Twitter CEO Costolo steps down
Embattled Twitter CEO Dick Costolo will leave his post atop the micro-blogging company on July 1, bowing to intense pressure from investors disappointed with slow revenue growth and the failure to turn a profit. Co-founder and Chairman Jack Dorsey will serve as interim CEO while the company looks for a new boss; Costolo will remain on Twitter’s board of directors.
Oculus launches a consumer Rift headset, Xbox controller
In advance of the E3 gaming expo next week, virtual reality headset maker Oculus on Thursday took the wraps off a consumer version of its Rift headset, which will ship next March with a wireless Xbox controller. The company also showed prototypes of two ring-shaped controllers that will let players interact with objects in games like they might in real life.
Amazon ebook contracts may run afoul of European antitrust laws
Amazon.com’s ebook distribution deals are coming under close scrutiny from the European Commission, which has begun a formal antitrust investigation into the company’s contracts with publishers. At issue are clauses in Amazon’s contracts that require publishers to tell the company about favorable terms they offer Amazon’s competitors, or ensure that Amazon is offered deals at least as good as its rivals.
New automotive tech could stop drunk drivers
Regulators and the auto industry are working on in-car systems that could stop drunk driving—and that could be available in as little as five years, the New York Times reports. One system uses touch pads that can detect whether a driver has been drinking, while another captures samples of a driver’s breath and analyzes them.
Windows 10 will allow apps to actively scan their content for malware
It’s a good idea, but will it gain enough traction to matter? Software developers will be able to integrate their Windows 10 applications with whatever antimalware programs exist on users’ computers, with the goal that less malware slips through undetected. Microsoft’s new Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) will ideally let applications send content to the locally installed antivirus product to be checked for malware, but for it to succeed, both app developers and antivirus software makers will need to use the interface.
Uber has an iPhone game to recruit drivers
Uber launched a new game for iPhone users aimed at teaching people what it’s like to work as a driver for the ride-hailing app company. Players are taught to find the most efficient route around a map of San Francisco for the digital passengers they “pick up” in the game, how to go and grab riders from areas where surge pricing is in effect, and get rewarded for taking efficient routes to their destination. As they complete more successful rides, players are given wider access to areas in the city, and get access to new cars.
Facebook shares more of its internal IT: this time, a debugger
Facebook has released as open source a tool that it uses to debug millions of lines of its own code. The software, called Infer, is a static program analyzer that could help organizations and individuals building mobile and desktop apps; it’s especially useful in looking at programs that are too large to be understood by any one programmer.
Watch now
On The Wrap this week, Apple debuts a streaming music service, Twitter’s CEO is stepping down and Sony wants to sell you a digital camera.
One last thing
It’s not just businesses that are having a tough time hiring data scientists. The Republican Party is struggling to build its digital arsenal in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.