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  • John Legere Not Leaving T-Mobile For WeWork

    John Legere Not Leaving T-Mobile For WeWork

    The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that WeWork was in talks with T-Mobile CEO John Legere to take over at the office space company. Now, according to Alex Sherman at CNBC, Legere is not taking the job.

    In many ways, Legere was a natural choice for a WeWork CEO. WeWork is being taken over by SoftBank, the parent company of Sprint. T-Mobile and Sprint are nearing the end of a merger deal years in the marking. With FCC and DOJ approval, the merger only has to survive a lawsuit from a handful of states. In the meantime, however, Legere is a known factor for SoftBank leadership, as they have worked with him throughout the merger process. That first-hand experience no doubt made him a top candidate for the job.

    Sources familiar with the situation, however, said that Legere has no plans on leaving T-Mobile. The news is no doubt a welcome relief to T-Mobile investors. During his time with the company, Legere has taken it from a distant fourth place among U.S. carriers to a solid third place and growing at a record rate. Legere was also instrumental in helping get approval for the merger, and will be a steadying influence as the two companies combine.

    It should be interesting to see how much T-Mobile can grow with the combined revenue, subscribers and spectrum of the two companies, not to mention Legere’s continuing leadership.

  • Amazon Cries Foul Over Microsoft’s $10 Billion Pentagon Contract

    Amazon Cries Foul Over Microsoft’s $10 Billion Pentagon Contract

    Microsoft made headlines several weeks ago when it beat out Amazon for a lucrative Pentagon contract worth some $10 billion. Now, according to ABC News, Amazon is protesting the decision, saying there was “unmistakable bias” in the selection process.

    Oracle and IBM were both eliminated during an earlier phase of the process, leaving only Microsoft and Amazon. Amazon was widely considered to be the front-runner to receive the Pentagon contract, in large part because of how far ahead it is in the overall cloud market. After President Trump, as well as its rivals, criticized Amazon, Microsoft won the bid.

    In response, Amazon has filed a protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, citing what it described as “clear deficiencies, errors, and unmistakable bias.” By filing with the Court of Federal Claims, Amazon will have access to government documents in an effort to make its case.

    Whether Amazon will be able to change the outcome of the decision remains to be seen, although experts are not optimistic. While Amazon has nothing to lose by challenging the results, and President Trumps comments have been labeled “inappropriate and improvident,” experts believe it will be difficult to make a case that the White House applied enough pressure to sway the final outcome.

  • Google Bringing RCS To Android Messages Starting Today

    Google Bringing RCS To Android Messages Starting Today

    Android messaging has long lagged behind iOS, where Apple Messages has included features absent from standard SMS texts. According to a CNET report, Google is rolling out a major upgrade in the U.S. starting today.

    Rich Communication Services (RCS), is an improved form of text messaging that has many of the chat-style features found in iOS, as well as apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and others.

    The new features will include:

    – Ability to send high quality photos and videos
    – Read receipts
    – Typing indicators
    – Group chat management (naming a group, adding and removing people)
    – Chat over WiFi

    The one feature that RCS does not have is end-to-end encryption, unlike iOS Messages, WhatsApp, Signal or Facebook Messenger. When asked about its absence, Sanaz Ahari, director of product management for Google’s communications services, described it as a “fairly complicated topic.”

    As CNET points out, there are other privacy concerns as well. RCS messages will be routed through Google’s servers, meaning, it could theoretically be subpoenaed to provide messages to authorities. However, Drew Rowny, Google’s product lead for Messages, “said Google deletes messages from its servers as soon as they’re sent, so it’s less likely it would have the data to hand over.”

    Whatever its limitations, RCS messages will be a welcome improvement for Android users.

  • Border Agents Need Reasonable Suspicion To Search Phones and Computers At The Border

    Border Agents Need Reasonable Suspicion To Search Phones and Computers At The Border

    For years, Unites States borders have been a legal no-man’s-land where laws and rights citizens take for granted don’t always apply. Case in point is the search and seizure of electronic devices. Now, a federal judge has ruled that border agents must have reasonable suspicion to search travelers’ devices.

    At the heart of the issue is the rule-book that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been operating from. In 1976, and again in 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that individuals were entitled to less Fourth Amendment protections at the border because of the government’s responsibility to protect said borders. CBP, and more recently ICE, have interpreted those rulings to mean that any electronic device could be searched without reasonable suspicion.

    The news has reported on case after case of American citizens having their electronic devices confiscated, searched and their contents downloaded and analyzed. While individuals were free to refuse, CBP would often respond by making life difficult. This often took the form of detaining the person for hours while trying to pressure them to turn over their device. Even professionals with sensitive information, such as doctors or lawyers, were not immune from such treatment.

    According to U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, however, the CBP’s actions violate the Fourth Amendment. 

“In light of this record, case law, and in conjunction with the lack of meaningful difference between basic and advanced searches, the Court concludes that agents and officials must have reasonable suspicion to conduct any search of entrants’ electronic devices under the ‘basic’ searches and ‘advanced’ searches as now defined by the CBP and ICE policies,” Judge Casper said in her ruing. “This requirement reflects both the important privacy interests involved in searching electronic devices and the Defendant’s governmental interests at the border.”

    This should be welcome news to travelers and privacy experts alike.

  • Google Faces Government Scrutiny Over “Project Nightingale” and Patient Privacy

    Google Faces Government Scrutiny Over “Project Nightingale” and Patient Privacy

    On the heels of news that Google has partnered with Ascension to collect data on millions of American patients, CBS News is reporting that government officials are opening an inquiry into the deal.

    Ascension is the second largest chain of hospitals and healthcare facilities in the U.S. The program, “Project Nightingale,” which began last year, provides Google with detailed information on patients in 21 states, including names, dates of birth, lab results, diagnoses, hospitalization records and more. Together, the information gives Google a patient’s complete health record. Google is using the information to design AI-based tools to assist in patient diagnostics.

    Despite the fact the agreement is likely legal under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Google is facing backlash in the wake of reports on the project. Even Jim Cramer, co-founder of TheStreet.com, questioned the wisdom of Google’s actions, saying the company “did things we regard as being unauthorized by some, so therefore a U.S. Attorney or someone is going to look into it….The country is hyper-sensitive to what Google does and Facebook does. So why aren’t they a little more thoughtful?”

    Google’s own reaction to the backlash has done little to improve the situation, with a cloud executive penning the initial blog responding to the story, rather than any of the health-care professionals on the company’s payroll. In addition, as CNBC reports, Google’s secrecy and use of cryptic code-names only adds fuel to the flames of suspicion that the company is up to something underhanded. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services is launching an inquiry into Project Nightingale.

    Whatever the outcome, there can be no denying that Project Nightingale represents another privacy misstep for Google, right as the company is trying to expand into other privacy-sensitive industries and markets.

  • Google Branching Into Finance, Partnering With Citi to Offer Checking Accounts

    Google Branching Into Finance, Partnering With Citi to Offer Checking Accounts

    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is looking to expand into finance, with a Citi-backed checking service.

    Code-named “Cache,” the service is expected to roll out next year, and is just the latest in a string of efforts by tech companies to branch out into finance. Apple made headlines with Apple Card, Facebook is working on its Libra cryptocurrency and Amazon has been investigating the possibility of offering its own checking account.

    Google seems intent on maintaining good relations with banks and customers alike, something both Apple and Facebook have struggled with. Facebook faced enough political backlash to scare off backers of its Libra currency, while Apple upset its partner, Goldman Sachs, by downplaying the bank’s involvement.

    Despite its intentions, Google faces challenges of its own, not the least of which is a perception that it does not protect user privacy. Following a revelation that Google was collecting the records of millions of patients through its partnership with the Ascension healthcare group, the Department of Health and Human Services is planning on launching an inquiry. In view of that, analysts are already predicting that Congress will fight Google’s foray into banking.

    If Congress doesn’t prevent Google from launching it’s service, customers will be able to access their checking account through Google Pay. While Google Pay is set to reach 100 million users in 2020, a Google checking account will likely skyrocket those numbers even higher.

  • China Confident Brazil Will Choose Huawei For Its 5G Mobile Network

    China Confident Brazil Will Choose Huawei For Its 5G Mobile Network

    Huawei has come under fire from countries throughout the West, with allegations the telecommunications equipment company engages in spying for the Chinese government. The United States, Britain, Australia and Germany have expressed concern in some cases, and gone as far as to ban the company in others.

    In spite of Huawei’s reputation, at least one major country is undeterred: Brazil. Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese government is confident Huawei will be chosen to build out Brazil’s 5G mobile network.

    “I am confident in terms of the cooperation between China and Brazil over 5G technology”, China’s Ambassador to Brasilia Yang Wanming told Bloomberg in response to emailed questions. He added that Brazil “will take into account its own development interest” when analyzing Huawei’s bid.

    Yang also indicated that Brazil has remained objective and had not been moved by what he described as the United States’ campaign of “bad faith and defamation.”

    Nonetheless, if China’s assessment is correct, and Huawei is chosen, it could ratchet up tension between the U.S. and Brazil. The U.S. has been warning allies of the dangers of relying on Huawei and has already informed Brazil it may downgrade security cooperation if Huawei is chosen.

    Telecom companies in other countries have already been sounding the warning regarding the added cost and time that will be incurred building 5G networks without Huawei’s equipment. Countries, especially ones with limited options, will no doubt be watching closely to see who blinks in this game of 5G brinksmanship.

  • New 5G Security Flaws Discovered, Threatening Privacy and Security

    New 5G Security Flaws Discovered, Threatening Privacy and Security

    Companies around the world are working to roll out 5G networks, facing regulatory, logistic, economic and technical hurdles along the way. Now, according to WIRED, researchers have discovered a number of new flaws in the specification, adding yet another challenge to successful deployment.

    Researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa have discovered 11 new flaws in 5G protocols. Alarmingly, these flaws are all part of the 5G specification itself, rather than any one carrier’s implementation. The vulnerabilities can “expose your location, downgrade your service to old mobile data networks, run up your wireless bills, or even track when you make calls, text, or browse the web. They also found five additional 5G vulnerabilities that carried over from 3G and 4G. They identified all of those flaws with a new custom tool called 5GReasoner.”

    Although one of the benefits of 5G is supposed to be greater protection of phone identifiers, such as the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), so-called downgrade attacks bypass that security by forcing a device to operate in 4G mode, or a limited service mode. Once the service is downgraded, the device can be forced to send its IMSI. Even the safeguards that are in place, such as Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI), can be overridden.

    The researchers also discovered “issues with the part of the 5G standard that governs things like initial device registration, deregistration, and paging, which notifies your phone about incoming calls and texts.”

    The flaws have all been reported to the GSM Association, which downplayed the severity of the issue.

    “These scenarios have been judged as nil or low-impact in practice, but we appreciate the authors’ work to identify where the standard is written ambiguously, which may lead to clarifications in the future,” the GSMA told WIRED. “We are grateful to the researchers for affording industry the opportunity to consider their findings and welcome any research that enhances the security and user confidence of mobile services.”

  • Intuit CEO Thinks AI Will Help Humans, Not Replace Them

    Intuit CEO Thinks AI Will Help Humans, Not Replace Them

    Business Insider is reporting that Intuit’s CEO has a very different view of AI in the workplace from many other executives.

    Many executives, business leaders and experts fear AI will result in countless lost jobs as machines replace human workers. Intuit’s CEO, Sasan Goodarzi, doesn’t share those concerns, instead believing that AI is simply another transition, such as occurred when the Internet became popular.

    Goodarzi told Business Insider: “AI is going to automate a lot of what is done today, a lot of predictions that you have to make. AI can automate all of that, but then it actually elevates where people can provide value, it elevates where they can provide judgement.

    “History is our best teacher. When the internet was coming around there was lots of concern that because of the internet, because of commerce, because of what you could now do that would be elimination of a lot of jobs and in fact it’s created a lot of jobs.”

    This outlook on AI’s role informs the company’s approach to the emerging technology, using it to maximize available resources, including the human element.

    “Machine learning at the end of the day takes input and it makes a recommendation, and if something has to rely on one hundred percent accuracy, machine learning probably wouldn’t be good for that,” Goodarzi told Business Insider. He maintains that AI is “only as good as the data that it has and it’s only as good as how it gets trained.”

    For individuals worried about losing their jobs to AI and automation, Goodarzi’s comments are a welcome change of pace from the traditional outlook of many in the industry.

  • Stemming The Turnover Tide

    Stemming The Turnover Tide

    Hiring people has always been a part of an employer’s job. Unfortunately, employee turnover is becoming a bigger problem for employers as the cost of replacing workers continues to skyrocket. There’s also a growing problem of “ghosting”, when potential employees accept a job and don’t show up or quit their job without telling anyone. Bosses may not even realize an employee or potential hire or former employee has ghosted until multiple failed attempts at contact or days of no-shows. Employees have more jobs to choose from these days thanks to a stronger job market. People are also leaving their jobs for an increase in pay, a chance to advance their career, or because they want more or better benefits. In 2018, one out of every four employees left their job. Over ¾ of that turnover could have been prevented by employers.

    When an employee leaves, replacing them takes a lot of time and money. Even a company such as McDonald’s, which has new employees all the time, can still incur huge costs to replace employees, and that’s if they can find replacements at all. Replacing an employee can cost at least ⅙ of what their salary was, and the cost to replace a $10 an hour employee can cost more than $4000. When people leave, companies pay for recruiting, which also takes time, onboarding, training, productivity, and customer service. 

    So to avoid turnover, companies are investing in their workers by increasing benefits and providing better wellness programs. Companies are now realizing that with all the incentive of other opportunities and the ease to just leave, they need to step up their game in keeping their employees. Companies that have higher levels of wellbeing, whether it be clinical health, workplace culture, or support systems in the office, have upwards of 2 times employee engagement. 

    Employees want well-rounded benefits, such as financial benefits as more than half of employees believe their employer has at least some responsibility for their financial wellbeing. In fact, 32% of U.S. employers said learning opportunities are critical to maintaining workplace satisfaction. What’s more, Millennials say they would take a $7600 pay cut for improved workplace perks, such as career development and improved company culture. 

    Though all of these may seem like a lot to demand from employers, some companies are already taking on the challenge of providing all of these workplace perks and benefits. Different generations want different things in the workplace, which poses an additional challenge for employers. Millennials want more flexible work opportunities and mentoring programs, Gen Xers want childcare options, and Baby Boomers want retirement coaching, savings programs, and long term care insurance. So regardless of who, everyone seems to agree that better workplace perks and benefits contribute to a better workplace culture overall.

    Is your company prepared to do a benefits checkup and determine how best to keep employees in place? Find out what turnover is doing to businesses, how they are dealing with it, and how this problem could get better here.

  • Facebook App Caught Activating iPhone Camera Without Permission

    Facebook App Caught Activating iPhone Camera Without Permission

    People have long suspected the Facebook app of ignoring permissions and spying on its users. Now, it would seem, a website designer has caught Facebook in the act.

    Joshua Maddox discovered the issue when transitioning between different Pages within the app. As Mr. Maddox tapped on a profile picture and then slid it down the screen, the camera could be seen plainly active in the background.

    Mr. Maddox shared a video of his experience on Twitter, an experience that has been reproduced by other users.

    “Found a @facebook #security & #privacy issue. When the app is open it actively uses the camera. I found a bug in the app that lets you see the camera open behind your feed. Note that I had the camera pointed at the carpet.”

    Mr. Maddox said he has confirmed the behavior on five different iPhones, all running 13.2.2. Notably, iPhones running iOS 12 did not display the behavior although, as Mr. Maddox points out, that doesn’t mean the app is not accessing the camera on older version of iOS. He also pointed out a legitimate concern about the degree to which the app is accessing cameras.

    “It’s how @facebook accesses your camera and microphone… This is proof that they are accessing your back camera. They may also be accessing the front camera. If they process that through a facial recognition they could see your actual reaction to posts.”

    Facebook VP Guy Rosen responded with a tweet of his own, downplaying the issue as an innocent bug.

    “We recently discovered our iOS app incorrectly launched in landscape. In fixing that last week in v246 we inadvertently introduced a bug where the app partially navigates to the camera screen when a photo is tapped. We have no evidence of photos/videos uploaded due to this.”

    Whatever the cause or reason behind this issue, it comes from a company that has long since used up any goodwill it has on the privacy front. No matter how many assurances it provides, it’s safe to say that many users will view this as an unacceptable violation of their privacy.

  • WordPress Introduces a New Way to Earn Money: Subscriptions

    WordPress Introduces a New Way to Earn Money: Subscriptions

    WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms, powering some 19,500,000 websites around the world and 297,629 of the top one million websites. WordPress’ latest move will no doubt increase its popularity, with the announcement it is introducing Recurring Payments.

    WordPress is endeavoring to assist website owners and creatives in monetizing their content. While many rely on ad revenue, ad revenue isn’t always enough to meet the financial needs of website owners. Now, with Recurring Payments, WordPress and Jetpack-enabled sites will be able to accept scheduled payments.

    “Our new Recurring Payments feature for WordPress.com and Jetpack-powered sites lets you do just that: it’s a monetization tool for content creators who want to collect repeat contributions from their supporters, and it’s available with any paid plan on WordPress.com.

    “Let your followers support you with periodic, scheduled payments. Charge for your weekly newsletter, accept monthly donations, sell yearly access to exclusive content — and do it all with an automated payment system.

    “With recurring payments, you can:

    – Accept ongoing payments from visitors directly on your site.
    – Bill supporters automatically, on a set schedule. Subscribers can cancel anytime from their WordPress.com account.
    – Offer ongoing subscriptions, site memberships, monthly donations, and more, growing your fan base with exclusive content.
    – Integrate your site with Stripe to process payments and collect funds.”

    Recurring Payments should be a significant boon to creatives and website owners who want to focus on their creativity, rather than worrying too much about how to monetize their efforts.

  • Microsoft Vows to Abide by California Privacy Laws Throughout the U.S.

    Microsoft Vows to Abide by California Privacy Laws Throughout the U.S.

    Privacy has become the new tech battleground, with companies like Google and Facebook seeking to profit from user data, while Apple and Microsoft have consistently come in on the side of protecting user privacy. Now, Microsoft has taken it a step further, embracing the most comprehensive set of privacy laws in the United States.

    The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. CCPA is designed to protect user privacy and give individuals more control over how their data is used by corporations. The law requires companies to be transparent about the data they collect, how it’s used and give people the ability to prevent companies from selling their personal information. Microsoft makes it clear in a recent blog post that they are strong supporters of this approach.

    “We are strong supporters of California’s new law and the expansion of privacy protections in the United States that it represents. Our approach to privacy starts with the belief that privacy is a fundamental human right and includes our commitment to provide robust protection for every individual. This is why, in 2018, we were the first company to voluntarily extend the core data privacy rights included in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to customers around the world, not just to those in the EU who are covered by the regulation. Similarly, we will extend CCPA’s core rights for people to control their data to all our customers in the U.S.

    “We continue to put these principles into practice every day through ongoing investments in tools that give people greater control over their personal information. More than 25 million people around the world – including over 10 million people in the U.S. – have used our privacy dashboard to understand and control their personal data. By being transparent about the data we collect and how we use it, and by providing solutions that empower businesses to safeguard personal data and comply with privacy laws, we can demonstrate our commitment in the absence of Congressional action.”

    Microsoft is also committed to helping other companies abide by CCPA.

    “In addition, we are working closely with our enterprise customers to help them comply with CCPA. Our goal is to help our customers understand how California’s new law affects their operations and provide the tools and guidance they will need to meet its requirements.”

    Hopefully, Microsoft’s example will encourage other companies to take a stronger stance on protecting consumer privacy.

  • WeWork Reportedly In Talks to Hire T-Mobile CEO John Legere

    WeWork Reportedly In Talks to Hire T-Mobile CEO John Legere

    According to the Wall Street Journal, WeWork is in talks to hire T-Mobile CEO John Legere. The beleaguered company is looking for a CEO who can turn it around, much as Legere is credited with turning things around at T-Mobile.

    Legere has a long history in the telecom industry, having worked at AT&T and Global Crossing Ltd. before taking over the reigns at T-Mobile. This experience makes him an ideal candidate to help run a company in a disruptive industry.

    It’s not clear if Legere will take the job. Having successfully led T-Mobile through record-breaking growth, a 240% increase in stock price and a merger with Sprint that is likely to go through in 2020, Legere was in line to receive $109 million if performance goals were met.

    Given how integral Legere has been to T-Mobile’s success, stock prices of both T-Mobile and Sprint were down following the WSJ’s report. If WeWork is successful at wooing T-Mobile’s colorful CEO, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything will change at the magenta provider. T-Mobile has increasingly been grooming Legere’s deputy, Mike Sievert, to take over for him. Mr. Sievert has featured more prominently in T-Mobile events. If Legere does leave for WeWork, it’s a safe bet that Mr. Sievert and T-Mobile will continue what he started, disrupting the wireless industry and being the scourge of Verizon and AT&T.

  • T-Mobile Will Turn On Nationwide 5G December 6

    T-Mobile Will Turn On Nationwide 5G December 6

    T-Mobile has rolled out 5G in six cities but, according to CNET, the company is about to unveil nationwide 5G on December 6.

    Many 5G deployments fall into two types: low-band and high-frequency. High-frequency 5G offers the highest speeds, but at the cost of range and ability to penetrate obstacles, such as trees and buildings. Low-band 5G, in contrast, is not as fast but offers far superior range and penetration, while still be significantly faster than 4G.

    T-Mobile’s deployment-to-date has used high-frequency, millimeter-wave spectrum, the same kind of 5G that Verizon and AT&T are deploying. On December 6, however, the network T-Mobile will be activating will rely on their low-band spectrum. That difference will allow the company to provide service to upwards of 5,000 cities and towns throughout the country. It will also give T-Mobile an edge when it comes to building penetration in those cities.

    T-Mobile has assured customers that existing plans will automatically have access to the new 5G service—with compatible phones—without any additional fees or plan changes.

    Initially, the only two phones supporting the new spectrum are the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G and the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, but it’s a safe bet that other manufacturers will be quick to incorporate support in their next models.

  • Oracle Announces Additional Hiring to Boost Cloud Services

    Oracle Announces Additional Hiring to Boost Cloud Services

    Oracle is boosting its cloud efforts with an announcement that it is hiring some 2,000 new employees. While Amazon, Microsoft and, to some extent, Google have dominated the cloud market, Oracle sees ongoing opportunity to expand.

    Oracle has been making moves to take on the leaders, including opening offices in Microsoft’s back yard. Even more surprising, earlier this year Oracle announced a cloud partnership with Microsoft, working to ensure their products work seamlessly across each other’s cloud platforms.

    As Oracle continues its cloud expansion, the company is counting on the relative infancy of the market, along with the overall lack of penetration. In addition, Oracle is uniquely positioned to deliver the entire range of cloud service.

    “Cloud is still in its early days with less than 20 percent penetration today, and enterprises are just beginning to use cloud for mission-critical workloads,” said Don Johnson, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “Our aggressive hiring and growth plans are mapped to meet the needs of our customers, providing them reliability, high performance, and robust security as they continue to move to the cloud.”

    Oracle currently operates 16 cloud regions globally, with 12 of those being added in the past year. The company plans to add an additional 20 regions by the end of 2020, no doubt with the help of the 2,000 additional hires. By focusing on adding more regions, Oracle stands to gain strong footholds in regional and niche markets that the Big Three haven’t wrapped up.

    “Eleven countries or jurisdictions will have region pairs that facilitate enterprise-class, multi-region, disaster-recovery strategies to better support those customers who want to store their data in-country or in-region.

    “Today, Oracle is the only company delivering a complete and integrated set of cloud services and building intelligence into every layer of the cloud. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s growing talent base will ensure customers continue to benefit from best-in-class security, consistent high performance, simple predictable pricing, and the tools and expertise needed to bring enterprise workloads to cloud quickly and efficiently.

    “In addition to rapid hiring, Oracle will make additional real estate investments to support the expanded Oracle Cloud Infrastructure workforce.”

  • The Next Silicon Valley? Try Ohio—Columbus-Based Venture Capital Firm Raises $350 Million

    The Next Silicon Valley? Try Ohio—Columbus-Based Venture Capital Firm Raises $350 Million

    Business Insider is reporting that two ex-Sequoia investors have raised $350 million to invest in Midwestern startups.

    Mark Kvamme left Sequoia nearly a decade ago and, after a brief stint in Ohio Governor John Kasich’s cabinet, invited Chris Olsen—another Sequoia alumni—to join him in Columbus. The two created Drive Capital, with a focus on investing in early-stage, Midwestern startups.

    While Silicon Valley may be the hub of the tech industry, more and more companies are beginning to look outside the Valley in recent years. Real estate costs, both for companies and their employers, have become increasingly prohibitive. Cost of living has made it difficult for even well-paid employees to make a success of it. With so many companies in such close proximity, there’s a much greater chance of seeing top talent poached by a rival across the street.

    Ohio, and the Midwest in general, offers a welcome change of pace for many tech companies. Lower real estate prices, reasonable cost of living, central location, plentiful colleges and universities, as well as cities eager to bring in more businesses make the Midwest an appealing home base.

    The venture capital firm has already invested in some winners, including the Duolingo language app, Root Insurance and Nowait, a restaurant-reservation app acquired by Yelp to the tune of $40 million.

    With Drive Capital’s third fund totaling $350 million, it’s a safe bet the Midwest will take on a bigger role in the tech industry.

  • Huawei Sets World Record Single User 5G Speed

    Huawei Sets World Record Single User 5G Speed

    Huawei may be blacklisted by the U.S. and under scrutiny by governments around the world, but there is no disputing their status as a leader in the telecommunications industry. If there was any doubt about that, Huawei has just put it to rest.

    According to an announcement on the company’s site, Huawei has achieved a world record for single user 5G smartphone speed, achieving 2.92 Gbps, in conjunction with Türk Telekom. The test, conducted in Istanbul, Turkey, was performed on a Huawei Mate 20 X 5G smartphone.

    “We combined two 5G carriers and established a new world record by reaching speeds of above 2.92 Gbps in our live 5G test network,” said Yusuf Kıraç, Türk Telekom’s CTO. “We are also the first operator to experiment with the 5G New Radio Carrier Aggregation Technology (C-Band NR Carrier Aggregation), which doubles the 5G link speed. Türk Telekom will continue to lead the development of all new generation technologies that our country needs in the future, as we do today.

    “We have reached unprecedented speeds thanks to this technology, which provides many benefits for users and operators,” said Kıraç. “The high speed and large capacity targets promised by 5G technology have been achieved.”

    While governments around the world debate about how to address concerns and allegations that Huawei passes sensitive information to the Chinese government, operators have warned that banning Huawei will lead to 5G rollouts taking years longer and costing billions more. This latest test adds veracity to those claims and will no doubt be a factor in any negotiations moving forward.

  • AT&T Agrees to Pay $60 Million to Settle Legal Dispute Over Throttling Smartphone Plans

    AT&T Agrees to Pay $60 Million to Settle Legal Dispute Over Throttling Smartphone Plans

    While every major smartphone carrier advertises unlimited plans, the reality is that all of them come with restrictions. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), AT&T has just agreed to settle a case where it misled millions of customers about the practice.

    In most cases, “unlimited” plans come with a finite amount of high-speed 4G or LTE data. Once that data is used, the provider usually reserves the right to throttle, or reduce, a phone’s data speed to much slower 3G levels, especially when the phone is connected to a congested tower.

    In the case of AT&T, however, they were accused of not disclosing that there were any restrictions on the plans in question. They also started throttling customers’ speed after only a small amount of data had been used, and often throttled them to the point that even basic web browsing was nearly impossible.

    “AT&T promised unlimited data—without qualification—and failed to deliver on that promise,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “While it seems obvious, it bears repeating that Internet providers must tell people about any restrictions on the speed or amount of data promised.”

    “The FTC alleged that, despite AT&T’s unequivocal promises of unlimited data, it began throttling data speeds in 2011 for its unlimited data plan customers after they used as little as 2 gigabytes of data in a billing period. AT&T’s alleged practices affected more than 3.5 million customers as of October 2014, according to the FTC complaint.”

    As part of the settlement, AT&T is prohibited from advertising speed or unlimited data unless it prominently discloses any restrictions. The FTC specifically stated that “the disclosures need to be prominent, not buried in fine print or hidden behind hyperlinks.”

    In the meantime, current and former customers will receive partial refunds. Existing customers will receive the refund in the form of a credit, while former customers will receive checks in the mail.

  • IBM & Bank of America Working On World’s First Financial Services-Ready Cloud

    IBM & Bank of America Working On World’s First Financial Services-Ready Cloud

    IBM has announced it is developing the “world’s first financial services-ready public cloud,” and Bank of America has joined the effort.

    While software companies have a long track record of making software tailored to a specific industry, it is a relatively new trend among cloud providers. Nonetheless, the financial industry is a good candidate for customized cloud offerings, given the privacy, security and regulatory concerns the industry must contend with.

    IBM touted Bank of America’s collaboration and contribution to the effort, noting that it marked “the next step in Bank of America’s seven-year cloud journey and reflects the Bank’s unwavering commitment to the security and privacy of banking customers while also creating an opportunity to address the unique regulatory and compliance requirements of the financial services industry.”

    “This is one of the most important collaborations in the financial services industry cloud space,” said Cathy Bessant, chief operations and technology officer, Bank of America. “This industry-first platform will allow Bank of America to use the public cloud, putting data security, resiliency, privacy and customer information safety needs at the forefront of decision making. By setting a standard that addresses the concern of hosting highly-confidential information, we aim to drive the public cloud to a safety level that is unmatched.”

    While IBM has not committed to creating other industry-specific clouds, the company will no doubt be gauging the success of this endeavor and using it as a guide for the future.

  • Google Launching Green Startup Accelerator

    Google Launching Green Startup Accelerator

    One day after employees signed an open letter revolting over Google’s climate record, the company has announced it is launching an accelerator aimed at helping green startups.

    Employees wrote an open letter to Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat demanding the company address several sustainability issues, not the least of which was ending its partnerships with companies and think tanks that deny climate change. The company has previously been criticized by employees for not doing enough to address climate issues.

    It appears that management has heard the message loud and clear, with Google Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt penning a blog post outlining the new accelerator program.

    “Today we’re launching the Google for Startups Accelerator focused on sustainable development goals. Geared toward social impact startups working to create a healthier and more sustainable future, the accelerator provides access to training, products and technical support. Startup founders will work with Google engineers and receive mentoring from over 20 teams at Google, as well as outside experts and local mentors.

    “Startups will be selected based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals including poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. Applications will open for startups from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the next few weeks and eight to ten startups will take part in a six-month accelerator program in early 2020. A second cohort will be selected later in the year.”

    Looking at the big picture, Google’s announcement illustrates the power employees are beginning to wield when it comes to influencing company policy. In an age when social media can give a voice and platform to anyone, companies do well to focus on employee engagement and understanding what their employees expect.