Hi, friends. Today, we're taking you inside Apple TV+'s growing pains, and explaining why the alpine green iPhone is so irresistible.
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1. Some Hollywood partners are frustrated with Apple TV+'s operations and leadership. Apple TV+ this weekend became the first streamer to win an Academy Award for best picture, outstripping tech rivals Amazon and Netflix — but industry insiders say the company's push into entertainment has come with some growing pains.
- Insider spoke with 14 Hollywood and Apple insiders, many of whom said the streamer's content team is under-resourced and has stumbled in frustrating ways.
- One former Apple staffer pointed to burnout at the streaming service: "There's going to be a breaking point. People are stretched thin and working too hard."
- And while Apple TV+ has ambitious plans to expand into sports, with a Major League Baseball deal and a bid on the table for NFL's "Sunday Ticket," there have also been questions about how its leadership structure might evolve.
Here's what else insiders told us.
In other news:
2. Meta reportedly paid a political firm to plant negative stories about TikTok. The Washington Post reported that Facebook's parent company paid to "get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat." What we know so far.
3. Facebook and Google know you better than you know yourself. Europe says that should be illegal. New laws introduced in Europe would severely curtail Big Tech firms' power over users' privacy. One change, for example, would keep Meta from using your activity on Facebook to target ads on Instagram. We explain the changes the legislation would make.
4. Content creators share how they turned their social-media side hustles into full-time jobs. We spoke with 19 creators — including gamers, finance fanatics, and tech influencers — who have monetized their audiences and, in many cases, made more money on social media than in their previous careers. They explain how they made it happen.
5. Mark Zuckerberg shared an ex-Yahoo exec's advice to him as he grew Facebook. In an interview with podcaster Tim Ferriss, Zuck said the exec told him "you get to choose the ways in which your organization sucks." He also said he tries to surf daily to take his mind off getting "punched" by the news.
6. Federal regulators sued TurboTax owner Intuit. In a complaint filed this week, the FTC is alleging that the company's advertising for "free" tax-filing services misled consumers into believing they can file their taxes for free. Here's what you should know.
7. Tinkoff Bank is one of the only major Russian banks to avoid Western sanctions. The neobank has suddenly become the go-to method for many of the country's tech workers to get paid by the Western companies they work for. How Tinkoff became a "coffee straw" allowing Western dollars into Russia.
8. A woman accused of stalking Tim Cook has agreed to stay away from him for three years. The 45-year-old, who had falsely claimed to be married to the Apple CEO, cannot come within 200 yards of him, his workplace, vehicle, or any of his immediate family members until 2025. More on that here.
Odds and ends:
9. Apple's new green iPhone has people swooning. The alpine green iPhone is an attempt by Apple to stand out in a world where attention spans have shriveled to mere seconds — and it's working. Experts explain why colorful tech is so seductive.
10. Sony's PlayStation Plus will add a Netflix-style library of games and new features. Sony recently announced new tiered plans for its game-streaming subscription: Essential, Extra, and Premium. We break down what each plan includes.
What we're watching today:
- After a delay, Blue Origin is launching another rocket.
- The union vote count begins at Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center.
- The hybrid MIT Energy Conference begins today.
- The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee is holding a hearing on "Connecting America: Oversight of the FCC" today at 10:30 ET.
Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Michael Cogley in London.