August 2023

Stock Market Gets “Fitch Slapped”

August 5, 2023
The S&P 500 (SPY) seems to have hit a wall at 4,600 thanks in part to the surprising downgrade of US debt by the Fitch ratings service. Not only is…

Twitch streamer’s PS5 giveaway sparks Union Square ‘riot’

August 4, 2023
Twitch streamers Kai Cenat and Fanum invited fans to Union Square on Friday for a real-life stream and giveaway. They promised to hand out gift cards, gaming PC equipment and PlayStation 5s. But the IRL stream descended into chaos as frenzied fans crowded over the giveaway, shutting down lower Manhattan in the aftermath. Cenat, who […]

Pony, investor Toyota partner to ‘mass produce’ robotaxis in China

August 4, 2023
Autonomous-driving company Pony.ai and Toyota say they’re teaming up with the goal of one day cranking out a bunch of “fully driverless robotaxis.” The two companies intend to kick off their partnership sometime this year with around $139 million in capital from GAC Toyota Motor Co. — a joint venture between Toyota China and GAC, […]

SoftBank sues IRL over ‘elaborate scheme’ that swallowed $150M

August 4, 2023
SoftBank once invested in social app IRL at a $1.1 billion valuation. Now, the Japanese investment firm is suing the defunct company for fraud, alleging $150 million in damages. IRL was supposedly poised to become an event organizing alternative for Gen Z, who are using Facebook less and less. Its self-reported numbers were impressive enough […]

Hate your commute? Googlers can sleep on campus at a discount

August 4, 2023
The pandemic disrupted the office in a fundamental way. Remote work turned from a nice perk to a way of life for many. It’s an abrupt change for a tech industry that has a long history of rolling out perks to keep employees in the office for as long as conceivably possible. Google is among […]