| Eric Schmidt steps down, SpaceX looks to cap 2017 with a boom and Amazon goes further in connected home. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for December 22, 2017. 1. Eric Schmidt stepping down as Alphabet chairman After 17 years between being CEO of Google and then chairman of Alphabet, Eric Schmidt is stepping down, and will be moving into a technical advisory role instead. It's a surprise move, and somewhat suspiciously timed in the news desert ahead of Christmas. Schimdt says that he's spent more of his time lately "on science and technology issues, and philanthropy," and that he intends to continue that trend. I suspect this isn't the last we'll hear of this story. 
2. SpaceX is launching its last rocket this year today SpaceX has already had a record-setting year in terms of launches, but it's going to try to fit one more in – a satellite mission for client Iridium, which is set to take off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:27 PM PST. Tune in live just before then to catch the fireworks. 3. Amazon acquires a smart doorbell and security camera company Amazon just bought a startup that specializes in making connected home video hardware that requires no wires or external power to work. Plus, they're cheaper than the competition. No question, Amazon wants to own this space. 4. The FCC's net neutrality tear down isn't easily reversed Basically we need a Democratic Congress to undo the damage done by Pai's FCC overturn of Obama-era net neutrality regulation. 5. Google Home Max is big, pricey pretty good speaker Brian's impressions are less than a full endorsement. The speaker sounds good, sure, but others sound better in this price range, even if they lack the smarts. 6. Mattermark sells for a song Business intelligence platform startup Mattermark has sold to Denver-based Full Contact, for less than $1 million in a deal that leaves employee stock options worthless. Mattermark founder Danielle Morrill called the deal "great news" in a letter to common shareholders explaining that they get nothing. 7. Podcast Friday! It's Friday, and it's almost Christmas, and that means it's time for TechCrunch's weekly podcast fix. You can grab Equity, where they discuss Stitch Fix's first earnings, and the crypto madness (which is even crazier today). Also, over at Original Content, me and Anthony Ha are talking about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Cue the controversy. | 
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