Bytes: Week in Review — Telegram’s CEO arrested, SF startups boom and Meta pivots
This week: A report from venture capital firm SignalFire seems to show that despite all its problems, San Francisco is still the place to be for tech startups in the artificial intelligence business. Plus, why Meta is scrapping plans for a superpremium mixed-reality headset and aiming for a lite version instead.
But first, the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France has sent shock waves through the tech world. Durov is facing a number of criminal charges. French authorities allege he is liable for illicit activities conducted on the encrypted messaging platform, including child sex abuse and drug trafficking, essentially because of a failure to moderate content. The case highlights longstanding tensions in the tech world between public safety and free speech.
Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week’s tech news.
More on everything we talked about
“Telegram Founder Charged With Wide Range of Crimes in France” from The New York Times
“How mobile apps continue to help many in Ukraine” from “Marketplace Tech”
“SF is back, and the data shows tech never really left” from SignalFire
“California is Losing Tech Jobs” from Apricitas Economics
“Meta Cancels High-End Mixed-Reality Headset” from The Information
“Meta Considers Mixed Reality Glasses Code-Named ‘Puffin’” from The Information
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