YouTube has 1.8 billion logged-in viewers each month - The Verge

Tangentially, in other streaming news, see Disneyflix Is Coming. And Netflix Should Be Scared. (The Atlantic)

"YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki says that 1.8 billion registered users are watching videos on the platform each month, not counting anyone who’s watching without an account. Wojcicki announced the milestone at YouTube’s Brandcast presentation to advertisers, alongside some of the year’s most noteworthy successes — like Beyoncé’s record-setting 41 million livestream views at Coachella and the “Despacito” music video passing 5 billion views last month. The company previously announced that it had 1.5 billion logged-in monthly users in mid-2017.

Wojcicki used the Brandcast event to obliquely address some of the problems YouTube has faced, including questions over inappropriate kids’ videos and conspiracy theories on the platform. “This is the impact of an open platform: it brings the world together in ways that were just not possible before. But we’ve also seen that with openness comes challenges, as some have tried to take advantage of our services,” Wojcicki said. “It is incredibly important to me and to everyone at YouTube that we grow responsibly.”"

YouTube has 1.8 billion logged-in viewers each month - The Verge

Google's Cloud Division Wins Some Business From Twitter - Bloomberg

In other Twitter news, Twitter urges all users to change passwords after glitch (Reuters)

"Twitter Inc. said it’s tapping Google for some of the social-media services’ data-storage and computing needs, the latest in a string of partnerships between the companies.

Twitter Chief Technology Officer Parag Agrawal wrote in a blog that the company is moving its long-term, rarely used data, known as cold data storage, to Google’s Cloud service.

Twitter also uses Hadoop, a popular open-source system for weaving remote servers together into a single, powerful computer. Agrawal said Thursday that Twitter also will run some Hadoop computing tasks on the cloud service of Alphabet Inc.’s Google."

Google's Cloud Division Wins Some Business From Twitter - Bloomberg

Facebook to Research Ad-Free Subscription-Based Version - Bloomberg

Sort of like Workplace by Facebook, but for your personal life...

"Facebook Inc. has been conducting market research in recent weeks to determine whether an ad-free version paid by subscriptions would spur more people to join the social network, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company has studied such an option in the past, but now there’s more internal momentum to pursue it in light of Facebook’s recent privacy data scandal, the people said. The plans aren’t solid and may not go forward, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private."

Facebook to Research Ad-Free Subscription-Based Version - Bloomberg

How rich is Apple? Its recent stock buyback is more valuable than 275 companies in the S&P 500 - The Washington Post

Also see Apple and the Fruits of Tax Cuts (Paul Krugman in NYT)

"Like a bottomless ATM, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant has delivered $275.2 billion to its shareholders in dividends and stock repurchases over the past 6 and 1/2 years as the iPhone has become the dominant mobile communications device in the world.

The company spent $22.8 billion buying back its shares in just the first three months of 2018, a record for a U.S. company. Apple is responsible for nine of the 20 largest quarterly stock buybacks in S&P history. 

Thought of another way, the $22.8 billion Apple spent on its first quarter stock buyback is enough buy any of 275 companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index."

How rich is Apple? Its recent stock buyback is more valuable than 275 companies in the S&P 500 - The Washington Post

Facebook’s new features specifically target businesses - The Washington Post

From a timely Workplace by Facebook reality check

"Although tens of millions of small businesses have Facebook pages for their companies, most of the owners I know do not really consider the social media platform to be a business productivity or collaboration tool. That perception may soon change.

This week, Facebook announced some big upgrades to Workplace, its $3 per month “premium” user office collaboration service. Workplace was launched in 2016 and has quietly grown as a popular way for companies of all sizes (including big brands like Walmart, Starbucks and Domino’s) to internally collaborate with employees, customers and others in its community via group chats, messaging and video calls.

It is a large and growing industry. Collaboration and work group messaging applications are part of a projected $3.2 billion market, according to research firm IDC."

Facebook’s new features specifically target businesses - The Washington Post

T-Mobile’s 5G Argument to Regulators Is Compelling - The New York Times

Tbd if they'll manage to complete their 5G networks before SpaceX's Starlink is finished

"The investment would dramatically boost the industry’s levels of capital expenditure. The larger rivals AT&T and Verizon, which are competing to be leaders in 5G, dedicated approximately $22 billion and $17 billion to network investments last year. T-Mobile and Sprint together mustered just $6 billion, according to Eikon data. And 5G is an expensive endeavor. New Street Research estimated that Verizon will spend $35 billion over the next five years to cover just 20 percent of the country. The cost ratchets up “significantly” to expand beyond that, the research firm said.

Mr. Legere is pitching a plan that by concentrating on 5G, T-Mobile will induce his competitors to follow suit aggressively. He started a price war some six years ago that left AT&T and Verizon little choice but to copy T-Mobile’s moves. T-Mobile and Sprint also have complimentary spectrum that when slammed together would help improve coverage in urban, suburban and rural areas."

T-Mobile’s 5G Argument to Regulators Is Compelling - The New York Times

‘Boring, bonehead questions are not cool’: Elon Musk lashes out at analysts during a wide-ranging earnings call - The Washington Post

CEO different

"Maybe he was tired. Maybe he was hangry. Or maybe the stress of trying to revolutionize the way the world produces cars is finally getting to Elon Musk.

Whatever the reason, Tesla’s billionaire chief executive lashed out at analysts during a wide-ranging earnings call Wednesday, turning the session into what Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas called “the most unusual call I have experienced in 20 years on the sell-side.”

Tesla’s stock closed down 5.55 percent Thursday to $284.45."

‘Boring, bonehead questions are not cool’: Elon Musk lashes out at analysts during a wide-ranging earnings call - The Washington Post

Bloomberg’s New Paywall Will Charge Users $35 a Month - WSJ

See this page for Bloomberg paywall details. Amazon Prime customers, incidentally, can subscribe to The Washington Post (basic digital) for $3.99/month (after a free 6-month trial phase).

"Other major national news brands have paywalls in place. New York Times charges readers $15.99 a month for digital access after a yearlong introductory period. The Wall Street Journal costs $36.99 for digital access each month after an introductory period, and the Financial Times charges a $36 monthly fee for basic digital access, both slightly higher than Bloomberg’s least expensive package. 

In a world where consumers are flocking to subscription services such as Netflix and Spotify, executives at Bloomberg believe users are willing to pay for news and information that helps them get ahead, said John Micklethwait, the editor in chief of Bloomberg News."

Bloomberg’s New Paywall Will Charge Users $35 a Month - WSJ

Despite all of the Cambridge Analytica drama, Facebook’s F8 still felt like F8 - Recode

For F8 keynote recaps, see F8 2018: Sharing to Stories, AR Camera Effects, Oculus Go and More Highlights from Day 1 and F8 2018: Open AI Frameworks, New AR/VR Advancements, and Other Highlights from Day 2 (Facebook Newsroom)

"This year, Facebook’s day two presentation was very technical and focused on short-term problems, like text translation and the use of AI to identify questionable content. The company never mentioned the in-home speakers it’s building, and Bloomberg reported before the conference that Facebook’s plan to unveil them at F8 was scrapped to avoid a bad look right after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Apparently it’s not a great time to ask people to put a Facebook speaker in their living room.

“I think we wanted to make sure we were putting a spotlight on the ways in which we’re using tech in the very near future to help with these [privacy and security] issues,” CTO Schroepfer said in an interview with Recode after his keynote. “We’re still working on other awesome stuff, but I didn’t think it was the time to come out with a big science show today.”"

Despite all of the Cambridge Analytica drama, Facebook’s F8 still felt like F8 - Recode

Amazon Offers Retailers Discounts to Adopt Payment System - Bloomberg

For another Amazon category compression case study, see Amazon Launches Own Pet Product Brand, Wag; Starts With Food (Bloomberg)

"Amazon.com Inc. is offering to pass along the discounts it gets on credit-card fees to other retailers if they use its online payments service, according to people with knowledge of the matter, in a new threat to PayPal Holdings Inc. and card-issuing banks. 

The move shows Amazon is willing to sacrifice the profitability of its payments system to spread its use. Swipe fees are a $90 billion-a-year business for lenders such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc., networks including Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc., and payment processors like First Data Corp. and Stripe Inc., which pocket a fraction of every sale when shoppers swipe cards or click “buy now.”"

Amazon Offers Retailers Discounts to Adopt Payment System - Bloomberg

Tesla Is Still Burning Cash, but Elon Musk Sees a Turning Point - The New York Times

Also see Tesla earnings show record revenues with record losses (TechCrunch)

"Tesla’s shares fell sharply in extended trading during the call, to about $285. They have lost more than 20 percent of their value since their peak last year, when Tesla surpassed the Detroit automakers in market value.

While Tesla still has many fans and believers, analysts now tend to take a cautious look at Mr. Musk’s pronouncements.

In a report issued before Tesla released its results, a Barclays Capital analyst, Brian Johnson, told investors that he believed the company to be “fundamentally overvalued.” Barclays expects Tesla shares to head down to $210."

Tesla Is Still Burning Cash, but Elon Musk Sees a Turning Point - The New York Times

Cambridge Analytica to File for Bankruptcy After Misuse of Facebook Data - The New York Times

Rebranding and regrouping

"In recent months, executives at Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, along with the Mercer family, have moved to created a new firm, Emerdata, based in Britain, according to British records. The new company’s directors include Johnson Ko Chun Shun, a Hong Kong financier and business partner of Erik Prince. Mr. Prince founded the private security firm Blackwater, which was renamed Xe Services after Blackwater contractors were convicted of killing Iraqi civilians.

Cambridge and SCL officials privately raised the possibility that Emerdata could be used for a Blackwater-style rebranding of Cambridge Analytica and the SCL Group, according two people with knowledge of the companies, who asked for anonymity to describe confidential conversations. One plan under consideration was to sell off the combined company’s data and intellectual property."

Cambridge Analytica to File for Bankruptcy After Misuse of Facebook Data - The New York Times

Facebook will spend so much reviewing political ads in 2018 that it will lose money on them - Recode

Time for Brad Parscale to recalc his advertising model

"He said the company was reasonably confident it would be able to thwart the efforts of “state actors and fake news trolls” to interfere in the upcoming U.S. elections — in part because it has had success fending off interventions in recent French and German elections, as well as last year’s special Senate election in Alabama.

But he also assumes that Facebook will see more attacks than it did two years ago. “I know that people are going to try to abuse the systems, especially after feeling like they were able to get a [return on investment] doing that in 2016.”"

Facebook will spend so much reviewing political ads in 2018 that it will lose money on them - Recode

Seven Things Wall Street Wants to Know From Elon Musk - Bloomberg

Tense Tesla times

"Musk, 46, spent the last earnings call talking about how battery production at his gigafactory east of Reno, Nevada, was the “limiting factor” on Model 3 output, but we haven’t heard much about it since. The Tesla CEO has said automated assembly line components from Germany would arrive at the battery plant by March. So did they? Is the new line up and running? It’s hard to know if battery module production is still a limiting factor, or if other, unforeseen production issues have cropped up there or at Tesla’s assembly plant in Fremont, California. 

Equally important is expenditures: Tesla ended 2017 with $3.4 billion in cash on hand and $9.4 billion in outstanding debt. Many analysts said Tesla will need to raise money again, despite the company’s stated position that “it does not require an equity or debt raise this year, apart from standing credit lines” when it reported delivery and production figures in early April."

Seven Things Wall Street Wants to Know From Elon Musk - Bloomberg

Xi Tightens His Grip, and China’s Tech Giants Feel the Squeeze - The New York Times

Later in the article: "But in the United States, disagreements can be hammered out in court. China’s judiciary is controlled by the Communist Party. Making themselves useful to the government is often the price that Chinese firms must pay for regulatory and financial blessings — even for the very right to exist as a business."

"For the past decade or so, China has defied the truism that only free and open societies can innovate. Even as the Communist Party has kept an iron grip on politics and discourse, the country’s technology industry has grown to rival Silicon Valley’s in sophistication and ambition.

President Xi Jinping’s tilt toward strongman rule could put all that to the test.

As Mr. Xi starts his second term, the Chinese government, which once viewed the internet primarily as a threat to its stranglehold on information, is harnessing big tech companies’ capital and knowledge to realize its broader goals for the country."

Xi Tightens His Grip, and China’s Tech Giants Feel the Squeeze - The New York Times

The power of Workplace integrations – interoperable, mobile, transparent and secure – Workplace Stories

A better-integrated Workplace by Facebook

"We now have integrations available for both Premium and Standard customers. Everyone will now have the ability to connect Workplace to other cloud applications they use at work.

Premium customers will have access to a wide range of integrations through our Integration Directory. We listened to our customers’ feedback and built integrations with some of the most popular SaaS tools like Jira Cloud by Atlassian, Microsoft Sharepoint, ServiceNow, Adobe Sign and SurveyMonkey. For now, Standard customers will have access to a more limited set of integrations, including content integrations with tools like Box, OneDrive and Dropbox and RSS feed integrations, which can be added to any group."

The power of Workplace integrations – interoperable, mobile, transparent and secure – Workplace Stories

Oculus Go review: Facebook's $200 portable VR headset goes for the mainstream - The Washington Post

For a detailed review, see Oculus Go review: The wireless-VR future begins today for only $199 (Ars Technica)

"It costs just $200. It has no cables. It’s easy to use. It works for iPhone people and Android people, Mac people and PC people.

And it’s for more than just playing games. Call it Oculus and chill: The Go lets you curl up and watch TV virtually along with a faraway friend. Or on a long flight, you can use one as your private movie theater. Noise-cancelling headphones, meet the annoying-seatmate canceling headset."

Oculus Go review: Facebook's $200 portable VR headset goes for the mainstream - The Washington Post

Facebook Plans a Dating Feature, Sending Match, IAC Plunging - Bloomberg

For a big-picture Facebook reality check, see Mark Zuckerberg Says It Will Take 3 Years to Fix Facebook (Wired); in other social networking news, see Snap's Sales Fall Short as Users Shun Redesign; Shares Slide (Bloomberg)

"The feature would help connect people who aren’t Facebook friends and be for “building real, long-term relationships -- not just for hookups,” Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said during a presentation at the company’s F8 developer conference. Match, which owns apps like Tinder and OkCupid, fell 22 percent, the worst single-day drop in its history, while IAC fell 19 percent, the most since 2001.

“If we’re focused on helping people build meaningful relationships this is perhaps the most meaningful of all,” Zuckerberg said."

Facebook Plans a Dating Feature, Sending Match, IAC Plunging - Bloomberg

Apple Tops Sales Estimates on Services Growth, iPhone Stability - Bloomberg

Check this Apple page for details

"Apple Inc. reported revenue and profit that beat analysts’ estimates and projected continued sales momentum, calming concern about demand for the iPhone, its most-important product.

The Cupertino, California-based company also unveiled a new plan to return more money to shareholders and said services sales jumped 31 percent.

Apple shares rose more than 4 percent in extended trading, after closing at $169.10 in New York on Thursday."

Apple Tops Sales Estimates on Services Growth, iPhone Stability - Bloomberg

Four publisher groups to Google: Your GDPR proposal ‘severely falls short’ - MarTech Today

Check the full 5-page joint letter here (pdf)

"Essentially, the tech giant is telling publishers that they are responsible for getting consent from their EU visitors if Google ads are served on their sites. Additionally, the publisher groups say in the letter, they will have to share that personal data with Google, which won’t reveal how it intends to use that info, and liability for violations reside with the publishers.

“Your proposal severely falls short on many levels,” the letter reads in part, “and seems to lay out a framework more concerned with protecting your existing business model in a manner that would undermine the fundamental purposes of the GDPR and the efforts of publishers to comply with the letter and spirit of the law.”"

Four publisher groups to Google: Your GDPR proposal ‘severely falls short’ - MarTech Today