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Ethereum Hits Record High, Outpacing Bitcoin in Monster 2021 Surge: CNBC After Hours

CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, Kate Rooney explains Ethereum's impressive rise in 2021 and how it differs from other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Plus, Robert Frank breaks down what we know and don't know about how Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce will affect their philanthropic foundation.

Ethereum hits new record high above $3,400, extending its more than 300% rally this year

GUANGZHOU, China — Ether, the digital coin linked to the Ethereum blockchain, hit an all-time high of $3,456.57 as the cryptocurrency extends a rally that has seen its price gain over 350% this year.

The digital coin pared some of those gains in Tuesday morning trade in London and was trading at $3,369.74 at 11:20 a.m., according to CoinDesk data.

Interest in cryptocurrencies has surged over the past year with bitcoin continuously pushing new record highs. A number of factors including rising institutional interest and major companies such as Tesla buying the digital coin have been credited with its rise.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates are splitting up after 27 years

Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, and his wife, Melinda French Gates, said on Twitter on Monday that they will split up after 27 years. The two will keep working together on philanthropic efforts, which have addressed education, gender equality and health care.

"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," Bill and Melinda Gates wrote in a statement that Bill Gates tweeted out.

Apple's conflict with Facebook goes back to the days of Steve Jobs, emails show

An email chain revealed by Epic Games as part of its lawsuit against Apple provides earlier context about Facebook's battle with Apple over its App Store.

Last August, Facebook said Apple's App Store rules were hampering it from releasing its Facebook Gaming app for iPhones in the way it wanted to.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said the company had to remove the part of the app that played games — the point of the app — in order to secure approval on Apple's App Store for iPhones.

Now, emails between three former Apple executives, including Steve Jobs, from 2011 show that a similar conflict between Apple and Facebook was likely part of the reason for a delay for the release of a Facebook app for iPads over a decade ago.

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