On Day 2 of what someone cleverly called “Mark Week,” the House was a little tougher on Facebook CEO Zuckerberg. He testified to a packed room, and some found his studiously prepared testimony bland and deferential — as if designed to avoid going viral. And Zuckerberg acknowledged that his own personal data was sold to Cambridge Analytica, too. Catch up with Recode’s liveblog of yesterday’s grilling; and watch both days of Zuckerberg’s testimony. [Kurt Wagner / Recode]
Recode Daily: Here’s what happened on Day 2 of ‘Mark Week’ on Capitol Hill
Plus, Paul Ryan won’t run for reelection and John Boehner joins the board of a weed company; Shari Redstone vs. Les Moonves; and the Zuckerberg testimony: The booster chair, the memes, the poem.
Yasin Ozturk / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
One of the key takeaways from the Zuckerberg “show” was the emergence of two distinct viewpoints on what the problem with Facebook actually is, and what to do about it: (1) Facebook needs regulation, and (2) Facebook is too big. [Ben Thompson / Stratechery]
Zuckerberg survived Washington, but what is Washington going to do about Facebook? And a few more peripheral questions: How does Facebook use your data for ad targeting? How much did Facebook donate to every lawmaker questioning Mark Zuckerberg this week? How much would you pay for Facebook without ads? (Most people say they would take the ads.) And how does Facebook compare to other tech companies in diversity? [Kurt Wagner / Recode]
Apple’s Homepod looks like a dud. The $349 speakers aren’t selling well and the company is cutting orders with its manufacturer. Apple often comes to market after competitors with a more expensive product, but in this case that doesn’t look like a good strategy for taking on Amazon. [Bloomberg]
A cryptocurrency startup is investing cryptocurrency in a cryptocurrency fund that invests in other cryptocurrency startups. Ripple is spending $25 million of its own currency — which is called XRP — to back a venture firm, Blockchain Capital, which specializes in blockchain-related deals. It’s a rare example of a startup funding a venture capital firm — and it’s a venture capital firm that has previously funded it, too. [Theodore Schleifer / Recode]
Shari Redstone is facing off against Les Moonves in a battle to run a merged CBS-Viacom. Redstone, who controls both businesses through her family’s holding company, wants Viacom CEO Bob Bakish involved when the companies combine. CBS CEO Moonves wants to run it himself. It’s a fascinating game of media mogul chicken. [Edmund Lee / Recode]
Uber wants to be the app that connects people to all types of transportation, not just car rides. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says customers will be able to buy public transit tickets and rent a car in Uber’s app. This signals the next big step in Uber’s evolution into a broader transportation platform — the company wants to own a piece of every trip that happens in cities, from e-bikes to public transit, even if it’s not an Uber-operated service. [Johana Bhuiyan / Recode]
Marques Brownlee is a giant star. Have you heard of him? The 24-year-old, whose MKBHD YouTube channel has six million subscribers, has created a one-man tech reviewing empire, courted by the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung. [Recode Media]
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The Zuckerberg testimony: The booster seat. The memes. The poem.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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