10 things in tech you need to know today

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev.

Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, Brendan McDermid/Reuters

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1. Kia's shares jumped on rumors Apple might invest $3.6 billion. Korean media reported the rumored deal, saying the two firms will build Apple cars at Kia's Georgia facility.
   
   
2. YouTube is a revenue powerhouse for Google. Ad revenue rose 46% year-on-year to almost $7 billion for the final quarter of 2020, accounting for about 15% of Google's total ad revenue.
   
   
3. Amazon reportedly posted anti-union messages in warehouse bathrooms. According to The Washington Post, a sign posted on the back of stall doors read: "Where will your dues go?"
   
   
4. Robinhood downloads surged despite the memestock backlash. It was downloaded 2.1 million times in the US on the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store, per Senor Tower data.
   
   
5. Parler's CEO said he was fired. John Matze told employees the company's board of directors fired him last week, Fox Business reported.
   
   
6. GameStop hired an Amazon veteran as CTO. Former AWS engineering lead Matt Francis will oversee "e-commerce and technology functions" at GameStop as the much-traded company tries to transition away from physical retail.
   
   
7. Exclusive: Partners at Robinhood backers Sequoia also invested in Melvin Capital. When Robinhood's traders rushed into names like GameStop, Melvin lost 53% last month.
   
   
8. Premium: Payoneer is joining in the SPAC frenzy. The New York payments startup is the latest late-stage tech company set to go public via a blank-check company merger, shooting for a $3.3 billion valuation.
   
   
9. Exclusive: Google's rivals are circling after its threats to quit Australia. Execs at Microsoft's Bing, Ecosia, and privacy-focused DuckDuckGo slammed Google for its threats, and said they're committed to providing search.
   
   
10. Fintech came for Super Bowl ads. Trading app Robinhood and "buy now, pay later" startup Klarna both unveiled their debut ads for the Super Bowl ahead of Sunday.

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