Bird working to integrate Apple Pay; Comcast sells Hulu stake; Crypto hackers arrested after West Hollywood theft

Disney takes Hulu ownership, will buyout Comcast

The Business Journal reports Walt Disney Co. will take full control of Santa Monica-based streaming service Hulu from Comcast, which owns a third of the service. The companies announced Tuesday that Comcast will sell its stake back to Disney beginning in 2024 for roughly $5.8 billion. The deal values Hulu at $27.5 billion.

Apple Pay integrates with Bird

Apple Inc. and Santa Monica-based shared e-scooter operator Bird Rides Inc. are working to integrate Bird ride payment into the Apple Pay mobile app, the Verge reports. When the services are combined, Apple Pay users won’t need to download Bird’s individual app. Instead, they’ll tap their phone against a tag on the scooter that triggers Bird’s website with terms of service, then opens Apple Pay to process the $1 unlock fee.

Sheriff’s Department busts crypto hackers

Socaltech reports the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau and Homeland Security have arrested a man in connection with a $2.4 million cryptocurrency heist. The Sheriff’s office indicted 19-year-old Reyad Gafar Abbas after a West Hollywood resident reported a large amount of cryptocurrency stolen from their digital wallet. Abbas was one of nine individuals indicted for their participation in an international hacking group called “The Community,” which used false SIM cards to hack cryptocurrency wallets on mobile phones.

Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.