Axios

Uber's executive exodus continues, as head of finance Gautam Gupta is leaving in July, the company told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday and later confirmed to Axios. Gupta will be joining an undisclosed San Francisco startup where he'll be COO, Axios has learned.

Uber also revealed its latest quarterly financials (which it also reported to investors) on Thursday: It brought in $3.4 billion in revenue in the first quarter, up 18% from the fourth quarter. Its losses (not including employee stock and other items) also shrunk to $708 million, down from $991 million three months earlier. Its non-GAAP revenue for the quarter, which is adjusted for fares from carpool rides, is much lower at $1.5 billon, up from $1.4 billion.

Samsung has once again delayed the U.S. launch of its Bixby voice assistant, saying more testing is needed. The feature was originally due to launch with the Samsung Galaxy S8, but was earlier pushed back until spring.

The latest delay was first reported by the Wall Street Journal; a Samsung representative confirmed the pushback to Axios

Bixby Voice benefits from time to further enhance natural language understanding, and we are currently growing our user testing in the U.S. to prepare for launch. Key features of Bixby, including Vision, Home and Reminder, are available now.

Samsung didn't offer a new timeframe, but Spring runs through June 20, so it clearly won't be until after that point.

Apple is reportedly in the midst of manufacturing a Siri-powered device to compete with Amazon's Echo and Google Home, according to Bloomberg. The device has long been rumored.

Why it matters: Despite its success with mobile devices and laptops, Apple has been criticized for Siri's stalled improvement, especially while competitors Google and Amazon developed and launched their own digital assistants and home devices.

Timing: Apple could unveil the device as soon as its annual developer conference next week in Silicon Valley, though it won't be ready to ship the device until later in June, according to Bloomberg.

Different approach: Apple's device will reportedly offer virtual surround sound technology and be deeply integrated with the company's other hardware and software, including HomeKit-compatible devices and Apple Music.

Major internet service providers are treading carefully around a new proposal from conservative Rep. Marsha Blackburn that would place strict privacy restrictions on their networks as well as the web platforms that use them.

The details: Comcast's top policy executive David Cohen said at a Wednesday event that "we'll see how it plays out" and said it was an "appropriate inquiry" as to whether privacy regulators should treat all web browsing data as equally sensitive, as the proposed bill does.

AT&T's Bob Quinn said that it was "the first draft of the bill, we'll see where it all goes" but noted that the company's priority is to be subject to the same rules as web services.

Why it matters: The carefully phrased responses reflect providers' tricky position in the privacy debate. They like the idea of requiring Facebook and Google, which dominate the online ad industry, to play by the same rules when it comes to privacy. And having federal rules rather than varying state statutes would create fewer compliance headaches. But they don't like the idea of having to comply with regulations themselves.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he thinks more of society's problems need to be solved by government - and is pushing for greater transparency - but insists he has no plans to run for office himself.

"I have no political ambitions of my own — zero, nada, none," Ballmer said, speaking Tuesday at Code Conference. Ballmer recently launched USAFacts, an effort to produce the US government's equivalent of the annual reports that publicly traded companies have to file with the SEC.

USAFacts, he insists, is steadfastly nonpartisan. And Ballmer said he tries to personally steer clear of political stands, with two exceptions. "I do think budgets should balance," he said, adding his other belief is that every child should have the chance to advance economically from the position of his or her parents.

Ballmer also touched on his stake in Twitter, the technology of sports and what he did wrong at Microsoft.

Uber has fired self-driving car executive Anthony Levandowski, amid a legal battle with Alphabet's Waymo unit over alleged trade secret theft, according to an internal email obtained by the New York Times and confirmed to Axios by the company. Levandowski, who left Waymo more than a year ago and whose self-driving truck startup (Otto) was eventually acquired by Uber, has refused to hand over files he allegedly stole, instead asserting his Fifth Amendment rights.

Context: Uber last week told Levandowski that he could be terminated if he declines to cooperate with the court's orders. According to an Uber spokesperson, he failed to meet Uber's deadline to comply. Eric Meyhofer, who took over some of Levandowski's duties in April, will fully replace him.

Why it matters: Firing Levandowski is likely the last thing Uber wanted to do. Not only is he a rare expert in autonomous driving technology, but Uber effectively paid $680 million to hire him when it acquired Otto.

Russia and Ukraine engaged in a brief skirmish this morning — on Twitter, in English.

The beef: The countries argued over the nationality of Anna Yaroslavna, the queen consort of France from 1051 to 1060. She was born in Kievan Rus — a connected group of Slavic tribes from which some modern nations, including both Russia and Ukraine, claim their cultural ancestry. So to Ukrainians, she's "Anne of Kiev," and to Russians, she's "Anne of Russia."

Why it matters: It's just another arm of the all-out propaganda war between Russia and Ukraine following Russia's illegal seizure of Crimea. Plus, the statement "comply with int law" between two countries is all the more devastating when it's delivered with a Benedict Cumberbatch GIF.