Axios

Uber just notified workers it is naming Zoubin Ghahramani as chief scientist, a new role overseeing the company's artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts.

His appointment follows last week's departure of AI labs head Gary Marcus, a move first reported by Axios. Ghahramani, like Marcus, joined Uber as part of December acquisition of machine learning company Geometric Intelligence.

Until now, Ghahramani had been based in Cambridge but will move to Uber's San Francisco HQ to take up the new post.

Why it matters: Uber needs to retain key talent, especially in its most future-leaning endeavors like driverless cars and machine learning, both areas that have seen recent defections.

Apple has hired security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski, according to his personal blog.

Zdziarski is best known for opposing claims about Apple by the FBI following the San Bernadino shooting. He's also made headlines in when he claimed Apple had a backdoor into iOS, and for finding security flaws in apps like WhatsApp. Most recently, he published his findings after looking through the encryption tech behind Confide, an app for sending self-destructing messages that became popular among Republicans in Washington, as Axios reported.

Twitter no more: Unfortunately for security fans, Zdziarski has already deleted his Twitter account and is unlikely to continue to publish commentary, as Apple tends to frown upon its employees having a significant social media presence.

Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn founder and VC at Greylock Partners, announced on Tuesday he is joining Microsoft's board of directors. Microsoft, of course, bought LinkedIn last year in a $26 billion deal.

With tax deadlines fast approaching, Uber is using its technology to partner with providers of tax tools for contractors. Via Uber's application program interface (API), a software tool that lets outside developers plug into Uber's system, Intuit, H&R Block, Stride and Credit Karma can more easily help drivers calculate and file their taxes.

Pain point: In a recent survey of "gig economy" workers, Intuit found that nearly one in five (18%) said their top challenge with on-demand work was "understanding tax and legal obligations," the company told Axios.

Tax help: At the same time, tracking expenses can help independent contractors save a lot of money. Since releasing an app that helps ride-hailing drivers track their mileage and other expenses in late August, the startup says drivers have logged more than $60 million in deductions. What's more, the company says that tracking those deductions has translated into an effective tax rate of 8.7% for drivers—much lower than the 30% that's recommended for contractors to set aside for taxes.

Microsoft said Monday it has indeed heard from Wikileaks, which had said it would contact the tech firms whose vulnerabilities were disclosed in a massive document dump on its site.

"WikiLeaks has made initial contact with us via [email protected]," a representative told Axios, adding that no information has yet been shared with the software maker.

Microsoft, Apple and Google scrambled to assess the Wikileaks data following the massive dump, but Apple and the others said they believe most of the holes mentioned have already been patched. Google and Apple representatives were not immediately available to say whether Wikileaks had been in direct contact.

Facebook is underscoring that developers can't use the data they get from the company — and its subsidiary Instagram — "to provide tools that are used for surveillance." Rob Sherman, the company's Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, had this to say in a Facebook post announcing the policy change:

"Our goal is to make our policy explicit."

Why this matters: Advocates have condemned the use of data from social networks to assist law enforcement in surveillance. After the ACLU of Northern California highlighted the use of a tool called Geofeedia last year, Facebook and Instagram both moved to limit its access to their platform's data.

Researchers from Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have been working on the creation of a tiny edible and digestible robotic actuator which may be used to deliver medicine in the intestinal track or help provide internal stability, reports Recode.

These edible actuators are covered in gelatin, which is already used safely as an outer layer in medicine capsules available over the counter, and filled with air or fluid that reacts to chemicals, causing them to move. The researchers at EPF told Recode that if you combine these gelatin actuators with other edible electronics — such as ingestible batteries, chips and cameras — you could one day have a fully edible robot.

As earlier reported by Axios, Intel is paying $15.3 billion to acquire Israeli computer vision company Mobileye in an effort to boost the chipmaker's position in the autonomous car market.

That makes it the biggest deal of the year, the largest ever for an Israeli company and Intel's second largest deal ever, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Intel is tapping its foreign cash, paying $63.54 per share in cash for the company and said it should be immediately a boost to its per-share earnings; it is expected to close late this year.

Here's Intel CEO Brian Krzanich's letter to employees (PDF), as well as a missive from Mobileye (PDF) in which CEO Ziv Amnon says he and co-founder Amnon Shashua will continue to run the business.

Why it matters: After dominating the computer chip business in the PC era, Intel largely missed the smartphone revolution. In an effort not to miss the next wave, Intel has spent heavily to acquire companies in virtual reality, machine learning and, now, autonomous cars.

Meanwhile: Wouldn't want to be these guys. Vetr cut its rating on Mobileye – from buy to hold – just hours before news of the deal broke.

For the first time in in a couple of years, thousands of techies have had to get around Austin during South by Southwest without being able to hop in an Uber or Lyft ride—and the alternatives have had mixed success.

• Back story: Uber and Lyft packed up and left town last year after a failed campaign to reverse a new city requirement that drivers get fingerprinted. Fasten, Fare, and Ride Austin, among others, have since set up shop and won drivers over by charging them less while offering passengers a familiar service via mobile apps at reasonable prices.
• Stress test: While these alternatives seem to have generally done well for Austinites on average days, SXSW is no usual time. On Saturday night, many found themselves frustrated as they attempted to get a ride to avoid the rain, yet the apps weren't working.
• Counterpoint: Though seemingly a huge inconvenience, it may be much ado about nothing, as some on Twitter have argued. After all, Uber and Lyft have only existed for a few years, and festival-goers managed just fine before that. What's more, Uber and Lyft haven't been banned—they're simply choosing not to operate in Austin because it requires their drivers get fingerprinted.