Application Platform News
Our latest news and commentary on applications, covering closed development platforms, SaaS vendors and related online services.
SoftBank Group’s market cap dips below domestic telco as scepticism grows
SoftBank Group Corp shares fell as much as 11.6% on Wednesday, with its market capitalisation dipping below the value of its domestic telco, as uncertainty grows over its managemen...
Tencent set to hint at virus boost from quarantined gamers
China’s Tencent Holdings is set to give a glimpse of how the world’s largest gaming company has fared from the coronavirus outbreak after curbs forced millions to stay ...
Tencent Music to see softer first quarter; beats fourth-quarter revenue estimates on paying user surge
China’s Tencent Music Entertainment Group said the company would likely see “much softer” first-quarter revenue growth due to the COVID-19 outbreak, after it beat...
Social media giants warn of AI moderation errors as coronavirus empties offices
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter warned on Monday that more videos and other content could be erroneously removed for policy violations, as the companies empty offices and rely on aut...
Google coronavirus website opens for two California counties
Google sister company Verily launched a website late on Sunday that invites adults in northern California to answer questions about their recent health and travel that could result...
Zhang Yiming, founder of ByteDance, gears up for the global stage
The founder of China’s ByteDance, owner of the wildly successful TikTok app, has for years aspired to make ByteDance the first Chinese firm to rival American internet giants ...
US senators seek to ban federal employees from using TikTok on their phones
Two GOP senators have introduced a bill aimed at banning federal employees from using Chinese social media app TikTok on their government-issued phones, amid growing national secur...
Spyware firm NSO seeks court sanctions against Facebook
Israel’s NSO Group is asking a California judge to sanction Facebook Inc for allegedly failing to abide by international law with regards to its lawsuit against the spyware m...
SoftBank’s founder ends Twitter absence over coronavirus worries
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son may not be the most prolific Twitter user, but he has ended a three-year absence on the platform to express concern about the coronavirus outbreak, t...
Hong Kong regulator considers easing strict data storage rules – sources
Hong Kong is considering softening new data storage rules, amid concerns of conflict with confidentiality laws elsewhere as authorities globally look to balance regulatory requirem...
Grindr’s owner says to sell social media app for $608 million
The Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd said on Friday that it has agreed to sell Grindr LLC, a popular gay dating app it acquired in 2016, for about $608.5 million.
Exclusive: Tencent-backed WeDoctor invites banks to lead $1 billion Hong Kong IPO, sources say
WeDoctor will push ahead with a Hong Kong listing and invite pitches from investments banks next week to lead an IPO valuing the Chinese healthcare platform at up to $10 billion, t...
Online voting at AGMs in demand as coronavirus spreads
Online voting at annual shareholder meetings has jumped since the coronavirus outbreak as investors shun large gatherings because of travel restrictions or fear of infection, Swiss...
Strong subscription growth drives Slack’s earnings beat; shares rise
Reuters – Slack Technologies Inc beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue and profit as it signed on larger companies to its workplace communication platform, sending...