Netflix’s workplace culture, at its worst, can be “ruthless, demoralizing and transparent to the point of dysfunctional,” according to a Thursday report by The Wall Street Journal.  It’s a surprising look inside the media giant. Unlike other tech companies, such as Amazon, that’ve been the subject of bruising exposés about workplace culture, Netflix has long …

Facebook is reportedly working on a standalone music video app to battle TikTok, the karaoke app formerly known as Musical.ly. The social network is developing Lasso, an app that lets you record yourself lip-syncing or dancing to popular songs, TechCrunch reported Wednesday, citing anonymous current and former Facebook employees. Lasso is designed to compete with TikTok, which was known as Musical.ly …

Mobvoi hosted its LookUp event on Oct. 24, where it announced two new products: the TicWatch C2 smartwatch and TicPods Free wireless earbuds. Mobvoi is a Chinese company focused on AI, but it’s also known for its various wearables and tech products like the TicWatch Pro and TicHome Mini. The newly announced TicWatch C2 is an upgrade from the previous TicWatch …

Responding to a report that President Donald Trump’s personal iPhone was tapped by its spies, China suggested that he switch to Huawei. “If they are very worried about iPhones being tapped, they can use Huawei,” said Hua Chunying, deputy director of the Chinese foreign ministry information department, according to a Thursday morning tweet by The Washington Post’s Luna Lin. Hua …

Apple and Samsung were fined Wednesday for software updates that Italy’s antitrust watchdog said slowed down users’ phones. The Italian Competition Authority, or AGCM, fined Apple and Samsung 5 million euros (about $5.7 million) each for releasing software updates that “significantly reduced” the performance of phones, the AGCM said in a statement.  Both companies urged people to install updates that weren’t “adequately supported by their …

The boost Amazon received from Prime Day wasn’t high enough to vault the retail giant over Wall Street’s expectations.  Amazon said Thursday that its third-quarter revenue jumped 29 percent, to $56.6 billion, helped by a take from its annual Prime Day sale that RBC Capital Markets estimated at $2 billion. Amazon’s increased revenue still fell shy of the $57.1 billion …

Google Lens already lets you use your phone’s camera to copy text from a sign, identify plants and animals, scan bar codes and get details on a monument or building. Now Google is bringing the feature’s ID skills to search.  Tap on a Lens button in mobile image search and it will place dots over objects in images so you can …

Vodafone says it has activated the UK’s first 5G coverage network. The British telecommunications company on Thursday started streaming over 5G from its site in Salford, Greater Manchester, to test the next generation of wireless connectivity. The site provides coverage to MediaCityUK — a property development with tenants like the BBC, ITV Granada and the University of Salford — and …

President Donald Trump really, really likes 5G.  The White House on Thursday announced that it was developing a plan to “position the United States to lead in next generation wireless networks for years to come.”  5G, which refers to the fifth generation of cellular technology, has been hailed as the foundation for other big trends like self-driving cars and streaming virtual reality. …

Buying something from eBay today? Anything? You can save 10 percent by applying promo code PICKUPTEN. And for once there’s no minimum! shop at Ebay You’ve got until 5 a.m. PT tomorrow (Oct. 26) to use that code. It’s good for a maximum savings of $100, but only on eligible items. Thankfully, nearly everything is eligible. The only exclusions: warranties, protection …