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1. Apple disables Walkie Talkie app due to vulnerability that could allow iPhone eavesdropping
The Walkie Talkie app on Apple Watch allows two users who have accepted an invite from each other to receive audio chats via a “push to talk” interface reminiscent of the PTT buttons on older cell phones.
Apple has apologized for the bug and for the inconvenience of being unable to use the feature while a fix is made.
2. Amazon invests $700 million to retrain a third of its US workforce by 2025
The company’s stated goal is to “upskill” 100,000 of its U.S. employees for more in-demand jobs by 2025. That’s one in three of Amazon’s U.S. workers.
3. Hospitality business Sonder confirms new investment, $1B+ valuation
Sonder, which rents serviced apartments akin to boutique hotels, has raised $225 million at a valuation north of $1 billion.
4. N26 launches its challenger bank in the US
If you’re familiar with N26, the product going live today won’t surprise you much. Customers in the U.S. can download a mobile app and create a bank account from their phone in just a few minutes.
5. Apple has pushed a silent Mac update to remove hidden Zoom web server
Zoom took flack from users following a public vulnerability disclosure on Monday by Jonathan Leitschuh, in which he described how “any website [could] forcibly join a user to a Zoom call, with their video camera activated, without the user’s permission.”
6. OneTrust raises $200M at a $1.3B valuation to help organizations navigate online privacy rules
It’s an outsized round for a Series A, being made at an equally outsized valuation, but according to CEO Kabir Barday, that’s because of the wide-ranging nature of the issue, and OneTrust’s early moves tackling it.
7. The future of car ownership: Cars-as-a-service
Previously, we explored the different startups attempting to change car buying. But not everyone wants to buy a car. (Extra Crunch membership required.)
