Why it matters: From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.
Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that it's unconstitutional for the government to permit certain robocalls but ban others based on who's doing the calling and for what purpose.
Why it matters: The ruling leaves existing restrictions on robocalls in place and ends a recent exemption from them, rather than opening the floodgates to more.
The New York Times building. Photo: Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Tensions between tech and tech media hit a boiling point over the weekend, in the latest fraying of a once-cozy relationship.
The shortest version is that New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz tweeted out some screenshots from the public Instagram of Away CEO Steph Korey, in which she criticized media coverage of her company.
Muslim activists hold placards and shout slogans against China during a protest in Mumbai, India, last month. Photo: Himanshu Bhatt/NurPhoto via Getty Images
China's tech rivalry with the U.S. has taken the spotlight lately, but it is also in another major dispute with India — one that has significant implications for the tech landscape in both countries.
Why it matters: China and India are the first and second most populous nations on the planet and constitute two of the most important emerging markets for buying tech products. Both countries also want to become more significant tech producers as well.
Mark Johnson. Photo: GrainBridge
In 2011, Mark Johnson sold his startup Zite to CNN for $20 million (it was later acquired by Flipboard). Three years later, he moved to New Mexico, where he ran Descartes Labs, which makes sense of satellite imagery. In May, Johnson made another big move — relocating to Omaha to run GrainBridge, an agriculture tech company that is a joint venture between Cargill and ADM.
Why it matters: Tech is seen as vitally important for the global agriculture industry, which faces the stresses of climate change and predictions of a significant increase in food demand with roughly the same amount of land devoted to farming.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Uber has agreed to acquire food delivery company Postmates for $2.65 billion in an all-stock deal, the companies announced Monday.
Why it matters: This is the latest merger for the food delivery space as the sector undergoes an ongoing market consolidation.
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
The federal government's main program to keep lower income people connected is only serving one-fifth of the people it could help, even during a pandemic that has forced school and work online.
Why it matters: Millions of Americans still lack access to the high-speed internet service that's become vital as people remain stuck at home and reopenings reverse.