WSJ Tech News Briefing

By The Wall Street Journal

Tech News

What's WSJ Tech News Briefing about?

Get the latest in technology news for your weekday commute. Wall Street Journal reporters join Tanya Bustos to cover leading companies, new gadgets, consumer trends and cyber issues. From San Francisco to New York to the hottest conferences, our journalists help you stay plugged in.

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Finding the Next Health Tec...

06.11.2021

At the WSJ's recent virtual Tech Health event, SoftBank Senior Managing Partner Deep Nishar and former Apple CEO John Sculley spoke with reporter Rolfe Winkler about how they're placing their bets when it comes to investing in healthcare technology. Amanda ...

WSJ Tech News Briefing episodes:

06.11.2021 Finding the Next Health Tech Unicorn At the WSJ's recent virtual Tech Health event, SoftBank Senior Managing Partner Deep Nishar and former Apple CEO John Sculley spoke with reporter Rolfe Winkler about how they're placing their bets when it comes to investing in healthcare technology. Amanda ...
06.10.2021 Google Health VP on the Company's Ventures in Healthcare At the WSJ's virtual Tech Health event Wednesday, Google Health VP David Feinberg joined business editor Jamie Heller to discuss how Google has directed people to information about the pandemic, as well as its ventures in healthcare technology. Amanda Lewellyn ...
06.09.2021 Apple's Privacy Moves Make Advertisers Anxious At WWDC this week, Apple introduced several features it said were meant to help protect users' privacy as they use their devices. But advertisers are concerned about how the changes will affect their businesses. Reporter Patience Haggin joins host Amanda ...
06.08.2021 At WWDC, Apple Doubles Down on Privacy Yesterday, Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where it announced big updates to many of its core apps, many of which focused on privacy and maintaining its walled garden. Senior Personal Tech Columnist Joanna Stern joins host Amanda ...
06.07.2021 Facebook Suspends Trump for at Least Two Years After a decision from its Oversight Board last month, Facebook said it would suspend former President Donald Trump for two years, and that it would be clearer about how it enforces rules for newsworthy figures on its platform. Facebook reporter ...
06.04.2021 Cyber Attacks Prompt Government Response Government officials are looking at ways to address the uptick in cyber attacks over the past year. Cybersecurity reporter David Uberti joins host Amanda Lewellyn to break down what they are considering. Christopher Zinsli is our supervising producer. Kateri Jochum ...
06.03.2021 Dogecoin to Begin Trading on Coinbase Pro Today Dogecoin has been on a tear this year, egged on by retail investors and tweets from influential advocates like Elon Musk. Now doge is set to begin trading on Coinbase. Markets reporter Caitlin Ostroff joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain ...
06.02.2021 Elon Musk's Starlink Could Get a Boost From German Subsidies Germany could become the first large nation to subsidize the use of consumer satellite internet services like those offered by Elon Musk's Starlink. Germany correspondent Bojan Pancevski joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why Germany is turning to satellite internet, ...
06.01.2021 5G Rollout in the U.S. Has Been Anything But Fast. Why? Next-generation 5G networks are supposed to bring superfast download speeds, and possibly even enable the next wave of tech innovation. But in8he U.S., the rollout has been anything but fast. Reporter Jared Council joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why. ...
05.28.2021 Down With Constant Video Calls. Long Live Audio-Only Calls. Not every meeting in the remote-work era needs to be a video call. In fact, there's evidence that plain-old voice calls can be just as productive, if not more so-and better for everyone's mental health, to boot. Senior Personal Tech ...
05.27.2021 Amazon to Buy MGM, Heating Up the Streaming Wars Amazon reached a deal to buy the fabled Hollywood studio MGM for nearly $8.5 billion, including debt. The deal will give Amazon access to MGM's library of content, including franchises like "James Bond" and "Rocky." On today's show, entertainment reporter ...
05.26.2021 Germany Weighs Using New Powers to Target Google Germany's competition regulator is considering a move that would enable the regulator to order Google to make changes to business practices that are deemed anticompetitive. Tech policy reporter Sam Schechner joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the action being considered, ...
05.25.2021 Ransomware Negotiators Step In When Companies Are Hacked Ransomware attacks that lock up a victim's systems have become more common. So have people who negotiate with the hackers on behalf of the victims. Kurtis Minder, co-founder of the cyber reconnaissance startup GroupSense, discusses what those negotiations are like, ...
05.24.2021 Google AI Unit DeepMind Tried and Failed to Gain More Autonomy For years, senior managers at Google's DeepMind artificial-intelligence unit sought to negotiate more independence from the parent company. Now we report exclusively that Google ended those talks last month. Tech reporter Parmy Olson joins host Christopher Zinsli to discuss what ...
05.21.2021 Apple CEO Tim Cook Set to Testify in Epic Games Trial At the end of the third week of the Epic Games trial, Apple's CEO Tim Cook is expected to be called to testify in his company's defense. WSJ's Apple reporter Tim Higgins discusses the issues at play, and what to ...
05.20.2021 Tesla Drivers Test Bounds of Assisted-Driving Features Tesla CEO Elon Musk has championed his vehicles' driver-assistance system, and he has forecasted that self-driving cars are the future. But some Tesla drivers are getting ahead of the technology. Tesla reporter Rebecca Elliott joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss ...
05.19.2021 Google Sets Sights on Commercial-Grade Quantum Computer Google says it is devoting billions of dollars to developing a commercial-grade quantum computer by 2029. The company is exploring use cases ranging from energy-efficient batteries to more sustainable fertilizer to accelerating the development of machine learning. WSJ Pro reporter ...
05.18.2021 Parler Returns to the App Store Several big tech companies blocked access to the social-media app Parler in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying it hadn't done enough to address threats of violence. Now Parler has returned to Apple's App Store. Tech reporter ...
05.17.2021 Ethereum's Boom Highlights Challenges for the Network's Future The second-largest cryptocurrency network, Ethereum, has been booming on the back of interest in NFTs and "DeFi," or decentralized finance. But our cryptocurrency reporter Paul Vigna says its rise also has exposed some of the network's challenges, including network congestion ...
05.14.2021 How Roblox Plans to Expand Beyond Gaming This week The Wall Street Journal is sitting down with industry movers and shakers for our Future of Everything Festival. Today we hear from Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki on the videogame platform's dramatic rise over the past year, ...
05.13.2021 SEC Commissioner 'CryptoMom' on Crypto's Next Chapter This week The Wall Street Journal is sitting down with industry movers and shakers for our Future of Everything Festival. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce was an early advocate for cryptocurrencies, earning her the moniker "CryptoMom" from crypto startups and traders. ...
05.12.2021 Google's Marian Croak on Making AI Fair and Transparent This week The Wall Street Journal is sitting down with industry movers and shakers for our Future of Everything Festival. Senior Personal Tech Columnist Joanna Stern interviews Dr. Marian Croak, Google's engineering vice president and head of the tech giant's ...
05.11.2021 Pipeline Ransomware Attack Exposes Vulnerabilities in Energy Sector Hackers took aim at the East Coast's main fuel pipeline, forcing operators to shut it down over the weekend. Cybersecurity reporter David Uberti joins host Amanda Lewellyn to break down the latest on the cyberattack, and what it could mean ...
05.10.2021 Elon Musk Makes His 'SNL' Debut Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hosted "Saturday Night Live" this past weekend. Tesla reporter Rebecca Elliott joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss what happened and why the sketch show made the unusual choice to bring him on in the ...
05.07.2021 Investigation Finds Millions of Fake Comments on FCC Proposal A new report from the New York attorney general found that nearly 18 million fake comments were filed regarding the Federal Communications Commission's 2017 proposal to scale back internet regulations. Senior writer James Grimaldi joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss ...
05.06.2021 Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Trump Ban, With an Asterisk In a long-anticipated ruling, Facebook's oversight board upheld the company's decision to block former President Donald Trump from its platforms. But it said the company didn't adequately explain if or why the ban would be permanent. Facebook reporter Jeff Horwitz ...
05.05.2021 Decision on Trump's Facebook Ban Is Coming Today Former President Donald Trump has been banned from Facebook and Instagram since January, after a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol. Today, Facebook's independent oversight board is expected to hand down its decision that could determine whether Mr. Trump is ...
05.04.2021 Basecamp's Push to Curb Political Talk at Work Sparks Debate in Tech Leaders at the startup Basecamp said last week it would curb political conversations at work. The announcement sparked an immediate backlash. But it's not the first time a tech company has tried to limit employees' speech. Tech reporter Katie Bindley ...
05.03.2021 Epic vs. Apple Court Battle Begins Today The high-profile trial between the maker of 'Fortnite' and Apple begins today. Epic alleges that Apple's developer fees-the 30% commission it takes on purchases made through its App Store-are too high and anticompetitive. Apple says the fees are in line ...
04.30.2021 What We Learned From This Week's Tech Earnings Reports This week's quarterly earnings reports from some of the biggest tech companies in the world give us a first look at how the sector is faring as the world begins to ease pandemic-related restrictions. Tech editor Bowdeya Tweh joins host ...
04.29.2021 Elon Musk's War on Regulators While most CEOs steer clear of regulators, the entrepreneur Elon Musk often goes head-to-head with agencies that oversee financial markets and space flight. Investigations reporter Susan Pulliam joins host Amanda Lewellyn to take a closer look at what this unusual ...
04.28.2021 Google's Univision Cloud Deal Highlights Debate Over Bundling Services Google secured one of its largest-ever cloud computing deals with the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision by bundling its cloud computing services with benefits in its search, advertising and YouTube businesses. Tech reporter Aaron Tilley joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why ...
04.27.2021 Joanna Stern and Apple's Software Chief Talk App Tracking Transparency If you updated to iOS 14.5, you might have noticed the apps on your iPhone asking for permission to track you. That is due to a new feature called app tracking transparency, or ATT, that has sparked a backlash from ...
04.26.2021 What's Driving Tech Startups' Deal Frenzy U.S. startups raised $69 billion from investors in the first quarter, according to PitchBook Data, and the average valuation at all stages reached a new high. Tech reporter Heather Somerville joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain what is driving the ...
04.23.2021 Tesla Crashes Raise Safety Concerns in Congress Some lawmakers are raising concerns about the safety of Tesla vehicles after a series of fatal crashes, most recently one in Texas last weekend. Tesla reporter Rebecca Elliott joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss lawmakers' concerns, and how regulators might ...
04.22.2021 EU Proposal Seeks to Limit AI, Facial Recognition The executive branch of the European Union has put forward one of the first proposed laws globally to regulate artificial intelligence and facial-recognition technologies. Tech reporter Parmy Olson joins host Amanda Lewellyn to break down what is in the bill, ...
04.21.2021 Roblox Works to Reign In Sexual Content on its Platform Many parents have leaned on online games to keep young children entertained and connected during the pandemic. But in one popular platform, Roblox, there are dark corners: In some games, players' avatars simulate sex and "date" one another. Family and ...
04.20.2021 Rivals Raise Concerns About SpaceX's Starlink Project Elon Musk's internet satellite venture, Starlink, is authorized to send 12,000 satellites into orbit to expand internet access, and it is seeking permission for another 30,000. But rivals are raising concerns about the company's approach. Correspondent Bojan Pancevski joins host ...
04.19.2021 How the Pandemic Turbo-Charged Payments Processor Stripe The pandemic threatened to clobber Stripe. Instead, the payments processor became one of the most lucrative businesses in Silicon Valley. Fintech reporter Peter Rudegeair joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
04.16.2021 Small Businesses Shift Ad Strategies Ahead of Apple iOS Update Apple is set to roll out a feature that would require apps to ask users' permission before tracking them. Facebook has been among the most vocal opponents to the change, saying it could hurt its advertising business. But small businesses ...
04.15.2021 Now That Coinbase Is Public, Could a Bitcoin ETF Be Next? Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are making their way into the mainstream. Some recent developments, including the public listing of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and a new SEC chairman seen as friendlier to crypto, have some believing that the time is ...
04.14.2021 Why Big Tech is Setting Its Sights on Healthcare Microsoft's $16 billion acquisition of the speech-recognition company Nuance Communications is yet another sign that big tech is furthering its push into healthcare. Tech reporter Rolfe Winkler joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the opportunity tech companies see, and the ...
04.13.2021 White House, Tech Executives Meet to Address Chip Shortage White House officials met with tech executives yesterday to discuss how to address a chip shortage that has hobbled the auto industry and squeezed others in the tech sector. White House reporter Alex Leary joins host Amanda Lewellyn to recap ...
04.12.2021 Amazon Workers Vote Against Unionization About 71% of Amazon workers at a warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., voted against forming what would have been the company's first U.S. union. Tech editor Bradley Olson joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the outcome, as well as the possible ...
04.09.2021 Chatbots Could Manage Your Money One Day The chatbots on your bank's website could someday help you manage your money in real time. WSJ Personal Finance Reporter Julia Carpenter joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain what that could look like - and the hurdles between now and ...
04.08.2021 NASA's Ingenuity Set to Begin Test Flights on Mars When NASA's Perseverance rover landed on the red planet in late February, it was carrying a stowaway: a small helicopter called Ingenuity. In the coming days, Ingenuity is set to begin a series of test flights that scientists are hoping ...
04.07.2021 Fidelity, Square, Coinbase Launch Bitcoin Trade Group Cryptocurrencies have gained traction in the mainstream in recent months, with some companies and even governments making serious investments in bitcoin and other digital assets. Now, several financial firms have formed a trade group to lobby for the technology and ...
04.06.2021 Why Facebook Is Giving Users More Control Over Their Feeds Facebook is rolling out new controls that would make it easier for users to determine what is in their feeds. Senior Personal Tech Columnist Joanna Stern joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss what the change means for the company and ...
04.05.2021 Should You Buy a Sleep Tracker? An influx of new gadgets aim to help you sleep better by collecting data about your heart rate, time in bed, and sleep cycles. But are they worth it? Personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss. ...
04.02.2021 Biden Aims for Universal High-Speed Internet Access The Biden administration this week unveiled a $2.3 trillion plan to update the nation's infrastructure, including $100 billion to expand internet access. Tech policy reporter Ryan Tracy joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the hurdles the plan faces. Christopher Zinsli ...

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