In the fourth quarter, Netflix added 8.3 million new streaming subscribers -- nearly 2 million of whom are U.S. consumers, Variety reports. “The record quarterly subscriber additions pushed shares of the company up more than 9% in after-hours trading,” it notes. “For Q4, Netflix added 1.98 million U.S. streaming subs and 6.36 million overseas.”

In what CNBC is calling “an effort to spark growth on the social media app,” Snapchat will soon let user share Stories on Facebook and Twitter. “Users will be able to share Stories to their linked social media accounts or through text or email with a link to a web page where people who don't have the app can view the message,” CNBC writes.

At a retail price of $349, Apple's smart speaker will hit store shelves on Feb. 9. “Originally billed to launch in late 2017, the HomePod will launch for users in February,” 9To5Mac writes. “Apple is pushing users to get HomePod with a $9.99/mo Apple Music subscription to enable Siri to play any of the 40 million tracks in the Apple Music catalog.”

The Korean company behind Snapchat clone Snow just raised $50 million from SoftBank and Sequoia China, TechCrunch reports. “Snow was started by Naver, the Korean firm behind popular messaging app Line, and it had proven popular in Japan, Korea, China and other markets in Asia,” TC notes. “The Snow app has changed significantly since we last wrote about it, however.”

Hulu's live-streaming service now has about 450,000 paying subscribers, while YouTube Live already boasts about 300,000 paid subscribers. That’s according to CNBC, which was given these figures by anonymous sources. “YouTube TV costs $35 a month, and Hulu with Live TV costs $39.99 per month,” CNBC notes.

Facebook plans to double the number of scientists working on artificial intelligence research at its Paris base from 30 to 60, Fortune reports. Over the next five years, meanwhile, the company plans to invest about $12.3 million to increase the number of AI doctoral scholarships it offers in France from 10 to 40, and provide servers and data for French public institutions.

BuzzFeed reports on a wave of scammers using social media, phony news sites, and private group-chat services to spread cryptocurrency lies. “In the largely unregulated world of bitcoin and cryptocurrency, fraudsters are getting rich by deliberately spreading false information to affect the price of their holdings,” it writes.  

YouTube is reportedly developing a more aggressive system for stiffing out inappropriate content on its platform. “The company is creating what it calls an ‘Intelligence Desk,’ a multi-pronged ‘early detection’ initiative intended to ferret out controversial content before it spirals into a bigger problem,” BuzzFeed reports, citing sources.

Amazon is finally adding Alexa to its Android app, TechCrunch reports. “Up to now, the app has been little more than a way to manage settings for the Echo and other smart home devices built around its smart assistant,” it notes. “The addition of voice commands means users can speak directly to their handset the way they would an Echo -- to play music, trigger Alexa skills and the like.”

Due to increasing pressure from Chinese rivals, venture capitalist Michael Moritz suggests that Western tech companies must respond with greater efficiency and fewer employee indulgences. “If a Chinese company schedules tasks for the weekend, nobody complains about missing a Little League game or skipping a basketball outing with friends,” he writes in the Financial Times. “Little wonder it is a common sight at a Chinese company to see many people with their heads resting on their desks taking a nap in the early afternoon.”