facebook Facebook Acquires GIF Platform Giphy for Reported $400 Million Facebook confirms it is purchasing Giphy, bringing the popular animated image search engine under the Instagram team's umbrella. The social media giant plans to maintain Giphy's branding and keep its services open to outside developers.
twitter Twitter Permanently Embraces Remote Work for All Eligible Employees Twitter announces that employees can work from home indefinitely, making it one of the first major tech companies to adopt a permanent remote work policy. The company states that its offices will remain closed until September at the earliest.
silver lake Silver Lake Invests $747 Million in Jio Platforms at Premium Valuation Private equity firm Silver Lake invests roughly $747 million in Reliance Jio Platforms, securing a 1.15% stake at a $65 billion valuation that marks a 12.5% premium over Facebook's recent deal.
amazon Amazon Launches Local Shops Program in India to Rival Facebook-Jio Partnership Amazon introduces "Local Shops on Amazon" to digitize neighborhood stores across India, shortly after Facebook's massive investment in Reliance Jio. The initiative builds on Amazon's previous efforts to integrate local kirana shops into its e-commerce network.
facebook Facebook Invests $5.7 Billion in Jio Platforms to Counter ByteDance in India Facebook acquires a 9.99% stake in Reliance Jio Platforms for $5.7 billion, making it the largest minority shareholder in India's top telecom operator. The landmark deal aims to integrate WhatsApp with JioMart to dominate the country's growing digital economy.
facebook Facebook Introduces New Care Emoji Reaction During Pandemic Facebook rolls out a new "care" emoji reaction across its main app and Messenger to help users show support during the coronavirus pandemic. This marks the first addition to the platform's reaction options since expanding beyond the "like" button in 2015.
facebook Facebook Breaks Political Exemption to Remove Bolsonaro COVID-19 Video Facebook removes a video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for promoting unproven hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 cure. This marks a rare departure from the platform's policy of not fact-checking politicians.
covid-19 COVID-19 Pandemic Drives Record Growth for Social and Video Apps The COVID-19 outbreak is causing massive spikes in downloads and usage for video chat and social networking applications as people remain quarantined at home. Apple also launches a new screening app built in partnership with the CDC.
whatsapp WhatsApp Usage Surges 40% Globally Amid COVID-19 Pandemic A new Kantar survey shows WhatsApp leads a massive surge in social media usage as people stay home during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite increased time spent on these apps, users still largely distrust them for critical pandemic news.
facebook Facebook Commits $100 Million to Support Small Businesses During Pandemic Facebook launches a $100 million grant program to assist 30,000 small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The tech giant also expands its efforts to curb misinformation and supports various global relief funds.
facebook Facebook Pledges $100 Million to Aid Small Businesses During Pandemic Facebook launches a $100 million relief program offering cash grants and ad credits to 30,000 eligible small businesses globally. The initiative aims to help companies cover operational costs and keep workers on payroll amid the coronavirus outbreak.
apple Major Tech Firms Send Bay Area and Seattle Workers Home Over Coronavirus Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google instruct employees in the Bay Area and Seattle to work remotely as coronavirus cases rise. The companies prioritize health and safety by canceling business travel and deep cleaning facilities.
facebook Facebook and Instagram Direct Over a Billion Users to Authoritative COVID-19 Facts Facebook aggressively combats COVID-19 misinformation by directing over a billion people to authoritative health resources across its apps. The company provides free ads to the WHO and launches new fact-checking tools on WhatsApp.
social media Social Media Platforms Warn of Increased AI Moderation Mistakes Amid Pandemic Major social media companies rely heavily on automated content moderation as human reviewers work from home during the coronavirus pandemic. This shift leads to slower response times and a higher rate of erroneous content takedowns.
coronavirus Major Tech Giants Send Seattle Employees Home Amid Coronavirus Spread Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft instruct Seattle-area staff to work remotely after confirmed cases among their workers. The broader business world also restricts travel and cancels large events to slow the outbreak.