The 10 things you need to know today

1. A fired Snapchat employee claims the company lied to investors ahead of its IPO. Snap Inc., as Snapchat is now called, has denied the allegations, countering that they are "totally made up by a disgruntled former employee."

2. Verizon's still not sure if its $4.8 billion Yahoo deal will close, five months after announcing it. That's according to Verizon's executive VP Marni Walden, who was asked at an investor event on Thursday if the company would proceed with the initial deal.

3. This is how brands are using Twitter's most recent customer service tool "featured tweet," reports Digiday. Brands including Starbucks, Citibank, Hotels.com and Hyatt are curating custom profiles on Twitter.

4. One of Wall Street's most accurate tech analysts, RBC Capital's Mark Mahaney, predicts the 10 biggest surprises for 2017. By "surprises," Mahaney says he defines it as "an event that the average Internet investor thinks is highly improbable, but we believe has a reasonable chance (30%+) of occurring."

5. Here are three reasons Hulu's under-$40-a-month cable TV competitor could be a major hit, according to Nomura Instinet analyst Anthony DiClemente. An attractive price, a lot of content, and industry-leading features.

6. Music streaming service SoundCloud may run out of cash this year as it posted a €51 million ($54 million) loss. The company is now admitting that, should its subscription service flop, its funding may run dry this year.

7. This is how news broadcasters are using Instagram Stories, Digiday reports. Right now, the feature is more about sampling than drawing in viewership to owned platforms.

8. Two of Procter & Gamble Co.'s home care brands will make their debut at this year's Super Bowl, Ad Age reports. Mr. Clean and Febreze will each have 30 second spots.

9. Snapchat's Spectacles "bot" vending machine has been spotted near the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, The Drum reports. Twitter is exploding over it.

10. Media execs shares their progress on January detoxing, Digiday reports. Twitter’s Europe chief, Bruce Daisley said: "For me, life is about sustainable moderation. I have three dry days a week all year. January is too bleak to forgo one of the few salvations!"