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1.	Meta Says Lenovo, Asus Will Use Its VR Software to Build Headsets By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan Source: The Information

Meta Platforms said Monday it had struck deals with Asus, Lenovo and Xbox to develop new headsets that use Metas virtual reality operating system.

In a blog post, Meta said Asus would use the software, dubbed Horizon, to develop a new gaming headset, and Lenovo would use Horizon to develop mixed reality headsets for productivity. Meta and Microsofts Xbox console gaming unit, meanwhile, are developing a limited edition version of Quest, the Meta-branded VR headset, which Meta said would be inspired by Xbox. Meta didnt disclose terms of the deals, including whether the hardware makers would get a cut of revenue from games and other apps that run on the devices.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he wants to build the dominant open operating system for AR and VR devices as a counter to Apple, which does not license its mixed-reality OS to other companies. But Meta could face competition from Google, which has developed its own operating system for such devices and has been pitching it to hardware makers, The Information previously reported.

2.	Tesla Cuts FSD and Car Prices By Becky Peterson Source: The Information

Tesla has cut prices on its vehicles and Full Self-Driving software as the electric car maker struggles with declining sales ahead of its first quarter earnings report on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, Tesla dropped the cost of a lifetime license of its FSD driver assist technology to $8,000, down from $12,000, according to its website. The company earlier dropped the price of another pricing option for FSD, a monthly subscription plan, to $99 a month, from $199. The company also recently announced a free month of FSD software for Tesla drivers, to boost up demand for the software.

Tesla also dropped the price of cars in the U.S., China and Europe, the latest in months of price adjustments the company has made in response to soft consumer demand. In the U.S., it dropped prices $2,000 on base models for its Models S, X and Y, its website shows. The Model X, Teslas luxury SUV, now costs $77,990, around $20,000 less than it cost in May 2023.

3.	EU Probing New TikTok App Over Addictive Rewards Program By Kaya Yurieff Source: The Information

The European Union opened a probe into a new rewards program part of TikToks new TikTok Lite app in France and Spain, which offers points that can be redeemed for gift cards when users watch videos, invite friends or complete other actions.

The European Commission said its concerned that TikTok Lites Task and Reward Program has been launched without prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, in particular those related to the addictive effect of the platforms, and without taking effective risk mitigating measures. TikTok has until Tuesday to provide a risk assessment report or face fines.

The probe comes afterThe Information was first to report about the apps roll out in Europe earlier this month, following launches in Korea and Japan last year as it looks to address stagnant growth in the EU.

4.	Google Terminates Another 20 Employees Who Protested Israel Contract By Jon Victor Source: The Information

Google on Monday fired more than 20 employees involved with last weeks in-office protest against the companys cloud computing contract with Israel, in addition to the 28 people it fired last week over the event, according to a spokesperson for No Tech for Apartheid, the protests organizer.

The employees had staged a sit-in at the companys offices in New York and Sunnyvale, Calif., including occupying the office of Google Cloud leader Thomas Kurian. The protesters, who alleged Google was complicit in the Israeli militarys killing of civilians in Gaza as part of its war against terrorist group Hamas, were later arrested after refusing to leave. Google has said its deal with the Israeli government, known as Project Nimbus, does not support weapons or intelligence services.

A Google spokesperson said some of the fired staff took longer to identify because their faces were covered during the protest. No Tech For Apartheid said some terminated employees were non-participating bystanders. The Google spokesperson, Bailey Tomson, said that every single one of those whose employment was terminated was personally and definitively involved in disruptive activity inside our buildings.

5.	Amazon to Add Drone Delivery in Arizona, End Service in California By Theo Wayt Source: The Information

Amazon said Monday that it will start making drone deliveries to customers in Arizona starting later this year. At the same time, the company is closing one of its two existing drone sites, in California, that had been making deliveries since late 2022.

The new drone facility will be located next to an Amazon warehouse in the town of Tolleson outside Phoenix. Amazon didnt say exactly when the drone site will open or how many customers it will reach.

Amazons drone delivery program, which dates back to at least 2013, has been slow to expand due in part to restrictions from the Federal Aviation Administration. In Lockeford, Calif., FAA rules initially meant that Amazon employees had to work as spotters to make sure the drones werent flying over cars when traveling to customers houses, The Information previously reported. Amazon is closing the Lockeford site but said its other drone delivery station, in College Station, Tex., will keep operating.

6.	Russian Court Sentences Meta Spokesperson to Six Years in Absentia By Kalley Huang Source: Mediazona

A military court in Moscow on Monday convicted Meta Platforms communications director Andy Stone of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison after a trial in absentia, Russian independent news website Mediazona reported.

The case against Stone was opened after he in 2022 posted on X that Meta planned to temporarily allow forms of political expression that would normally violate [its] rules like violence speech such as death to the Russian invaders. In that statement, he added that the company still wouldnt allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.

Russia has since added Meta to a list of terrorist and extremist organizations and banned Facebook and Instagram in the country. Meta did not respond to a request for comment.

7.	Creator Startup Featured on Takeover List Sells Flagship Product By Abubakar Idris and Akash Pasricha Source: The Information

Planoly, an Austin-based business that operates a content management and scheduling platform for creators, said it has acquired the link-in-bio tool of creator startup Snipfeed to expand its offerings for creators. The financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 2018, Los Angeles-based Snipfeed raised more than $6 million from investors including CRV, mostly in a round in August 2021. Even though the company became profitable at the end of 2023, it had trouble raising a Series A round and looked to sell the company, The Information reported in a February article on creator startups most likely to get acquired.

In an interview, Snipfeed co-founder Rdouane Ramdani said six employees will join Planoly indefinitely. In addition, he and the companys chief technology officer Pierre-Habt Nouvellon will join for one year in a consulting agreement to manage the transition.

With Snipfeed by our side, well be able to accelerate our product roadmap and take creator success to a whole new level, said Katelyn MacKay, CEO of Planoly, in an emailed statement. Planoly is owned by Alpine Software Group, a larger company that buys software as a service businesses.

Kaya Yurieff contributed to this report.

8.	Former Coinbase Custody Head Joins Anchorage as COO By Yueqi Yang Source: The Information

Anchorage Digital has hired former Coinbase Custody CEO Aaron Schnarch for a newly created role of chief operating officer, overseeing all business lines.

As Coinbases custody business head last year, Schnarch was instrumental in supporting the launch of bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Coinbase, the worlds biggest crypto custodian, is providing custody services for eight out of the 11 asset managers that have launched bitcoin ETFs so far, including BlackRock and Grayscale.

San Francisco-based Anchorage is one of the largest institutional crypto custodians and has afederal bank charter. It counts Apollo Global Management and upstart crypto exchange EDX Markets among its clients. Backed by Goldman Sachs, KKR and Andreessen Horowitz, it reached a valuation of over $3 billion during its latest funding round in 2021.

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