its app abattoir.
Microsoft hit back with a retort that, ironically, sounded vaguely familiar to what we've heard about Trump's efforts to question the legitimacy of the US presidential election: "Amazon seems to be saying the only way they can ever lose is if the procurement isn't fair."
After recent years focusing on longer-term projects like the space company Blue Origin, Bezos is back in the trenches and heavily involved in day-to-day operations at Amazon.
The return of Bezos was triggered by the disruptions caused by COVID-19, including supply-chain lockdowns and shipment delays, as well as Amazon's coronavirus testing lab.
But emerging threats like Shopify have caused Bezos to take a more hands-on approach.
The money is going to a variety of efforts including food banks and emergency relief funds that Scott says will hope those most affected by the coronavirus.
"This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling. Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires," Scott wrote in a blog post.
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Now that's a good example to set for the holidays.
The electric vehicle is 143 inches long (shorter than a Mini Cooper) and sits 4 people on opposite facing bench seats. It can reach a top speed of 75 mph, which frankly sounds a bit terrifying.
Amazon won't say when the robotaxi will begin to ply the streets with passengers aboard, though it apparently will not launch as a publicly available ride-hailing service until at least 2022, per Bloomberg. In the meantime, the robotaxi is being tested in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Foster City, Calif - if you see one in the wild, or get lucky enough to ride in one, please send us some photos.
Thursday, December 17, at 3 p.m. EST/ 12 p.m. PSTBusiness Insider's startups and VC reporter Melia Russell hosts a live panel discussion on how to get hired in VC, with a focus on young professionals breaking in. The panel of industry insiders will discuss what VC firms look for in candidates for analyst, associate, and junior partner jobs, and how those young professionals can best position themselves for success in the interview process.
And as always, please reach out with rants, raves, and tips at aoreskovic@businessinsider.com
- Alexei
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