Money talks in the startup community, especially when SoftBank comes knocking with the megabucks of its Vision Fund. Despite the public outcry around the firm’s dependence on money from Saudi Arabia in the wake of that country’s assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, deal flow for Softbank’s Vision Fund appears to be back to […]
View More The Khashoggi murder isn’t stopping SoftBank’s Vision FundCategory: Jamal Khashoggi
The Washington Post’s moving Super Bowl ad uses the power of Tom Hanks’ voice to defend journalism
The Washington Post aired a powerful ad narrated by Tom Hanks during Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, complete with its “Democracy Dies In Darkness” tagline.
The moving spot begins with shots of memorable news events — the March on Selma, the moon landing, the Oklahoma City bombing — but then shifts to paying tribute to journalists who have been captured or killed.
Among those the ad memorializes is Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, whose murder was reportedly ordered by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Following Khashoggi’s death in October 2018, Trump has so far refused to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the killing. Read more…
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Netflix pulls episode of Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’ in Saudi Arabia following complaints
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Comedian Hasan Minhaj dedicated a recent episode of his Netflix show Patriot Act to skewering Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the criticism did not go unnoticed by Saudi officials.
The government reportedly complained to Netflix that the episode violated the kingdom’s anti-cyber crime law, according to the Financial Times. In response, Netflix removed the episode from the streaming platform in Saudi Arabia. The episode can apparently still be viewed by Saudi users on the show’s official YouTube channel.
“We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and only removed this episode in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request — and to comply with local law,” Netflix said in a statement to the Financial Times. Read more…
More about Netflix, Saudi Arabia, Hasan Minhaj, Jamal Khashoggi, and Entertainment
View More Netflix pulls episode of Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’ in Saudi Arabia following complaintsA closer look at ‘Time’ magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year
Time refers to the group of journalists targeted for their work as “The Guardians.” The magazine released a series of four black and white covers, focusing on “the War on Truth.” Read more…More about Mashable Video, Time Magazine, Person Of The Yea…
View More A closer look at ‘Time’ magazine’s 2018 Person of the YearIndonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank’s Vision Fund
Indonesia-based e-commerce firm Tokopedia is the latest startup to enter the Vision Fund after it raised $1.1 billion Series G round led by the SoftBank megafund and Alibaba. SoftBank and Alibaba are existing investors in the business — the Chinese e-commerce giant led a $1.1 billion round last year, while SoftBank recently transitioned its shareholding […]
View More Indonesia e-commerce leader Tokopedia raises $1.1B from Alibaba and SoftBank’s Vision FundTime’s ‘Person of the Year’ honors ‘The Guardians’: imprisoned or murdered journalists of 2018
In a time when the president of the United States calls journalists “the enemy of the people,” Time magazine honored fallen and imprisoned journalists, calling them “The Guardians,” as their “Person of the Year” for 2018.
SEE ALSO: Sarah Huckab…
SoftBank’s Vision Fund inches closer to $100B
Much has been said about the SoftBank Vision Fund, mostly in awe of the size of the investment vehicle. Today, however, the Vision Fund inched yet closer to that twelve-figure goal.
View More SoftBank’s Vision Fund inches closer to $100BMichelle Wolf scorches Trump over Saudi Arabia’s murder of a journalist
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Hot damn.
A day after roasting the White House Correspondents Association for not booking a comedian this year, Michelle Wolf turned her sights on Trump after he — what else? — sent a tweet mocking Wolf.
Trump said Wolf had “bombed” at the 2018 WHCA correspondents dinner, but Wolf quickly turned the tables on him on Wednesday.
I bet you’d be on my side if I had killed a journalist#BeBest https://t.co/bZ91Cg0QCr
— Michelle Wolf (@michelleisawolf) November 21, 2018
Wolf is referring here to Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was brutally murdered inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey in October. A few days ago, the CIA announced that it believed Khashoggi’s death was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Read more…
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Stephen Colbert rips into Trump’s lacklustre action on Saudi Arabia
Stephen Colbert has slammed Trump’s “pardons,” and they’re not all the Thanksgiving kind.
After lightly roasting the president’s antics during the annual turkey pardon, The Late Show host turned his attention to the bigger “pardon” on everyone’s …
Korean e-commerce firm Coupang raises $2 billion from SoftBank’s Vision Fund
Just days after a CIA report concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, SoftBank’s Vision Fund — the gargantuan investment vehicle anchored by a $45 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s PIF sovereign fund — is back in check-writing action. Coupang, Korea’s largest e-commerce firm, revealed today that it has […]
View More Korean e-commerce firm Coupang raises $2 billion from SoftBank’s Vision FundBots Distorted the 2016 Election. Will the Midterms Be a Sequel?
Tiffany Olson Kleemann Contributor Tiffany Olson Kleemann is the chief executive officer of Distil Networks. She formerly served in executive roles at Symantec and FireEye and was deputy chief of staff for cybersecurity operations under President George W. Bush. The fact that Russian-linked bots penetrated social media to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election has […]
View More Bots Distorted the 2016 Election. Will the Midterms Be a Sequel?SoftBank CEO pulls out of speaking at Saudi investment conference
SoftBank Group has become the latest high profile technology business to drop out of an investment conference in Saudi Arabia following the snowballing global outcry over the killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. The Wall Street Journal reports the last minute cancelation by CEO Masayoshi Son of a speaking engagement at the Future Investment Initiative conference which opens in […]
View More SoftBank CEO pulls out of speaking at Saudi investment conference