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Donald Trump kept his silence during James Comey’s testimony before Congress, but that’s over now: “Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Here are the top revelations from Comey’s highly anticipated appearance, which was watched on TV, desktop and mobile devices — and in some neighborhood bars. [Tony Romm and Meghann Farnsworth]
Streaming semi-holdout Taylor Swift is finally bringing her music to Spotify, the world’s biggest paid streaming service, with more than 50 million subscribers, and at least another 50 million who use a free version of the service. [Peter Kafka / Recode]
Google owner Alphabet has finally found a buyer for its amazing, creepy robot companies, Boston Dynamics and Schaft: SoftBank. Japan’s big-betting holding firm is buying one of the most highly regarded robotics labs in the world; a price has not been disclosed. [April Glaser / Recode]
In an unusual email to employees, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick advised his staff on sex rules for a 2013 offsite company celebration. Internally called the “Miami letter,” the email surfaced during a continuing investigation of corporate misbehavior at Uber; it’s a flippant dos-and-don’ts rulebook, advising the then-400 employees on public vomiting, drug use and congress between employees. [Kara Swisher and Johana Bhuiyan / Recode]
Uber is in advanced talks to “acqhire” engineering talent from Luxe, a struggling car-parking service. Luxe has raised more than $75 million in funding, but pulled its app last month; Uber is also interested in tech that Luxe was developing to enable short-term car rentals. [Jason Del Rey / Recode]
Those dratted fidget spinners are not only ubiquitous, they also show how the retail industry has been reshaped: Thanks to companies like Amazon, Alibaba and Facebook, the viral gadgets — like hoverboards and vape pens before them — are sold directly from Chinese manufacturers to American consumers, as traditional middlemen and regulators struggle to keep up. [Leticia Miranda / BuzzFeed News]
Home decor site/app Houzz is raising $400 million at a $4 billion valuation. Iconiq, the low-profile firm that manages money for high-profile tech gazillionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, is leading the round. [Jason Del Rey / Recode]
How does Apple’s HomePod stack up against Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home? On the latest Too Embarrassed to Ask, The Verge’s Nilay Patel recaps WWDC with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode; they debate whether Siri can compete with Alexa, and whether the entry price for the HomePod is too high. [Eric Johnson / Recode]
Top stories from Recode
President Trump may have found his new nominees for the Federal Communications Commission.
The front-runners are Brendan Carr, an aide to the FCC’s chairman, and Jessica Rosenworcel, a former Democratic commissioner.
An explosion of online video could triple bandwidth consumption again in the next five years.
What the internet will look like in 2021.
Amazon needs to court Walmart shoppers because the wealthiest Americans already have Prime.
Amazon’s new discounted Prime for lower-income consumers could add new subscribers.
Target’s former e-commerce chief is now the new CEO of the online jeweler Blue Nile.
Jason Goldberger takes the reins of the Web 1.0 online jeweler.
Facebook knows what you’re doing during commercial breaks.
Hint: You’re not watching commercials.
This is cool
Stolen smart devices rescue themselves
A trio of thieves broke into a Silicon Valley startup and stole some office equipment, including two boxes filled with the company’s signature device — a GPS tracker for packages. The burglars apparently thought the devices were cellphone chargers; the company, Roambee, was able to track the stolen goods and apprehend the crooks within six hours. [Jay Barmann / SFist]
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
