Fresh off the release of a string of headlines about its workplace, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference Monday that culture "can can change but it cannot change in the matter of months," adding that "culture work is never done."
Why it matters: Much of Khosrowshahi's tenure since taking over the company nearly a year ago has been about cleaning up the company's problems, which led to his predecessor's resignation in June 2017.
Amazon's third-annual Prime Day kicked off at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, but shoppers quickly reported glitches as the mobile app and desktop site crashed.
Why it matters: This is one of Amazon's biggest sales days of the year, offering deals on a bunch of products just for its Prime members. It's ironic that Amazon's site wasn't able to handle the traffic surge, Axios' Ina Fried points out: "It is a day they made up and chose the timing of, and they are the leading cloud computing company in the world."
Netflix stock was down nearly 14% in after-hours trading after the company reported that it missed investor expectations on revenue and subscriber additions.
Why it matters: The company has spent an enormous amount on original content and marketing to ensure strong user growth quarter after quarter. Both expenditures have held Netflix back from profitability for years, and are projected to continue to do so. However, investors have been bullish on the platform due to strong user growth over the past several quarters.
The big picture: "Gaming best-seller charts was already a practice in the world of print, but technology enabled that kind of behavior on an entirely new level of sophistication," writes Jeong. Revenues are sometimes $1 million a year, with some authors easily netting six figures a month.
Uber has been under investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for nearly a year following a complaint over gender discrimination, per Greg Bensinger of the Wall Street Journal. It's unclear whether the agency will take any action against the company.
Why it matters: Uber spent much of 2017 in the spotlight after a former engineer published her account of sexual harassment and discrimination at the company, setting off months of additional allegations, a formal investigation by an outside law firm, and the departure of founding CEO Travis Kalanick.
The NYTimes' White House scoop machine Maggie Haberman is the latest prominent journalist to dial back her use of Twitter, tweeting Sunday that she's "taking a break."
Some of the biggest U.S. social media giants are beginning to roll out ads that feature augmented reality, giving marketers the ability to let users virtually test their goods before buying them.
Why it matters: The technology brings virtual and real world shopping experiences closer together, and would likely shift retail spending further online.
Now that AI's brightest minds earn six- and seven-figure salaries, it's worth remembering that the field didn't always command the big bucks. I was reminded of this last week on stumbling over reactions to a famous 18-year-old Wired essay by computer pioneer Bill Joy.
What's going on: As in all other work, AI salaries are a function of supply and demand — there are relatively few genuine AI researchers, and extremely high demand for them. Ph.D. salaries could return to Earth if the fever diminishes — if, for example, investors sour on AI.
American tech companies and research institutions — involved in the development of artificial intelligence in both the U.S. and China — face elevated ethical questions as the two superpowers race for dominance in the field.
Why it matters: U.S.labs face the real possibility that collaborations with Chinese companies and universities will end up bolstering Beijing's goal of dominating global civilian and military AI.
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