Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
“If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.” ―Carl Sandburg Elon Musk built Tesla, Inc., by turning Tesla into a great story. This story — one that’s partly about…
Photo: Jeff Chiu (AP) Throughout Bad Blood, John Carreyrou’s excellent new book about fraudulent blood-testing company Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes, the $9 billion company keeps running into the same problem: would-be investors or retailers want to see a demonstration of its technology. This is an issue for Elizabeth Holmes’s company, because their shit…
I’ve got a great idea for a start-up. Want to hear the pitch? It’s called the 75 Cent Dollar Store. We’re going to sell dollar bills for 75 cents — no service charges, no hidden fees, just crisp $1 bills for the price of three quarters. It’ll be huge. You’re probably thinking: Wait, won’t your…
Joshua Topolsky, the chief executive of the Outline, doesn’t want his digital-media company to get too big too fast. The startup has closed a $5.15 million fundraising round, the company’s second, Mr. Topolsky said. The new financing values the Outline at $21.15 million, he said, up from the company’s $11 million valuation from the last…
WeWork Cos. is tapping the bond market for the first time and in doing so, has provided a rare glimpse into the startling numbers behind its breakneck expansion. The co-working company, which is seeking $500 million to finance yet more growth, has amassed a global portfolio of more than 14 million square feet, approaching the…
A pair of women ride a LimeBike scooter. Photo by the author The Bay Area serves as America’s sandbox. The tech world’s most far-fetched ideas are often sketched and tested here, and if they’re successful, they’ll spread throughout the country. The latest trend to materialize here is motorized scooters you can rent through an app….
Article Topper: Vertical The startup accelerator Y Combinator is known for supporting audacious companies in its popular three-month boot camp. There’s never been anything quite like Nectome, though. Next week, at YC’s “demo days,” Nectome’s cofounder, Robert McIntyre, is going to describe his technology for exquisitely preserving brains in microscopic detail using a high-tech embalming…
Getty Arianna Huffington was supposed to be Uber’s high-powered savior. When former Uber employee Susan Fowler came forward with an explosive piece last February detailing the ingrained culture of sexism at the company, Uber recruited Huffington, its only female board member, to help tackle the problem. Huffington told reporters that “going forward there can be…
Cutting through the noise at Dmexco, the tentpole global event for the ad tech industry, isn’t for the fainthearted. The official talking points this year centered around brand safety and transparency, but the chatter that happened around the edges shows ad tech is still too cluttered and self-serving. One thing’s for sure: More ad tech…
(The Information) Prepare yourself for a list of allegations against Uber’s security and competitive intelligence team that resemble the work of an authoritarian government. A letter disclosed in Waymo’s civil trade-secrets-theft case against Uber, written by an ex-Uber security employee, alleges things like: *Unlawfully recording an employee conference call that was supposed to be part…