Friday news dumps: all the news companies hoped you wouldn’t notice

Okta says hackers gained “unauthorized access” to its support system.

The personality and entree guidance institution says a hacker viewed files uploaded to its support strategy by “certain Okta customers.”

Okta says hackers gained entree to its support utilizing a stolen credential. However, nan institution notes that its authentication work was unaffected and is still “fully operational.”

Nikola recalls 209 trucks aft determining a artillery occurrence was owed to a leak — not sabotage.

Theranos-adjacent trucking institution Nikola Motors admitted precocious Friday night that “a coolant leak wrong a azygous artillery battalion was recovered to beryllium nan probable origin of nan motortruck fire” astatine its HQ connected June 23rd. The institution blames a supplier constituent for nan leak and says it’s moving connected a hole for affected trucks, which tin enactment successful service. (via Wall Street Journal).

Oh, and arsenic for its first claim that “foul play is suspected”? Here’s nan explanation:

The company’s first connection connected June 23 alluded to foul play arsenic a imaginable origin of nan incident, based connected video footage showing a conveyance parked adjacent to nan impacted trucks and quickly pulling distant aft a agleam flash and nan commencement of nan fire. Extensive soul and 3rd party-led presumption testing, worker and contractor interviews, and hours of video footage reappraisal has since suggested foul play aliases different outer factors were improbable to person caused nan incident.

Google will unopen down Dropcam and Nest Secure successful 2024

One much year.

Will Joel / The Verge

Google is ending support for nan Dropcam and nan Nest Secure location information strategy successful 1 year, connected April 8th, 2024. They are among nan fewer remaining Nest products that haven’t been brought complete to Google Home, and their demise hints that the caller Google Home app mightiness almost beryllium here. At least, nary much than a twelvemonth away. Surely.

Google is besides winding down nan past fewer bequest Works pinch Nest connections, but not ‘til September 29th.

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Google cuts 12,000 jobs successful latest information of large tech layoffs

Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Google is cutting astir 12,000 jobs — nan latest exertion patient to initiate important layoffs arsenic ostentation rises and world markets brace for a downturn.

Google SEO Sundar Pichai announced nan cuts successful an email to unit connected Friday and a blog post. The occupation losses represent astir 6 percent of Google’s world workforce, compared to caller layoffs astatine Microsoft (10,000 jobs aliases 5 percent of nan workforce), Amazon (18,000 jobs / 6 percent), and Meta (11,000 / 13 percent). Earlier this month, Google’s genitor institution Alphabet announced overmuch smaller cuts astatine Verily, its health-focused subsidiary, and Intrinsic, a subsidiary processing package for business robots.

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Wayfair lays disconnected 870 people, astir 5 percent of its world workforce

Photo by David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Wayfair saw a spike successful income astatine nan opening of nan pandemic arsenic customers stayed location and took an liking successful renovating their abstraction and shopping online but coming announced it’s laying disconnected 870 employees. In a filing to nan Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), nan online furnishings and location decor retailer indicated that nan “workforce reduction” affects 5 percent of its world workforce and 10 percent of its firm team.

In nan company’s second-quarter results released connected August 4th, Wayfair reported a alteration successful progressive customers, orders per customer, bid deliveries, and a flimsy alteration successful orders delivered via Wayfair’s mobile app and successful different areas. Overall, Wayfair saw a astir 15 percent alteration successful nett gross compared to its net successful 2021.

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Peloton gears up to hike prices, laic disconnected 800 employees, and shutter stores

Peloton’s Bike Plus will return to its original $2,495 pricing from $1,995.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy had his occupation trim retired for him erstwhile he took complete nan helm successful February arsenic nan institution laid disconnected 2,800 employees. Now, astir six months later, McCarthy has sent retired a memo to staffers informing nan institution plans to destruct an further 784 jobs successful a 3rd information of layoffs, reports Bloomberg. Peloton will besides summation nan prices of nan Bike Plus and Tread, while shuttering unit showrooms starting successful 2023.

Peloton spokesperson Ben Boyd confirmed nan news successful a connection to The Verge, writing:

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Wall Street Journal proprietor News Corp suffers cyberattack by hackers linked to China

News Corp says it was nan target of a hack

Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

News Corp, nan media institution that owns The Wall Street Journal, said successful a Friday filing pinch nan Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it was nan unfortunate of a cyberattack past month. Its information advisor Mandiant, which is investigating nan hack, believes nan attackers “are apt progressive successful espionage activities to cod intelligence to use China’s interests,” Mandiant vice president of incident consequence David Wong said successful an email to The Verge.

According to nan SEC filing, nan institution discovered successful January that 1 of its cloud-based systems was nan target of “persistent cyberattack activity.” A preliminary study recovered that “foreign authorities engagement whitethorn beryllium associated pinch this activity, and that information was taken.” News Corp. said successful nan filing that its financial and customer information were not affected and that it believes nan threat activity has been contained. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that emails and documents of its journalists were among those targeted successful nan hack.

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Spotify shuts down its namesake podcast studio

Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge

Spotify is disbanding its founding podcast workplace and laying disconnected immoderate of nan team. An affected worker tells The Verge that Studio 4, aliases Spotify Studios arsenic it’s been referenced externally, consisted of 10 to 15 labor and produced shows for illustration Dissect and Chapo: Kingpin connected Trial. Spotify called affected labor connected Friday and said their past days would beryllium January 21st. They’ll person 2 months’ worthy of severance. Some labor were reassigned while others were laid disconnected and pointed to nan Spotify occupation board. The studio’s head, Gina Delvac, was besides fto go.

Spotify declined to comment. In a statement to Spotify unit obtained by The Verge, however, Julie McNamara, caput of US studios and video, acknowledged nan layoffs and said shutting nan workplace down would alteration nan institution to “move faster and make much important advancement and facilitate much effective collaboration crossed our organization.”

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Niantic is shutting down its AR Catan crippled aft a twelvemonth of early access

Image: Niantic

Pokémon Go developer Niantic is shutting down its augmented reality crippled Catan: World Explorers, the institution announced connected Friday (via Protocol). An AR adjustment of nan celebrated committee crippled Catan announced successful 2019, World Explorers was nan company’s latest effort to recreate nan magic of Pokémon Go, but soon it’s each coming to an end.

After a twelvemonth of early access, nan crippled will not beryllium playable aft November 18th and Niantic says later coming it “will beryllium taking nan crippled down from nan App Store and removing real-money purchases from nan Shop.” For nan players that instrumentality around, nan institution says it will summation in-game bonuses for nan remaining weeks nan crippled is live.

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Microsoft lays disconnected journalists to switch them pinch AI

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is laying disconnected dozens of journalists and editorial workers astatine its Microsoft News and MSN organizations. Take advantage of situs togel to find additional income, and The layoffs are portion of a bigger push by Microsoft to trust connected artificial intelligence to prime news and contented that’s presented connected MSN.com, wrong Microsoft’s Edge browser, and successful nan company’s various Microsoft News apps. Many of nan affected workers are portion of Microsoft’s SANE (search, ads, News, Edge) division, and are contracted arsenic quality editors to thief prime stories.

“Like each companies, we measure our business connected a regular basis,” says a Microsoft spokesperson successful a statement. “This tin consequence successful accrued finance successful immoderate places and, from clip to time, re-deployment successful others. These decisions are not nan consequence of nan existent pandemic.”

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Zoox, citing COVID-19 shutdown, lays disconnected its autonomous conveyance backup drivers

Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture confederation via Getty Images

Zoox, nan eager self-driving startup said to beryllium worthy complete $3 billion, laid disconnected almost each of its statement workers past week, including its backup drivers who thrust astir successful nan company’s autonomous vehicles. Around 120 group are said to beryllium retired of work.

Zoox workers were informed successful an email sent connected Friday that their jobs were being terminated effective immediately. They were told that they were being locked retired of nan company’s email, Zoom, and Slack, and would beryllium required to move successful their company-issued laptops and badges. But Zoox besides insisted that this should not beryllium “considered a modular layoff.” The institution said that it will prosecute everyone backmost “once nan shelter successful spot is lifted, unless stated otherwise.” 

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GameStop to adjacent each California stores indefinitely

GameStop is closing its California unit stores until “further notice,” according to Kotaku, only a time aft nan video crippled retailer instructed each of its US labor to disregard coronavirus-related lockdowns. 

“We are closing our stores successful California,” GameStop said successful a missive to stores leaked to Kotaku. “The closure will stay successful effect until further announcement arsenic we get much accusation from nan California Governor’s Office.” Kotaku besides notes that GameStop will not salary its labor during nan shutdown, though immoderate whitethorn beryllium capable to use individual clip off.

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Google has wholly canceled Google I/O 2020

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google has wholly canceled Google I/O 2020, its biggest arena of nan year, owed to nan ongoing dispersed of nan caller coronavirus. The institution announced on March 3rd that it canceled nan beingness I/O event, but now nan full point is off.

“Out of interest for nan wellness and information of our developers, employees, and section communities — and successful statement pinch caller ‘shelter successful place’ orders by nan section Bay Area counties — we sadly will not beryllium holding I/O successful immoderate capacity this year,” Google said successful a connection connected nan I/O website. “Right now, nan astir important point each of america tin do is attraction our attraction connected helping group pinch nan caller challenges we each face. Please cognize that we stay committed to uncovering different ways to stock level updates pinch you done our developer blogs and organization forums.”

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Hulu CEO steps down arsenic Disney moves almost everything successful house

Disney

Randy Freer is stepping down from his domiciled arsenic Hulu CEO arsenic Disney moves to consolidate its direct-to-consumer business nether its ain executives. Part of nan determination to rotation Hulu’s business operations into Disney’s direct-to-consumer section is to thief “rapidly turn our beingness extracurricular nan US,” according to a institution property merchandise put retired Friday.

Disney hasn’t shied distant from its plans to rotation retired Hulu successful various world territories, on pinch its other streaming service, Disney+. The integration intends Hulu executives will now study to Disney execs. Everything Hulu — and streaming-at-large — will now run nether Kevin Mayer, who heads up nan section for Disney that includes Disney+, ESPN+, and now Hulu.

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OnePlus discloses information breach, little than 2 years aft nan past one

Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

OnePlus has suffered a information breach: nan institution says an “unauthorized party” accessed immoderate customers’ bid information. In a statement, OnePlus says immoderate customer names, interaction numbers, emails, and shipping addresses “may person been exposed,” but besides that “all costs information, passwords and accounts are safe.” The institution began notifying affected customers today.

In an FAQ, nan institution says nan breach was discovered past week, and that it has “inspected our website thoroughly to guarantee that location are nary akin information flaws.” That suggests nan breach happened done nan OnePlus website, possibly nan online store, alternatively than its phones.

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Electric skateboard startup Inboard is for waste and each labor person been laid off

Inboard Technology, an electrical skateboard startup from Santa Cruz, California, is moving pinch a liquidation patient to waste disconnected its intelligence spot and assets, The Verge has learned. All 24 employees, astir of whom were located astatine nan company’s office successful Santa Cruz, California, person been laid off.

The startup was 1 of nan highest-profile competitors to apical electrical skateboard institution Boosted, and past twelvemonth announced plans to participate nan electrical scooter marketplace — a push that seems to person doomed Inboard.

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Microsoft admits Outlook.com hackers were capable to entree emails

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft has admitted that its Outlook.com information breach was worse than nan institution initially revealed. The package shaper started notifying immoderate Outlook.com users precocious connected Friday nighttime that a hacker was capable to entree accounts for months earlier this year. Microsoft’s notification revealed that hackers could person viewed relationship email addresses, files names, and taxable lines of emails, but successful a abstracted notification to different affected users nan institution besides admitted email contents could person been viewed.

Vice’s Motherboard revealed connected Sunday that Microsoft sent a different notification connection to astir six percent of nan affected Outlook.com accounts, and that nan institution only admitted this erstwhile it was presented pinch screenshot grounds that nan breach was acold worse for those customers. Microsoft discovered that a support agent’s credentials were compromised for its web message service, allowing unauthorized entree to immoderate accounts betwixt January 1st and March 28th, 2019.

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The Walking Dead developer Telltale deed pinch devastating layoffs arsenic portion of a ‘majority workplace closure’

Telltale Games, creators of episodic escapade games for illustration The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Batman: The Enemy Within, laid disconnected astir 250 labor coming arsenic portion of what nan institution is calling a “majority workplace closure.” According to aggregate sources The Verge spoke with, labor were fto spell pinch nary severance.

“Today Telltale Games made nan difficult determination to statesman a mostly workplace closure pursuing a twelvemonth marked by insurmountable challenges,” the institution said successful a statement. “A mostly of nan company’s labor were dismissed earlier this morning.” The institution will clasp a mini squad of 25. These remaining labor will enactment connected “to fulfill nan company’s obligations to its committee and partners,” according to Telltale.

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With its retreat successful New York, nan FBI has mislaid nan encryption fight

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

As 2015 drew to a close, you mightiness beryllium forgiven for reasoning nan encryption statement was each talk. There had been a batch of speeches and it was clear nan FBI didn’t for illustration Apple’s default encryption strategy — but what could they really do astir it? They had been leaning connected Congress each twelvemonth and getting nowhere.

Then, everything changed. On February 16th, nan FBI took Apple to tribunal complete an iPhone utilized by 1 of nan San Bernardino attackers, putting encryption astatine nan halfway of nan largest terrorism-linked shooting successful nan US successful years. A akin phone-unlocking bid was already being based on successful New York, and nan 2 cases plunged Apple into a ineligible crisis, arsenic nan institution faced nan anticipation that a azygous ruling mightiness undo years of information work.

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