BardTech

The post ‘Disney Play’ is the company’s Netflix competitor appeared first on BardTech . It’s been a full year since Disney first made public its intentions to go head to head with Netflix. In the intervening months, the media giant has started the process of pulling content from the streaming service, bit by bit. And while Disney isn’t planning to launch the product until some time next year, at least we’ve finally got a name. CEO Bob Iger is calling the video service “Disney Play,” according to a new report from Variety . That little tidbit is buried in a larger piece of about Netflix competitors. In it, the chief executive notes that the services is Disney’s “biggest priority of the company during calendar [year] 2019.” That’s some big talk from a company with the reach and resources of a Disney. From the sound of things, however, it’s going all in on its plan to beat Netflix and its ilk at their own game. Along with an extremely strong slate of existing films, the company’s go...

The post ‘Disney Play’ is the company’s Netflix competitor appeared first on BardTech . It’s been a full year since Disney first made public its intentions to go head to head with Netflix. In the intervening months, the media giant has started the process of pulling content from the streaming service, bit by bit. And while Disney isn’t planning to launch the product until some time next year, at least we’ve finally got a name. CEO Bob Iger is calling the video service “Disney Play,” according to a new report from Variety . That little tidbit is buried in a larger piece of about Netflix competitors. In it, the chief executive notes that the services is Disney’s “biggest priority of the company during calendar [year] 2019.” That’s some big talk from a company with the reach and resources of a Disney. From the sound of things, however, it’s going all in on its plan to beat Netflix and its ilk at their own game. Along with an extremely strong slate of existing films, the company’s go...

The post Amazon isn’t the only tech company getting tax breaks appeared first on BardTech . Amazon has a big target on its back these days, and because of its size, scope and impact on local business, critics are right to look closely at tax breaks and other subsidies they receive. There is nothing wrong with digging into these breaks to see if they reach the goals governments set in terms of net new jobs. But Amazon isn’t alone here by any means. Many states have a big tech subsidy story to tell, and it isn’t always a tale that ends well for the subsidizing government. In fact, a recent study  by the watchdog group, Good Jobs First , found states are willing to throw millions at high tech companies to lure them into building in their communities. They cited three examples in the report including Tesla’s $1.25 billion 20-year deal to build a battery factory in Nevada, Foxconn’s $3 billion break to build a display factory  in Wisconsin and the Apple data center deal in...

The post Elon Musk: Tesla will remain a public company appeared first on BardTech . Tesla will remain a public company, CEO Elon Musk said Friday night, less than three weeks after he announced to the world via Twitter that he was considering taking the electric automaker private at $420 a share. Musk, who posted the announcement via Tesla’s blog , said Friday that after speaking with shareholders and investigating the process of taking the company private he believes the better path is for Tesla to remain public. Musk met with Tesla’s board of directors Thursday and told him his decision. The board agreed, he wrote. Here’s an excerpt: Given the feedback I’ve received, it’s apparent that most of Tesla’s existing shareholders believe we are better off as a public company. Additionally, a number of institutional shareholders have explained that they have internal compliance issues that limit how much they can invest in a private company. There is also no proven path for most reta...

The post Epic Games just gave a perk for folks to turn on 2FA; every other big company should, too appeared first on BardTech . Let’s talk a bit about security. Most internet users around the world are pretty crap at it, but there are basic tools that companies have, and users can enable, to make their accounts, and lives, a little bit more hacker-proof. One of these — two-factor authentication — just got a big boost from Epic Games , the maker of what is currently The Most Popular Game In The World: Fortnite. Fortnite players can unlock a new emote if they enable two-factor authentication Epic is already getting a ton of great press for what amounts to very little effort. Son: Do you know what two-factor authentication is? Me: Uh, yeah? Son: I get a free dance on @Fortnitegame if I enable two factor. Can we do that? Incentives matter. — Dennis (@DennisF) August 23, 2018 The company is giving users a new emote (the victory dance you’ve seen emulated in airports, p...

The post Facebook VP of partnerships Dan Rose is leaving the company appeared first on BardTech . Facebook’s vice president of partnerships Dan Rose will leave the company early next year. Rose announced the move on his public Facebook page , indicating that he would stay on through Mobile World Congress in February. During his long tenure at the company, Rose oversaw Facebook’s transformation into a media giant, steering it toward partnerships with TV networks and traditional news publishers. In a comment on his announcement, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg summarized Rose’s influence on Facebook’s direction over the years. “Your idea that we should be a partnership company and work closely with others in the industry has been key to some of our greatest successes,” Sandberg said. “I’ve been lucky to have you not just as a colleague but a friend – and you will always be a part of the Facebook family.” Per his Facebook post, Rose will step down from his post to spend more time wi...