Gayle d'Hondt has stepped down as head of HR at Bungie after 14 years, according to IGN. The move comes shortly after the same publication released a report with accounts by former and current Bungie employees painting a picture of a workplace culture that's both toxic and sexist. In some instances, HR personnel were reportedly unwilling to help complainants and actively protected harmful individuals.

In her email sent to employees and seen by IGN, d'Hondt said she wants to do "everything in [her] power to make sure everyone who works [at Bungie] has a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment." It's necessary, she added, for the company's HR team to move forward with membership "largely comprised of people new to Bungie." d'Hondt didn't say who would be replacing her, but she told employees in the email that the HR team needs "to be trusted to be [their] advocates — not labeled as 'enablers' or seen as company resources who provide bad actors with safe harbor." It's also unclear if d'Hondt is leaving the video game developer completely or just moving to a different role.

The former HR head mentioned about her own experience with an abuser at the company, as well: A male executive whom she thought was her friend. While she didn't name her abuser, she said Bungie eventually fired him. She concluded:

"I am proud of the work I did at this company. I believe I made recommendations that were in the best interest of our people and in service of the company we wish to become. I also believe we made some mistakes, and that to become the better version of ourselves — the company I know we can be – we have to acknowledge and confront them, in good faith, and grow together."

While IGN's report showed the company in a less-than-flattering light, it also showed how the studio is struggling to shake its toxic culture in an effort to foster a better one. In response to it, company CEO Pete Parsons published an apology letter, admitting that Bungie's "actions or, in some cases, inactions, caused these people pain." He also talked about the changes the company has made over the past few years to make it a better place for employees, including removing bad actors irrespective of their "tenure, seniority or interpersonal relationships."

Huawei is no stranger to foldable mobile devices and had released three over the past few years: The Mate X, Mate Xs and the Mate X2, which is the most recent model launched in February. All of those are similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold in that they're devices that fold vertically and are the size of a small tablet when unfolded. Recently, however, Huawei has started teasing a foldable phone that's more akin to the Samsung Galaxy Flip, and a fashion shoot published by Harper's Bazaar China has revealed what the device looks like. 

The model, called Huawei P50 Pocket, is prominently featured in a pictorial with Chinese actress and singer Guan Xiaotong. It looks fairly large, based on the photos posted on Weibo, with a circular external display that can show the time, notifications and a view of what you're capturing with the camera if the phone is flipped shut. P50 Pocket's external display is right next to the camera, and according to Engadget Chinese, its fingerprint reader is located along the edges of the device. The version in the Harper's Bazaar photoshoot is gold with some sort of leafy pattern, but Huawei's teaser shows that it will also come in a silver variant with a diamond plaid pattern.

Huawei will officially unveil the P50 Pocket on December 23rd.

Reddit has taken a big step towards going public. In a press release, the company has revealed that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission regarding "the proposed initial public offering of its common stock." The announcement offers very little detail about its planned IPO, which is expected to take place after the SEC's approval. 

The social network also said that it has yet to determine how many shares will be offered and for how much. It will likely reveal an initial valuation in the near future as it prepares for an IPO, but it's worth noting that it raised $700 million in a funding round back in August at a valuation of over $10 billion. 

According to Reuters, Reddit sought to hire investment bankers and lawyers in September as advisers for a planned IPO in New York. While the IPO's timing will depend on market conditions, Reddit was apparently hoping that the company will be valued at over $15 billion by the time it takes place next year. In March, the company also hired hired Drew Vollero, who led Snap's IPO back in 2017, as its first chief financial officer.

Reddit was founded in 2005 and has shot up in popularity as a news aggregator, messaging board and social media website since then. In the second quarter of this year, it generated $100 million in advertising revenue — 192 percent more than what it generated in the same period of 2020 — for the first time. Going forward, it intends to find more way to incorporate video and audio into its website, which could lead to even bigger ad earnings.

Huawei has long denied working with the Chinese government to spy on other countries and China's own citizens. But according to The Washington Post, it has reviewed 100 PowerPoint presentations from the company that can show how it's linked to China's surveillance projects. While many of the slides were marked confidential, they were reportedly posted on a public-facing Huawei website until they were removed last year. 

The Post has published a handful of the slides translated into English, including one pitching a technology that can help authorities analyze voice recordings by comparing them against a large database of recorded "voiceprints." It's supposed to help with matters of national security, and as the publication notes, that means it could be used to identify individuals involved in political dissent, Hong Kong and Taiwan matters and discussions surrounding ethnic relations.

Another slide shows a comprehensive prison surveillance system, which has apparently been implemented in prisons in Inner Mongolia and Shanxi province, as well as detention centers in the Xinjiang region. Detainees of Xinjiang's internment camps, mostly members of the Uyghur ethnic group, accuse their operators of forced labor, torture and detaining them without charges. 

Another slide details how Huawei's surveillance technologies have been in use in Xinjiang since 2017 and how its facial recognition technology helped capture "a number of criminal suspects." Yet another shows a surveillance system that can pinpoint the location of "political persons of interest" using their electronic devices. It's reportedly in use right now in Guangdong, which is China's most populous province.

The Post admits that it can't confirm who the slides were shown to or when, but many of them were created back in 2014 and were edited as recently as last year. A Huawei spokesperson told the publication, though, that the company "has no knowledge of the projects mentioned in the Washington Post report" and that it provides "cloud platform services that comply with common industry standards."

NASA was hoping to send the James Webb telescope on its way to space by December 22nd, but its launch has been delayed yet again. You've probably read several variations of that sentence by now if you've been keeping track of the observatory, seeing as its launch has been pushed back quite a few times already. In an announcement posted on the project's official page, NASA said that the James Webb team is working on a communication issue between the telescope and its Ariane 5 launch vehicle. As such, it will be launched no earlier than December 24th.

The James Webb project has experienced numerous setbacks since development started in 1996, due to various reasons that include going overbudget and major redesigns. After testing was suspended in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA worked towards an October 18th, 2021 launch. However, after testing by the agency and primary contractor Northrop Grumman, it was determined that the telescope wouldn't be ready until November or December this year. NASA previously announced a December 18th launch date, which was moved back to the 22nd after an unplanned release of a clamp band that secures James Webb to the launch vehicle adapter prompted a thorough check to ensure the telescope wasn't damaged. 

If everything goes as planned this time, December 24th is the earliest possible launch date that could be scheduled. The telescope could be heading towards the second Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system later than Christmas Eve — NASA says it will reveal more details about its new target launch schedule on December 17th. When it does reach its destination, James Webb will observe the universe with a keener eye than Hubble, thanks to instruments that will allow it to see objects too old and too distant for the older telescope.

Google is giving employees until December 3rd to declare their COVID-19 vaccine status. And according to CNBC, if they fail to comply with the tech giant's vaccine mandate, they'd have to apply for a medical or religious exemption and convince Google that it's warranted if they don't want to eventually lose their job. Google will approve exemptions on a case-by-case basis. 

In its report, the publication said that it has seen an internal memo warning personnel of the consequences if they still haven't complied with the company's vaccine rules by January 18th. Those who refuse to be vaccinated or who have failed to secure a valid exemption will be placed on paid administrative leave for 30 days. Google will then put them on unpaid personal leave for up to six months and will ultimately fire them if they truly don't want to be inoculated against COVID-19. 

The tech giant reportedly explained in the memo that it's implementing its vaccine mandate to comply with the administration's executive order. Under that order, all US companies with more than 100 workers must be fully vaccinated by January 18th. While the order is in limbo after courts had blocked its implementation, Google may have simply chosen to push through with its plans to ensure that it's compliant in case the order suddenly takes effect.

"We expect that almost all roles at Google in the US will fall within the scope of the executive order. Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come onsite... frequent testing is not a valid alternative to vaccination," the memo reportedly reads.

Earlier this month, CNBC also reported that Google delayed workers' return to office and will no longer require personnel to come in a few times a week starting on January 10th. However, it still encouraged employees to come into the office "where conditions allow, to reconnect with colleagues in person and start regaining the muscle memory of being in [one] more regularly."

While it will strictly enforce its rule for all employees that fall within the scope of the order, Google did give those who don't want to get vaccinated an option. If they can't secure a valid religious or medical exemption, they can "explore" other roles within the company that don't conflict with the order. If they can find such a role and it doesn't require in-office work, they can also permanently work remotely going forward.

Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving company backed by Toyota, can no longer test fully self driving vehicles in California, for now at least. According to Reuters, the DMV suspended its driverless testing permit on November 19th, a few weeks after a reported collision in Fremont. Based on the report filed with the state's DMV, a Pony.ai vehicle operating autonomously hit a road center divider and a traffic sign on October 28th. 

It was a single vehicle incident, and there were no injuries and other vehicles involved. As Reuters said, it's unclear what aspect of the accident prompted the DMV to suspend Pony.ai's permit, but the company said it immediately launched an investigation and is working with the agency to figure out what caused the collision. 

While Pony.ai won't be able to test fully autonomous vehicles in California anymore, it can continue its trials with safety drivers behind the wheel. The company has 10 Hyundai Motor Kona electric vehicles registered for testing and only secured its driverless testing permit six months ago for three cities in the state. It's the eighth company to receive that kind of permit in California, following the likes of Waymo, Cruise and Baidu. Under the terms of the permit, Pony.ai was given permission to conduct driverless tests in Fremont, Milpitas and Irvine on open roads and with a speed limit of 45 miles per hour. Further, the vehicles could only operate in clear weather and light precipitation.

Pony.ai recently received approval to run paid autonomous taxi services in Beijing, which it was also hoping to achieve in California by 2022. It remains to be seen whether this suspension will delay those plans considerably. 

LG is slated to showcase two lifestyle TVs with unusual designs at CES 2022, one of which is the recently announced premium OLED Evo TV with motorized cover. The other? It's a smaller wireless TV with built-in battery called StanbyME that you can roll in and out of any room in your home. The 27-inch display is mounted on a moveable stand with concealed wheels, and you can adjust its height to customize its position for whatever you're using it for. You can also swivel and rotate its screen to either portrait or landscape orientation. 

In its announcement, LG said that since you can adjust its position as needed, you can use it in your kitchen while cooking or in your bedroom or the sofa while lounging. And you can, unless you're planning on not getting up for hours to binge on your favorite series — the TV only lasts for three hours of viewing before it needs a recharge. 

Despite that limitation, you can use the StanbyME to view whatever content you want using the apps it supports, which include Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video. You can also take advantage of its mobile screen mirroring capability with your Android or iOS phone and NFC. The model has a removable mobile cradle on top, so you can use it to take video calls or attend online classes. Plus, you can use it as a screen for your laptop or PC via wireless connection or by using USB or HDMI.

The model will come with a remote control you can use for navigation, but it'll also be able to recognize touch and gesture commands. LG also says that it has a unique US that's "tailored to the viewer's personal viewing experience." The manufacturer didn't explain what it meant by that, but we'll find out for sure in January at CES.

In October, Nike filed trademark applications as part of its preparations to sell virtual sneakers and apparel, according to CNBC. Now, the footwear and sports apparel giant has acquired a startup called RTFKT (pronounced "artifact") that will help the company accelerate its "digital transformation." RTFKT was founded in early 2020 and has since made a name for itself designing and creating what it calls "Metaverse-ready sneakers and collectibles" — all digital goods people pay very real money for. 

The market for virtual goods is booming, and it's expected to continue growing as we move towards the metaverse, the future vision for the internet wherein people can interact in a virtual world with digital avatars. To that end, Nike seems to have big plans for RTFKT and its team, which will be joining the company. John Donahoe, Nike's President and CEO, said: "We're acquiring a very talented team of creators with an authentic and connected brand. Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend Nike’s digital footprint and capabilities." On Twitter, the startup said that it "will continue to evolve [its] brand, innovations, products and community with Nike resources and talents."

Earlier this year, RTFKT teamed up with 18-year-old artist Fewocious to release three NFT sneakers for $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000. Within just seven minutes, over 600 people purchased their own virtual pairs for a total of US$3.1 million. More recently, the startup introduced its avatar-like project called CloneX, a joint effort with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. RTFKT calls CloneX its "most ambitious project yet," as it marks the beginning of an ecosystem for its Metaverse-ready avatars. 

A vulnerability called Log4Shell found in open-source logging library Log4j leaves millions of devices vulnerable to attacks. As The Verge notes, apps and services keep a record of all the events that happen while they're running, giving them a way to analyze how their program is performing and to figure out what went wrong in case of errors. Log4j happens to be a popular and widely used logging library, and even popular cloud services like Steam and iCloud, as well as apps like Amazon, Twitter and Minecraft are reportedly vulnerable to attacks exploiting Log4Shell. 

According to Ars Technica, it first came to light after Minecraft websites started reporting about a vulnerability allowing hackers to execute malicious code in the game. It became clear soon after, though, that the problem doesn't affect Minecraft only. Security researcher Marcus Hutchins, who helped stop the spread of the WannaCry malware, called the vulnerability "extremely bad" since millions of applications use Log4j for logging. 

Bad actors could use it to remotely execute codes on servers, directing them to download and run malware that would compromise companies' and people's data. Worse, it's pretty easy to exploit and could be triggered simply by posting messages. Hutchins said that in the case of Minecraft, attackers were able to execute code remotely by posting a message on the chatbox. In a blog post, app security company LunaSec said triggering the vulnerability in Apple's servers is as easy as changing an iPhone's name. 

Log4j has already issued a fix for the vulnerability, and affected services like Minecraft and Cloudflare have already rolled out patches to protect users. Those running their own networks with Log4j may also want to patch their systems at the soonest possible opportunity if they can.