Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)
Chinese Women Lean Close to Hear Facebook’s Sandberg (WSJ)
China may not play fair with Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) -0.64%, but at least it’s open to letting one of the social network’s top executives try to make things fairer for Chinese women. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave a speech in front of about 1000 people at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing this week to promote the Chinese version of her book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” Though Ms. Sandberg did her best to work into the speech points specific to China, at several times she acknowledged that China was different from the U.S. and that she couldn’t speak as directly to the circumstances in China. That has not stopped her book from doing well in China.
Facebook tests auto-play videos as commercial interruptions looms (TechRadar)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is testing auto-playing video clips within the News Feeds of a small sample of its iOS and Android app users. Initially, the company said, only videos posted by individuals, musicians and bands would automatically play whether users wish to view them or not. The relevant videos will play silently, unless users tap the clip in order to expand to full screen and, in-turn, activate the audio. The announcement on Facebook’s Newsroom blog comes amid speculation the company is plotting to integrate TV-style, 15-second video commercials into the News Feeds of users.
FTC reviews Facebook’s policy update (Dispatch)
The Federal Trade Commission is looking into a set of policy changes that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) proposed in late August, though the agency says it’s part of a routine monitoring of the company’s privacy practices. The changes, which have not yet gone into effect, have drawn criticism from privacy groups concerned about how the world’s largest online social network uses its members’ photos and other information in advertisements. Six privacy-advocacy groups sent a letter to the commission last week saying that the revisions violate Facebook’s 2011 settlement with the agency. Facebook had agreed to get explicit approval from users before changing its privacy controls and to submit audits of its privacy practices to the government every other year for 20 years.
Twitter is going public, files for biggest IPO since Facebook (Venturebeat)
This is massive news for the company that just added MoPub, with its $100 million annual revenue run-rate, as a means of boosting its revenue and looking better for potential investors. It’s likely going to be the biggest tech IPO of the year, the biggest IPO since Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s $16 billion offering in May 2012, and the timing is a big signal that Twitter believes now is a good time for going public. Or that next year will be tougher, since this IPO is between six and 12 months earlier than widely expected.
Facebook CEO says IPO made company stronger (LasvegasSun)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn’t really want to take his company public last year, but he has changed his mind now that the Internet social network’s stock is steadily rising. Zuckerberg told a San Francisco audience attending a technology conference that he believes the initial public offering of stock completed 16 months ago turned Facebook Inc. into a stronger company than it would have been had it remained private. He made his remarks late Wednesday, a few hours after Facebook’s stock hit its highest price since the IPO.
Twitter is going to stand on its own: Pro (CNBC)
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