Two visitors to Zillow's website have filed a class action lawsuit alleging the Seattle-based company illegally, and without their consent, wiretapped them online.
Why it matters: The claim is among a handful of recent lawsuits alleging that companies are violating people's privacy rights as they record customer interactions on their websites.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined in a 5-4 vote to block a lower court order requiring Yeshiva University to recognize an LGBTQ club.
Why it matters: The Modern Orthodox Jewish college had argued that a "government-enforced establishment" of the Pride Alliance club would cause "irreparable harm."
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard on Wednesday announced that he and his family are transferring 100% of the company’s stock to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization.
Why it matters: Changing ownership ensures the company will keep its independence and make sure all of its profits are used to combat climate change.
Auto shows were already struggling to maintain their relevance before the pandemic — and then we went two years without one, forcing them into an existential crisis.
Why it matters: The nation's major auto shows — those taking place in New York, Detroit, Los Angeles and Chicago — collectively drew millions of attendees annually in the past and served as the launching pad for dozens of new vehicles.
Baltimore City prosecutors are asking a judge to vacate Adnan Syed’s conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee and requesting a new trial based on new evidence after a nearly yearlong investigation.
Why it matters: The case received nationwide attention after it became the subject of the first season of the hit podcast "Serial," which cast doubt on the original prosecution and key pieces of evidence used against Syed.
Rail carriers and union officials on Wednesday met with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in Washington in an attemptto reach an agreement to avoid a looming freight rail strike.
Why it matters: The first national rail strike in 30 years could occur if the parties don't reach an agreement by Friday when a federally-mandated cooling-off period expires.
Why it matters: It's the latest disruption stemming from the looming labor strike that could start as soon as Friday, which would lead to a shutdown of most of the country's railway system. It would be the first U.S. railway strike in nearly three decades.
The monumental change for the Ethereum blockchain, known as The Merge, ups the ante for ether stakers as execution risk gives way to concentration risk.
Why it matters: 64% of staked ether currently resides with five entities, according to a report from Nansen, a blockchain data firm. And centralized exchanges are poised to ramp up ether staking following the Merge as their customers look to collect yield on coins — a trend that raises the specter of censorship.
Surging housing costs are the engine driving Tuesday's worrisome Consumer Price Index report — and it's going to be tough to bring them down.
Why it matters: The inflation numbers provoked a fresh round of worry that the Fed still hasn't gotten inflation under control, and that it'll have to raise interest rates quite a bit more.
What's new: The latest Business Roundtable (BRT) survey of its members — the chief executives of some of the world's largest companies — still shows healthy expectations for sales, hiring plans and investment. But the results, shared first with Axios, do point to a gloomier outlook than just a few months ago — and a marked deterioration from last year.
The biggest event in crypto this year was the market crashing in May. Tonight, when (and if) the Ethereum blockchain successfully pivots to proof-of-stake, that will be easily the second.
Why it matters: Above and beyond the supposed climate implications, The Merge showed that a giant, dispersed and leaderless community could come to consensus and pull off a complex re-engineering of an enormous, decentralized network.
Acelyrin, a Los Angeles-based biotech focused on inflammatory diseases like psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, raised $300 million in Series C funding led by Access Biotechnology.
Why it matters: This is a departure from biotech VC's current obsession with proprietary drug discovery platforms. Acelyrin bought its lead candidate and is focused on later-stage development and commercialization. It's not a unique strategy, but one that's become overshadowed.
Twitter whistleblower Peiter "Mudge" Zatko yesterday told a Senate committee that the social media company had put financial considerations ahead of user security.
The assembled senators were shocked. And dismayed. And appalled.
This included members of a Republican Party that's wielding opposition to corporate ESG (aka "woke capitalism") as an electoral messaging strategy, filtering down to state investment bans that could soon impact private equity.
Why it matters: Two-thirds of the ESG acronym refer to the very things that Zatko alleged.
America's child poverty rate plunged in 2021, hitting a record low and accelerating a decadelong decline. That's the main message from Census Bureau data released Tuesday.
Why it matters: Millions of children aren't growing up in poverty today, thanks in very large part to government poverty-reduction programs.
Two Sigma Ventures, born out of the hedge fund by a similar name a decade ago, has raised about $320 million for its fourth early-stage venture fund and $80 million for its second opportunities fund.
Why it matters: "A lot of [limited partners] are realizing that the next three years are going to be a great time to invest in venture because there's less competition, lower valuations," says partner Colin Beirne.
More than 110 consumer advocate groups sent a letter Tuesday urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to limit banks' and other financial services companies' ability to force customers with legal complaints into arbitration — essentially a private courtroom, outside the public view.
Why it matters: The groups, which include organized labor, civil rights organizations like the ACLU and NAACP and all of the major consumer protection outfits, are riding the momentum from landmark workplace legislation passed earlier this year that bans companies from forcing sexual harassment and assault claims into arbitration.
Starbucks is pledging to make your future drinks faster and heat up food with less waste as part of its reinvention plan.
Why it matters: Cold beverages have been a huge revenue driver for the coffee giant and the demand for time-consuming, customized drinks is growing in popularity among Gen Z and Millennial customers.
