Sean Ludwig is a staff writer for VentureBeat, and he covers mobile tech, cloud computing, and streaming media. Previously, he has written for PCMag, Fast Company, Computer Shopper, LAPTOP Magazine, Seattle Weekly, and others. When he’s not writing into the late hours of the night, he’s seeing ridiculous concerts, walking New York City, and eating Ben & Jerry’s. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Sean stands behind everything in VentureBeat’s ethics statement. Please send all pitches to tips@venturebeat.com.

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E-commerce biz ChannelAdvisor stock soars 40% in IPO debut

Following the lead of other recent tech-focused IPOs, e-commerce software business ChannelAdvisor's shares popped almost 40 percent in its first day of trading as a public company.

Microsoft uses Siri to slam Apple in new Windows 8 ad (video)

We all know Microsoft likes to challenge its competitors head on, especially Google. Now Microsoft is taking a swing at Apple in a new 30-second ad that uses Siri's voice to make fun of the iPad.

Messaging app Imo.im chats its way into $13M, updates iOS & Android apps

Multi-platform messaging service Imo.im has raised $13 million in second-round funding and updated its iOS and Android apps with a new feature called “Broadcasts.”

OpenStack-powered cloud startup Cloudscaling scores $10M from Trinity, Juniper, & Seagate

Elastic cloud infrastructure startup Cloudscaling has raised $10 million in its second round of funding so it can keep growing at a quick clip and innovating its cloud technology.

Wevorce, the YC startup that makes divorce suck less, opens to all

Divorces are traditionally terrible. But Wevorce, a Y-Combinator-backed startup that has just launched into general availability, wants to change that and make the process of divorce more amicable and less expensive.

Xbox One & Azure cloud computing: A match made in heaven

One aspect of the new Xbox One really gets me fired up: Game developers should now be able to use Microsoft Azure's cloud computing platform to make games more powerful than ever.

Change.org scores $15M from Omidyar Network to grow the world’s largest petition service (updated)

Popular social petition service Change.org has raised $15 million in new funding -- cash that will help it further build up the "world's largest petition platform."

Airbnb remains illegal in NYC, with one host fined $2,400

A judge has ruled that Airbnb rentals violate New York City's hotel laws and one man will be fined $2,400 for renting out his apartment on the service.

Performance management biz Adaptive Planning nets $45M from BVP & others

Leading corporate performance management (CPM) company Adaptive Planning has raised a massive $45 million in its fourth and final round of funding with a goal to further dominate the CPM space.

Just 75 days after launch, MessageMe says it now has 5 million users

Following a $10 million funding round last week, Message says its service now has 5 million registered users only 75 days after launch.

AVG buys web privacy firm PrivacyChoice & its smart Privacyfix dashboard

Web security firm AVG has already demonstrated its dedication to user privacy by adding Do Not Track to its software. Now it's doubling down on that by buying privacy firm PrivacyChoice.

Marissa Mayer explains how Yahoo will keep Tumblr from meeting Flickr’s fate

Some Tumblr fans want to know how Yahoo plans to avoid the fate of Flickr, Geocities, and other failed acquisitions. So we asked Marissa Mayer.

Yahoo ‘reimagines’ Flickr with a bold new design, a free TB of space for all users, & more

Yahoo acquired Flickr back in 2005, but the photo-sharing service suffered under persistent mismanagement. Now it looks like Yahoo is finally giving Flickr the attention it deserved back in the day.

AT&T expands Digital Life home automation service to 7 more cities

AT&T home automation service Digital Life has launched in seven new cities including Baltimore, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, and Washington, D.C.

Yahoo confirms $1.1B Tumblr acquisition, CEO Marissa Mayer promises ‘not to screw it up’

While rumors have been swirling for days, Yahoo finally confirmed this morning that it has acquired popular blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

MessageMe nabs $10M from Greylock, Google, & others to take on WhatsApp

Better watch out, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Hot messaging app MessageMe has just raised $10 million in its first round of funding.

Marketing automation firm Marketo shares jump 55% in energetic IPO

Marketing automation business Marketo made its debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange today, and early trading looks strong, with shares up 55 percent over initial pricing.

‘Big data’ biz Tableau shares explode 60% in strong IPO debut

Enterprise tech IPOs have seen some big movement over the past few years. Now we can add big data and data visualization company Tableau Software to the list.

Yahoo said to be mulling investment in, or acquisition of, Tumblr

If you can't be cool, why not buy someone who is? That's what Yahoo is looking to do with a potential investment in hot blogging service Tumblr, according to Adweek and All Things D.

Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey is terrible at Vine

You'd think Twitter cofounder and Square CEO Jack Dorsey would be a whiz at social media. But his posts to Twitter's young video-sharing service Vine are a mix of weirdly creepy and just-plain-boring clips.