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Guards at the U.S. capitol try to stop pro-Trump mob from entering a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Credit: Bloomberg

After Capitol Violence, Some Facebook Employees Call For Ban of Trump

By Alex Heath · Jan 6, 2021 6:07pm PST

Facebook temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from posting on the site after dozens of the company’s employees asked CEO Mark Zuckerberg to suspend or ban his account. Trump had falsely claimed in a video post on Wednesday that the election was “stolen” and praised rioters who had earlier stormed the U.S. Capitol. For an... Facebook temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from posting on the site after dozens of the...

A Grab taxi. Photo by Bloomberg.

Grab’s Fintech Unit Raises $300 Million As Asia’s Tech Wars Intensify

By Juro Osawa · Jan 6, 2021 6:53am PST

Grab, the Southeast Asian $15 billion ride-hailing and food-delivery giant backed by SoftBank and Uber, is accelerating its expansion into financial services with a new fundraising by its fintech subsidiary. Grab is betting on growing demand from the regions’ rising class of merchants and consumers. The unit, Grab Financial Group, has... Grab, the Southeast Asian $15 billion ride-hailing and food-delivery giant backed by SoftBank and...

Hinge Health co-founders Daniel Perez (left) and Gabriel Mecklenburg. Photo courtesy of Hinge Health

Hinge Health Valued at $3 Billion by Tiger Global, Coatue

By Kate Clark · Jan 5, 2021 3:27pm PST · 3 comments

Hinge Health, which sells virtual physical therapy sessions for customers with back and joint pain, has raised a financing round led jointly by Coatue Management and Tiger Global Management at a valuation of $3 billion, or seven times its last financing in April, according to two people familiar with the matter. The San Francisco–based... Hinge Health, which sells virtual physical therapy sessions for customers with back and joint...

Cameo CEO Steven Galanis. Photo: Courtesy of Cameo

Cameo to Seek Funding as CEO Eyes Expansion

By Alex Heath · Jan 5, 2021 9:01am PST

Cameo CEO Steven Galanis. Photo: Courtesy of Cameo

Cameo to Seek Funding as CEO Eyes Expansion

By Alex Heath · Jan 5, 2021 9:01am PST

Cameo, a service that lets fans pay celebrities to create personalized video messages, plans to raise more venture capital in the coming months and potentially buy smaller tech startups, according to CEO Steven Galanis. The four-year-old startup, last valued at $300 million, also plans to introduce new money-making features such as subscriptions... Cameo, a service that lets fans pay celebrities to create personalized video messages, plans to...

Workers at a Pegatron Corp. factory in Shanghai, China in 2016. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Took Three Years to Cut Ties With Supplier That Used Underage Labor

By Wayne Ma · Dec 31, 2020 6:01am PST · 2 comments

Seven years ago, Apple made a staggering discovery: Among the employees at a factory in China that made most of the computer ports used in its MacBooks were two 15-year-olds. Apple told the manufacturer, Suyin Electronics, that it wouldn’t get any new business until it improved employee screening to ensure no more people under 16 years of... Seven years ago, Apple made a staggering discovery: Among the employees at a factory in China...

Starburst CEO Justin Borgman. Photo courtesy of Starburst.

Investors Pay High Price for Starburst Data at $1.6 Billion Valuation

By Kate Clark · Dec 23, 2020 12:28pm PST

Enterprise software startup Starburst Data is raising a Series C financing at a post-money valuation of up to $1.6 billion, tripling the value of its private stock from six months ago despite relatively small revenue, according to an updated company charter. Andreessen Horowitz had been in the running to lead the round, two people familiar with... Enterprise software startup Starburst Data is raising a Series C financing at a post-money...

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, center, at a conference last year. Photo by Bloomberg

Buoyed by Video Success, Zoom Explores Email, Calendar Services

By Kevin McLaughlin · Dec 23, 2020 6:01am PST · 4 comments

Zoom Video Communications has had an astonishing rise in 2020, emerging as the go-to service for work meetings and family get-togethers during the pandemic. Now the company is considering whether it could replicate its success in video in an even more competitive market: corporate email. The company has begun developing a web email service and... Zoom Video Communications has had an astonishing rise in 2020, emerging as the go-to service for...

China Renaissance founder Fan Bao. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amid IPO Boom, China’s Top Tech Dealmaker Raising $2.5 Billion for Investment Funds

By Juro Osawa · Dec 23, 2020 2:29am PST

China Renaissance founder Fan Bao. Photo by Bloomberg.

Amid IPO Boom, China’s Top Tech Dealmaker Raising $2.5 Billion for Investment Funds

By Juro Osawa · Dec 23, 2020 2:29am PST

China Renaissance, the boutique bank launched by influential tech dealmaker Fan Bao, is in talks to raise about $2.5 billion for two new investment funds that largely will target private tech companies, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The size of the funds shows how successful initial public offerings by Chinese tech startups and... China Renaissance, the boutique bank launched by influential tech dealmaker Fan Bao, is in talks...

Ironclad co-founders Jason Boehmig, CEO (L) and Cai GoGwilt, CTO (R). Photo provided by Ironclad

Mary Meeker’s VC Firm Bond Invests in Ironclad at Nearly $1 Billion Valuation

By Kate Clark and Ross Matican · Dec 21, 2020 12:21pm PST

Ironclad, which develops software that helps companies such as Dropbox and Mastercard create and manage business contracts, has raised at least $100 million in a Series D funding at a post-investment valuation of more than $950 million, or more than double its valuation from a year ago, according to several people familiar with the deal. Bond,... Ironclad, which develops software that helps companies such as Dropbox and Mastercard create and...

Hopin founder and CEO Johnny Boufarhat

How Johnny Boufarhat Built the Fastest Software Startup ‘Unicorn’ in History

By Zoë Bernard · Dec 18, 2020 6:01am PST · 7 comments

In the annals of venture capital, Hopin, which enables businesses to host events online, is a unicorn among unicorns: It might be the fastest business software startup to reach a private “unicorn” valuation of $1 billion, let alone the $2.1 billion it reached last month—just under a year after it was founded. Hopin owes that... In the annals of venture capital, Hopin, which enables businesses to host events online, is a...

Google CEO Sundar Pichai

What the Google Ads Antitrust Lawsuit Doesn’t Say

By Amir Efrati, Alex Heath and Christopher Stern · Dec 16, 2020 7:28pm PST · 6 comments

Antitrust lawsuits are meant to make their targets look bad, and the Texas attorney general’s long-anticipated case filed on Wednesday against Google for allegedly using advertising technology to muscle out competitors is no exception. There are the “Star Wars”–related code names Google used to describe its secret plans... Antitrust lawsuits are meant to make their targets look bad, and the Texas attorney...

Alibaba's Jack Ma and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Photos by Bloomberg and AP

How Alibaba Lost India: A Tale of Missed Opportunities and Bad Luck

By Juro Osawa · Dec 16, 2020 10:22am PST · 4 comments

Alibaba's Jack Ma and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Photos by Bloomberg and AP

How Alibaba Lost India: A Tale of Missed Opportunities and Bad Luck

By Juro Osawa · Dec 16, 2020 10:22am PST · 4 comments

In the fall of 2016, Cyrus Mistry, then chairman of India’s biggest conglomerate, Tata Group, flew to China for a crucial meeting with Joe Tsai, Alibaba’s co-founder and executive vice chairman, according to two people with direct knowledge of the visit. Alibaba had been courting Tata, hoping an alliance would jump-start its business... In the fall of 2016, Cyrus Mistry, then chairman of India’s biggest conglomerate, Tata...

A sign outside Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters. Photo: Bloomberg

Facebook to Let Users Book Services in Potential Rivalry to Angie’s List

By Alex Heath · Dec 16, 2020 6:01am PST

Facebook is planning to let its users find and book services through its app, a move that could position the social media giant as a competitor to gig economy marketplaces such as TaskRabbit, Fiverr, and Angie’s List. The social network is building a team to focus on services, potentially including home repairs or freelance jobs, within... Facebook is planning to let its users find and book services through its app, a move that could...

Social Finance CEO Anthony Noto, shown in 2018. Photo: Bloomberg

SoFi Q3 Revenue Hit $200 Million, Aided by Low Rates

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 15, 2020 10:54am PST

Social Finance CEO Anthony Noto has spent nearly three years trying to turn around the online lender after internal turmoil. The business now appears to be on a stronger footing as low interest rates drive more borrowing and refinancing across the U.S. Social Finance, known as SoFi, pulled in about $200 million in revenue in the third quarter... Social Finance CEO Anthony Noto has spent nearly three years trying to turn around the online...

Steve Huffman, chief executive officer and co-founder of Reddit Inc., in 2018. Photo: Bloomberg

Reddit to Buy TikTok Rival Dubsmash in New Video Push

By Alex Heath and Jessica E. Lessin · Dec 13, 2020 6:16pm PST · 1 comment

Reddit, the 15-year-old online news aggregator and discussion forum, has agreed to buy lip-synching video app Dubsmash, one of the few remaining startups to rival TikTok, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal. The acquisition, originally set to be announced on Monday, marks an unexpected push by Reddit into mobile video,... Reddit, the 15-year-old online news aggregator and discussion forum, has agreed to buy...

OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely. Photo by OnlyFans.

OnlyFans Is Not Only Popular, But Hugely Profitable

By Tom Dotan · Dec 11, 2020 9:30am PST · 2 comments

OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely. Photo by OnlyFans.

OnlyFans Is Not Only Popular, But Hugely Profitable

By Tom Dotan · Dec 11, 2020 9:30am PST · 2 comments

OnlyFans is having a moment in the tech world as investors and executives marvel at the site’s transition from a seemingly niche, under-the-radar outfit into a mainstream phenomenon. But what is even more impressive is just how good a business OnlyFans is proving to be. This year, the subscription-based social media service will earn $300... OnlyFans is having a moment in the tech world as investors and executives marvel at the...

Workers at a Foxconn assembly line in Shenzhen, China. Photo by Bloomberg

Apple Turned Blind Eye to Supplier Breaches of Chinese Labor Laws

By Wayne Ma · Dec 9, 2020 6:00am PST · 2 comments

In 2014, Apple executives became alarmed when China enacted a new labor law meant to protect workers’ rights. The law required that no more than 10% of a factory’s workforce be temporary workers. Typically these employees have fewer benefits and legal protections than permanent ones, but Apple’s suppliers increasingly relied on... In 2014, Apple executives became alarmed when China enacted a new labor law meant to protect...

Groceries being distributed from a local shop working with Didi Chuxing. Photo provided by Didi Chuxing.

Shaved Heads, 84-Hour Work Week as China Tech Gets Into Groceries

By Yunan Zhang · Dec 8, 2020 6:01am PST · 5 comments

When Didi Chuxing, China’s biggest ride-hailing app, launched its online grocery business six months ago, some operations employees shaved their heads to show their commitment. In Chengdu, a city of 16 million in the southwestern province of Sichuan, these employees worked until midnight, slept in cots in their office and toiled... When Didi Chuxing, China’s biggest ride-hailing app, launched its online grocery business...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Record Number of U.S. Firms Invested in Europe Tech This Year

By Mark Di Stefano · Dec 7, 2020 10:20am PST · 3 comments

Alex Lim, a partner at Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture firm IVP, flew to Europe six times in the 12 months before the coronavirus outbreak to visit founders and startups in the region. The pandemic abruptly halted those visits. But Lim’s interest in Europe didn’t flag. In the course of six months, he led his firm’s two... Alex Lim, a partner at Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture firm IVP, flew to Europe six times...

Mike Sullivan

Airbnb’s Biggest IPO Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 7, 2020 6:00am PST · 15 comments

Mike Sullivan

Airbnb’s Biggest IPO Winners

By Cory Weinberg · Dec 7, 2020 6:00am PST · 15 comments

Sequoia Capital’s early bet on Airbnb will likely propel it to one of the greatest hauls in the history of venture capital, turning a $260 million investment made over the past 11 years into a stake that is now worth about $4.8 billion. But what hasn’t been previously reported is that the firm’s relationship with its portfolio... Sequoia Capital’s early bet on Airbnb will likely propel it to one of the greatest hauls in...