Silicon Valley
Why some gadgets have to pay to be on TV and some don't — inside the tricky world of product placement
If you watch TV today you're definitely going to see some real-life gadgets and brands.<p>Sometimes, those products are included in the shot because a company offered money to get their product on-screen for a period of time.<p>But other products are included in the scene because a prop or set …
AdvertisingUber and the ‘brogrammers’ feel the consequences of changing the world
Silicon Valley’s culture of disruption leaves victims. Now those who have suffered at the tech sector’s hands are beginning to push back<p>So Travis Kalanick finally took a one-way cab. The ejection of the founder of Uber as its chief executive last week was that rarest of Silicon Valley events: …
UberThis Muslim entrepreneur is challenging the Silicon Valley definition of success with a profitable company in the heart of Arizona
When Firas Kittaneh was in college, he and his brother Moe used to skip class so they could run a kiosk selling "fuzzy slippers" at the local mall.<p>The Kittaneh brothers were originally born in Palestine, but moved to the United Arab Emirates when they were young. In 2001, they moved to Wichita, …
BusinessSilicon Valley has a bad habit of “inventing” things that already exist
As with Lyft "inventing" the city bus, the tech industry likes to rebrand existing inventions as innovations<p>On Monday, the internet collectively laughed at the hubris of ride-sharing giant Lyft for marketing its new Lyft Shuttle as something inherently new, rather than what it was — namely, a …
Internet of ThingsSilicon Valley season four accurately reflects the egoistic narcissism of the tech industry
There was a sequence in the first season finale of <i>Silicon Valley</i>, HBO’s consistently-brilliant comedy satirising the American tech industry, and …
How Silicon Valley Is Turning Itself Into Detroit
Huge campuses like Apple's new headquarters will be abandoned wastelands in the not-too-distant future.<p>What strikes me most about Open Plan offices is that they're so incredibly retro. Huge office spaces with desks beside each other were all the rage in the mid-20th century.<p>The idea then, as now, …
TV tonight: 'BET Awards,' 'Silicon Valley' finale
<b>The BET Awards<br>BET, 8 ET/PT</b><p><i>Saturday Night Live'</i>s Leslie Jones will bring her signature comedic style to this year’s awards, her first time as host. Beyoncé leads the nominations with seven, followed by Bruno Mars with five. The telecast will feature performances from Mars, Future, Migos, Trey Songz …
BET AwardsSanta Clara Vanguard drum corps celebrates 50th anniversary
The Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps is celebrating 50 years of performance this weekend, and I can’t imagine how many miles of marching that …
OmSays: Practice, don't preach!
Some thoughts on the recent expose of a fellow venture capitalist and his deplorable and predatory behavior towards female entrepreneurs. I wonder …
Women EntrepreneursTech heads sound optimistic note after Trump meetings
President Trump and his administration earned some goodwill from the technology industry after his “tech week” initiative this week.<p>Tech leaders and …
Tax ReformSilicon Valley’s Overdue Cultural Pivot
June 24, 2017<p>This has certainly been a week to remember: Travis Kalanick, the CEO of one of the fastest growing startups is pushed out. Prominent …
Roger AilesWorking yourself to death isn't worth it, and Silicon Valley is starting to realize that
Silicon Valley has an overworking problem. And in many cases, it sees that problem as an asset, not a liability.<p>This isn’t a new trend. It’s been documented several times over the years. But over the last few weeks, it feels like there’s a new momentum to the concept, fueled by Silicon Valley …
Arianna HuffingtonSoftbank says its $50 billion will reach entrepreneurs from Kansas to Kentucky
It’s a bold vision: 50,000 new American jobs to be created by a series of investments from Softbank Capital. And with the investments coming from a $100 billion fund, that jobs number feels like a sure thing. What’s not certain, however, is where those jobs will be located.<p>“We don’t mind where the …
Net NeutralityUber and Tesla are showing ominous signs that the era of auto disruption may be about to come to an abrupt end
<b>•Uber's CEO departed and Tesla's head of Autopilot left in the same week.</b><p><b>•The leading disruptors of the auto industry are experiencing severe challenges.</b><p><b>•Investors and tech enthusiasts have insisted that transportation is about to undergo profound change — but maybe that won't happen.</b><p>The …
UberTech investor admits sexually harassing female entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley
Justin Caldbeck took a leave of absence from his firm after six women accused him of making unwanted advances, often in context of potential business deals<p>A prominent venture capitalist admitted to sexually harassing women in the tech industry, saying he leveraged his “position of power in exchange …
GenderSilicon Valley: 11 essential Erlich moments
After four seasons, countless insults, and just as many bong hits, <i>Silicon Valley</i> is saying goodbye to Erlich Bachman.<p>The actor who plays him, T.J. Miller, is moving on to pursue other projects — particularly animated features. “In a weird way, it’s interesting to me to leave a show at its height,” …
TV'Silicon Valley's' Haley Joel Osment on His Career Pivot, TJ Miller's 'Sad' Exit
Haley Joel Osment plays a fun-loving character on “Silicon Valley” — and the actor himself is having a pretty good time these days, too.<p>The former …
TVSilicon Valley’s advertisements aren’t just selling products — they’re selling an ideology
The utopian futures we see in tech ads have a trickle-down effect on how we perceive the role of tech in our lives<p>A man and woman are awakened by the cooing alarm emanating from a massive wall-mounted touchscreen. A wall of floor-to-ceiling photochromic windows gradually brightens to reveal the …
Liberal POVThe Takeaways From Trump's Tech Summit
Bloomberg's Tom Giles discusses this week's meeting between President Donald Trump and tech leaders from Silicon Valley. He speaks with Bloomberg's …
Donald TrumpRo Khanna wants to be Silicon Valley’s ambassador to Middle America
WASHINGTON — When Ro Khanna won his seat in Congress last November, it was the culmination of three congressional campaigns, a decade of political …
Meet Todd Silverstein: Lead Technical Consultant on 'Silicon Valley'
In 2014, the same year that <i>Silicon Valley</i> made its debut, Todd Silverstein was in the midst of having Vizify—the Portland, Oregon-based data …
Cool StuffThe grudge that drove Jobs to create the iPhone
As Apple’s smartphone turns 10, the company’s former execs reminisce
Steve Jobs'Silicon Valley' Cast EmmyQuickie Portraits (Exclusive Photos)
Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr and Zach Woods stop by StudioWrap for an interview and photo shoot
HollywoodSilicon Valley’s Rough Ride
Uber, our inner demons and our better selves<p>(<i>Note: I recently started doing a weekly Tech email for Flipboard, which comes out Saturdays. Here’s this</i> …
Uber‘Silicon Valley’ finale preview: Season 4 ends with dramatic showcase for star Thomas Middleditch
“Silicon Valley” concludes its fourth season Sunday, June 25 with an episode titled “Server Error” that is sure to factor into several Emmy races, …
TVMeat + smoke = Silicon Valley BBQ Championships
The Rotary Club-sponsored Silicon Valley Barbeque Championships are back at Central Park in Santa Clara with slow-smoked meats, hot music and shaded …
BBQMountain View slashes planned Google-area housing
MOUNTAIN VIEW — A plan for 10,000 new housing units in the North Bayshore development set to feature a huge new Google campus has been slashed to …
HousingUber’s CEO was brought down by a God complex—and that should scare the rest of Silicon Valley
Disruption isn’t just a buzzword in Silicon Valley—it’s a religion. And its high priest is undeniably Uber, the ride-sharing service that revolutionized transportation by allowing customers to hail a cab with the push of a button.<p>Uber has long prided itself on ignoring the status quo and rewriting …
UberThe Sci-Fi Guru Who Predicted Google Earth Explains Silicon Valley’s Latest Obsession
“Snow Crash” author Neal Stephenson talks to the Hive about the differences between augmented and virtual reality, how to create a convincing Metaverse, and why social media is driving us insane.<p>Way back in 1992, author <b>Neal Stephenson</b> published his breakthrough novel, <i>Snow Crash,</i> a cyberpunk …
Virtual RealitySilicon Valley's sexist swamp
"What do you know about a VC named Justin Caldbeck?"<p>That was the question my (now former) colleague Leena Rao asked last year, at the end of an …
Feminism