Entrepreneurship

Andrew Mason’s Descript snags $15M, acquires Lyrebird to let users type text to create audio in their own voices

Eric Entrepreneurship , ,

The boom in popularity for podcasting has given a new voice to the world of spoken word content that had been largely left for dead with the decline of broadcast radio. Now riding the wave of that growth, a startup called Descript that’s building tools to make the art of creating podcasts — or any … Continue reading Andrew Mason’s Descript snags $15M, acquires Lyrebird to let users type text to create audio in their own voices

Uber plans to keep defending independent contractor model for drivers

Eric Entrepreneurship

In light of gig worker protections bill AB5 passing in the California State Senate last night, and amendments to AB5 passing in the Assembly this morning, Uber has made it clear it plans to do whatever it takes to keep its drivers independent contractors. “We will continue to advocate for a compromise agreement,” Uber Chief … Continue reading Uber plans to keep defending independent contractor model for drivers

Why GDPR is a gift to Google’s competitors

Eric Entrepreneurship ,

Google has taken some hits this week. First, news broke of Google’s $170 million settlement with the FTC and the New York attorney general. The settlement centers around allegations that YouTube collected data on and served targeted ads to children, without parental consent. Then, reports surfaced that a group of 30 state attorney generals will … Continue reading Why GDPR is a gift to Google’s competitors

Alibaba reportedly near finalizing a deal to acquire NetEase’s cross-border e-commerce unit

Eric Entrepreneurship ,

After weeks of media reports, Alibaba may finally be nearing an agreement to acquire NetEase’s cross-border e-commerce unit, Kaola. Chinese tech news website 36kr reports that a deal may be announced as early as this week and is expected to be worth $2 billion in cash and shares. Kaola will continue to run independently, but … Continue reading Alibaba reportedly near finalizing a deal to acquire NetEase’s cross-border e-commerce unit

YouTube shuts down music companies’ use of manual copyright claims to steal creator revenue

Eric Entrepreneurship ,

YouTube is making a change to its copyright enforcement policies around music used in videos, which may result in an increased number of blocked videos in the shorter term — but overall, a healthier ecosystem in the long term. Going forward, copyright owners will no longer be able to monetize creator videos with very short … Continue reading YouTube shuts down music companies’ use of manual copyright claims to steal creator revenue

Apple is suing Corellium

Eric Computing, Entrepreneurship ,

Apple is suing virtualization software company Corellium, according to documents filed today in Florida. Corellium allows customers to create and interact with virtual iOS devices — a software iPhone, for example, running actual iOS firmware, all within the browser. Apple says this is copyright infringement, and is demanding Corellium stops “all uses of” its iOS … Continue reading Apple is suing Corellium

Facebook is losing its last Oculus co-founder

Eric Entrepreneurship , ,

Facebook spent billions on Oculus in 2014, and in the years since the organization has been absorbed deeper into Facebook while the startup’s co-founders have stepped back in prominence. Today, the final Oculus co-founder remaining at Facebook, Nate Mitchell, announced in an internal memo sent to employees that he was leaving the company. The news … Continue reading Facebook is losing its last Oculus co-founder

Facebook collected and transcribed users’ audio without permission

Eric Entrepreneurship ,

“The future is private.” Clearly, Facebook still has a way to go. Facebook has become the latest tech giant to face scrutiny over its handling of users’ data, following a report that said the social media giant collected audio data and recordings from its users and transcribed it using third-party contractors. The report came from … Continue reading Facebook collected and transcribed users’ audio without permission

ByteDance launches a new search portal that returns a mix of results from the Web and its own platforms

Eric Entrepreneurship

ByteDance has taken another step into search with the launch of a new search portal today. Called Toutiao Search, the portal is part of the website for Toutiao, the news aggregator owned by ByteDance, and currently optimized only for mobile. Though it is part of Toutiao’s website, the portal is separate from Toutiao’s own search … Continue reading ByteDance launches a new search portal that returns a mix of results from the Web and its own platforms