🎧 Spotify Wants to Get Into Audiobooks but Says Apple Is in the Way

Plus: The Pandemic Uncovered Ways to Speed Up Science, 'Where did the Tweeters go?' Twitter is losing its most active users, and more…

Today’s pick

Spotify Wants to Get Into Audiobooks but Says Apple Is in the Way. Daniel Ek, the chief executive of Spotify, wants his company to be the premier outlet in the world of audio. But when he pushed the streaming-subscription service beyond music and podcasts into audiobooks, he ran into a familiar obstacle: Apple. (Tripp Mickle / The New York Times)

Daniel Ek @eldsjal

Apple continues to disadvantage competitors, and the impact is huge - on consumers, app developers, and now, authors and publishers. Without policymakers taking action, nothing will change. I can’t be the only one who sees the absurdity

nytimes.comSpotify Wants to Get Into Audiobooks but Says Apple Is in the WayApple has rejected Spotify’s new app three times from its App Store. It is the latest in a series of confrontations between the two companies.

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The Pandemic Uncovered Ways to Speed Up Science. The pandemic highlighted broad problems in research: that many studies were hyped, error-ridden, or even fraudulent, and that misinformation could spread rapidly. But it also demonstrated what was possible. While it usually takes years to test… (Saloni Dattani / WIRED)

Saloni @salonium

My first article for @WIRED!!! Making science better should be one of the world's biggest priorities, and it doesn't need to come at the cost of speed. Here's what the pandemic taught me about how the world can do great science faster.

wired.comThe Pandemic Uncovered Ways to Speed Up ScienceThere doesn’t have to be a trade-off between good research and fast research.

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Exclusive: 'Where did the Tweeters go?' Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents show. Is Twitter dying?' billionaire Elon Musk mused in April, five days before offering to buy the social media platform. The reality, according to internal Twitter research seen by Reuters, goes far beyond the handful of examples of… (Sheila Dang / Reuters)

Sheila Dang @Sheila_Dang

NEW: Twitter is struggling to keep its most active users - what it calls "heavy tweeters" - engaged on the platform, according to internal docs. It is the most important type of user. They are less than 10% of all users but account for 50% of revenue

reuters.comExclusive: Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents showThe heaviest tweeters, vital to its business, have been in “absolute decline” since the pandemic began, an internal researcher wrote. It underscores a challenge for Elon Musk.

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Apple's new App Store tax on ads is a direct shot at Meta. Just when I thought the relationship between Apple and Meta couldn't get more hostile, here we are. On Monday, Apple quietly updated its App Store rules to require that iOS developers use in-app purchases — and thereby give Apple 30 percent… (Alex Heath / The Verge)

Alex Heath @alexeheath

Yesterday Apple said it would begin taxing paid “boosts” of social media posts. It’s a rule that primarily applies to Instagram and Facebook. Meta isn’t happy, telling me Apple is creating “policies to grow their own business while undercutting others“

theverge.comApple’s new App Store tax on ads is a direct shot at MetaApple is coming for more of Meta’s revenue and Meta isn’t happy.

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A China-Based ByteDance Team Investigated TikTok's Global Security Chief, Who Oversaw U.S. Data Concerns. A China-based ByteDance team led multiple audits and investigations into TikTok's U.S.-based former Global Chief Security Officer, who had been responsible for overseeing efforts to minimize China-based employees' access to American user data… (Emily Baker-White / Forbes)

Emily Baker-White @ebakerwhite

Per docs, TikTok’s former Chief Security Officer, Roland Cloutier, was repeatedly audited & investigated by ByteDance’s Internal Audit team until he left the company. This is the same team that was planning to monitor the location of certain Americans.

forbes.comA China-Based ByteDance Team Investigated TikTok’s Global Security Chief, Who Oversaw U.S. Data ConcernsRoland Cloutier, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former law enforcement officer, stepped down as TikTok’s Global Chief Security Officer in July 2022 as the Biden administration continues to evaluate the national security risks posed by TikTok’s Chinese ownership.

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