The takeaways from two days of Tim Sweeney’s testimony
N&O Innovation and Technology Newsletter: May 7, 2021
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The blockbuster antitrust lawsuit that Epic Games has levied against Apple has been chock full of revealing tid bits of information about the inner workings and business relationships of the Fortnite maker.
The documents and testimony submitted to the court include the mundane (if still interesting): like the fact that Tim Sweeney prefers an iPhone to an Android phone because of its security. And they also reveal its influence: like how Epic convinced Sony to go from being a hater of Fortnite’s demands to becoming one of its largest investors and supporters.
And it also showed that despite being kicked off the App Store in August, when Fortnite tried to bypass Apple’s 30% in-app fees, Epic Games had a great financial year -- making $5.1 billion in revenue.
The N&O has been listening into hours of testimony so far, and will continue to do so for the next two weeks.
Here were some of the biggest takeaways from Tim Sweeney’s two days on the stand.
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(Will the Triangle’s housing market keep up with tech-fueled growth?)
Tech news from the Triangle
What will the arrival of Apple and Google mean for the Triangle’s technology scene. [N&O]
The housing market is already strained, can the Triangle handle growth from Apple, Google and a surging biotech industry. [N&O]
Epic Games co-founder Mark Rein becomes the Triangle’s newest billionaire. [N&O]
Construction software firm raises $190M, second largest raise in N.C. this year. [N&O]
Raleigh energy efficiency startup Ndustrial raises $6M, plans large hiring spree. [N&O]
Isolere, a Duke University spin-out that aids gene therapy manufacturing, raises $7M. [N&O]
Durham Tech launches new partnership with KBI BioPharma. [N&O]
Will Apple’s arrival have a similar effect as IBM’s did in the 1960s. [BusinessNC]
Bandwidth CFO departs. [TBJ]
Morrisville-based cybersecurity startup JupiterOne raises $30M. [TBJ]
UNC students launch VC fund. [GrepBeat]
What I’m reading
Why the Mustang Mach-E is so important. [The Atlantic]
Peloton recalls all treadmills. [WSJ]
U.S. Birthrate drops once again. [NYT]
Google Stadia’s head of product leaves as game app continues to struggle. [ArsTechnica]
Researchers are closing in on what long COVID really means. [Economist]
PC Games store Steam being sued for antitrust violations. [The Verge]
Google employees will be allowed to work two days from home going forward. [BI]
Other Triangle business
An insider’s guide to buying a home in the Triangle right now. [N&O]
How Raleigh and Durham are trying to make their downtowns more affordable for workers. [N&O]
Torchy’s Tacos opens in Raleigh. [N&O]
Let me know what you’re seeing. Email me at zeanes@newsobserver.com. Tweet me @zeanes. Call me at 919-829-4516.
Zachery Eanes is the Innovate Raleigh reporter for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. He covers technology, startups and main street businesses, biotechnology, and education issues related to those areas.
This newsletter was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. Learn more; go to bit.ly/newsinnovate
