10 things in tech you need to know today

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1. Facebook will 'nudge' teens from harmful content, company executive Nick Clegg said. The company is also set to tell teens to 'take a break' from Instagram, following scrutiny of its platforms. More on the changes here.

 

 2. Blue Origin is sending William Shatner to the edge of space tomorrow. 90-year-old Shatner, best known for his role in "Star Trek," will be Blue Origin's first celebrity customer — and the oldest person to reach the boundary of space. But his departure comes amid criticism from employees, some of whom said they wouldn't ride in the rocket.

 

3. Employees describe Facebook's week from hell. From an outage affecting all of its apps to a whistleblower's testimony, employees describe the unprecedented turmoil of the past week. More on the mood at the company, which they said was that of an army under siege. 

 

4. An Amazon shopper faces up to 20 years in jail for $290,000 worth of fraud. Prosecutors say the North Carolina man bought Apple, Asus, and Fuji products — then returned cheaper items. More on his fraudulent returns.

 

5. Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial has rounded out its fifth week. Another juror left because of her views on punishment, and former Safeway CEO Steven Burd described an unusual deal. Here's what you might have missed in week five.

 

 

6. A Singaporean prefab tiny-home maker has unveiled its latest smart home. As interest in tiny homes booms, Nestron has released its new unit, a $98,000, 377 square-foot artificial-intelligence-powered tiny home. See inside the Cube Two X.

 

7. Apple is expanding its offices to make more TV shows and movies. The company is expanding its Los Angeles space by more than 550,000 square feet, marking a significant move in the streaming wars. What we know so far.

 

8. Facebook's VP said he couldn't give a "yes or no answer" on whether its algorithms boosted insurrection sentiments ahead of the Jan. 6 riot. While talking with CNN, Nick Clegg said the site has "thousands" of algorithms that determine a Facebook user's experience. Here's what else he said.

9. Google's biggest rivals want lawmakers to ban its default spot on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Google has multi-billion dollar deals with Apple and Mozilla that secure its place as the default search engine for their browsers — but the company's rivals want EU legislators to put an end to that. Read their letter to lawmakers here.

10. Insiders say Google Cloud's secret weapon against Amazon and Microsoft is incentivizing salespeople to work with partners. Salespeople told us they enjoy working with Google Cloud because when they sell a partner's products to a customer, they get the same level of commission as they would if they sold the tech titan's own. More on Google Cloud's incentive structure.