Square could take hit on IPO with Jack Dorsey leading Twitter

By Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The much anticipated initial public offering from Silicon Valley payments company Square could take a price hit if its chief executive, Jack Dorsey, takes a second and possibly more demanding job: running Twitter. “Management and management focus are the single most determining factor of the success or lack thereof of a company pursuing an IPO,” said Lise Buyer, an IPO consultant with Class V Group in Silicon Valley who also helped guide Google Inc's IPO

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EU antitrust chief says Apple, Google cases show no U.S. bias

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe's antitrust chief dismissed on Friday accusations of anti-U.S. bias over her decision to go after Google for abusing its Internet search dominance and Apple over an Irish tax deal, saying such talk was a fallacy

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Hootsuite says could go public sooner after Shopify IPO success

By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp VANCOUVER/TORONTO (Reuters) – The successful initial public offering of Shopify could prompt Hootsuite, another promising Canadian tech startup, to tap public markets sooner rather than later, its chief executive said on Thursday. Ottawa-based Shopify’s shares rose as much as 69 percent in the e-commerce software maker’s U.S. debut on Thursday, giving it a $2 billion-plus valuation.

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Russia warns Google, Twitter and Facebook on law violations

By Maria Tsvetkova and Eric Auchard MOSCOW/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Russia's media watchdog has written to Google, Twitter and Facebook warning them against violating Russian Internet laws and a spokesman said on Thursday they risk being blocked if they do not comply with the rules. Roskomnadzor said it had sent letters this week to the three U.S.-based Internet firms asking them to comply with Internet laws which critics of President Vladimir Putin have decried as censorship.      “In our letters we regularly remind (companies) of the consequences of violating the legislation,” said Roskomnadzor spokesman Vadim Ampelonsky.     He added that, because of the encryption technology used by the three firms, Russia had no way of blocking specific websites and so could only bring down particular content it deemed in violation of law by blocking access to their whole services.

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Internet the key front in China’s battle with Western hostile forces: military paper

The Internet is the most important front in China’s ideological battle against “Western anti-China forces”, the country’s military newspaper said on Wednesday, adding that online controls were essential to the government’s survival. Calls to reject Western thought and values have grown stronger under President Xi Jinping, who has urged more “ideological guidance” at universities and the study of Marxism.

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Spotify expresses interest to raise $500 million: WSJ

(Reuters) – Online music streaming service Spotify is working with Goldman Sachs for a new round of private fundraising which could potentially put off the initial public offering for another year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Spotify is talking with investors who are known to buy into companies before a IPO, including mutual fund T. Rowe Price Group, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

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Google fourth-quarter revenue misses Wall Street target

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc's revenue grew 15 percent in the fourth quarter but fell short of Wall Street's target on declining online ad prices and unfavorable foreign exchange rates. Shares of Google edged up 0.1 percent to $510.66 in extended trading after an initial dip on the news

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