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Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA

(smex.org)
845 points the-anarchist | 11 comments | 21 Jun 25 03:06 UTC | HN request time: 1.235s | source | bottom
1. thenthenthen ◴[21 Jun 25 05:19 UTC] No.44334730[source]▶
AppCloud, developed by the controversial Israeli-founded company ironSource (now owned by the American company Unity)

Yes the Unity 3D engine company wow.

replies(2): >>44335092 #>>44336029 #
2. willtemperley ◴[21 Jun 25 06:35 UTC] No.44335092[source]▶
So Unity can now be considered malware by association.
replies(2): >>44335403 #>>44335608 #
3. miohtama ◴[21 Jun 25 07:57 UTC] No.44335608[source]▶
Discussed in 2022 here

https://www.pcgamer.com/unity-is-merging-with-a-company-who-...

4. Nition ◴[21 Jun 25 09:26 UTC] No.44336029[source]▶
The weirdest part of that merger was Unity paid $4.4billion for IronSource.
replies(1): >>44337390 #
5. hoppyhoppy2 ◴[21 Jun 25 10:45 UTC] No.44336407{4}[source]▶
>Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.

>Please don't post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, brigading, foreign agents, and the like. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about abuse, email hn@ycombinator.com and we'll look at the data.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

6. ◴[21 Jun 25 10:45 UTC] No.44336408{4}[source]▶
7. Dah00n ◴[21 Jun 25 10:54 UTC] No.44336449{4}[source]▶
"lol" comments are not worth the energy.
8. JohnHaugeland ◴[21 Jun 25 13:18 UTC] No.44337390[source]▶
ironsource was the owner and runner of the largest sleazy game ad network, which was unity specific

unity was dying for lack of revenue

replies(2): >>44340740 #>>44342622 #
9. Nition ◴[21 Jun 25 21:08 UTC] No.44340740{3}[source]▶
The fact that they were struggling for revenue just made the massive spend seem even weirder to me, but I suppose it could make sense if they truly expected to somehow get >4.4 billion back from ad revenue eventually. They also bought Wētā FX for $1.6 billion around the same time and did basically nothing with it.[1]

[1] https://www.fxguide.com/quicktakes/unity-software-with-a-com...

10. airstrike ◴[22 Jun 25 02:02 UTC] No.44342622{3}[source]▶
no, unity was dying for low profitability and ads had higher margin

I argued against the acquisition at the time, including against accepting the framing that it was a "merger", and I think everything that's transpired since then has validated my views.

Sadly, I was outnumbered and “it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it” applied as it always does.

John Riccitiello was a terrible CEO

I think there's non-zero chance this company will go down in flames. I think its only hope at this point is a sufficiently motivated activist shareholder.

replies(1): >>44351546 #
11. Nition ◴[23 Jun 25 00:52 UTC] No.44351546{4}[source]▶
I have to say it made the later "Runtime Fee" announcement seem even more in poor taste as well, given that it might have had a big effect on the users paying it, but ultimately mean almost nothing to Unity against the billions paid for IronSource and WetaFX.

At 2¢ per install, with a million Unity games installed every year, they'd make a profit in 300,000 years.