James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ panned by critics as a show with an identity crisis
Apple Inc.’s first episode of its new video series Planet of the Apps played out pretty much like you’d expect if you saw the trailer: Tech entrepreneurs are complimented and cut down to size in a formulaic piece of reality-TV craftsmanship that melds “The Voice” and “Shark Tank.” The premise of the show, available on iTunes, ...
Uber fires 20 employees following sexual harassment investigation
Uber Technologies Inc.’s investigation into claims of sexual harassment and discrimination is not yet over, but one thing was certain Tuesday: Twenty of its staff have just been let go as a result of the probe. A summary of the investigation, a consequence of allegations made by female staff that a pervasive and toxic “bro culture” ...
Tech firms protest British prime minister’s accusation that they created ‘safe space’ for terrorists
Some of the leading technology firms have raised concerns regarding British Prime Minister Theresa May’s comments that the Internet has provided a safe place for terrorists, following the recent attacks in London. “We cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed,” May said. “Yet that is precisely what the Internet, and the ...
How one company uses Internet of Things sensors and big data to combat food waste
Food waste in the United States is a seemingly intractable problem, with some reports stating that about half the food produced in the U.S. is not eaten. The wastage amounts to billions of dollars in losses, and the Environmental Protection Agency says as much as $160 billion worth of food each year ends up in a ...
Tech giants slam Trump’s exit from Paris climate accord
President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement has met with widespread dismay from the biggest names in technology. The agreement has been ratified by 147 countries, yet Trump stated that signing it would result in the loss of millions of jobs for Americans and the sum of $3 ...
Uber posts lower first-quarter loss of $708M as head of finance departs
Uber Technologies Inc. has lost yet another of its top executives, the company announced on the back of revealing its first quarter losses. The ride-hailing giant told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that its total first quarter losses amounted to the princely sum of $708 million, down from a loss of $991 million in the ...
Intimidated Uber employees hire own lawyers as sexual harassment probe raises tensions
Working at Uber Technologies Inc. could be quite an intense experience at the moment, as staff are routinely pulled out of the office and grilled by lawyers over the now well-publicized sexual harassment allegations, as well as other alleged wrongdoings. Not surprisingly, this has compelled some staffers to hire their own attorneys. That’s according to an ...
Tech CEOs oppose Texas ‘bathroom bill’ in ongoing support of transgender rights
Many of the biggest names in tech industry raised concerns over the weekend regarding a Texas bill that would require transgender people to use the bathroom allocated for their official sex stated on their birth certificates, regardless of which gender they currently identify with. A letter sent to Texas Governor Greg Abbott asking him not to ...
Google’s AlphaGo AI has been retired so its creators can focus on bigger challenges
Google Inc.’s artificial intelligence Go player, AlphaGo, last week beat Ke Jie, a Chinese 19-year-old considered to be the world’s best Go player. Now, at the top of its game, AlphaGo is retiring. Google announced over the weekend that mastering this highly complex 3,000-year-old game was a great achievement, but now it’s time for the same ...
Lyft tries to drive past embattled Uber with the launch of its own luxury car service
Lyft Inc. is launching its own luxury car services, Lyft Lux and Lux SUV, which will roll out in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, New York and Chicago. The service follows similar Lyft initiatives to give people a wider variety of cars. In 2014 the ride-hailing company launched the premium SUV service Lyft Plus, ...