10 things in tech you need to know today

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  1. A Facebook engineer quit in protest after accusing the company of 'profiting off hate'. Ashok Chandwaney criticized Facebook's failure to remove a militia group's event inciting violence against protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

  2. The Biden campaign took over an Instagram fan account started by a 15-year-old. The account's teenage creator will now be volunteering for the campaign in an official capacity.

  3. ByteDance will give its 60,000 employees cash bonuses to 'thank everyone for their efforts' amid a potential TikTok deal. In an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, ByteDance said the bonuses are intended to "thank everyone for their efforts and dedication".

  4. Shares in Slack sunk almost 20% after reporting showed how the pandemic and its rivalry with Microsoft put pressure on its growth. Compared to other remote work beneficiaries like Zoom, Slack's numbers have been underwhelming to many observers.

  5. Apple is holding a big event this month where it may unveil the iPhone 12, new Apple Watches, and more. The new iPhone is expected to represent a notable overhaul, bringing 5G connectivity, a fresh design, new size options, and better performance.

  6. US fintech Melio has raised $144 million and says its payments volume surged 700% during the pandemic. Melio targets the B2B market by offering small businesses an easy-to-use tool for paying suppliers and controlling cash flow.

  7. Reed Hastings says Netflix offices won't reopen until 'a majority of people' are vaccinated. "Not being able to get together in person, particularly internationally, is a pure negative," he told the Wall Street Journal.

  8. Uber said all of its rides will be in electric vehicles by 2040 and it's spending $800 million to help drivers switch. Some of the costs will be be partially offset by an additional small fee charged to customers who request a "green trip."

  9. A Volkswagen executive said it will sell more electric cars than Tesla by 2023. Bernd Osterloh, the head of VW's works council, says the company will sell more electric vehicles than Tesla by 2023 thanks to its modular electric drive platform.

  10. One of Europe's most bullish software investors raised $400 million for the post-pandemic future. London-based Dawn Capital has had a number of unicorn hits in its portfolio, such as email security startup Mimecast and payments firm iZettle.

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Read the original article on Business Insider