Hello there, It’s another weekend. We know you’re excited to get time off work, and it is another opportunity to get updated on major events that happened in the global tech world this week, so here is a roundup of all the latest major tech news.
This week, Uber sold 50.03% of its stake in Careem, the Middle East-based ride-hailing company it bought in 2019 for $400 million to the Emirates Telecommunications Group Company.
Last week we reported that Cash App’s founder Bob Lee was stabbed to death in San Francisco, with no major arrest at the time. However, this week, an arrest was made. Mission Local, a San Francisco-based outlet, disclosed that the murder suspect is a fellow tech executive who lives in the Bay Area.
Twitter owner Elon Musk stated that the micro-blogging platform is close to becoming cash-flow positive after making sharp layoffs. Don’t forget that Musk has enforced a series of layoffs since taking over, marking the start of a trend in the industry since last year.
Microsoft and Snapchat announce a partnership that allows the integration of Snapchat Lenses for Teams to bring some fun to virtual meetings.
Here is a summary of the Bulletin
- Uber has sold 50.03% of its stake in Careem
- First suspect arrest made in relation to Bob Lee’s Murder
- Musk says Twitter is close to becoming profitable
- Microsoft and Snapchat announced a partnership that allows the integration of Snapchat Lenses for Teams
- HBO Max and Discovery Plus merge to create “Max”
Read also: Apple, Netflix, Microsoft roll out new features
Uber sells 50.03% of its stake in Careem
Uber has sold 50.03% of its stake in Careem, the Middle East-based ride-hailing company it bought in 2019 for $400 million to the Emirates Telecommunications Group Company.
The ride-hailing business Careem, founded in the Middle East and acquired by Uber in 2019, is launching a new startup with $400 million in funding from Emirates Telecommunications Group Company.
The UAE’s largest telecom, Emirates Telecommunications, now known as e&, announced on Monday that it had agreed with Uber to purchase a 50.03% stake in the newly formed Careem Technologies.
TechCrunch reports that following the deal, Careem will be broken into two companies, Careem Rides and Careem Technologies, with a clear aim to make it a Super App unit according to a blog post from Careem CEO and co-founder Mudassir Sheikha
Police arrest suspect in Bob Lee’s murder
ICYMI, last week, Cash App Founder and chief product officer of cryptocurrency company MobileCoin, Bob Lee, was murdered in a San Francisco stabbing.
This week, an arrest has been made in relation to that murder, as stated by a tweet from San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Matt Dorsey. The suspect was arrested in the city of Emeryville by the San Francisco Police Department.
Also, recall that we reported that Bob was stabbed to death on the streets of San Francisco in the United States when he visited the city to attend a tech conference.
Mission Local, a San Francisco-based outlet, disclosed that the murder suspect is a fellow tech executive who lives in the Bay Area. Though there is no clear evidence that the suspect attended the same tech conference as Bob Lee, both men knew each other.
Jail records showed 38-year-old Emeryville resident Nima Momeni was booked on suspicion of murder at 9:19 a.m. Thursday morning. He previously described himself as an information technology consultant and entrepreneur.
Twitter nears profitability
Elon Musk says that Twitter is close to becoming cash-flow positive after making sharp layoffs and working to lure advertisers back to the platform.
“I’d say we’re roughly breakeven at this point,” Musk said Wednesday, during a live interview with the BBC recorded on Twitter Spaces.
Since taking over at the social media company, Musk has continuously reiterated his desires and plans to make the company profitable, perhaps to recoup his multibillion-dollar investment on the platform and pay off investors.
As part of this income-generation strategy, Musk has enforced a series of layoffs, which has reduced the number of staff at Twitter to about 1500 personnel. Twitter has also sought to make more money from subscriptions, charging users $8 a month to get access to Twitter verification marks and for the ability to edit tweets, among other features.
Musk said Twitter would start removing blue checks from accounts without a subscription to the company’s paid Twitter Blue service next week.
During the interview, Musk said that “almost all” advertisers have resumed buying ads on the platform after several stopped Twitter advertising following Musk’s acquisition of the app.
Microsoft and Snapchat announce new Partnership
Microsoft and Snapchat have announced a partnership that allows the integration of Snapchat Lenses for Teams to bring some fun to virtual meetings.
Teams users will get access to a collection of 26 popular Lenses during meetings as part of the integration. You can use the Lenses to transform yourself into a cartoon character or add fun backgrounds to your video, TechCrunch reports.
Snap says the new integration aims to allow for more fun and engaging meetings. You don’t need to download anything to access the Lenses, as you can get started by clicking on “Video effects” and selecting the “Snapchat” tab.
“With the rise of hybrid and flexible work, our customers need tools that help build connections and foster a productive and enjoyable work environment,” said Microsoft Teams Vice President Nicole
Herskowitz in an emailed statement. “That’s why we are excited to bring Snapchat’s most popular Lenses natively into Microsoft Teams meetings, making it easy for users to add even more personality and fun to video calls. With Snapchat Lenses for Teams, we are offering customers a new way to express themselves and engage with co-workers in a dynamic and entertaining manner.”
HBO Max and Discovery Plus merge to create “Max”
HBO Max and Discovery Plus are merging to create a combined streaming service called “Max,” to launch on May 23rd and cost up to $19.99 per month with two cheaper tiers priced at $15.99 and $9.99.
Max is the one to watch, It’s the one to watch because it’s the place every member of the household can go to see exactly what they want at any given time.”
”CEO David Zaslav
Compared to the $15.99 basic ad-free plan, which gives HD resolution, two concurrent streams, and thirty offline downloads, the $19.99 ad-free Ultimate tier offers 100 offline downloads, 4K HDR Dolby Atmos for some material, and four concurrent streams. However, the least expensive ad-supported subscription has two concurrent streams and HD quality.
The Verge reports that while the regular HBO Max app will go away completely and automatically update to Max on May 23rd, Discovery Plus will remain a standalone option that retains the same $4.99 per month price with ads or $6.99 per month without.
Warner Bros. Discovery will automatically migrate HBO Max users, their profiles, watch histories, and billing information to the new service.
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