*By Alex Heath*
Facebook said Friday that it won’t partner with the crypto firm Stellar, despite a report that the two companies recently held talks.
“We are not engaged in any discussions with Stellar, and we are not considering building on their technology,” a Facebook spokesperson told Cheddar.
Business Insider [reported](https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-is-talking-to-cryptocurrency-stellar-about-making-a-big-move-into-crypto-2018-7) Friday that Facebook had discussed creating its own variant of the Stellar blockchain network. Stellar didn’t respond to Cheddar’s request for comment on the report.
Stellar’s cryptocurrency asset, called Lumens, is the sixth most valuable at around $4.3 billion. After the Business Insider report, the price of Lumens spiked by roughly 10 percent on Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.
On Friday, before the Business Insider report, Facebook vice president David Marcus [stepped down from the board](https://www.coindesk.com/facebooks-david-marcus-steps-down-from-coinbases-board/) of the crypto exchange Coinbase citing a conflict of interest.
Earlier this year, Marcus was put in charge of forming a group of Facebook employees dedicated to developing blockchain technology, and [Cheddar reported](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-plans-to-create-its-own-cryptocurrency) that the group was exploring the creation of a Facebook cryptocurrency.
“Because of the new group I’m setting up at Facebook around blockchain, I’ve decided it was appropriate for me to resign from the Coinbase board,” Marcus said in a statement to Cheddar. “I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the talent and execution the team has demonstrated during my tenure, and I wish the team all the success it deserves going forward."
Meta has introduced Whatsapp Channels, a feature aimed at making the app a "private broadcast messaging product."
Edward Moya, chief market strategist with Oanda, joined Cheddar News to discuss Thursday's gains as investors were surprised by a jump in weekly job claims and as Wall Street braces for key inflation data and the Fed's latest policy announcement.
Rebecca Walser, financial planner and wealth strategist, offers some tips on how to bring everyday spending in line with budgets by avoiding certain purchases.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week rose to its highest level since October 2021, but the labor market remains one of the healthiest parts of the U.S. economy.
Stocks are drifting Thursday, continuing this week’s lull as Wall Street waits for several big events next week.
Apple's new iOS 17 has some promising upgrades in store for group chats. Previously, when a iMessage group chat contained an Android user, it would lose features such as text editing and threaded replies. Now group chats will retain those features, even when there is a "green bubble" in the mix.
Workers at the Barnes & Noble in Manhattan's Union Square, one of the retail chain's signature stores and home to its corporate offices, have voted to unionize.
U.S. and British cybersecurity officials warned Wednesday that a Russian cyber-extortion gang's hack of a file-transfer program popular with corporations could have widespread global impact. Initial data-theft victims include the BBC, British Airways and Nova Scotia's government.
Wilson Aerospace, a Colorado-based tools company with close ties to NASA, is suing Boeing for allegedly stealing trade secrets over the past two decades.
Apple recently acquired augmented reality company Mira following its launch of the Vision Pro headset. Cheddar News explains how Apple is looking to tap into the AR market long dominated by Meta.
