HSBC Buys Silicon Valley Bank UK for £1
In a rescue deal, HSBC bought the UK branch of Silicon Valley Bank for a little over $1. The private sale was made on Sunday night, and overseen by the Bank of England. An estimated $7 billion worth of company deposits were saved. Many of Britain’s startups, venture capital funds, and tech companies are protected and can now make payroll.
Unsold: Adidas Stuck with $1.3 Billion Yeezy Inventory
After Adidas and Kanye West discontinued their partnership, the sportswear giant was left with a mountain of unsold Yeezy sneakers. Options to deal with their $1.3 billion inventory are limited.
Chris Rock Debuts Netflix’s Very First Live-Streamed Event
Over the weekend, Chris Rock became the first entertainer to stream a live global event on Netflix. And yes, he addressed “The Slap.” In addition to Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, live pre-show and post-show events were arranged, featuring comedians and celebrities like Leslie Jones, Arsenio Hall, Sir Paul McCartney, Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld, and more.
New UK Law Will Ban ‘Cyberflashing’
The British government has announced plans to create a new criminal offense; “Cyberflashing.” Under the proposed legislation, anyone who sends unsolicited sexual images online can face up to two years in prison.
Playing Netflix Games
Netflix Games has officially launched on iOS and iPad. Are you playing? Through its app, the streaming giant offers five games at no additional cost. Today’s announcement comes a week after first dropping on Android devices. Only two of the games are related to a Netflix show (Stranger Things). After the global success of Squid Game in September (and past experiments with actual gaming), rumors of Netflix launching a gaming vertical became more amplified.
Visual 06: The HeLa Cell Line
For 70 years, the cells of Henrietta Lacks have been used without her consent. HeLa cells are special because they can divide indefinitely. The data visual above highlights some of the many medical breakthroughs achieved through the HeLa cell line. “The Mother of Modern Medicine,” is inspired by Kadir Nelson’s painting of the same title.
Is Apple Launching a Search Engine?
Apple may be launching its own search engine. Right now, Google pays Apple $8-12 billion per year to be the default search engine on all iPhones.