4.29.2016
Good to Know: It’s Fri-yay! If you’re in a meeting, you’re likely killing time on your phone. Telenor, Swedish telecom company, just put out a new vid to show how disruptive your phone activities could be if your texts, emails, etc. came to life. Check it out here.
THE SKINNY
When You’d Like Them To Make It Rain …
Uber drivers are trying to get paid. They’re asking the company to either add or at the very least test a “tip button” on the app. On account of the company not paying drivers wages and all.
When You Gotta Go And Make Things So Complicated …
Uber isn’t feeling the idea at all. Its resistance comes down to fairness. The company thinks it’d be unfair for some drivers to get more tips than others. And more, importantly, they think the change would encourage discrimination.
When You Assume Things …
Uber says drivers could assume that under-served areas won’t tip well and could stay clear of those areas all together. BTW, drivers are sick and tired of waiting for you. So, Uber’s willing to drop its 5-minute wait time to 2 minutes and charge you for it by the minute. Uber says “we’ve seen that two minutes is usually sufficient time for riders to determine whether they need a car.” #TimeIsMoney
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
When You Get the Head Nod …
The U.S. House of Representatives gave the thumbs up on amending the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). The updated version would require law enforcement to get search warrants before getting all up in your e-mails and other online docs. U.S. Senate’s got next.
QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …
The Tech Sector is here for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. He’s raked in US $4.6 million from the tech sector, compared to Hillary’s US $2.6 million.
THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’
Amazon is crushing it out in these streets. Its profits are on the up and up for the first quarter of the year. The company’s pushing streaming service Amazon Prime, and its cloud business is pulling in US $10 billion this year. And, it’s also been on a hiring rampage. The e-commerce company hired about 80K people alone last year.
Twitter is the app formerly known as a “social networking” platform. It’s now calling itself a “News” app.
We feel like Internet companies are telling us to pack our bags and get outta dodge. Google’s getting into the travel biz with its new app called “Trips,” to help keep track of your trips and make recommendations.
Speaking of travel, Priceline’s CEO Darren Huston is stepping down. The company’s board uncovered Huston’s relationship with an employee. Since he’s married, the board didn’t think an affair was a good look. He’s resigning with no stock options to show for it. It’s been a tough week for alleged and actual cheaters. #Lemonade, anyone?
