Daily Recap: HQ Trivia Secures Funding; BuzzFeed News Seeks Financial Support; Apple and Amazon Post Profits

The interactive quiz application HQ Trivia, which draws a large audience and is led by a divisive figure, has completed a financing round that appraises the firm at over $100 million. Founders Fund, a venture capital outfit established by billionaire Peter Thiel, is anticipated to spearhead this $15 million investment. This funding is particularly noteworthy as many potential backers were deterred by the controversial image of co-founder Colin Kroll, who was dismissed from Twitter following its purchase of his Vine venture. [Kurt Wagner, Theodore Schleifer / Recode]

Yesterday, Apple reported its most successful quarter to date, with revenue surpassing $88 billion in the first fiscal quarter — a 13% increase year-over-year — and profits reaching $20 billion. However, the results fell short of analyst expectations due to lackluster iPhone X sales. [Dan Frommer / Recode]

Amazon has transformed from a company that routinely operated at a loss. The online retail behemoth has now recorded profits for 11 consecutive quarters, including a holiday-season record of $1.9 billion. Additionally, the company disclosed that its 'other' revenue — primarily advertising and co-branded credit card partnerships — climbed to $1.7 billion in the fourth quarter, marking a 60% year-over-year surge. Amazon has integrated artificial intelligence across almost all its offerings; learn how deep learning became the driving force behind Alexa, Amazon Web Services, and other units. [Jason Del Rey / Recode]

For the first time, Alphabet revealed the financial performance of its Google Cloud division yesterday, in a conference call covering the otherwise uneventful fourth-quarter results of the Google parent company. CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the cloud unit is 'already a billion-dollar-per-quarter business'; by comparison, its main competitor, Amazon Web Services — the dominant player in public cloud — brings in approximately five times that amount each quarter. [Jordan Novet / CNBC]

CBS and Viacom are once again pursuing a merger. Shari Redstone, who holds controlling stakes in both media firms, had weighed a similar deal in 2016 but ultimately decided against it, confident that Viacom could recover independently. However, a wave of potential mergers — sparked by AT&T's intended purchase of Time Warner — is compelling relatively smaller media entities to seek out bigger parent companies. Examine this diagram of the present media environment to understand why Redstone has now changed her stance in favor of a combination. [Rani Molla and Peter Kafka / Recode]

The news division of BuzzFeed is actively seeking financial assistance and has engaged in discussions with a representative of billionaire Laurene Jobs Powell. However, a BuzzFeed board member refuted claims that the company intends to separate its news arm. The broader context: BuzzFeed News attracts significant attention but produces minimal revenue. This was once acceptable, but in 2018, it has become increasingly difficult for BuzzFeed to rationalize. [Peter Kafka / Recode]

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A noteworthy item

A reflection of the era: a Monopoly game designed for cheaters.