10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. Facebook’s US users stalled — but didn’t fall — in a scandal-filled Q3 and investors are breathing a sigh of relief. Facebook’s Q3 revenue grew 33% year-over-year, but came in slightly below Wall Street targets.
2. Apple announced a brand-new MacBook Air with retina display and fingerprint sensor. Apple announced the new model on Tuesday during its event in Brooklyn, New York.
3. An executive with Google’s parent company resigned with no severance after sexual misconduct allegations come to light. Richard DeVaul, who cofounded Alphabet’s Project Loon, has left the company.
4. Facebook is banning far-right militia The Proud Boys after a violent attack in New York. Earlier in October, five members of the Proud Boys were arrested after a violent incident with protesters in New York City.
5. Apple’s new iPad Pro features a new design that ditches the home button for Face ID. The new iPad Pro is also equipped with a USB-C charging port instead of Apple’s traditional Lightning port, which makes it much more compatible with external accessories and hardware.
6. Facebook approved 100 fake ad disclosures that were allegedly ‘paid for’ by every United States senator. Earlier this year, Facebook started displaying the name of the politician or entity sponsoring political ads, in a move meant to increase transparency.
7. Uber is challenging a UK court ruling that its drivers qualify for better employment rights such as a living wage and holiday pay. The company argued that its model of relying on independent contractors is typical of the minicab industry.
8. Electronic Arts is getting in on the next big thing in video games with ‘Project Atlas,’ a cloud gaming service to take on Google and Microsoft. EA’s Chief Technology Officer Ken Moss announced the new platform, Project Atlas, in a blog post on Medium.
9. The DOJ is accusing Chinese intelligence officers of stealing sensitive information from American aviation companies. The DOJ says over a dozen US and European aviation companies were hacked over a period of more than five years in an effort to obtain intellectual property and other confidential information.
10. The latest blockbuster from the game studio behind “Grand Theft Auto” is fast approaching $1 billion in sales after just three days. “Red Dead Redemption 2” grossed $725 million in its first three days.

Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for “Business Insider” in your Alexa’s flash briefing settings.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 places you can’t find on Google Maps