10.9.2015

Good to Know: It’s a long weekend (note: in the U.S., Oct.12 is Columbus Day). No worries … We’ll be back on Tuesday, October 13!

THE SKINNY

Pointing Fingers …

Someone hacked Uber’s system, and the ride-hailing app thinks Lyft (its U.S. nemesis) did it.

You’d Better Be Able to Back It Up …

Someone accessed Uber’s system and downloaded up to 50,000 drivers’ names and license numbers. Uber admits this probably all went down because an employee inadvertently made a security key code publicly available by posting it to GitHub, a website programmers use to trade code. Thanks to a Comcast IP address, Uber thinks Lyft’s Chief Technology Officer Chris Lambert is their Public Enemy #1. The company can’t be too sure since the person’s identity is unknown.

Ok? Now What?

Uber won’t stop until it gets to the bottom of this. Since it can’t identify the person, the company filed a “John Doe” lawsuit and got Comcast involved. Uber convinced a federal judge to order Comcast to turn over records on the mystery subscriber. Attorneys for the subscriber are appealing the decision to avoid any potential “embarrassment and reputational harm” that could result from a reveal. Based on GitHub’s records, Uber’s targets could be any of four groups, including the Comcast IP address. Investigators think the Comcast subscriber has a history of trying to scrape Uber’s website for driver data and also believe that other databases show that the IP address links to Lambert. Lyft’s spokesperson said “no way, Jose” because Uber has no real evidence.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Onwards and Upwards …

Despite its legal drama with Uber, Lyft is making some important business moves. The company is partnering with Hertz Global Holdings to rent SUVs out to potential Lyft drivers. Stats show that over 60 million people over 25 years old in the U.S. don’t own a car. So, car rentals may be the answer to get more drivers into Lyft’s network. The Lyft-Hertz agreement includes discounted rates for Lyft drivers. Here’s the rental price breakdown: a standard SUV – $25/day, $150/week or $540/month; a premium SUV -$65/day, $390/week and $1,400/ month. And in other good news for Lyft drivers, the company is launching its Express Pay service next month, which means same day payments for drivers.

Had I kNOWN …

Earlier this week, we learned that fantasy sports websites FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. went into full on damage control after getting some unwanted attention, particularly from the New York State Attorney General, after news broke of potential insider trading by one of DraftKings’ employees. Both companies banned their employees from competing in their daily contests for money and also brought in seasoned legal teams to get their houses in order. But, as they say, things will get worse before they get better. Fantasy football player Adam Johnson who frequents both websites just filed a class action lawsuit against FanDuel and DraftKings. Johnson says he put 100 bucks into his DraftKings account but wouldn’t have done so had he known that a company employee may not have been playing fair. The damages Johnson is seeking have yet to be determined.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Uber is in a fighting mood. São Paulo’s Mayor Fernando Haddad banned the service in his city recently but later came up with a proposal that would allow Uber to operate legally. The proposal involves things like Uber admitting that it’s a “black taxi,” all Uber cars must painted black, and cars must be less than 5 years old. Not to mention, fees would apply. Uber said no thanks since it’s not a taxi service.

Price goin’ up! Netflix’s new users will be on the hook for a dollar more in fees. The streaming service’s price just went up to $10. No need to worry existing customers, your monthly fee will remain the same — for now.

Payment company Stripe just brought on Will Gaybrick as its new Chief Financial Officer. Gaybrick was previously an investor and software engineer with a law degree. Stay in school, kids.

Pinterest engineer Makinde Adeagbo wants to do his part to solve tech’s diversity problem. He just founded a non-profit to help connect black engineers with the resources needed to jumpstart their careers.

Next time you’re at your local KFC, Starbucks, Chili’s or Best Busy just know that using Apple Pay is an option.

Facebook’s David Marcus says messaging is the wave of the future. Given how well things are going in Asia with other messaging apps, we could see FB Messenger grow into a full-blown business complete with peer-to-peer payments and the ability to connect directly with businesses.

7.11.2014

GOOD TO KNOW: The Internet is the new television. Emmy nominations came out yesterday, and Netflix’s programming picked up 31 nominations for its hit shows like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” – over twice the amount the online service received last year.

THE SKINNY.

SO, BASICALLY …

Netflix and Verizon aren’t feeling each other right now.

THROWING SHADE WITH THE BEST OF ‘EM.

Despite a recent agreement allowing Netflix direct access to Verizon’s network, the blame game over which party is responsible for slow streaming speeds continues. Yesterday, Verizon said in a blog post that Netflix’s streaming issues is the online service’s own fault. The telecom company says these problems exist because Netflix chooses insufficient third party providers to deliver a huge amount of its traffic to Verizon even though the providers can’t handle it.

DON’T COME FOR ME, UNLESS I SEND FOR YOU.

Netflix responded and thanked Verizon for making its point. A Netflix spokesperson said that the ISP’s failure to upgrade its interconnection causes congestion. Ultimately, everyday people like us are paying the price for it when we can’t watch our favorite shows online without any interruptions. Netflix continues to call for strong net neutrality rules that also addresses interconnection.

WHAT IS NET NEUTRALITY?

Net neutrality is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, and preferential treatment should not be given to any one application, content, platform, etc. based on who pays for what.

IT’S COMPLICATED.

We’ll let John Oliver take it from here. His breakdown of the net neutrality debate is EPIC. Watch it. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

THE COST OF APPS IS TOO DAMN HIGH.

The Federal Trade Commission claims that Amazon allegedly permitted unauthorized in-app purchases by kids without parental consent. This action comes after the Commission received complaints presumably from parents who had to foot the bill for these apps, which the agency says collectively cost millions of dollars. Amazon is ready to put up a fight.

FREE CELLPHONES.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee just cleared a bill that would allow cellphone users to “unlock” their devices. If this bill turns into law, users will be able to use their phones on the wireless network of their choice.

I AM WHO YOU SAY I AM.

Aereo says that it should be treated like a cable company and now wants authorization to pay for a license to transmit broadcast channels. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision that found Aereo’s technology illegal, the startup says that a decision on whether it gets a license needs to happen sooner rather than later. Otherwise, stick a fork in them … they’re done.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Lyft is set to debut in New York City today and doesn’t think it should be subject to the city’s for hire regulations. Why? Well, the ride-sharing app says regulations need not apply because its drivers use their own cars to give rides to other for a “suggested donation.” The New York Taxi Commission disagrees.

The Yo app has gone viral, but it’s value is less than $10 million. For an app that literally lets its users only send the word ‘yo” to each other, we’d say that’s pretty good.

Cover, a new mobile payments app that allows restaurant goers to pay for their checks without actually waiting for the check and all the hoopla that goes with it, just raised $5.5 million.

NOTE TO SELF

It pays to have technical skills. Happy weekend, ya’ll!