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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, speaks at an Oculus event last year. Photo by Bloomberg
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Facebook Seeks Engineers for Custom AR Chips

By Aaron Tilley and Sarah Kuranda · Sep 18, 2018 7:01am PDT
Facebook is stepping up its investments in augmented reality, seeking to hire engineers to work on custom silicon chips for devices that enable the technology. In at least four job listings posted in recent days, a research group inside the company called Facebook Reality Labs advertised engineering positions requiring expertise in the design of... Facebook is stepping up its investments in augmented reality, seeking to hire engineers to work...
Diane Greene, CEO of Google Cloud, speaking at an event in July. Photo by Bloomberg
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Google Cloud Tests Devices for Private Data Centers

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 17, 2018 10:01am PDT · 3 comments
Executives at Google Cloud have said they are willing to meet large customers “where they are”—marketing-speak for their openness to extending Google cloud services into the private data centers of customers. As an example, Google in July announced a version of its Kubernetes software, which is used to manage large numbers of... Executives at Google Cloud have said they are willing to meet large customers “where they...
Tencent's Honor of Kings mobile game on an iPhone in Hong Kong last year. Photo by Bloomberg
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Apple’s China App Store Loophole

By Wayne Ma and Juro Osawa · Sep 13, 2018 7:01am PDT
In Apple’s iOS App Store in China, videogames such as “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” “Modern Combat 5” and “The Walking Dead” are for sale. Those games aren’t supposed to be available in the country. They lack approvals from regulators, a prerequisite every game needs before it can be released in... In Apple’s iOS App Store in China, videogames such as “Grand Theft Auto: San...
Photos by Bloomberg, Company website. Source: The Information
The People With (Digital) Power at Walmart
By Priya Anand · Sep 12, 2018 7:01am PDT
Photos by Bloomberg, Company website. Source: The Information
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The People With (Digital) Power at Walmart

By Priya Anand · Sep 12, 2018 7:01am PDT
Shortly after Marc Lore joined Walmart, an employee asked the company’s new U.S. ecommerce chief at an all-hands meeting if there were any books he read for inspiration. Mr. Lore replied that he wasn’t much of a reader, preferring instead to spend his time thinking, said one current Walmart employee who saw the presentation and... Shortly after Marc Lore joined Walmart, an employee asked the company’s new U.S. ecommerce...
Sentient CEO Babak Hodjat at a conference in New Orleans in May. Photo by Flickr/Collision Conf
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AI Startup’s Stumbles Show Challenges in Crowded Market

By Kevin McLaughlin · Sep 11, 2018 10:30am PDT · 3 comments
Artificial intelligence startup Sentient Technologies seemed to have hit paydirt three years ago when it landed customers such as shoe retailer Zappos and shoe maker  Skechers for its software, which uses AI algorithms to recommend products to shoppers. But in the past year Sentient has stumbled in efforts to diversify into advertising and... Artificial intelligence startup Sentient Technologies seemed to have hit paydirt three years ago...
An Amazon Go store in Seattle. Photo by Bloomberg
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Amazon to Open Cashierless ‘Go’ Store in New York

By Priya Anand · Sep 7, 2018 11:27am PDT · 2 comments
Amazon’s cashierless convenience store is headed for its biggest stage yet: New York. On Thursday night, the internet retailer posted at least four job listings related to an Amazon Go store in the New York area. The listings seek candidates for a store manager, an assistant store manager, a learning and development manager, and a training... Amazon’s cashierless convenience store is headed for its biggest stage yet: New York. On...
Photo by Bloomberg
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Apple Hires Former Condé Nast Executive for News App

By Aaron Tilley · Sep 6, 2018 3:00pm PDT
Apple is beefing up the management of its Apple News product, with the recent hiring of veteran media executive Liz Schimel.The hiring is another sign of the increasing importance of Apple’s news operation, which has become a significant source of traffic for many media organizations at a time when Facebook is placing less emphasis on... Apple is beefing up the management of its Apple News product, with the recent hiring of veteran...
Microsoft's AI research chief Harry Shum. Photo by Bloomberg.
Huawei Guns for Nvidia With Potential Microsoft AI Chip Deal in China
By Juro Osawa · Sep 5, 2018 10:00am PDT · 2 comments
Microsoft's AI research chief Harry Shum. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Huawei Guns for Nvidia With Potential Microsoft AI Chip Deal in China

By Juro Osawa · Sep 5, 2018 10:00am PDT · 2 comments
Microsoft and Huawei Technologies are discussing the possibility of the U.S. company using Huawei’s newly developed artificial intelligence chips for data centers in China, people familiar with the matter said. While it is uncertain whether they will reach an agreement, a deal with Microsoft would be the Chinese company’s first step... Microsoft and Huawei Technologies are discussing the possibility of the U.S. company using...
Illustration by Mike Sullivan. Photos by Bloomberg, AP
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Inside the World of Eddy Cue, Apple’s Services Chief

By Aaron Tilley · Sep 5, 2018 7:02am PDT · 3 comments
It is easy for Apple employees to tell when they have lost the attention of Eddy Cue, the leader of the company’s sprawling internet initiatives—from its music and video businesses to its maps service.During meetings, Mr. Cue is sometimes known to fall silent, shut his eyes and tilt his head back, leaving other participants to wonder... It is easy for Apple employees to tell when they have lost the attention of Eddy Cue, the leader...
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son at a news conference in Tokyo last month. Photo: Bloomberg
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Under Scrutiny, SoftBank Tries New Deal Structures

By Alfred Lee · Sep 4, 2018 10:02am PDT
As the U.S. government puts foreign investments into U.S. companies under the microscope, one of the world’s biggest tech investors, SoftBank, is taking complicated steps to try to insulate its deals from regulatory roadblocks.SoftBank has split some recent venture capital deals into two parts: an initial component to acquire a voting... As the U.S. government puts foreign investments into U.S. companies under the microscope, one of...
Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang, speaking at a news conference in Hong Kong last year. Photo: Bloomberg
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Alibaba Puts the Brakes on U.S. Cloud Expansion

By Kevin McLaughlin · Aug 31, 2018 7:01am PDT
China’s internet giant Alibaba is putting on hold its plans to expand its cloud business in the U.S., people familiar with the matter said, after its initial efforts to take on Amazon Web Services and other big players didn’t live up to its expectations. The company also feared that an aggressive strategy would provoke a backlash in... China’s internet giant Alibaba is putting on hold its plans to expand its cloud business in...
Bird scooters in Detroit. Photo: Bloomberg
Scooter Startups Try to Solve Their Parking Problem
By Cory Weinberg · Aug 29, 2018 10:00am PDT · 1 comment
Bird scooters in Detroit. Photo: Bloomberg
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Scooter Startups Try to Solve Their Parking Problem

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 29, 2018 10:00am PDT · 1 comment
Sergio Romo is trying to build the Latin American version of Lime or Bird, recently raising about a $20 million seed round for Grin, his scooter startup, from prominent Silicon Valley investors including Y Combinator, DCM Ventures and Shasta Ventures, people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Romo said he has learned a lesson from some of the... Sergio Romo is trying to build the Latin American version of Lime or Bird, recently raising about...
Amazon's latest Fire Stick TV devices introduced last year. Photo by Bloomberg
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Amazon Plans New Video App, Latest Step Into TV Ad Market

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Aug 28, 2018 1:18pm PDT
Amazon.com is planning to launch a free, advertising-supported video service for the estimated 48 million people who use its Fire TV streaming video devices, say people familiar with the situation. The new service, which is being developed by Amazon’s IMDB subsidiary, will join a growing collection of efforts by Amazon to tap into the $70... Amazon.com is planning to launch a free, advertising-supported video service for the estimated 48...
A Waymo vehicle sits parked in Chandler, Ariz. Photo: Bloomberg
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Waymo’s Big Ambitions Slowed by Tech Trouble

By Amir Efrati · Aug 28, 2018 7:00am PDT · 11 comments
CHANDLER, Ariz.—Alphabet’s Waymo unit is a worldwide leader in autonomous vehicle development for suburban environments. It has said it would launch a driverless robo-taxi service to suburban Phoenix residents this year. Yet its self-driving minivan prototypes have trouble crossing the T-intersection closest to the company’s... CHANDLER, Ariz.—Alphabet’s Waymo unit is a worldwide leader in autonomous vehicle...
Software maker Twilio was among the companies in which mutual funds sold a substantial portion of their holdings post-IPO. Photo: Bloomberg
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Post-IPO, Mutual Funds Quick to Shrink Startup Stakes

By Alfred Lee · Aug 27, 2018 7:01am PDT · 2 comments
Mutual funds investing in private tech firms are often perceived to be in it for the long haul, rather just holding out for an IPO windfall. But public filings tell a more complicated story: Mutual funds sometimes cut their investments substantially after their portfolio companies go public. Mutual funds have sold significant portions of their... Mutual funds investing in private tech firms are often perceived to be in it for the long haul,...
Zoox's former CEO Tim Kentley-Klay with his co-founder Jesse Levinson at The Information's self driving car summit in June. Photo by Erin Beach
CEO of Self-Driving Car Startup Zoox Is Out
By Amir Efrati · Aug 22, 2018 1:47pm PDT · 3 comments
Zoox's former CEO Tim Kentley-Klay with his co-founder Jesse Levinson at The Information's self driving car summit in June. Photo by Erin Beach
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CEO of Self-Driving Car Startup Zoox Is Out

By Amir Efrati · Aug 22, 2018 1:47pm PDT · 3 comments
Tim Kentley-Klay, the co-founder and CEO of Zoox, one of the most high-profile and well-financed startups in the self-driving car world, has left the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. In a tweet, Mr. Kentley-Klay said he was fired.Carl Bass, the former CEO of Autodesk who has been a board director of Zoox, has stepped up... Tim Kentley-Klay, the co-founder and CEO of Zoox, one of the most high-profile and well-financed...
The New York Yankees, whose games are carried on the Fox sports channel the Yes Network. Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Jeremy M. Call
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Fox May Bid to Buy Back Sports Channels

By Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan · Aug 21, 2018 12:50pm PDT
Everyone from Amazon.com to YouTube to Liberty Media has been reported as a potential bidder for the 22 Fox regional sports networks that Disney must sell as a condition of buying most of 21st Century Fox. One name that hasn’t surfaced may be the least—and most—surprising: Fox itself. Executives at Fox have discussed... Everyone from Amazon.com to YouTube to Liberty Media has been reported as a potential bidder...
Didi founder Cheng Wei. Photo by Bloomberg.
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As Didi’s Growth Misses Goals, Focus Shifts to Car Services

By Yunan Zhang · Aug 21, 2018 7:01am PDT · 1 comment
Growth is falling short of internal targets at Didi Chuxing, the world’s biggest ride-hailing company. That has added urgency to its efforts to generate new revenue by diversifying into car insurance, maintenance, car sales and consumer loans. Didi, valued at $56 billion last December, has scaled back this year’s internal... Growth is falling short of internal targets at Didi Chuxing, the world’s biggest...
Photo by Katerra
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Inside the Struggles of a SoftBank-Backed Construction Startup

By Cory Weinberg · Aug 20, 2018 7:00am PDT · 1 comment
Jon Hamilton, a longtime construction worker, got a job last year leading a small crew building a custom home near San Antonio, Texas. His employer, Katerra, was one of the most well-funded startups in Silicon Valley. The tech-oriented construction company has raised more than $1 billion from major investors including SoftBank, Foxconn and DFJ.... Jon Hamilton, a longtime construction worker, got a job last year leading a small crew building a...
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Wish, an Internet Dollar Store, Struggles to Keep Customers
By Priya Anand · Aug 16, 2018 7:01am PDT
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
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Wish, an Internet Dollar Store, Struggles to Keep Customers

By Priya Anand · Aug 16, 2018 7:01am PDT
Private investors have put a lot of faith in Wish becoming the online version of dollar stores, betting on huge growth for the ecommerce site and rewarding it with a valuation of about $8.5 billion. One possible hitch in those plans is that Wish’s new customers stop shopping at the site in fewer and fewer numbers within a few months of... Private investors have put a lot of faith in Wish becoming the online version of dollar stores,...