Hello, world. We've got news about a new way to Twitter, as well as Tim Cook's comments about crypto.
Let's get to it.
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1. Twitter's new subscription service just launched in the US. The service, Twitter Blue, kicked off in Canada and Australia in June. Now, it's available stateside for $2.99 per month. Here are some of its features:
- An undo button. Notice a typo? Have a bad take? Users can preview and make changes to a tweet before it's public - but they'll only get up to 60 seconds to undo it. While all users can delete a tweet after it posts, Twitter Blue will let you recall it before it sends.
- Ad-free articles. Through a partnership with more than 300 news outlets - including Insider - Twitter Blue users can access articles without seeing ads. A few caveats: this isn't yet available on Android devices, and it won't get you past a website's paywall.
- Bookmark folders. Users can sort their saved tweets into different categories for easier access.
We've got more information here.
In other news:
2. Tim Cook said crypto is "something that we're looking at" at Apple. The CEO said while the company is looking into crypto, there aren't any immediate plans to implement it for payment, and crypto as an Apple product probably isn't in the cards. Here's what else he said.
3. Inside Zillow's iBuying initiative, dubbed "Project Ketchup." Current and former employees described Project Ketchup as an internal push to help it "catch up" with rival Opendoor - but ultimately led it to overpay for homes and abruptly shut down its home-flipping business. More on the project employees say tanked Zillow's home-flipping endeavors.
4. Netflix is launching a TikTok-like feature for kids. Called "Kids Clips," the feature will highlight snippets of children's movies and shows from Netflix's library, and will appear on its iOS app. This is what you need to know about Kids Clips.
5. Facebook experimented with giving some users even more political news content. For some so-called "power users," the feature would "skew content" in the direction of political or hard news, and de-emphasize topics like education, parenting, and pets. Everything we know about the experiment. Plus, we have an inside look at employees who worry Facebook is in a "failure state."
6. You'll soon be able to buy things on Amazon using Venmo. Thanks to a partnership between Venmo's parent company, PayPal, and Amazon, Venmo users will be able to make Amazon purchases using the payments app starting in 2022. Here's how it'll work.
7. People who got jobs at top tech companies share the cover letters that helped them get hired. Employees who've scored jobs at Google, LinkedIn, and other tech companies said to test out different formats, and, in some cases, go against conventional wisdom to stand out. Read the cover letters here.
8. Twitter won't remove a GOP Rep's tweet with a video edited to show him killing AOC. Twitter flagged the tweet, which contains an anime video edited to show Rep. Paul Gosar killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but won't remove it because "it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
9. Meta will block ad targeting around politics, religion, and sexual orientation. Meta, Facebook's parent company, will no longer allow advertisers to target users with ads that relate to "sensitive identifying traits" like race, ethnicity, religion, and more. More on the move here.
10. A pilot dropped his iPhone during takeoff - and airport staff found it still in "perfect shape." After dropping the phone while traveling at 50 mph, staff recovered it to find that it hadn't been shattered or dented. More on the incident that "gives 'AirDrop' a whole new meaning."
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email [email protected] or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Shona Ghosh in London.