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Dropbox COO Dennis Woodside. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Dropbox Sees Growth in Business Sales But Challenges Remain

By Eugene Kim · Apr 26, 2017 11:50am PDT
Dropbox appears to be making progress in its efforts to expand in the large-business market but executive departures may complicate its efforts.Patrick Heim, Dropbox’s former head of trust and security, stepped down in January to join a startup called ClearSky Security, according to his LinkedIn page. Mr. Heim, who previously served as the... Dropbox appears to be making progress in its efforts to expand in the large-business market but...
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Instagram’s Latest Growth Hacks

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 26, 2017 7:01am PDT
To take on Snapchat, Instagram has done more than just copy its features. It’s also heavily ramped up advertising on its parent site Facebook, and adopted other growth strategies long used by Facebook, such as sending more messages to users to get them to reopen the app. Instagram last year boosted digital ad spending by 30% to 40% to... To take on Snapchat, Instagram has done more than just copy its features. It’s also heavily...
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Controversies Take a Toll on Uber’s Stock

By Alfred Lee · Apr 25, 2017 7:02am PDT
Investors have cut the price they’re willing to pay for Uber stock on the secondary market by about 15% in recent months to a level that values Uber at around $50 billion, according to a broker, a sign of how the recent onslaught of negative news has affected the company. Another broker said they had seen an uptick in the number of Uber... Investors have cut the price they’re willing to pay for Uber stock on the secondary market...
Uber drivers protesting against the company in New York last year. Photo by Bloomberg.
How Uber Will Combat Rising Driver Churn
By Amir Efrati · Apr 20, 2017 7:02am PDT · 19 comments
Uber drivers protesting against the company in New York last year. Photo by Bloomberg.
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How Uber Will Combat Rising Driver Churn

By Amir Efrati · Apr 20, 2017 7:02am PDT · 19 comments
As Uber grapples with controversies over its workplace culture, CEO Travis Kalanick is considering a bevy of measures to tackle another enormous business challenge: the accelerating exodus of Uber drivers.The company is leaning toward allowing in-app tipping by riders, a longtime item on drivers’ wish list, say people involved with the... As Uber grapples with controversies over its workplace culture, CEO Travis Kalanick is...
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Amazon Embracing Profits Even as Investment Grows

By Eugene Kim · Apr 13, 2017 7:00am PDT · 2 comments
The big question hanging over Amazon lately is whether it will continue to post decent profits or invest them in a series of new ventures. The answer, CEO Jeff Bezos and other senior managers indicated to investors recently, is that profits will remain important.In a previously unreported meeting held with a group of investors earlier this year,... The big question hanging over Amazon lately is whether it will continue to post decent profits or...
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Uber’s Top Secret “Hell” Program Exploited Lyft’s Vulnerability

By Amir Efrati · Apr 12, 2017 6:54pm PDT · 9 comments
As the ride-sharing market was exploding in the U.S. between 2014 and the early part 2016, Uber had an advantage over Lyft that helped Uber maintain its lead, The Information has learned. Thanks to a secret software-based effort within Uber called “Hell,” Uber could track how many Lyft drivers were available for new rides and where... As the ride-sharing market was exploding in the U.S. between 2014 and the early part 2016, Uber...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Art by Matt Vascellaro.
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Inside the War Between Facebook and Snap

By Cory Weinberg and Tom Dotan · Apr 11, 2017 7:00am PDT · 11 comments
The rivalry between Facebook and Snap reached a very public boiling point in recent weeks as Facebook ramped up its blitz to mimic Snapchat’s app. It’s even gotten a little nasty. There have been public shots like saucy anti-Facebook rants from Evan Spiegel’s fiancée, model Miranda Kerr, and jabs at Instagram by... The rivalry between Facebook and Snap reached a very public boiling point in recent weeks as...
Alphabet CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.
Google Plots New Hardware to Take on Echo
By Kevin McLaughlin · Apr 5, 2017 7:01am PDT · 3 comments
Alphabet CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Google Plots New Hardware to Take on Echo

By Kevin McLaughlin · Apr 5, 2017 7:01am PDT · 3 comments
The battle between Alphabet and Amazon over the home assistant market is heating up. Google has been contemplating a big move to compete with Amazon’s Echo in hardware sales: releasing a version of its Google Home intelligent speaker with built-in mesh Wi-Fi networking, said a person with knowledge of the project. The battle between Alphabet and Amazon over the home assistant market is heating up. Google has...
Apple's campus. Photo by Flickr/Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño
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Veteran Apple Designer Leaving

By Reed Albergotti · Apr 3, 2017 12:05pm PDT
Long time Apple industrial designer Christopher Stringer is leaving the company in another shakeup to Apple’s vaunted design team. Mr. Stringer, who was at Apple for 21 years, was involved in the first iPhones and iPads and has a rare semi-public profile. He was a key witness in Apple’s years-long legal case against Samsung,... Long time Apple industrial designer Christopher Stringer is leaving the company in another...
Photo by Flickr/Laineema
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Nvidia Poaches Tesla Self-Driving Software Exec

By Amir Efrati · Mar 31, 2017 2:44pm PDT
The merry-go-round of self-driving car talent continues. David Nistér, a top member of the team at Tesla developing semi-autonomous driving features, known as "autopilot," has decamped for Nvidia, a maker of microchips for self-driving cars. Mr. Nistér, who joined Tesla in 2015, is considered to be one of the best... The merry-go-round of self-driving car talent continues. David Nistér, a top member of the...
Rizvi was the biggest investor in Twitter at the time of its IPO. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Rizvi Scales Back

By Alfred Lee and Martin Peers · Mar 31, 2017 12:44pm PDT
One of the most prominent private equity investors in Silicon Valley, Rizvi Traverse, is pulling back.Rizvi has decided to stop investing money from outsiders and will convert into a “family office” used by Rizvi’s partners, according to Ben Kohn, a managing partner. One of the most prominent private equity investors in Silicon Valley, Rizvi Traverse, is pulling...
An ad for eHi in a railway station in China. Photo by AP.
After Slaying Uber, Didi Faces Domestic Rivals
By Shai Oster, Amir Efrati and Juro Osawa · Mar 31, 2017 7:00am PDT
An ad for eHi in a railway station in China. Photo by AP.
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After Slaying Uber, Didi Faces Domestic Rivals

By Shai Oster, Amir Efrati and Juro Osawa · Mar 31, 2017 7:00am PDT
Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride hailing app that defeated Uber in China, is facing fresh challenges from a host of local rivals that are raising money and expanding through alliances.The latest challenge may be a potential alliance between China’s second largest car rental firm, eHi Car Services, and Shouqi Group, a state-owned taxi and... Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride hailing app that defeated Uber in China, is facing fresh...
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Apple Hires Former YouTube Exec to Boost Video Effort

By Amir Efrati · Mar 30, 2017 3:34pm PDT · 1 comment
Apple has hired Shiva Rajaraman, a veteran product manager from YouTube and Spotify, to help shape the company’s video strategy, according to three people briefed on the hiring. Mr. Rajaraman is the latest in a string of outsiders Apple has hired in recent months to strengthen its position in video, where it lags rivals like Amazon.com and... Apple has hired Shiva Rajaraman, a veteran product manager from YouTube and Spotify, to help...
Baidu CEO Robin Li. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Behind the Decline at China’s Tech Giant Baidu

By Juro Osawa and Yunan Zhang · Mar 29, 2017 7:01am PDT · 2 comments
When Google pulled its search engine out of China seven years ago, it handed a near monopoly to Baidu, the domestic rival founded by Robin Li. The ambitious U.S.-educated computer scientist-turned tech billionaire was hailed as a role model for the wave of overseas Chinese returnee entrepreneurs. Yet, instead of filling the void to become... When Google pulled its search engine out of China seven years ago, it handed a near monopoly to...
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Cisco Moving to Break Apart Networking Software from Hardware

By Kevin McLaughlin · Mar 28, 2017 10:47am PDT · 8 comments
Under pressure from its big corporate customers, Cisco Systems is getting ready to disrupt one of its biggest businesses.Cisco is planning to sell operating system software for networking devices—which switch internet traffic between networks—without requiring customers also buy Cisco’s high-end hardware, said two people... Under pressure from its big corporate customers, Cisco Systems is getting ready to disrupt one of...
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.
Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar Sparked HR Complaint
By Amir Efrati · Mar 24, 2017 9:05pm PDT · 29 comments
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Uber Group’s Visit to Seoul Escort Bar Sparked HR Complaint

By Amir Efrati · Mar 24, 2017 9:05pm PDT · 29 comments
A woman who dated Uber CEO Travis Kalanick for three years, Gabi Holzwarth, says she was with Mr. Kalanick when he and a team of five Uber employees visited an escort-karaoke bar in Seoul in mid-2014. At the bar, women sat in a circle, identified by numbered tags. Four male Uber managers picked women out of the group, calling out their numbers,... A woman who dated Uber CEO Travis Kalanick for three years, Gabi Holzwarth, says she was with Mr....
Kasita CEO Jeff Wilson inside one of Kasita's prefabricated homes. Photo by Flickr/Nicolas Boullosa.
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Airbnb, Alphabet Eye Homebuilding

By Cory Weinberg · Mar 24, 2017 7:00am PDT · 6 comments
Last year, employees in Airbnb’s experimental design studio explored ways of manufacturing small homes for people’s backyards, to provide extra space for guests. But the effort, which hasn’t previously been reported, was mostly scuttled for now, said a person with knowledge of the situation. Airbnb senior executives worried... Last year, employees in Airbnb’s experimental design studio explored ways of manufacturing...
Art by Matt Vascellaro.
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How Travis Kalanick’s Iron Grip Weakened Uber

By Amir Efrati · Mar 22, 2017 7:01am PDT · 6 comments
Several months ago, at an Uber company staff meeting, an employee asked CEO Travis Kalanick about a regulatory matter in Southeast Asia. When Mr. Kalanick said he didn’t know about the issue, Uber’s top operations executive for Asia, Andrew MacDonald, spoke up to tell Mr. Kalanick he’d fill him in about it later. Mr. Kalanick... Several months ago, at an Uber company staff meeting, an employee asked CEO Travis Kalanick about...
Alphabet CEO Larry Page. Photo by Bloomberg.
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Google Drops Employee Waiver for Pornography Suits

By Reed Albergotti · Mar 21, 2017 12:30pm PDT · 1 comment
Google will no longer require employees to waive their right to sue over pornography at work. The company changed its previous policy after an employee lawsuit alleged it violated labor laws. The Information brought the lawsuit to light last week.Google had previously required new employees to sign a form waiving their right to sue if they saw... Google will no longer require employees to waive their right to sue over pornography at work. The...
Huawei's booth at the Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona. Photo by Bloomberg.
After Google Phone Fizzles, Huawei Turns to AT&T for U.S. Expansion
By Juro Osawa · Mar 21, 2017 7:02am PDT · 3 comments
Huawei's booth at the Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona. Photo by Bloomberg.
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After Google Phone Fizzles, Huawei Turns to AT&T for U.S. Expansion

By Juro Osawa · Mar 21, 2017 7:02am PDT · 3 comments
Huawei, which is closing in on Apple and Samsung in smartphones, is making a fresh effort to sell its phones through a U.S. carrier. The smartphone maker is in the process of getting its homegrown Chinese mobile chipset accredited by AT&T in the U.S., an early but significant move in a market it has so far failed to crack, people familiar... Huawei, which is closing in on Apple and Samsung in smartphones, is making a fresh effort to sell...