A certain tech journalism publication was bought this week, Google held its annual I/O bonanza in San Francisco and, of course, Re/code held its annual Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Here’s what went down:
Re/wind: The Code Conference, Google I/O and That Vox Acquisition
Snapchat’s new funding, Path sold itself and more news from Silicon Valley.
- The Code Conference this year was full of interesting and compelling speakers, ranging from Snapchat’s Evan Spiegel to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Key themes of the event included diversity in tech and the VC cash pouring into startup coffers, with each speaker offering unique insights and ideas about what’s going on in the tech industry. Find complete event coverage — video clips, product spotlights, summaries and more — over here.
- Oh, and Re/code got acquired earlier this week by Vox Media. For more details, you can check out this note to our readers from Re/code co-Executive Editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. In short: We’re going to continue doing more of the top-shelf news and analysis you know and love, now with the support of one of the most exciting companies in media.
- Even before Google’s I/O conference got under way, the company was on the hot seat to present lucrative, exciting ideas for its mobile business. And, with a lineup that includes a new photo-sharing app, a wearables initiative to rival the Apple Watch and an operating system called Brillo for the Internet of Things, Google appears to have risen to the occasion.
- Two big funding announcements this week: Snapchat snapped up an additional $537 million at a $16 billion valuation, and DocuSign added another $77 million to its Series F round.
- In the middle of the week, the augmented reality startup Metaio closed its website store, prompting a flurry of reports speculating about an acquisition. The mystery was quickly solved, as Apple was named the buyer. Also: A Canadian driver was ticketed for using his Apple Watch while driving, which is probably a good thing.
- Ross Ulbricht, the guy behind the Silk Road online marketplace, was sentenced to life in prison this week. It’s a good time now to watch “Deep Web,” the new documentary from Alex Winter (narrated by Keanu Reeves, meaning Bill & Ted made another movie). It’s about the weird subterranean level of the Internet on which the Silk Road operated. Here’s our Q&A with the director to get you up to speed.
- Intel is reportedly buying Altera for $16 billion, in a wedding of data crunching and chipmaking that’s sure to put pressure on the increasingly embattled smartphone chip giant Qualcomm.
- Confirming a Re/code report from more than a month ago, Path said it’s selling its social media app and messaging service to KakaoTalk. The South Korean buyer is probably aiming to break into the Indonesian market, where Path is highly popular.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
