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Several big tech companies recently announced a new joint effort to promote better data security. Confidential Computing Consortium will be an open-source community that includes Alibaba Cloud, Baidu, Google Cloud, IBM and Microsoft, among others. Current protection strategies address data at rest and in transit. However, a fully encrypted lifecycle for sensitive data remains a work in progress, and perhaps the most challenging step to take in data security.9 Computing has moved from on-premise to public domains to edge, but the cloud is a nascent industry with reams of data still to transition. Attention this consortium brings to data security could accelerate the adoption of next-generation cloud and edge computing. --------------- 9. Confidential Computing Consortium, “New Cross-Industry Effort to Advance Computational Trust and Security for Next-Generation Cloud and Edge Computing,” Aug 21, 2019.

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Guys will wear the same boxer style underwear until it is just a ragged piece of elastic connected to assorted scraps of cloth ... but for their wives will max out a credit card at Victoria's Secret.

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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has taken a stake in Amazon (+3.24%), the investing demigod told CNBC. Important programming note: Buffett made it clear it wasn’t he who bought Amazon stock, but rather “one of the fellows in the office that manage money.” He has a name, Warren. And that name is likely Todd Combs or Ted Weschler, Buffett’s protégés at Berkshire. That Berkshire (or Todd or Ted) is investing in Amazon is significant. Buffett’s held a special place in his Coke-filled heart for Amazon and CEO Jeff Bezos, but he never bought shares... "I’ve been an idiot for not buying," Buffett said this week. In 2018: "I had no idea that it had the potential. I blew it." And here’s an excerpt from an interview he did with us: Giphy So why now? Buffett (whose entire shtick is value investing) had shunned the move-fast-and-break-things tech sector for years. But then he greenlit a sizeable investment in Apple, a stake which has since grown to more than $40 billion. And now, Berkshire has put Buffett’s stamp of approval on Amazon, a company that only recently started thinking about profit. This could offer a glimpse into Berkshire once Buffett is gone (he’s 88 years old). Todd and Ted have gained influence in Berkshire’s day-to-day, earning Buffett’s praise for A+ investments like Apple and airline stocks. Buffett’s BFF Charlie Munger says they’re Berkshire’s “younger eyes.” Looking ahead: Investors will get even more insight into Berkshire’s future this weekend, when Buffett hosts his annual shareholder meeting in Omaha. We’re also counting on more color re: Berkshire’s recent Occidental Petroleum deal, its Amazon stance, and its massive cash pile. + While we’re in Omaha: We present you with Buffett Bingo, c/o the WSJ. Morning Brew

Amazon announced a free, ad-supported music streaming service to win more customers for its speakers and Alexa-enabled devices.

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The company said it will not be building a large headquarters in NYC as originally planned, adding the biggest twist of all to the marathon HQ2 search that began in 2017. Still unclear: Whether Amazon’s 30-day return policy applies to $2.5 billion corporate campuses. Why Bezos backed down “For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term.” “While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence...” Let’s talk about the (now overjoyed) opposition That Amazon (-1.06%), one of the largest public companies in the world, had been promised roughly $3 billion in government incentives didn’t sit too wellwith many activists and local leaders in NYC. They criticized the lack of transparency in the search process and highlighted the potentially disruptive effects the massive new campus would have on the local community. In the end, Amazon didn't want to fight this battle. This is a mess... ...for stakeholders (like prominent New York politicians and real estate professionals) eagerly anticipating the more than 25,000 high-paying jobs and $27.5 billion in tax revenue Amazon was expected to generate. ...and for Amazon, which thought it could bully any U.S. city into submission. Urban studies expert Richard Florida called it a “site selection disaster of epic proportions.” Looking ahead: Amazon said it’s going to double down on its new locations in Northern Virginia (the big one) and Nashville (the smaller one), while growing its other existing locations around the country. Zoom out: As Amazon became the target of an angry grassroots movement over the past year, fellow tech giants Google and Apple quietly announced their own (more modest) U.S. expansions to positive press. Amazon might want to take notes.

Just as your Medium manifesto was “gaining steam” with 21 claps, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stopped all your momentum with a very personal postaccusing AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, of extortion and blackmail. The backstory: Bezos and his wife MacKenzie recently announced plans for a high-profile divorce. The National Enquirer then published articles describing a relationship between Bezos and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. There were...juicy texts involved. Let’s walk through this next part step-by-step As described in Bezos’s blog post... He “engaged investigators” to determine the source of the leaks and the motivation behind the Enquirer’s actions. AMI’s Chief Content Officer sent an email saying that he obtained intimate photos of both Bezos and Sanchez (we’ll stop there...this is a PG newsletter after all). An offer was made: AMI wouldn’t release the photos if Bezos said publicly the leaks weren’t politically motivated. Bezos refused, published this blog, and here we are. Key Bezos quote: "Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there’s a much more important matter involved here. If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?" If your head is spinning...we’ve got good news There’s more. Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, which has largely been critical of the Trump administration. David Pecker, the chairman and CEO of AMI, has a cozy relationship with the president, who himself has lashed out at Bezos once or five times. That perhaps helps explain the talk of “political” motivations. We can find no better bottom line than the NYT: “Mr. Bezos’ online post details a stunning and bizarre clash between the world’s richest man and the nation’s biggest tabloid publisher.” “In it, all of the country’s obsessions of recent years appear to have collided, from the personal lives of billionaires and sensational tabloid headlines to Mr. Trump’s fight with the media.” Via Morning Brew

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I heard on the radio that AWS will no longer be using Intel chips exclusively for its cloud services. This could end up being a BIG deal down the road.

After charming the crowd at its annual conference for cloud-lovers (any nephologists in the house?), Amazon (+6.09%) got some bullish reviews. One Jefferies analyst said its Amazon Web Services cloud business could be worth $350 billion by 2022.

Amazon (+0.01%) said Cyber Monday was its biggest shopping day ever in terms of the number of products sold globally.