Dorsey and Sandberg Head to Hill to Defend Social Platforms
*By Carlo Versano*
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook's operating chief Sheryl Sandberg head to Capitol Hill Wednesday, but the hearing may be more about who's absent rather than who's there.
"There's somebody missing from this conversation, and that would be Google," said Washington Post tech reporter Tony Romm.
Dorsey and Sandberg will answer to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and address Russian interference before Dorsey goes back-to-back with the House in a hearing probing whether Twitter is actively censoring certain political views (Twitter has [said](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-denies-company-censors-content-based-on-ideology) the platform has not). This will be the first time on the Hill for both executives.
"It's all happening at a time when lawmakers are increasingly concerned that social media giants haven't done enough to clean up their acts," Romm said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Google has not offered its CEO Sundar Pichai or Larry Page, the chief of parent company Alphabet. Google instead offered Kent Walker, a lower-rung senior VP of global affairs and chief legal officer, but the Senate committee [demured](https://www.wired.com/story/mark-warner-senate-committee-hearing-google-facebook-twitter/), so it's possible that Wednesday's hearings will produce a striking image of Sandberg and Dorsey sitting next to an empty chair.
Romm said he expects it will be a day of "huge PR hits" for Google.
"From the perspective of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that wasn't enough," said Romm of Google's offering.
Google, for its part, has argued that it's ready and willing to dispatch employees with the most knowledge about a given subject ー and in this case, that may mean Walker. But lawmakers want CEOs and decision-makers.
"That's where the buck stops," Romm said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-twitter-executives-to-face-capitol-hill-grilling).
Everyone is stepping into the NFT space, including the Grammys. 'Oneof' is entering a three-year partnership with The Recording Academy to release exclusive NFTs commemorating the 64th, 65th, and 66th Annual Grammy Awards. A portion of the proceeds will also go to The Recording Academy's scholarship fund. Adam Fell, co-founder and board member of Oneof and the president of Quincy Jones Productions, joins Cheddar News to discuss the announcement.
Jean Foster, SVP of marketing and communications for the Consumer Technology Association, joins Cheddar News to preview what attendees can expect from this year's trade show.
'THEMAGIC5' produces swimming goggles that contour the face using advanced robot technologies and 3D printing. Both of the company's founders Bo Haaber and Rasmus Barfred went on ABC's 'Shark Tank' and caught a $1 million deal. The duo join Cheddar News to talk about what the new funding means for the company.
Things are looking up for everyone's favorite crypto. Bitcoin rallied nearly 40% in October, hitting a record high of $66,975. That was the biggest single-month percentage rally since December 2020. On Monday morning, Bitcoin was trading 2.4% higher while Ethereum and Dogecoin were trading at 1.71% and 3.95%. Ben Armstrong, founder of BitBoy Crypto, joins Cheddar News to talk about the latest in the crypto space.
John Paul Mejia, the national spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement, joined Cheddar to talk about what the youth activist group wants to see from President Joe Biden as he attends the COP26 climate summit. Mejia admonished the president for having little to deliver on his own climate agenda domestically while at the conference. "We need the president to follow through with his promises because, frankly, it's a matter of life or death not only for communities here in the United States but also those looking to us around the world," he said.
Markets opened higher after the Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs on Tuesday. It comes amid a slew of strong corporate earnings reports. Frances Newton Stacy, Director of Strategy, Optimal Capital, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
Amazon plans to launch its first prototype satellites for Project Kuiper, an internet-from-space venture, in 2022. It's the first major step in the e-commerce giant's plan to rival SpaceX by building a network of satellites in space, providing internet to rural, underserved communities around the world. Loren Grush, senior science reporter for the Verge, discusses the project and how it could transform internet access moving forward.
While Facebook didn't unveil a name change in its Q3 results, it did reveal a new reporting structure, separating its revenue into two separate businesses: its slate of social networking apps, and Facebook reality labs.
This distinction comes as Facebook continues to ramp up its augmented and virtual reality efforts as it plots its foray into the metaverse. Angelo Zino, Senior Industry Analyst, CFRA Research, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Logitech reported a record quarter, with sales up 82 percent since the same period two years ago. It comes as the company continues to benefit from current market trends including working and learning from anywhere, video everywhere, and the popularity of gaming. Bracken Darrel, CEO, Logitech, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
Christie's has announced the sale of Beeple's first ever physical artwork and video NFT called 'Human One.' The hybrid piece is expected to fetch over $15 million at its upcoming auction. Noah Davis, Christie's Head of Digital Art joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
