Taylor Hatmaker
TechCrunch
Portland, OR, United States
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Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Recent articles by Taylor:
Denizen is building high-tech office pods for the perfect workday –
Tiny houses might have lost some of their luster in the Covid era, but a reimagined future for remote work might call for tiny offices. According to Nick Foley, Denizen founder and CEO, people are clamoring for a serene space to think these days — and they’re happy to pay for it. Foley is the […] → Read More
Activision Blizzard confirms SEC investigation, loses chief legal officer –
The consequences are mounting for gaming giant Activision Blizzard after the company became the subject of a landmark state investigation into discriminatory workplace practices and sexual harassment this summer. Now, Activision Blizzard confirms that it is the subject of a federal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has been ramping up enforcement efforts […] → Read More
Ben Rubin, who founded Houseparty, Meerkat and Slashtalk, will peer into the future of social at Disrupt –
Ben Rubin understands where social is going. In fact, he understands it so well, he’s always there early. Rubin is the current CEO and co-founder of Slashtalk and an angel investor who scouts for Sequoia Capital. He previously founded Houseparty and Meerkat — apps that pioneered group video chat and mobile livestreaming, respectively — shaping […] → Read More
Facebook knows Instagram harms teens. Now, its plan to open the app to kids looks worse than ever –
Facebook is in the hot seat again. The Wall Street Journal published a powerful multi-part series on the company this week, drawing from internal documents on everything from the company’s secretive practice of whitelisting celebrities to its knowledge that Instagram is taking a serious toll on the mental health of teen girls. The flurry of […] → Read More
TikTok is hiding a viral challenge that has kids stealing their school’s soap dispensers –
It’s back to school season and on TikTok, that means students are inexplicably stealing everything that isn’t bolted down. The latest TikTok trend to generally wreak social havoc sees students pulling off “devious licks” — small-scale heists of everything from soap dispensers, Covid test kits and hand sanitizer to high value items like classroom tech. […] → Read More
Clubhouse hires a head of news from NPR to build out publisher relationships –
Clubhouse has hired a veteran editor from NPR to lead news publishing for the app. Nina Gregory will serve as Clubhouse’s Head of News and Media Publishers, working as a liaison between news publishers and the Clubhouse’s ecosystem of audio-based communities. Gregory led NPR’s Arts Desk for the last seven years, shaping the news outlet’s […] → Read More
Biden’s new FTC nominee is a digital privacy advocate critical of Big Tech –
President Biden made his latest nomination to the Federal Trade Commission this week, tapping digital privacy expert Alvaro Bedoya to join the agency as it takes a hard look at the tech industry. Bedoya is the founding director of the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown’s law school and previously served as chief counsel […] → Read More
Twitch sues two users for harassing streamers with hate raids –
Twitch filed a lawsuit late last week against two people on its own platform for running automated hate and harassment campaigns. The harassment, often targeted at Black and LGBTQ streamers, manifests in a unique Twitch phenomenon as a “hate raid.” On Twitch, creators regularly point viewers toward another friendly account after their stream concludes to […] → Read More
Twitter wants you to tweet to interest-based communities, not just followers –
Twitter is a useful place for following breaking news and keeping up with what the people you’re already interested in are doing, but its relative dearth of discovery features and a lack of organized community spaces make it pretty hard to connect with anyone you aren’t actively seeking out. The company is thinking about changing […] → Read More
Twitter is testing big ol’ full-width photos and videos –
Twitter is exploring ways to build a more visually immersive experience with its latest test, which brings edge-to-edge tweets to the app on iOS. Full-width images and videos track for the direction the company has shown some interest in going lately. Twitter introduced bigger images with improved cropping controls for its pair of mobile apps […] → Read More
Voice chat is coming to Roblox –
As one the frontrunners in the race to build the metaverse, Roblox is thinking ahead to what virtual worlds really need. And while the platform has had no shortage of growth on its current course — as of July, it boasted 47 million daily active users — it’s looking to chart a course toward deeper, […] → Read More
Twitter rolls out paid subscription ‘Super Follows’ to let you cash in on your tweets
After opening applications in June, Twitter is rolling out Super Follows, its premium subscription option, starting today. The feature, first revealed in February, will allow users to subscribe to accounts they like for a monthly subscription fee in exchange for exclusive content. For creators, Super Follows are another useful tool in the emerging patchwork of […] → Read More
Twitter is testing a new anti-abuse feature called ‘Safety Mode’ –
Twitter’s newest test could provide some long-awaited relief for anyone facing harassment on the platform. The new product test introduces a feature called “Safety Mode” that puts up a temporary line of defense between an account and the waves of toxic invective that Twitter is notorious for. The mode can be enabled from the settings […] → Read More
CryptoPunks creator inks representation deal with major Hollywood talent agency –
One of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies is getting into the NFT game. Larva Labs, the creator of CryptoPunks, just signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) in a representation deal that will bring one of the earliest and most iconic NFT projects into the entertainment and branding worlds. “I would say that it is one of […] → Read More
Clubhouse is adding spatial audio effects to make users feel like they’re really in the room –
It’s been a busy summer for Clubhouse. The hit social audio app rolled out new messaging features and an Android app over the last few months and now the company is turning its attention to enhancing its core audio experience. Clubhouse announced Sunday that its rooms will now be infused with spatial audio to give […] → Read More
Stipop offers developers and creators instant access to a huge global sticker library –
With more than 270,000 stickers, Stipop’s library of colorful, character-driven expressions has a little something for everyone. The company offers keyboard and social app stickers through ad-supported mobile apps on iOS and Android, but it’s recently focused more on providing stickers to developers, creators and other online businesses. “We were able to gather so many […] → Read More
Facebook will reportedly launch its own advisory group for election policy decisions –
Facebook is looking to create a standalone advisory committee for election-related policy decisions, according to a new report from The New York Times. The company has reportedly approached a number of policy experts and academics it is interested in recruiting for the group, which could give the company cover for some of its most consequential […] → Read More
Infinite Canvas raises $2.8M for a metaverse creator group modeled after esports teams –
With the promise of an interconnected virtual world coming into focus and user-crafted gaming content exploding, Infinite Canvas is looking to apply lessons learned in the esports boom to the metaverse. “Metaverse” is the hot buzzword right now, but it’s not an empty term. Ten different people would probably define the metaverse in ten different […] → Read More
Social platforms wrestle with what to do about the Taliban –
With the hasty U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan underway after two decades occupying the country, social media platforms have a complex new set of policy decisions to make. The Taliban has been social media-savvy for years, but those companies will face new questions as the notoriously brutal, repressive group seeks to present itself as Afghanistan’s […] → Read More
Facebook releases a glimpse of its most popular posts, but we don’t learn much –
Facebook is out with a new report collecting the most popular posts on the platform, responding to critics who believe the company is deliberately opaque about its top performing content. Facebook’s new “widely viewed content reports” will come out quarterly, reflecting most viewed top News Feed posts in the U.S. every three months — not […] → Read More