The GameStop stock situation develops further, Apple provides additional information regarding its privacy updates, and Qualtrics has launched its initial public offering. This is your Daily Crunch for January 28, 2021.

Key development: Robinhood limits GameStop trades

In response to a significant increase in individual investors purchasing stock in companies such as GameStop, AMC, and Blockbuster, Robinhood has implemented restrictions on trading for “specific securities,” allowing only users to close existing positions. This means new purchases of these stocks are currently unavailable. (The company states that “limited buys” will be permitted tomorrow.)

This action follows a recent surge in buying activity – focused on stocks heavily shorted by institutional investors and fueled by discussions on the WallStreetBets forum on Reddit – which propelled both Robinhood and Reddit to the top of the app store rankings.

Robinhood is now facing a wave of negative 1-star reviews, and the decision has also drawn criticism from political figures across the political spectrum, with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling it “unacceptable” and Senator Ted Cruz expressing his agreement via Twitter.

Major technology companies

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature will be activated by default and become available in ‘early spring’ with iOS – The company intends to roll out these changes in early spring, with a preview of the feature included in the upcoming iOS 14 beta release.

Qualtrics has priced its IPO at $30 per share, exceeding its revised target range – The company offered 50.4 million shares in the process.

Twitter is actively developing the integration of newsletters into its platform, following its acquisition of Revue – It appears that “Newsletters” will soon be a new element in Twitter’s sidebar navigation.

Startups, funding, and venture capital

Workday has acquired employee feedback platform Peakon for $700M – Peakon reports that companies utilizing its platform’s weekly surveys have submitted over 153 million questions since its founding six years ago.

Fintech company Nubank has secured a substantial $400M Series G funding round, resulting in a $25B valuation – The fintech company currently serves 34 million customers.

Flowhaven has raised $16M to modernize brand licensing management, moving beyond traditional email and spreadsheet methods – The media licensing industry represents a significant market, yet much of the associated work is still performed manually.

Insights and analysis from Extra Crunch

Thirteen investors believe that a focus on lifelong learning is driving growth in the edtech sector – As the needs of learners become more complex, so too have the edtech companies that support them.

A shift in talent and capital is causing cybersecurity investors to look beyond Silicon Valley – Addressing the cybersecurity challenge will require greater investment and resources than are currently being allocated.

E-commerce marketers should reassess their TAM and SAM calculations – 2021 is projected to be another successful year for e-commerce.

(Extra Crunch is our subscription program designed to help founders and startup teams succeed. You can register here.)

Other news

Smartphone sales experienced a slower decline in Q4, with Apple playing a significant role – The previous year presented a major challenge to an industry already facing a downturn.

GM has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, with a goal of producing zero tailpipe emission vehicles by 2035 – This represents a substantial commitment from a company whose products contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions.

UCLA is creating a digital archive documenting mass incarceration, supported by a new $3.6M grant – The “Archiving the Age of Mass incarceration” project is being spearheaded by Kelly Lytle Hernandez, director of the university’s Bunche Center for African American Studies.

The Daily Crunch is TechCrunch’s compilation of our most important and noteworthy stories. To receive this summary in your inbox daily around 3pm Pacific time, you can subscribe here.