Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Re/wind: Facebook listens in, Uber’s new digs and more

In case you missed the big headlines this week, here’s a roundup of the news that dominated.

In case you missed the big headlines this week, here’s a roundup of the news that dominated:

  1. HP released their Q2 earnings report on Thursday, announcing that sales were just below expectations. CEO Meg Whitman told Re/code that HP plans to stanch the bleeding by firing some 11,000 to 16,000 employees by the end of next year.
  2. Kara wrote an open letter to ousted New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson, “from one pushy media dame to another.”
  3. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook had a real busy week. They announced a new chief of mobile business development, tweaked privacy settings and released a Shazam-like feature for their phone app. Also, take a look at the seven weirdest things Mike Isaac took away from Facebook’s shareholder meeting.
  4. It appeared as though Twitter would make another move into music and buy its way out of its growth problem by acquiring SoundCloud, but Twitter walked away from the deal, by letting an exclusive negotiation window lapse.
  5. Europeans will soon be formally introduced to Frank Underwood, after Netflix announced it will launch in six European countries later this year.
  6. Although Google has not formally announced its rumored $1 billion acquisition of Twitch, Eric explained why the marriage makes sense. The acquisition would also have something in common with Facebook’s Oculus VR purchase.
  7. Nellie toured Uber’s surprisingly sober new office, and was disappointed with the lack of fish tanks.
  8. Since we learned about AT&T’s plan to buy DirecTV, they’ve spent time selling their deal to Wall Street and federal regulators. They’ve also let investors know they want to offer a web TV service too. Fun stuff.
  9. Nest told users this week to update the software on their “smart” smoke detectors because of a potentially hazardous bug that can silence the device’s alarms. In semi-related news, Nest CEO Tony Fadell told Re/code that the company won’t put ads on its thermostats.
  10. Don’t know what to do with old electronics that are cluttering your home, driving the pets crazy and wrecking your marriage? Check out Bonnie Cha’s guide to recycling your beat-up gadgets.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel