10 things in tech you need to know today, November 16

Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg.
Getty

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

1. 
   The research firm Facebook hired to smear its critics has been
   pushing an anti-Apple campaign that has Qualcomm’s fingerprints
   on it. A New York Times story said Facebook had
   employed research firm Definers Public Affairs to spread
   potentially damaging stories about Facebook’s critics, and it
   mentioned there is another technology client which is paying
   the firm to spread negative press about Apple.
2. Sheryl
   Sandberg responded to the New York Times story in a Facebook
   post, saying she “did not know we hired” Definers.
   Sandberg also said that she has “great respect” for billionaire
   George Soros, who The New York Times reported was targeted by
   Definers in research sent to reporters.
3. 
   Mark Zuckerberg also said he didn’t know Facebook hired
   Definers. On a marathon 80-minute press call with
   reporters on Thursday, Zuckerberg explained why it cut ties
   with the PR company.
4. 
   Facebook hit back at The New York Times, pointing out the
   “inaccuracies” in its blockbuster report on leadership
   missteps. Facebook published a blog post refuting
   elements of the report, such as Russian interference, political
   point-scoring, and Zuckerberg banning his executives from using
   iPhones.
5. 
   A George Soros group slammed Facebook as a threat to democracy
   in open letter to Sheryl Sandberg. Soros’ Open
   Society Foundations sent out an open letter to Facebook COO
   Sheryl Sandberg that accused the company of “disseminating vile
   propaganda” that threatens the values “underpinning our
   democracy.”
6. 
   Mark Zuckerberg insists he’s still the best person to run
   Facebook, despite the endless scandals. The
   34-year-old billionaire has ignored previous calls to step down
   as CEO, so Business Insider asked him why he thinks he’s still
   the best person for the job.
7. 
   Sony will skip the world’s biggest video game event next year,
   despite the fact that the PlayStation 4 is the most popular
   console on the market. According to a report from
   Variety, Sony’s PlayStation branch has declined to attend E3,
   the video game industry’s largest annual conference.
8. 
   Facebook confirmed Mark Zuckerberg’s beef with Apple CEO Tim
   Cook in an official company statement. Apple CEO
   Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have traded insults
   and barbs over the years, and Facebook confirmed the conflict
   in a public statement. It said that Zuckerberg asked his
   employees to use Android because it’s a more widely used
   operating system.
9. SpaceX is about to rocket a fleet of satellites into
   space that will hunt smugglers, pirates, and other “dark ships”
   by tracking radio signals. An
   unprecedented rocket mission for SpaceX, called SSO-A, will
   launch 71 small satellites at once on Monday.
10. 
    Elon Musk said the Boring Company is hiring a “Watchtower
    guard” for a 50-foot tower it’s building, but the bizarre job
    only lasts two days. He added that the company
    needs “a knight to yell insults at people in a French accent,”
    a likely reference to the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy
    Grail.”

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