Farhad and Mike’s Week in Tech: Uber Under ScrutinyEach Saturday, Farhad Manjoo and Mike Isaac, technology reporters at The New York Times, review the week’s news, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Jeff Bezos explains Amazon’s artificial intelligence and machine learning strategyAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos appeared this week at the Internet Association‘s annual gala in Washington, D.C., taking part in a wide-ranging discussion about the online economy, media coverage of Amazon, the company’s business principles, and even going off topic a bit to discuss his Blue Origin space venture. But Bezos seemed especially energized when Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman asked him about artificial intelligence and machine learning. [ Geek Wire ] Global Ledger: Mapping Bitcoin & Blockchain Startups Around The WorldOne of the key features of bitcoin and blockchain is that the technology allows people to transact more easily and safely across borders, without the need for currency conversion or other middlemen. In keeping with the global utility of the cryptocurrency, we are seeing increased interest abroad in bitcoin and blockchain tech. [ CB Insights ] These investor laws are stunting startup growthColumbus, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland — startup hot spots like these are popping up across the nation as innovation and entrepreneurship are on the rise. However, while momentum is building in the Midwest, several misguided business regulations are stunting the startup community’s full potential. After much discussion with fellow VentureOhio board members, including Mark Kvamme of Drive Capital and the leaders at the NVCA, we’ve identified four key regulations in particular that are throttling growth: the Volcker Rule, Qualified Small Business Stock Rules, Section 382, and the Registered Investment Advisor Rules. [ Venture Beat ] Facebook’s Zuckerberg has spoken with Trump numerous times on the phone: reportFacebook's Mark Zuckerberg reportedly has spoken with President Trump multiple times on the phone since Trump was elected president. The Facebook CEO made the comments when speaking with a family in Ohio, Business Insider reported. Zuckerberg, the founder and public face of tech giant Facebook, has spoken against the president's actions in the past. [ The Hill ] Miami University team nabs second place in first year at venture capital competitionEarlier this year, a team of nine undergraduates from Miami University's Farmer School of Business finished second in the Venture Capital International Competition, held at the University of North Carolina. It was the first year of competition for Miami – the school received an invitation to compete in October, giving the students only five months to prepare – but they finished better than all the best business schools in the world but two, Notre Dame University and Boston University, which tied for second. [ WCPO ] LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman: How Seattle can help Silicon Valley become less myopicLinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman built a technology giant in Silicon Valley, but he has been spending more time in Seattle recently as a startup investor and Microsoft’s newest board member. Hoffman offered his observations about the two tech hubs as part of a wide-ranging talk this afternoon at the Tech Alliance annual luncheon. [ Geek Wire ] From Planning The Met Gala To The ACLU’s Ascent: This Week’s Top Leadership StoriesThis week, we learned what planning one of New York’s biggest fashion events really involves, how the ACLU’s meticulous preparation for a Trump presidency pushed the organization to the forefront of the resistance, and what Facebook looks for in its hires—from interns to product managers. [ Fast Company ] Urban-X’s investors showcase features high-tech face masks, navigation for the blind and moreThe Urban-X investors showcase is a closed-door event that shows off eight different incubated startups to potential investors and press. I stopped by earlier this week to see what the fuss was about. Of the eight companies in Urban-X’s 02 cohort, I picked four that tackled problems relating to pollution, the visually impaired, urban deliveries and maintaining public cleanliness: O2O2 Facewear, WearWorks, Upcycles and Sencity, respectively. [ Tech Crunch ] What it's like to have a surprise dinner with Mark ZuckerbergAbout two weeks ago, Daniel Moore received a cryptic phone call. The 57-year-old resident of Newtown Falls, Ohio was told that a billionaire philanthropist from California wanted to meet and have dinner with his family. “I thought it was a prank phone call," Moore told Business Insider during a recent interview. "I almost hung up.” Moore pressed the person on the other end of the phone to reveal his employer's identity. While the staffer refused to give a name, he teased that 90% of Americans use his boss's product every day. Moore agreed to the visit. EBay’s First Diversity Chief On How To Make Inclusion Matter To EveryoneIf you’ve ever Googled “diversity in tech,” you’ll get a smattering of headlines such as these:
Data at the Center of Business If the C-suite formed a rock band based on their traditional roles, the brash, visionary CEO would be the singer and the resourceful COO would play lead guitar. The level-headed CFO would likely be cast as the drummer, an important member of the band, but placed in the background and charged mainly with keeping the band on track to help the other members shine. This view of the CFO as a back-office number cruncher who manages budgets, tracks expenses and keeps the lights on might have been accurate in the past, but the modern CFO is firmly at the center of business strategy. The catalyst for this transformation is the central role of data in today's business world. [ Bloomberg ] How 29-Year-Old Ellen Bennett Became The Culinary World’s Apron QueenRAK Logistics’ private equity firm, Samena Capital, was recently featured in an article by Bloomberg titled, “Gulf Royal-Backed Samena to Raise $700 Million for Asia.” Samena Capital is an investment group, who focuses on investments across multiple asset classes in the Subcontinent, Asia, Middle East and North Africa, collectively known as the SAMENA region. The vision of RAK Logistics Holdings Pte. Ltd. is to be the leading ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) headquartered integrated logistics company. RAK develops operations in all ASEAN countries generating a strong presence across the globe. RAK’s ASEAN foundation was one of the leading factors in creating the partnership. [ Fast Company ] |