Catherine Shu
Writer
The Latest from Catherine Shu
Computer scientist Richard Stallman, who defended Jeffrey Epstein, resigns from MIT CSAIL and the Free Software Foundation
Computer scientist and open software advocate Richard Stallman said he has resigned from his position as a visiting scientist at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) after
SmartNews’ latest news discovery feature shows articles from across the political spectrum
Even before the 2016 election, political polarization was increasing, with Americans so entrenched in the news sources they rely on that the Pew Research Center said “liberals and conservatives inha
Spotify acquires SoundBetter, a music production marketplace, for an undisclosed sum
Spotify today took another step in its efforts to build out services for artists to help diversify itself away from a business model predicated on paying music streaming royalties to labels: it has a
SimShine raises $8 million for home security cameras that use edge computing
SimShine, a computer vision startup based in Shenzhen, has raised $8 million in pre-Series A funding for SimCam, its line of home security cameras that use edge computing to keep data on-device. The f
Huawei drops lawsuit over equipment seized by the US government
Huawei has dropped a lawsuit against the Commerce Department and other agencies after the U.S. government released telecommunications equipment seized in September 2017. The suit was filed by the Chin
Jack Ma officially retires as Alibaba’s chairman
Jack Ma stepped down as Alibaba’s chairman today, handing the role over to the company’s current CEO, Daniel Zhang. The transition was announced a year ago. Ma will continue serving on Alibaba’s
American tariffs are having a bigger impact on US-based Amazon vendors than their competitors in China, according to SellerMotor
The series of tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese goods has impacted both U.S. and China-based Amazon vendors, but U.S. sellers are taking a bigger hit to their sales, according to data fr
Alibaba acquires NetEase Kaola in deal worth $2 billion
Alibaba Group has acquired NetEase Kaola for $2 billion, the two companies said today, and will integrate it into Tmall, creating the largest cross-border e-commerce platform in China. The announcemen
Reefknot Investments launches $50 million fund to invest in logistics and supply chain startups
Reefknot Investments, a joint venture between Temasek, Singapore’s sovereign fund, and global logistics company Kuehne + Nagel, announced today the launch of a $50 million fund for logistics and sup
Neura, a mobile app engagement analytics startup, raises $16 million Series B
Neura, a startup that helps developers see how users interact with their apps, has raised a Series B of $16 million. The round was led by returning investors Pitango Venture Capital and Liberty Techno
Alibaba reportedly near finalizing a deal to acquire NetEase’s cross-border e-commerce unit
After weeks of media reports, Alibaba may finally be nearing an agreement to acquire NetEase’s cross-border e-commerce unit, Kaola. Chinese tech news website 36kr reports that a deal may be announce
How Zhihu has become one of China’s biggest hubs for experts
Zhihu may not be as well known outside of China as WeChat or ByteDance’s Douyin, but over the past eight years, it has cultivated a reputation for being one of the country’s most trustworthy s
WeChat restricts controversial video face-swapping app Zao, citing ‘security risks’
Zao went viral in China this weekend for its realistic face-swapping videos, but after controversy about its user policy, WeChat restricted access to the app on its messaging platform. Users can still
The Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association warns that restricting online access would be ruinous for the region
After Hong Kong’s leader suggested she may invoke emergency powers that could potentially include limiting internet access, one of the city’s biggest industry groups warned that “any such re
Pinterest starts displaying information from health organizations for searches related to vaccines
As part of its efforts against health misinformation, Pinterest is now displaying information from public health organizations for keywords like “measles” or “vaccine safety.” The social media
Federal grand jury indicts Paige Thompson on two counts related to the Capital One data breach
The Department of Justice said today that a federal grand jury has indicted software engineer Paige Thompson on two counts related to the Capital One data breach that affected more than 100 million cu
More than 130 US companies have reportedly applied to sell to Huawei, but the Commerce Department has approved none of them
President Trump said in July that some U.S. suppliers would be allowed to sell to Huawei while it remains blacklisted, but so far no vendors have been allowed to do so. Reuters reports that more than
Gogoro launches its electric scooters for businesses in South Korea
Gogoro, the Taiwanese electric vehicle and mobility platform company, announced today that it has partnered with motorcycle company TIC Corporation to bring its B2B-focused electric scooters to South
YouTube is now labeling videos in Hong Kong uploaded by publishers with government or public funding
Edited: Updated to clarify that this feature began rolling out in Western regions in February 2018, but just extended to Hong Kong, too. Days after Google said YouTube was used in a coordinated effo
Megvii, the Chinese startup unicorn known for facial recognition tech, files to go public in Hong Kong
Megvii Technology, the Beijing-based artificial intelligence startup known in particular for its facial recognition brand Face++, has filed for a public listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Its pr