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TODAY: Spotify 💚 Social · Y FB 💸 $400M on Giphy · Uber & Ryanair Cut Jobs

by Natasha NelMay 19th, 2020

Too Long; Didn't Read

Spotify has launched a co-listening product stream so that you can listen to the same song with anyone, anywhere, in-sync. Facebook bought Giphy for $400 million for the data; both Europe's budget airline Ryanair and Uber are laying off a bunch of people. France and Germany are pushing for a €500bn coronavirus relief fund to be distributed to EU countries worst affected by Covid-19. Ryanair is planning to cut 3,000 jobs and reduce staff pay by up to a fifth in response to the crisis.

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featured image - TODAY: Spotify 💚 Social · Y FB 💸 $400M on Giphy · Uber & Ryanair Cut Jobs

I read the news so you don't have to: Spotify has launched a co-listening product stream so that you can listen to the same song with anyone, anywhere, in-sync; big surprise: Facebook bought Giphy for the data; both Europe's budget airline Ryanair and Uber are laying off a bunch of people; and France and Germany are pushing for a $545bn coronavirus relief fund.

👾 what the tech

Spotify is finally getting social.

"Last week Spotify launched a global co-listening experiment with the aim to connect people through music. When you use Listening Together you get paired up with someone across the world to listen to the same song in sync, and you can travel around digitally to see what people in other countries are listening to. Spotify also recently launched group sessions so you can share DJ duties with your friends at a safe social distance."

The real reason Facebook bought Giphy for $400 million

"When Facebook confirmed that it had acquired Giphy last week for a cool $400 million, the reasons weren’t immediately apparent. Giphy has only the seeds of an advertising business, and GIFs aren’t a revolutionary advertising product. Mark Zuckerberg has a habit of knowing where the puck is going, but his company will have some real work ahead of it to make Giphy an advertising powerhouse. Still, the purchase may be worth it just for the insights it could yield about what web platforms people are visiting and what they’re sharing there."

😷 coronavirus coverage

Coronavirus: France and Germany propose €500bn recovery fund

"France and Germany are proposing a €500bn ($545bn; £448bn) European recovery fund to be distributed to EU countries worst affected by Covid-19. In talks on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that the funds should be provided as grants. The proposal represents a significant shift in Mrs Merkel's position. Mr Macron said it was a major step forward and was 'what the eurozone needs to remain united'."

Ryanair to cut 3,000 jobs as coronavirus grounds flights

"Ryanair is planning to cut 3,000 jobs and reduce staff pay by up to a fifth in response to the Covid-19 crisis, which has grounded flights. The no-frills airline said it was cutting 15% of its 20,000-strong workforce as it did not expect passenger numbers or pricing to return to pre-coronavirus levels until summer 2022 at the earliest. As part of a programme of sweeping cost cuts, Ryanair said it could close a number of bases across Europe until air travel recovers."