Uber and Waymo are finally going to trial in an epic war over self-driving tech that could reshape Silicon ValleyUber and Waymo are finally about to have their day in court — and sparks are sure to fly. On Monday, in what promises to be one of Silicon Valley's biggest legal battles in years, the trial officially begins to determine whether Uber stole trade secrets from Waymo, a self-driving car unit owned by Google's parent company. The build-up over the last year has produced explosive headlines about Uber's alleged bad behavior, and sparked debate about the appropriateness of the "move-fast-and-break-things" Silicon Valley ethos epitomized (though not coined) by the ride-hailing firm. [ Business Insider] Thriving As A 'Woman In Tech'"I don't think of myself as 'a women in tech'," Candace Worley, Vice President and Chief Technical Strategist at McAfee tells me. "I think of myself as a tech professional - so when someone does point out the uniqueness of my gender in the industry it always surprises me that they even noticed." "I just don't think gender matters. What matters is how good you are at what you were hired to do." For over 20 years Worley has developed and delivered successful enterprise software solutions, resulting in notable market growth and new revenue streams for global companies. Initially joining McAfee as a product manager in 2000, she advanced rapidly within the company, and by 2010, was appointed senior vice president and general manager. Worley is currently responsible for go-to-market strategy and alternate routes to market, global enterprise messaging, solutions pricing and packaging, technical marketing, pricing and licensing strategy, and competitive intelligence across the corporate products portfolio. [ Gizmodo ] Growth With An Impact: The Rise Of VCs Looking To Fund A (Profitable) Cause Traditionally, impact investment has not been the cool kid in venture capital. But that’s slowly changing. More investors recognize that making money and making a positive impact on the world doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Part of the reason for that is millennials have grown up with a more socially responsible mindset than previous generations. As such, the businesses they are starting, and want to work for, tend to fall into the category of making a social impact. Intrigued by the concept of impact investing, we set about trying to identify venture capital funds focused exclusively, or almost exclusively, on this type of investing. We looked to the East Coast, West Coast, and in between for examples of these types of firms. Here’s what you need to know about these firms and why they believe impactful startups will outperform traditional venture investments. [ CrunchBase ] The Best Bit Of Advice On Writing I've ReceivedThis is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve collected about writing. When we read, we hear a rhythm. And when we read, we look to find that rhythm, which pushes us through the end of a sentence, so if I write a really long sentence, and the reader isn’t expecting it – like this one – the reader will find it really hard to follow and understand where I am going. If I write a short sentence, you can breathe. E793: News Roundtable! Ari Levy CNBC & Dave Mathews NewAer: Crypto, Big tech earnings, Trump TaxPeople are flocking to #DeleteHQ after news of Peter Thiel fundingPlayers of the widely popular trivia app HQ are displeased with the news that the app’s next round of funding may come from Founders Fund, a venture firm founded by billionaire Peter Thiel. Recode reported the news yesterday; today, the hashtag #DeleteHQ has started trending as users are speaking out against plans to raise money with Thiel’s company. Trivia app HQ has enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity since its launch, including a milestone of 1 million players just last month and a launch in the UK. Despite its popularity, however, its creators have had trouble pulling in investor money, largely due to claims of unsavory behavior on the part of HQ co-founder Colin Kroll. According to Recode, the company plans to pull money in through a new round of financing; Founders Fund would lead that round with $15 million. [ The Verge ] SURVEY FINDS CONSERVATIVES FEEL OUT OF PLACE IN SILICON VALLEYIN RECENT WEEKS, uproar over Silicon Valley’s alleged bias against conservatives has intensified—from Project Veritas secretly filming Twitter employees to fired Google engineer James Damore suing his former employer for allegedly discriminating against whites, males, and conservatives at a company that is 69 percent white and 56 percent male. Now Lincoln Network, a right-leaning political group for tech workers, wants to enter the fray as a voice of reason—armed with data. [ Wired ] What Silicon Valley tech VCs get wrong about consumer investingFemale Founders Conference - SeattleJeff Goldblum bringing his charm to Silicon Valley Comic ConSid Krommenhoek - Founder of Peak Venture CapitalMeet the 30-year-old Manhattanite who works at a hot tech startup all day and sells sweatpant overalls as a side hustleSoftBank has a new public relations chief to help it explain its huge dealsSenate leader to Silicon Valley: Don’t squander ‘major’ housing breakthroughGrim venture capital numbers don't reflect Madison's 'sparkling' startup economy, analyst saysThe best time to launch your startup is nowBEE fund: R3.5bn venture capital fund cracks government nodLendMyTrend is a peer-to-peer garment rental service targeting cash-strapped young adultsSilicon Valley Bank's Platts Says Talent Access Key Issue |