[ad_1]
The long month of June is finally drawing to a close. Like the week before, this week has been filled with partnerships, product launches, mega-deals as well as scandals in the global tech space.
Below, we’ve picked out some of the top stories from around the world that you might have missed.
Uber acquires Cornershop grocery delivery start-up
Uber continued its bullish expansion in delivery and logistics with the acquisition of Latin American delivery startup Cornershop.
This comes a year after the company acquired a controlling stake in the company. Uber’s regulatory filing shows it will keep a 47% stake in Cornershop in exchange for 29 million shares.
Uber has become the sole owner of Cornershop grocery delivery startup
The latter will make Cornershop a 100% subsidiary of Uber. The deal is due to be concluded in July. Completion will bolster Uber’s grocery delivery options it launched in Latin America, Canada and the United States last summer after acquiring Postmates in a deal valued at 2.65 billions of dollars.
China ban forces Bitcoin miners to flee
Bitcoin miners in China have reportedly fled the country after the country banned crypto mining.
According to Mike Huang, operator of a crypto mining farm in southwest Sichuan province, many miners are leaving the company to comply with government policies.
Being the region that accounts for more than half of the world’s bitcoin production, China’s operations ban has essentially crippled the industry as miners throw machines out of desperation or seek refuge in places like Texas or Kazakhstan.
Following the ban, Bitcoin prices plunged below $ 30,000 this week as global investors worried about disruptions in its large market.
Clubhouse accidentally leaked their private messaging feature
A pioneer of the live audio platform, Clubhouse accidentally leaked its private messaging feature. According to reports, some users have seen a messaging feature called Backchannel – an apparent way for users to chat via text instead of audio.
It’s unclear how long this version of Backchannel was leaked, but Clubhouse apparently hastily deleted it.
Wow looks like accidental @clubhouse update enabled in app back channel and sidebar change and full experience.
Looks like it’s going back now but from what I saw it was beautiful !!
On stage> move down the hall> press the arrow> the back channel has appeared! @jowyang @GaryLHenderson pic.twitter.com/5bJfVlg7t5
– Brian Fanzo Keynote speaker $ ADHD (@iSocialFanz) June 18, 2021
While this is a mistake, the reveal shows that the platform appears to be moving away from pure live audio experiences.
“As part of our product creation process, Clubhouse regularly explores and tests potential functionality. Sometimes these functions are part of the application, sometimes not.
Club house spokesperson
The company spokesperson did not confirm the new messaging feature in a report from The Verge. He did, however, reveal that there is a possibility that it will be added to the app later.
Hyundai acquires majority stake in Boston Dynamics
South Korean automotive giant, Hyundai has completed the acquisition of Boston Dynamics. The deal values the innovative robotics company at $ 1.1 billion.
With this new agreement, Hyundai will own a majority stake in Boston Dynamics, previously owned by SoftBank.
Boston Dynamics has seen the commercialization of its first two products since its launch almost 30 years ago under Softbank. He brought his quadruped robot spot to market and announced the imminent launch of Stretch, an updated version of his warehouse robot, Handle.
Boston Dynamics CEO Rob Playter said the new deal will help accelerate his plans to empower the world with cutting-edge automation and continue to solve the world’s toughest robotic challenges for its customers.
Amazon acquires Wickr encrypted messaging service
A tech giant, Amazon is entering the field of encrypted messaging. Its subsidiary Amazon Web Services (AWS) has acquired Wickr, an encrypted messaging service.
According to AWS, Wickr will continue to operate as is and provide its services to AWS customers.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Wickr just raised less than $ 60 million in funding, according to PitchBook data
The messaging app currently provides services to government and military groups and businesses. It also claims to be the only collaboration service that meets the security criteria set by the NSA.
You can check out other news that has occurred during the week here. Have a nice week end!!
If you would like to be featured on our Entrepreneur Spotlight, click here to share your startup story with us.
SUBSCRIBE
Receive the latest tech news, reviews, business-related content with a deliberate focus on the African narrative and insightful Nigeria analysis – straight to your inbox.
comments
[ad_2]
picture credit