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.