Microsoft becomes the second U.S. firm to reach a $2 trillion market, authorities confirm John McAfee was found dead in a prison cell – and Bill C-10 targets streaming giants
It’s all the biz/tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Thursday, June 24 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
Microsoft becomes second U.S. firm to pass $2 trillion market cap from technology
Microsoft has reached a major milestone. The tech giant has reached a $2 trillion market and now becomes the second U.S. firm to do so following Apple. Like many tech companies, Microsoft has benefited from remote work and education. Since the start of lockdowns in March 2020, Microsoft’s stock has increased by 64 per cent. In April, the company said its sales had a 19 per cent growth to $41.7 billion in the first quarter of 2020, much of that fueled by its Azure cloud services and Teams collaboration portfolio. Stay tuned for more news on Microsoft as they are scheduled to drop official news regarding the new Windows 11 OS. [Apple Insider]
NEW: Media reports in Spain say John McAfee was found dead in his cell, hours after a court ruled in favor of his extradition to the United States.
McAfee was a antivirus-pioneer-turned-cryptocurrency-enthusiast, alleged murderer, and alleged tax evader.https://t.co/t6kCb2Jnx6
— Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb) June 23, 2021
Antivirus software creator John McAfee has been found dead in Spanish prison cell, according to authorities who spoke with the Associated Press yesterday afternoon. McAfee died from a suspected suicide after he was cleared to be extradited to the United States on Wednesday, according to various reports. McAfee was facing charges of tax evasion and securities fraud and was being held in prison, pending extradition to the US, after being arrested in October 2020. Pockets of social media remains largely skeptical about his apparent suicide, pointing to a 2019 tweet of his, where he wrote “If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd.” Intel, which bought McAfee’s company in 2011 for $7.68 billion, for a time sought to dissociate the brand from its controversial founder by folding it into its larger cybersecurity division. But the rebranding was short-lived, and Intel in 2016 spun out the cybersecurity unit into a new company called McAfee.
MPs pass Bill C-10, sending controversial broadcasting act legislation to Senate https://t.co/Kf4YetruPm
— Report on Business (@globebusiness) June 22, 2021
And lastly, members of Parliament have passed Bill C-10. The Bill aims to make tech giants like Netflix and Prime Video follow similar rules that traditional broadcasters use. The companies would also be required to offer certain amounts of Canadian content and contribute to its production. There is already a lot of controversy around the bill with many concerned about freedom of expression. Canadians are concerned that the bill would also affect their social media posts. However the Bill will likely not pass anytime soon as Senators have declined to pass it right now saying the legislation needs more study. [The Globe And Mail]
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Friday at 3 pm. Thanks for listening.
