Snapchat tests ads in Stories, a computer scientist discovers an exploit to create Ethereum and a Chinese startup wants to tackle Starlink.

It’s all the technological news that is in fashion at the moment, welcome to Hashtag Trending! Today is Tuesday, February 15, and I’m your host, Tom Li.

Snapchat is testing mid-roll ads for Stories with a small group of creators and expects full rollout in the coming months. According to The edge, the creator receives a share of the revenue generated by the in-app ads. Earnings are calculated based on a variety of factors, including posting frequency and engagements, and will only be available to Snap Stars with a certain number of followers. This will be the first time that creators will receive a portion of story ad revenue.

Prolific computer scientist Jay Freeman, also known by his pseudonym Saurik, has been handsomely rewarded for finding an exploit in Ethereum’s Optimism scaling solution. The exploit essentially allowed him to print unlimited Ether. Specifically, the exploit allowed the user to send the crypto back to the sender but retain their transactional notes, essentially “creating” Ethereum. Freeman explained that the user could then take these notes and purchase large amounts of other tokens, accumulating their value in the process. For his effort and honesty, Optimism awarded him $2 million through its bug bounty program.

A Chinese startup is looking to challenge Starlink by providing the fastest satellite internet services. The startup called GalaxySpace wants to expand its network capabilities worldwide. Moreover, it will do so using 5G technology to achieve high bandwidth and low latency. The company hopes to build its constellation using 42,000 satellites. It promises speeds of up to 500Mbps, similar to the Starlink Premium launched earlier this month. The Chinese government considers Starlink a national security threat because it has contracts with the US military.

And now for something a little different. In yesterday’s episode, we talked about Coinbase’s creative Super Bowl ad that featured a QR code bouncing around the screen for a full minute. Well, it turns out he was so popular that he crashed the app. Coinbase wasn’t the only crypto company to make a Super Bowl appearance; its presence was accompanied by Cypto.com and FTX, which were also there to promote their platforms. Following the Coinbase hype, Meta’s Quest tweeted its own QR code linked to its VR afterparty.

It’s all the technological news that is in fashion at the moment. Hashtag Trending is part of the ITWC Podcast Network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefings or Google Home Daily Briefing. Be sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters straight to your inbox every day. Also check out the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops early every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or advice, write to us in the comments or via email. Thanks for listening to me, I’m Tom Li.