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Twitter claims that its recent efforts to curb abuse are helping. The company has launched several product updates to curb abusive behavior, including changes to its private messaging feature and algorithmic filters to hide abusive replies. Without supplying specific numbers for scale, Twitter said it is "taking action” against 10 times the number of accounts than it did a year ago. And Twitter's VP of trust and safety says the new anti-abuse rules apply to the Tweeter in Chief, too. [Kurt Wagner / Recode]
Trump is set to hire hedge fund star Anthony Scaramucci as his new communications director. Among other things, Scaramucci was the focus of the botched CNN story that led the network to fire three of its journalists last month. Meanwhile, Trump’s team is setting up a showdown with special counsel Robert Mueller. [Jonathan Swan / Axios]
Short of cash, electric-vehicle startup Lucid Motors faces a choice: Build or sell? The company is considering several acquisition offers, even as it raises money to build an assembly plant in China or Arizona for its would-be Tesla Model S rival, called the Lucid Air. Ford CEO Jim Hackett recently presented an acquisition offer; at least two other companies are interested in acquiring the company, which was founded in 2007 by an ex-VP of Tesla. [Mark Harris / Recode]
Take a look under the hood of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, already the nation’s largest owner of broadcast TV stations, which is buying Tribune Media and its 42 TV stations for $3.9 billion. Sinclair is positioning itself to turn its existing 173 stations into a cohesive network that pushes low-budget, Fox News-esque conservative commentary into small markets like Sioux City, Fresno and Little Rock. [Felix Gillette / Bloomberg]
The new Uber exec tasked with repairing the company’s culture says former CEO Travis Kalanick can be redeemed, even after cascading scandals forced him to resign in June. In an onstage conversation that was recorded for the Recode Decode podcast, VP of leadership and strategy Frances Frei stopped short of saying Kalanick should stay involved in the company after the board chooses his replacement. Uber has tapped lobbyist Brian Ballard, a top ally and major fundraiser for President Trump, as it tries to push for friendlier regulation in a Republican-dominated Washington, D.C. [Theodore Schleifer / Recode]
The next big corporate trend? Actually having ethics. Ethical transformation is as impactful and critical as digital transformation — the other megatrend of the last 20 years. So many companies are getting it wrong, and the consequences are real — public boycotts, massive fines, fired CEOs and falling stock prices. Related: Top VC Vinod Khosla thinks other industries have bigger harassment problems than the VC industry. [Patrick Quinlan / Recode]
Sweetgreen and Glossier have built enthusiastic millennial followings, raised funding from top investors, and now they’re ready to scale. We’ve invited Sweetgreen co-founder and co-CEO Jonathan Neman and Glossier founder and CEO Emily Weiss to Code Commerce to discuss how they built brands that young people love — and how they plan to maintain that authenticity during a period of rapid growth. Register now to receive a $200 discount on your ticket for the day-and-a-half event — Sept. 13 and 14 in New York City, hosted by Jason Del Rey — to discuss all things retail and commerce.
Top stories from Recode
First question: Say what?
He talks about the need for antitrust enforcement in a coming episode of Recode Decode.
Vimeo isn’t launching a new subscription service, but it does have a new CEO.
Anjali Sud gets a promotion; Joey Levin goes back to running IAC full-time.
A year after Pokémon Go’s meteoric rise, no other app launch has come close.
It really was that special.
Google VR boss Clay Bavor explains why the two technologies aren’t so different on the latest Too Embarrassed to Ask.
This is cool
Come for the banana wallpaper, stay for the Cuban sandwich.
Food photos have been Instagram bait from the start. Now some restaurateurs are designing their physical spaces to inspire the maximum number of photos. They’re commissioning neon signs bearing modestly sly double entendres, painting elaborate murals of tropical wildlife and embedding floor tiles with branded greetings — all in the hope that their guests will post them. [Casey Newton / The Verge]
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
