Weekly Links #5

Here is a weekly selection of significant news, insightful information bits and interesting analyses from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday.

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• Deep Web Marketplaces
  
  How underground marketplaces work and what Internet entrepreneurs can learn from that
• Why You Should Care About the Silk Road Trial
  
  The pioneering deep web marketplace Silk Road had been closed by the FBI 2013. Now a 30-year old engineer is on trial for founding and operating as well as for using it for drug trade.
• Google is now a more trusted source of news than the websites it aggregates
  
  This is bad news for media companies. There is something they seem to do wrong.
• Uber Closes $1.6 Billion in Financing
  
  Insane: In total, Uber has raised upward of $4 billion. Let’s prepare for the biggest IPO ever.
• The problem with Uber’s European job promises
  
  Speaking about Uber: The company claims to create lots of jobs. But I agree that it is necessary to have a closer look at the type of jobs.
• The era of third-party apps is ending, as security risks prompt WhatsApp and Snapchat to shut down their APIs
  
  That is not the development we once hoped for.
• Will WhatsApp kill Slack?
• How Whatsapp for web could change the newsroom
  
  Despite its shortcomings, some have high hopes in WhatsApp’s new web version.
• Kobalt: The Other Swedish Startup Trying To Disrupt The Music Business
  
  There is something about Sweden, music and startups.
• ‘Invisible Boyfriend’ Helps You Expertly Fake Being In a Relationship
  
  Social pressure on people to be able to present a partner is so big that there seems to be a market for such a weird app.
• Is ‘SimCity’ Homelessness a Bug or a Feature?
  
  Like the real world, the lastest version of the cult game SimCity has a homeless problem.
• Blendle plans overseas expansion as users near 200,000
  
  The Dutch startup Blendle which is developing a “soft paywall” for paid content is seen by some as the big hope for financing journalism online.
• Bitcoin revealed: a Ponzi scheme for redistributing wealth from one libertarian to another
  
  This is quity a witty headline and an article worth a read.
• Overcast’s 2014 sales numbers
  
  Insights into the economics of a one-man podcast app startup.
• Wanna build a billion-dollar tech company? Stick with your founding CEO”
  
  “33 companies out of 156 in total (85%) pushed through the billion-dollar threshold by sticking with their founding CEO”.
• Turkish sports club Besiktas Istanbul acquires League of Legends team
  
  Quite cool and possibly something that will happen more often: A real sports club buys an e-sports club.
• Holograms! Also, What Else Microsoft Announced At Its Windows 10 Event
  
  A couple of weeks ago I explained why I am especially curious about seeing how Microsoft will perform in 2015. Some of the things the company presented on Wednesday look quite promising.
• Venture Funding of U.S. Startups Last Year Was Most Since 2000
  
  The gap between 2000 and 2014 is still quite significant though.