Morning Brew - ☕️ The Texas triangle

Hardware is hard
Morning Brew July 01, 2020

Emerging Tech Brew

BlockFi

Good morning. I’d like to give a shout-out to Dan McCarthy, the Brew’s new senior editor for verticals. He’ll be helping me take this newsletter—as well as its Retail Brew and Marketing Brew siblings—to the next level. You may even see a Dan cameo (Daneo?) in here soon.

In today’s edition: 

 App diplomacy 
🕶 Google acquires North
 Autonomous freight network

Ryan Duffy

GEOPOLITICS

Diplomacy in the Age of Super-Apps

China-India tech tensions, with mobile towers carrying national flags

Francis Scialabba

Tensions between China and India have escalated since a border skirmish between troops turned deadly two weeks ago. India is administering retaliation digitally. 

On Monday, New Delhi announced an official ban of 59 popular Chinese apps for violating 1) the country’s sovereignty and national security, and 2) users’ privacy. TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo are on the list

From apps to bilateral trade

You can ban an app (or 59) swiftly, assuming American app stores and Indian internet service providers comply. But rejigging complex physical supply chains—another part of China-India trade tensions—takes more time: 

  • New Delhi has told state-owned telecoms to avoid sourcing 4G and 5G networking equipment from Chinese vendors, per Nikkei. 
  • Maharashtra, a western Indian state, recently paused a deal with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor, which has spent nearly $500 million to retrofit a former GM auto plant in the region.
  • Indian customs officials have also held up U.S. tech products slated for export from China, Reuters reported last week. 

What does the crackdown mean for the tech world?

It depends on the country. When India banned TikTok for nearly two weeks in 2019, ByteDance execs said the ban cost them $500,000 a day, per Reuters. 

Chinese tech companies are losing a key market: The 59 banned apps have accrued 4.9 billion downloads from Apple and Google’s Indian app stores since January 2014, with 750 million total installs so far this year, per Sensor Tower estimates shared with me. TikTok has 611 million Indian downloads, 30% of its global total. 

For Indian developers, this could be a time to build. Plus, anti-China sentiment is rising on Indian social media, so users could embrace domestic apps. 

But make no mistake, U.S. Big Tech is another beneficiary of the ban. Facebook has more than 350 million Indian users, making the country its largest market by size. And with their large mobile markets in India, Google and Apple also have beachheads in the country. 

Bottom line: Prophecies of a splinternet (a system of nationally controlled internets) don’t seem so farfetched.

        

M&A

Google Heads North, Likes What it Sees

North Focals

North

Google has acquired North, the nine-year-old Canadian smartglass maker confirmed yesterday. 

In total, North had raised nearly $200 million from investors. But as longtime readers know, hardware is hard, and as Google knows, making AR glasses a thing is even harder. North discontinued production of Focals 1.0 in December and laid off part of its staff in February, The Verge reported. And the company said it’s nixing development of Focals 2.0, the next-gen AR eyewear it was working on.

What’s Google’s plan?

While the company does sell Google Glass to enterprise customers, I wouldn’t expect a consumer reboot soon. Google says it plans to pair North’s technology with its vision of ambient computing, technology that works in the background. 

Bottom line: Google has ARCore, its AR software development kit, and AR integrations in search (Lens) and navigation (Maps). Whether the company pushes into AR hardware is TBD, but we do know its buddies Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook are all trying...

        

SPONSORED BY BLOCKFI

Money Can Grow on This Tree

BlockFi

How much can it grow? 8.6% APY, to be exact. 

BlockFi provides the wealth management products crypto investors need, and it’s all powered by blockchain tech. Earn interest on your BTC, ETH, LTC, and stablecoin to the tune of 8.6% APY.

Don’t let the buzzwords dissuade you; if you invest in crypto, BlockFi is basically like growing money on a tree.

And if you don’t believe us, maybe you’ve heard of Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, or Coinbase, or Winklevoss Capital—all of whom have thrown their weighty backing behind BlockFi’s money-growing tech. 

Join BlockFi and get a $50 BTC bonus when you deposit $250 or more.

BlockFi Interest Accounts are available in most countries worldwide and all U.S. states other than NY.

AV

A Social Network for Autobots

TuSimple Autonomous Freight Network Roll-out Map

TuSimple

This morning, trucking unicorn TuSimple announced it’s forming an autonomous freight network (AFN) with UPS, Penske, U.S. Xpress, and McLane Company. 

The network has four parts: robotrucks, digitally pre-mapped routes, “strategically placed” terminals, and a proprietary monitoring/command hub. The AFN will roll out in three phases: 

  1. Southwest (2020-2021): Routes between Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. TuSimple also aims to remove the safety driver from the truck cab in this window. 
  2. Coast to coast (2020-2023): In Phase 2, TuSimple will expand service from L.A. to Jacksonville, connecting the U.S. coasts. 
  3. Nationwide (2023-2024): AFN will expand to cover the contiguous U.S. 

Bottom line: TuSimple is building an ecosystem for its trucks, but scaling the AFN won’t come cheap. On Friday, TechCrunch reported TuSimple is looking to raise $250 million. The company declined to comment. 

But I was able to chat with TuSimple President Cheng Lu about force majeure, fully driverless operations, what happens if a robotruck gets pulled over, the “Texas Triangle,” and more. .

BITS & BYTES

Microsoft new jobs in 2025

Microsoft

Stat: Microsoft estimates that the global workforce will add 149 million new tech-oriented jobs by 2025. Yesterday, the company launched a new reskilling initiative. I’ll have more on Friday.

Quote: "The world is your gameboard.”—Catan: World Explorers, Niantic’s next multiplayer AR game, is launching soon

Read: A Redditor reverse-engineered TikTok and distilled what data the app is logging. Tl;dr = it’s a significant amount of data. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

  • Uber has made an offer to buy Postmates for $2.6 billion, the NYT reports.
  • Amazon is pitching military customers and private space outfits to sign up for AWS, the WSJ reports. AWS is getting its own Space Force. 
  • Facebook says it’s changing its News Feed algorithm to promote original reporting, Axios reports.
  • Lululemon is buying connected fitness startup Mirror for $500 million. It’s a timely exit for the consumer hardware startup.

TRIVIA

July 4 is almost here. Today’s trivia is about the tech in fireworks, a staple of Independence Day. I promise most questions have a tech angle. 

.

TECH THINGAMABOBS

For a throwback: The New Yorker writes about the Sony Walkman, “the gadget that taught the world to socially distance.”

For community: Chat app Discord has raised $100 million at a $3.5 billion valuation. Do you use the app? If the Brew made a Discord chat room, would you be interested in joining? Reply and let me know.

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions: 

SHARE THE BREW

Enjoying the newsletter? Share it with your network to take advantage of our rewards program.

When you reach 5 referrals, we'll send you this Emerging Tech Brew sticker sheet.

Click here to get free swag.

Hit the button below to learn more and access your rewards hub.

Click to Share

Or copy & paste your referral link to others:
morningbrew.com/emerging-tech/r/?kid=303a04a9

Written by @ryanfduffy

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up .

WANT MORE BREW?

  Retail newsletter → Retail Brew

Quarantine newsletter → The Essentials

  Business podcast → Business Casual

ADVERTISE // CAREERS // SHOP

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe .
View our privacy policy .

Copyright ©2020 Morning Brew. All rights reserved.
40 Exchange Pl., Suite #300, New York, NY 10005

Older messages

☕️ LinkedIn hero

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Hope you remember how to flatten the curve... July 01, 2020 View Online | Sign Up Daily Brew TOGETHER WITH Curiosity Stream Good morning and welcome to July. Today, the USMCA goes into effect. Remember

☕️ Lulu reflects

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Should we call it Koty now? June 30, 2020 View Online | Sign Up Daily Brew TOGETHER WITH Attentive Good morning. We're so close to the end of the second quarter, but don't sneak off to the

☕️ Closing time

Monday, June 29, 2020

It's launch day June 29, 2020 Emerging Tech Brew TOGETHER WITH Ascent Protein It's launch day at the Brew. We're not sending anyone into space, but we are launching Marketing Brew, a

☕️ Discontinued

Friday, June 26, 2020

Why were checks sent to 1 million dead people? June 26, 2020 Read in Browser Daily Brew TOGETHER WITH Fidelity Good morning and Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day. Hits different when you've been

☕️ Wave 1.5

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

What's going on with the Nasdaq? June 24, 2020 Read in Browser Daily Brew TOGETHER WITH Policygenius Good morning. Any Mr. Wonderful fans in the house? Today, Kevin O'Leary and Connor O'

You Might Also Like

AI chatbots keep failing every accuracy test thrown at them

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

PLUS: Why Substack's new subscriber milestone is so significant ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Everything We’ve Written About That’s on Sale at Nordstrom

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Plus: Actually cute plus-size maternity clothes. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

What A Day: Bad Car-ma

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Elon Musk's politics are sparking a major Tesla backlash, ironically thanks to Trump. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Rohingya refugees just lost half of their food aid. Now what?

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

An interview with Free Rohingya Coalition what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas Hey, this is Sham Jaff, a freelance journalist focused on Asia, Africa and the Americas and your very

Shayne Coplan’s Big Bet Is Paying Off

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

March 11, 2025 THE MONEY GAME Shayne Coplan's Big Bet Is Paying Off By Jen Wieczner Photo: Dina Litovsky At 6 am on Wednesday, November 13, eight FBI agents in black windbreakers burst through the

We need your input.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Share your insights & receive a 70% off forever. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

We Talkin’ About Practice?

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Seattle startup takes eco-friendly aim at recycling clothing 

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Read AI rolls out enterprise search tool | Hard time for hardware ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: A limited number of table sponsorships are available at the 2025 GeekWire Awards: Secure your

☕ The beauty of it all

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

A conversation with Ulta Beauty's CMO. March 11, 2025 View Online | Sign Up Marketing Brew Presented By Iterable It's Tuesday. Count Kathy Hochul as an ad buyer. The governor of New York is

🤔 What’s in your wallet? A scam.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Plus, a new streaming deal is the latest gift to Trump from the billionaire CEO and his company — which profits off government contracts. Forward this email to others so they can sign up 🔥 Today on