Strategic Partnerships

• Meta exec behind Facebook's cryptocurrency project to step down -David Marcus, the executive in charge of the troubled cryptocurrency project at Meta Platforms ? the company formerly known as Facebook ? announced Tuesday he will step down at the end of the year to pursue other projects.
  
• Meet the new CEO of Twitter -Parag Agrawal isn't a household name, but he could soon become one as he takes the lead at one of the world's most influential social media companies.
  
• Meta ordered to sell Giphy by UK antitrust authorities -Regulators have long threatened to break up Facebook (now called Meta) because of its huge market power. Now one group of officials has followed through and ordered the company to unwind its acquisition of Giphy because the deal could hurt competitors.
  
• Elizabeth Holmes testifies she was abused by former Theranos COO -Elizabeth Holmes, flushed and holding back tears, testified Monday that she left Stanford to launch Theranos in part because she had been raped, and said she later entered into what she alleged was an abusive relationship with the person who would become her startup's chief operating officer.
  
• Jack Dorsey is stepping down as CEO of Twitter -Jack Dorsey, the cofounder and public face of Twitter, will step down from his role as CEO, effective immediately, the company announced Monday. Dorsey will remain a member of Twitter's board until at least next year.
  
• Meet the robot that can write poetry and create artworks -When people think of artificial intelligence, the images that often come to mind are of the sinister robots that populate the worlds of "The Terminator," "i, Robot," "Westworld," and "Blade Runner." For many years, fiction has told us that AI is often used for evil rather than for good.
  
• These products aim to help kids rebuild social skills amid concerns about pandemic impact -Meditation toys to help kids manage their feelings. A Lego kit for coding, with a focus on problem-solving skills. And an Amazon video chat portal that uses holograms, games and puzzles to keep little ones engaged on calls.
  
• Amazon faces Black Friday strikes by workers across Europe -Amazon is facing strikes by warehouse workers and delivery drivers across Europe as its busiest weekend of the year begins.
  
• -CNN's Richard Quest plays video games with the head of Xbox Phil Spencer who talks about the future of the company as they celebrate the console's 20th anniversary.
  
• US adds a dozen Chinese companies to its trade blacklist -The Biden administration is piling more pressure on Chinese companies it claims could undermine US national security.
  
• What we've learned so far from Elizabeth Holmes' testimony -For 11 weeks, the only words from Elizabeth Holmes in her criminal trial came from old TV interviews, an audio recording of an investor call and text messages presented to the jury.
  
• Instagram head to testify before Senate subcommittee about the platform's impact on kids -Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, is set to testify in a Senate subcommittee hearing in early December about the platform's potentially harmful impact on younger users following months of scrutiny on the issue.
  
• Samsung will create 2,000 jobs in Texas with $17 billion chip factory -Samsung is planning to build a $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Texas as part of efforts to tackle a global shortage of chips.
  
• Apple sues NSO Group over spyware -Apple on Tuesday sued NSO Group and its parent company, accusing the Israeli firm of violating a federal anti-hacking law by selling potent software that clients have used to spy on Apple customers.
  
• Xiaomi's stumble allows Apple to reclaim No.2 spot in smartphones -Xiaomi stumbled in the third quarter as it grappled with fallout from the global chip shortage and fiercer competition.
  
• Little Tikes made a Peloton-like bike for kids, but child development experts cry foul -The indoor cycling craze has come for America's kids, and child development experts aren't happy.
  
• This cult teen brand is quitting social media amid growing safety concerns -Trendy soaps brand Lush Cosmetics is quitting Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat on Friday in a radical move to draw attention to how those platforms are damaging people's mental health.
  
• Astra stock soars after launching first successful rocket -Astra, a startup building small rockets that launch out of rural Alaska, notched its first successful test flight on Friday night, putting a dummy satellite into orbit. The flight sent the company's stock price on a tear ? soaring more than 30% at one point after trading hours opened Monday morning.
  
• Elizabeth Holmes testifies in her own criminal trial -Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder and former CEO of Theranos, is set to resume testifying Monday in her criminal trial. Holmes faces 11 federal fraud charges over allegations that she knowingly misled investors, doctors and patients about her company's blood testing capabilities in order to take their money. Holmes has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 20 years in prison.
  
• He took charge of Amazon's biggest moneymaker. Now he faces a new set of challenges -When Jeff Bezos decided to give up his role as Amazon's chief executive earlier this year, it prompted the company to name not one but two new CEOs. The first, Andy Jassy, replaced Bezos as CEO of Amazon's sprawling business. The second, Adam Selipsky, was hired in March to fill Jassy's old role as CEO of Amazon's single biggest moneymaker: Amazon Web Services (AWS).