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Tag: Silicon Valley

  • VC Keith Rabois: Tech Layoffs Result of ‘Vanity Hiring’

    VC Keith Rabois: Tech Layoffs Result of ‘Vanity Hiring’

    Venture capitalist Keith Rabois has harsh words for Silicon Valley, saying the recent layoffs resulted from a “vanity metric” of hiring.

    Rabois is one of the “PayPal Mafia,” the group of tech execs that spent their early years at PayPal before going on to found successful companies of their own. Rabois was at the payment company at the same time as Elon Musk, another member of the group.

    Rabois told Business Insider that many of Silicon Valley’s top companies, such as Google and Meta, were hiring for looks rather than out of a true need.

    “All these people were extraneous, this has been true for a long time, the vanity metric of hiring employees was this false god in some ways,” he said.

    “There’s nothing for these people to do — they’re really — it’s all fake work,” he added. “Now that’s being exposed, what do these people actually do, they go to meetings.”

    While it doesn’t seem like a good idea to hire unneeded personnel, Rabois said at least part of the motivation was to prevent talent from being picked up by other companies. This was especially true of Google, which led to a slew of engineers that were happy to “be entitled, sit at their desks, and do nothing.”

    In contrast, Rabois had high praise for Elon Musk and how he has run Twitter since buying it.

    “People are watching Elon and Twitter and he’s clearly setting an example — maybe it’s an extreme example,” Rabois told Insider.

    Rabois is one of the few with praise for Musk. Since taking over Twitter, Musk has laid off thousands and stoked one controversy after another. The company has also experienced a major uptick in outages, likely the result of its reduced technical staff.

    Despite the controversy Musk is generating, Rabois isn’t the only one who thinks his methods may catch on. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently said in an interview with Insider that “every CEO in Silicon Valley has looked at what Elon Musk has done and has asked themselves, ‘Do they need to unleash their own Elon within them?’”

  • Companies Fleeing California at Double the 2020 Rate

    Companies Fleeing California at Double the 2020 Rate

    California is in the midst of a “brain drain” as companies leave the state at double the rate in 2021 as 2020.

    There have already been a number of high-profile companies that have announced plans to move their headquarters away from California, including Oracle and HPE, both of which moved to Texas. Unfortunately for the Golden State, the pace of companies leaving is picking up.

    According Stanford’s Hoover Institution, there were 265 companies that moved their headquarters out of California from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021. The first half of 2021, however, accounted for 74 of those defections. The monthly averages for the first half of 2021 was greater than the monthly averages for the first half of 2018 and 2019. 2021 is also on course to double the number that left in 2020.

    The top destinations are Texas, Arizona and Nevada. The Hoover Institution attributes the migration to high real estate taxes, expanding civil liability and disproportionate legal costs of doing business. The COVID-19 pandemic has also opened the door for more remote work, making expensive Silicon Valley headquarters less important.

    Notably, the Hoover Institution’s data is not comprehensive, as many smaller companies move without the news coverage or public awareness that major tech companies bring.

  • BP Pivots to Renewables, Slashes Oil Exploration

    BP Pivots to Renewables, Slashes Oil Exploration

    BP has reduced its oil exploration to 100 members, down from 700, as it focuses on renewable energy.

    With climate change headlining the agendas of many countries, companies around the globe are taking drastic action to adapt and prepare for an economy based on renewable energy. Nowhere is that transformation more drastic than the very industry that has provided the fossil fuels the world has depended on.

    BP is among those energy companies leading the charge, thanks to CEO Bernard Looney. Under Looney, the company has been aggressively pivoting to renewable energy and scaling back its oil exploration efforts, according to Reuters. The company is using its existing petroleum business to help fund the transition.

    “We are in a harvest mode and what isn’t being said is that BP is going to be a much smaller company without exploration,” a source in BP’s oil and production division said told Reuters.

    The company has been hiring staff from Silicon Valley, Toyota, Uber and more in an effort to better understand electric vehicles and other key parts of the renewable energy industry in an effort to help it better compete.

    Looney’s efforts are not without risk, however, as some worry the company may prematurely slash its oil income before its investments in renewable energy pay off.

    “There is so much internal change that it will be a big job to pick up the organisation and get things going,” a senior employee in the exploration division told Reuters.

    There’s no doubt the company is experiencing challenges with its transformation, with the stock at its lowest point in 25 years. Looney is adamant, however, that BP must change in order to remain relevant.

    “Everywhere I have been, inside BP as well as outside BP, I have come away with one inescapable conclusion, and that is that we have got to change,” he said in a webcast.

    If Looney can pull off his vision, BP will be far better positioned than competitors who are trying to hang on to a dying industry as long as possible.

     

  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise Moving Headquarters to Houston

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise Moving Headquarters to Houston

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is moving its headquarters to Houston, Texas, a reflection of the changes COVID-19 has brought.

    In 2015, Hewlett Packard split into two companies. The original PC and printer division continued on as HP, Inc. HPE, on the other hand, focused on cloud services, software and IT infrastructure.

    Antonio Neri, President and CEO, announced the plans to relocate headquarters from Silicon Valley to Houston, Texas. HPE already has a presence in Texas, with it being its largest employee site.

    As we look to the future, our business needs, opportunities for cost savings, and team members’ preferences about the future of work, we have made the decision to relocate HPE’s headquarters to the new campus under construction in Spring, Texas, just outside of Houston.

    The move is, at least in part, in response to the changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought. Employees have become more accustomed to working remotely, leading to HPE embracing more flexibility. This, in turn, has caused the company to reevaluate its real estate strategy.

    Houston fits in well with HPE’s long-term goals. As the fourth largest city, Houston is also the most diverse. This gives the company a broad pool from which to recruit. HPE is currently constructing a 440,000 square-foot campus that is expected to be operational in 2022. Neri emphasized relocation will be entirely voluntary, and there are no layoffs associated with this move.

    At the same time, the company will keep its presence in Silicon Valley:

    We aren’t leaving Silicon Valley, a region inextricably linked to our rich history and heritage since Bill and Dave founded Hewlett Packard. Our San Jose campus will remain a hub for technological talent and innovation.

    Notably, San Jose will become the new headquarters for our Aruba Intelligent Edge business. The explosion of devices, applications and data at the edge continues to drive demand for secure connectivity, and through our Aruba business, we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the $39 billion edge market opportunity, which the pandemic has only accelerated with the need for digital workplace solutions.

    Neri is optimistic the decision was the right one, at the right time:

    Given our company’s long history in the region, this move makes sense for HPE. The world has changed, and we are changing with it for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.

  • Trump & Tech: The Clashes May Not Prove So Dramatic

    Trump & Tech: The Clashes May Not Prove So Dramatic

    Silicon Valley thinks the election of Trump is a disaster, but some tech leaders are starting to realize that the real impact may not be so dramatic.

    From Christopher Mims writing at the Wall Street Journal:

    Mr. Srinivasan (Balaji Srinivasan, Partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz) views the collision between tech culture and Mr. Trump’s populist movement as inevitable, and potentially so divisive that tech’s global elites should effectively secede from their respective countries, an idea he calls “the ultimate exit.”

    “It’s crazy to me that people in Silicon Valley have no idea how half the country lives and is voting,” said Ben Ling, an investment partner at venture firm Khosla Ventures. Many “coastal elites” attribute the results “to just sexism or racism, without even trying to figure out why [people] wanted to vote for Trump.”

    Ultimately, the clashes may not prove so dramatic. Technology may fall short of visionaries’ lofty promises. And Mr. Trump may pursue policies that are more symbolic than detrimental to the tech industry, says Anshu Sharma, a venture capitalist at Storm Ventures and founder of artificial-intelligence startup Learning Motors.

    “We’ll eventually find out whether he decides he does want to bring back an Apple factory from China,” says Mr. Sharma. “I think he’s going to pick on one or two companies and make an example, to show his base that he’s fixing America.”

    Read the rest of the story at the Wall Street Journal.

  • Google Starts Testing Password-Free Logins Using Your Phone

    Google Starts Testing Password-Free Logins Using Your Phone

    Passwords — especially weak ones or those used across multiple systems — can create all kinds of vulnerabilities and security headaches for people and businesses.

    The test was brought to light yesterday when reddit user rp1226 posted documents and screenshots from Google’s experiment on the Android subreddit.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Vietnam Visit from Google CEO Gives Hope to Local Startups

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s visit to Vietnam gives hope to people in the local startup community that they could succeed globally.

    Speaking to about 200 people in a cafe in central Hanoi on Tuesday, Pichai [pictured] said he did not see any reason why Vietnam would not be successful globally, given the size of the local market, high Internet usage and the strong entrepreneurial culture.

  • Comcast Tests Gigabit-Speed Internet Service in Philadelphia

    Comcast Tests Gigabit-Speed Internet Service in Philadelphia

    Google Fiber, the gigabit-speed Internet service that is slowly rolling out to cities across the country, may soon have some competition from an established service provider.

    Philadelphia-based Comcast has announced that it is testing a new protocol known as DOCSIS 3.1, which it said has the potential to boost download speeds to the gigabit level.

    Unlike Google Fiber, which requires laying down an extensive fiber optic cable network to service a community, DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specification) 3.1 won’t require anything quite so drastic.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Silicon Valley Tech Companies Jump on the Super Bowl Bandwagon

    Silicon Valley Tech Companies Jump on the Super Bowl Bandwagon

    With the historic Super Bowl 50 coming soon to that great entrepreneurial gridiron known as Silicon Valley, local tech companies large and small are getting in on the action.

    Headquartered smack dab in the middle of what SB50 host committee’s Keith Bruce calls “the heartbeat of the world’s digital economy,” giants like Apple, Google and Intel down to small-shop startups and app developers planning game-related products have all got Bowl fever.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Steve Jobs Box Office Numbers Disappoint

    Steve Jobs Box Office Numbers Disappoint

    Steve Jobs, the new film from writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) disappointed at the box office during its wide release opening weekend.

    Things were looking good for the film’s potential for profitability when its release was limited to a small number of screens, but it appears that the wider audience just doesn’t care that much, and it looks like it’s going to be a flop.

    The film cost $30 million to make. When it played in only a handful of theaters, it reportedly took in $2.5 million, which was really good on a per screen basis. Unfortunately, when it opened up to nearly 2,500 theaters, it only took in $7.3 million.

    There are likely a variety of factors that came into play, and it would be disingenuous to discount the fact that audiences have already seen a Steve Jobs movie released in recent years. Jobs, which starred Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad was released in 2013, and has been on Netflix for some time.

    Brent Lang, senior film and media reporter at Hollywood industry publication Variety asks what went wrong and opines:

    Looking back, it’s difficult to see how “Steve Jobs” could overcome the commercial headwinds it faced. Because of its Silicon Valley subject matter and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s involvement, the film has been compared to the Facebook drama “The Social Network.” That film managed to turn critical raves for Sorkin’s cutting dialogue into big box office and a $22.4 million opening. But the comparisons are faulty. “The Social Network” benefited from arriving just as Facebook was becoming ubiquitous. In 2010, it opened as everyone was discovering the thrill of over-sharing vacation pictures and political screeds. Even as it hit the zeitgeist, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg remained largely unknown to the general public. The story of the social media platform’s litigious origins had the shock of new.
     
    In contrast, Jobs, his genius for design and demanding personality, have all been thoroughly picked over. There’s the Walter Isaacson biography that formed the basis for the Sorkin picture, the Kutcher biopic, and endless profiles and think pieces. Steve Jobs is many things, but he is not an unknown commodity.

    Steve Jobs took 7th place in the weekend box office behind: The Martian (in its 4th week), Goosebumps (in its 2nd week), Bridge of Spies (in its second week), The Last Witch Hunter (in its first week), Hotel Transylvania 2 (in its fifth week), and Paranormal Activity (in its first week).

    The movie did manage to beat out Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak in its second week. Technically Steve Jobs was in its third week following its first two weeks of limited release.

    According to Box Office Mojo, the film has so far grossed less than $10 million.

    Image via YouTube

  • Silicon Valley’s VC World Is Even Less Diverse Than the Non-Diverse Companies It Funds

    There’s a striking lack of diversity in the tech world, and this is a well-documented fact. The biggest names in the business – Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. – have all put out diversity reports over the past few years that show this, and all have made pledges to do better.

    Silicon Valley is pretty white, and pretty male – especially when it comes to leadership roles.

    And not that this should come as a huge surprise, but the same goes for those taking the money and those dishing it out.

    The Information has published a study into the racial and gender makeup of some of the top Venture Capital firms, and the results aren’t promising (if diversity is something you value).

    From The Information:

    Less than one percent of senior VCs involved in investment decision are Black—four of 551 people. And only 1.3% are Hispanic…

    Ninety two percent of the senior investment teams at top-tier venture capital firms are male and 78% are white. Nearly a quarter have all-white male managers. These results are way worse than the diversity breakdown at major tech companies, where 23% of leadership teams are female and 77% male.

    Here’s a detailed chart, courtesy TechCrunch:

    Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 9.32.13 AM

    Twitter – which just made a promise to have a workforce that is 35% women overall, 16% women in tech roles, 25% women in leadership roles, and 11% underrepresented minorities by next year – is 70% male overall, 90% male in tech roles, and 79% male in leadership roles.

    Facebook – which just built and published its own diversity training course so others can use it as a framework – is 55% white and 68% male. A year ago, when Facebook reported its first diversity data, those numbers were 57% and 69%, respectively. In terms of Facebook’s senior leadership, it’s 77% and 73%, respectively.

    Tech companies clearly have a ways to go, but it looks like those slinging out the money in the Valley have an even tougher road to true diversity.

  • Silicon Valley Premieres Four Days Early on Twitch

    April 12th is going to be a good day, as both Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley return to HBO’s lineup. And if you’re really impatient, you can watch the season premiere of the latter a few days early.

    On April 8th at 3pm EST Amazon’s live-streaming gaming platform Twitch will host a Q&A with the cast and then show the season two premiere for free.

    From Variety:

    Show cast members Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr and Zach Woods will visit Twitch for a live gameplay and Q&A session followed by the free episode on Wednesday, April 8, starting at 12 p.m. PT. According to HBO, the event fits neatly with Twitch because several “Silicon Valley” characters are avid gamers, as are some of the actors on the show, including series star Middleditch, who is a Twitch streamer.

    “There is an authentic connection between ‘Silicon Valley’ and the Twitch audience, and this unique event is a great way to build upon that,” said Sabrina Caluori, VP of digital and social media at HBO. “Twitch offers a unique opportunity to provide exclusive content and a highly social experience to this influential community.”

    Ok nerds, have at it.

    You can watch the episode a few days early for free on Twitch’s official channel.

  • Silicon Valley Season 2 Gets a Great New Promo

    If it were’t for Game of Thrones, April 12 would be all about Silicon Valley.

    For HBO, and really for anyone who loves TV, April 12 is that day we’re all waiting for, when both Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley will have their new season premieres. Last week, the internet was abuzz with the epic two-minute GoT trailer, and today Silicon Valley gets its turn.

    Season two has a lot to live up to – as the inaugural season of the Mike Judge comedy was one of the best new things on television in 2014. It didn’t hurt that the season finale featured one of the lengthiest and well-crafted dick jokes in the history of TV.

    Check out the new promo, which is a little NFSW (mild language and drug use).

    Shit gets real.

    Image via HBO, YouTube

  • Silicon Valley Season 2 Premieres April 12

    Silicon Valley, HBO’s hilarious series about a team of tech dreamers navigating the pitfalls of living and working in the cradle of innovation, has just been given an official premiere date.

    Season two, which was ordered after just three episodes of season one, will air on April 12 at 10pm EST.

    That’s the same night as the debut of season five of Game of Thrones. April 12 will be a good day.

    This Sunday, Silicon Valley will vie for a big award, as it’s been nominated for best comedy series at the Golden Globes.

    We are trending up, boys. We are trending up.

    Image via HBO, Twitter

  • Microsoft’s Knightscope Robots Guard Silicon Valley

    Don’t be alarmed when you’re strolling along the roads of Silicon Valley and you happen to be stalked by a cold, heartless, egg shaped machine on wheels; it’s happening.

    Microsoft, the multinational technology corporation, has finally decided to hire robot security guards that will serve to protect the streets surrounding their branch in Mountain View, California, according to GdgtArena.

    As if it was invented by a bunch of nerds, the Knightscope K5 robots are equipped with measuring lasers, GPS, and heat-detecting technology. The robots predict where criminals are most likely to commit offenses as well as the probability of future crimes.

    Wheeling around without the need of human control, the Knightscope stands at 5 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. It’s installed with four surveillance cameras, microphones, weather monitors, a laser based range finder, odor detectors (just in case someone decides to defecate in public), and scanners that can read 300 license plates per minute.

    Fortunately, the Knightscope K5 machines are not armed (yet.) The lasers in the robot are used to read and measure the distance in front of it, as well as utilize a GPS system so it’s aware of its own location.

    The Knightscope K5 units gather information from government, businesses, and social media sources, running it through a sophisticated algorithm and predicting the likelihood of criminal activity in a certain area.

    Knightscope (the company that makes the Knightscope K5 units) are hoping their obese robot will cut crime down to 50%. If you happen to be a criminal, the K5 will beep at you with extreme prejudice, sending a signal back to its control center where authorities will be notified. If you’re in danger, never fear, just run up to the K5 and slap its head for help, or speak to security over its intercom.

    Four robots have been deployed, wheeling around in Silicon Valley, protecting the country like true patriots. Slashgear reports that the robots are meant to serve as patrol units, monitoring colleges, corporate campuses, parking lots, and shopping malls.

    A Knightscope probably won’t kill you unless it somehow falls off what appears to be its only weakness as of now: steps.

    “I noticed that a K5 in the distance had somehow toppled over the edge of the sidewalk onto the parking-lot asphalt several inches below. A couple of Knightscope folks were needed to pull it upright,” Rachel Metz, a reporter for MIT Technology Review said.

    Scared? The Knightscope official website assures us that we’re in good hands:

    “Imagine a friend that can see, hear, feel and smell that would tirelessly watch over your corporate campus or neighborhood, keep your loved ones safe and put a smile on everyone passing by. Imagine if we could utilize technology to make our communities stronger and safer…..together.”

    What could go wrong?

  • Magic Johnson Offers His Expertise To Improve Diversity In Silicon Valley

    The lack of diversity in Silicon Valley recently made headlines as statistics on their racial and gender make-up were revealed, showing a largely white and Asian workforce. Former basketball player turned businessman Magic Johnson is now offering his expertise to companies like Google and Apple in order to help them increase their employment of African-Americans and Hispanics.

    Johnson is an entrepreneur who has worked in minority markets, focusing on investing in inner-city neighborhoods, and he believes his experiences can connect Silicon Valley to the right talent to diversify its workforce. “I’ve been doing this for over 35 years. I’ve done this for other big corporations as well: Best Buy, Aetna, on and on. I know how to do it. They just need to give me a call. If they’re looking for talent, give me a call. If they are looking for companies to partner with, give me a call,” said Johnson in an interview with USA Today.

    Statistics of the US workforce of companies like Intuit, Google and Facebook have reached as low as two percent for African-American employees and six percent for Hispanics. As a result, Silicon Valley has promised to change its workforce to better reflect the markets they serve, but companies are apparently finding it hard to look for qualified talent.

    Johnson says he believes that his Beverly Hills-based company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, could be up to the task of connecting Silicon Valley companies with minority engineers.

    Johnson also recently shared his business savvy with attendees of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH conference at the JW Marriott in the L.A. Live entertainment complex. One of the stories he shared was how successfully he brought Starbucks into urban areas by making minor changes to the menu and updating the music playlist to reflect the tastes of the market. The experience reportedly showed the importance of knowing the market and making adjustments accordingly.

    “Today it’s not enough to deliver. Today, you have to over-deliver. And not just sometimes. All the time,” Johnson advised the audience of the conference.

  • ‘Silicon Valley’ Renewed by HBO for a Second Season

    Good news, guys. Your favorite new HBO startup has just received a sizable investment.

    HBO has just announced that after just three episodes, they’ve decided to renew Mike Judge’s new comedy Silicon Valley for a second season.

    The show tracks a team a team of tech dreamers as they navigate the pitfalls of living and working in the cradle of innovation. It stars Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani and airs on HBO’s Sunday night lineup.

    Image via HBO, YouTube

  • Watch Steve Jobs Talk About His Work Becoming Obsolete

    Computer historians go through a lot of effort to make sure we don’t forget what came before us. That’s incredibly hard to do, however, as the computers and systems from the 80s and 90s are becoming increasingly harder to maintain. Steve Jobs himself said such obsolescence was just part of the job.

    In a new never-before-seen interview from 1994, Steve Jobs talks about his contributions to computing. He says that his work with Apple won’t be remembered like a famous work of art since computers don’t have the staying power to last centuries. At best, a computer will function for 10 years before its completely replaced.

    It’s actually kind of sobering to see Jobs saying that his own contributions to the world of computers will be forgotten. Sure, we won’t forget that he worked on the Apple I, but we won’t be able to admire that handiwork.

    The above is only a small part of a larger interview with Jobs and his contemporaries that was collected by the The Silicon Valley Historical Association. You can check out the entire film here.

    If you want more Steve Jobs talking about the future, check out this talk from 1983 where Jobs talks about the future of computing.

  • Is Silicon Valley Spying On You For The Federal Government?

    Everything you do on Facebook, Google or any other online service is protected, right? There are strict privacy guidelines in place that keep your data out of the hands of government or third parties. Well, that’s at least what we thought until yesterday.

    Say hello to PRISM – your all-in-one data mining and surveillance system that has its hands in pretty much every major tech company. The Washington Post acquired a number of slides from an anonymous source that details the top secret program. In short, it’s a collaboration between Silicon Valley and the NSA that allows the latter to gather data from the servers of companies like Google and Facebook.

    Do you think the government is practicing large-scale surveillance? Let us know in the comments.

    So, now we know that PRISM is a surveillance program. What exactly does it do though? What is its purpose? According to The Post, PRISM is intended to gather data on foreign threats. Oftentimes, communications between terrorists and other antagonistic groups flow through data centers located in the U.S. PRISM allows the NSA to gather this data from the servers of Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others to expose plans that these groups may have.

    Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. I mean, the government is only collecting information on foreign entities. It’s not like they the program collects information on Americans, right? Well, this is where things get tricky. Officially, PRISM is only supposed to collect information on foreign threats, but the reality is that Americans’ data is collected as well. According to The Post, this is called “incidental” data and it’s impossible for the program to avoid it. In fact, the government collects the data if it’s anyway related to the target on hand.

    We now know what PRISM is, but who’s involved? According to the leaked documents, a large number of major players in Silicon Valley are participating. Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, YouTube, Skype, AOL and Apple have all allegedly opened up their servers to the government so PRISM can be used to collect information from their servers.

    PRISM SPYING

    What is collected from these servers? It depends on the company, but the leaked documents say that PRISM goes through email, video chat, voice chat, videos, photos, stored data, VoIP, file transfers, video conferencing, notifications of target activity, online social networking details and special requests.

    PRISM SPYING

    It’s all a little overwhelming, isn’t it? What makes it worse is that all of this is done in secret with the blessing of a secret court. Sure, there are safeguards in place, but those safeguards mean nothing in a program that has no oversight whatsoever. In fact, Sen. Mark Udall, a staunch opponent of the NSA, says that the safeguards don’t “prohibit the intelligence community from searching through a pile of communications, which may have incidentally or accidentally been collected without a warrant, to deliberately search for the phone call or emails of specific Americans.”

    So, what do the Silicon Valley giants allegedly involved in this have to say for themselves? Well, not much, but everybody denies that they’re part of the program. In statements sent to the press, Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo and Dropbox all say that they take their users’ privacy seriously and that they only share information with the government when legally obligated.

    Of course, that’s when you start to read deeper into these statements. Most make mention of only sharing information when legally obligated or when required by law. PRISM is part of FISA – a law. It may be an old law, but it’s still a law nonetheless. By complying with PRISM, these companies would be sharing information when legally obligated. It’s important to note that we may be reading too much into this, but it’s hard to really believe these companies when they’re slapped with gag orders and other laws to keep them quiet about government programs that they may or may not be involved with.

    As for the government, James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, says that the recent leaks do not present the entire picture:

    The Guardian and The Washington Post articles refer to collection of communications pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They contain numerous inaccuracies.

    Section 702 is a provision of FISA that is designed to facilitate the acquisition of foreign intelligence information concerning non-U.S. persons located outside the United States. It cannot be used to intentionally target any U.S. citizen, any other U.S. person, or anyone located within the United States.

    Activities authorized by Section 702 are subject to oversight by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Executive Branch, and Congress. They involve extensive procedures, specifically approved by the court, to ensure that only non-U.S. persons outside the U.S. are targeted, and that minimize the acquisition, retention and dissemination of incidentally acquired information about U.S. persons.

    Section 702 was recently reauthorized by Congress after extensive hearings and debate.

    Information collected under this program is among the most important and valuable foreign intelligence information we collect, and is used to protect our nation from a wide variety of threats.

    The unauthorized disclosure of information about this important and entirely legal program is reprehensible and risks important protections for the security of Americans.

    Before we move on, I just want to point out that Clapper is being a little disingenuous when he says that FISA was reauthorized by Congress after much debate. If you recall, FISA was reauthorized with little debate on the grounds that terrorism is scary.

    Do you think that the government has the American people’s best interests in mind when it comes to PRISM? Should they be allowed to continue monitoring networks? Let us know in the comments.

    What makes this particular leak more worrisome is that it follows on the heels of Wednesday’s revelation that the NSA compels Verizon to share customer metadata with the agency. In short, the NSA knows who calls who and the length of said phone calls when they’re made over Verizon’s network. The administration admitted that it was happening after the leak came out, but insisted that it was needed to combat terrorist threats.

    After the PRISM leak, the government came back out and insisted that what it was doing was completely legal. It even listed what it says are “limitations of the program:”

    There is a robust legal regime in place governing all activities conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which ensures that those activities comply with the Constitution and laws and appropriately protect privacy and civil liberties. The program at issue here is conducted under authority granted by Congress and is authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). By statute, the Court is empowered to determine the legality of the program.

    By order of the FISC, the Government is prohibited from indiscriminately sifting through the telephony metadata acquired under the program. All information that is acquired under this program is subject to strict, court-imposed restrictions on review and handling. The court only allows the data to be queried when there is a reasonable suspicion, based on specific facts, that the particular basis for the query is associated with a foreign terrorist organization. Only specially cleared counterterrorism personnel specifically trained in the Court-approved procedures may even access the records.

    All information that is acquired under this order is subject to strict restrictions on handling and is overseen by the Department of Justice and the FISA Court. Only a very small fraction of the records are ever reviewed because the vast majority of the data is not responsive to any terrorism-related query.

    The Court reviews the program approximately every 90 days. DOJ conducts rigorous oversight of the handling of the data received to ensure the applicable restrictions are followed. In addition, DOJ and ODNI regularly review the program implementation to ensure it continues to comply with the law.

    The Patriot Act was signed into law in October 2001 and included authority to compel production of business records and other tangible things relevant to an authorized national security investigation with the approval of the FISC. This provision has subsequently been reauthorized over the course of two Administrations – in 2006 and in 2011. It has been an important investigative tool that has been used over the course of two Administrations, with the authorization and oversight of the FISC and the Congress.

    In the end, Clapper says that “surveillance programs like this one are consistently subject to safeguards that are designed to strike the appropriate balance between national security interests and civil liberties and privacy concerns.”

    So, the official story is that PRISM is strictly used to monitor foreign threats and communications. There may be some “incidental” data here and there, but the NSA claims to not use this information. They would never think to violate your privacy and civil liberties with PRISM and related programs.

    That’s great and all, but the mere existence of PRISM is enough cause for concern. Even if it’s strictly used for the monitoring of foreign threats, there’s no guarantee that it won’t be abused in the future. The ACLU seems to agree when it says that “these revelations are a reminder that Congress has given the executive branch far too much power to invade individual privacy, that existing civil liberties safeguards are grossly inadequate, and that powers exercised entirely in secret, without public accountability of any kind, will certainly be abused.”

    Do you trust the government in regards to the NSA and PRISM? Or do you think this goes too far? Let us know in the comments.

  • Ford Looks to App Developers and Open-Source Innovation for Futuristic Driving Experience

    Ford Looks to App Developers and Open-Source Innovation for Futuristic Driving Experience

    Ford Motors has been doing everything they can think of to facilitate innovation and a creative spirit in the automotive community. The company has changed their outlook on design and engineering.

    Their latest effort to spur creative ideas comes in the form of a new laboratory in Silicon Valley, where collecting data on how people are using their vehicles and what can be done to better accommodate that use, is at the forefront of design.

    Ford is on a mission to shed the innovation in a bubble mentality of Detroit, and assume the collectivist spirit that embodies invention more closely tied to Silicon Valley. In other word, they want to go open-source with their creative efforts.

    Ford’s CTO Paul Mascarenas comments on the idea:

    “We really want the car to get to know you and what you’re doing at any given time and be able to adapt with a connected experience,”

    More specifically, Ford is looking for app developers to help them create an environment inside of vehicles that is anticipating and delivering at every turn. So if you are an app developer and you are interested in collaborating with Ford on this type of project, visit http://fordsvl.com/.

    Learn a little more about Ford’s collaborative form of innovation with this video:

    At the end of May, Ford got the ball rolling an a new Tech Shop in the Detroit area where tech savvy entrepreneurs can take advantage of cutting-edge design and testing equipment to develop and refine technology aimed at automobile innovation.

    As part of the open-source spirit they also made some refinements to an existing Patent Incentive Program, which allows collaborators to get paid for their intellectual investments. They have also set aside physical spaces in an area of the city they call Fordland where they help small entrepreneurs get manufacturing efforts off the ground while providing affordable rent and professional consultation.

    So, if you want to deliver a vehicle which is adaptive and more attuned to a driver’s experience, you have to embody that mentality with your design efforts, and it sounds like Ford is going above and beyond to do just that. It gives new meaning to the phrase, “there’s an app for that”.

    (Lead Image: Ford’s B-MAX 2013 Concept Vehicle)

  • Pay Pal Co-Founder Funds A Floating City…For Science

    Pay Pal Co-Founder Funds A Floating City…For Science

    Blueseed co-founder and CEO Max Marty has a dream. In his dream there is a floating city of sorts 12 miles off shore from Silicon Valley in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. The project, named Blueseed, is an idea that it would operate as a kind of floating laboratory for entrepreneurs who can’t officially immigrate to America due to restrictions on work visas.

    The project is being funded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, he has become an important philanthropist and venture capitalist investing in companies such as SpaceX, LinkedIn, and Spotify.

    Marty told Reason TV that:

    “The idea of a city in the bay is both a reaction to and a solution to U.S. laws that prevent foreign innovators from coming to Silicon Valley. But by placing Blueseed just a half-hour from the shore, these innovators would be close enough to access Silicon Valley’s infrastructure. Once their companies are large enough, Marty says they’ll be able to move to the mainland and become a part of the U.S. tax base.”

    The Blueseed city/ship would combine both work and living spaces and even contain trees and lawns. The design shows an obvious influence from Google’s famous headquarters. In fact, Blueseed calls it the “Googleplex of the Sea.”

    People accepted into the program would have to pay about $1,200 a month which would cover the price of the room and the office space. Food and security will be available but no word on if the food is included in the price or if you have to pay more.

    Blueseed is planning on launching it’s ship in the 3rd quarter of 2012.

    photo courtesy of blueseed.co