Jon Taffer of Bar Rescue on Succeeding in the Reaction Business
Interview with Bar Rescue Star and Executive Producer Jon Taffer about defeating self doubt, keeping authenticity intact, and being in the reaction business.
Puzzle Corner
Ready for a fresh set of puzzles? Click here for the July/August 2025 Puzzle Corner, brought to you by guest editor Ed Faulkner ’03. Send problems, solutions (by August 1), and comments to puzzlecorner@technologyreview.com. Editor emeritus Allan Gottlieb ’67 launched Puzzle Corner in 1966. Find back issues through 2022 at cs.nyu.edu/~gottlieb/tr and more recent back issues at technologyreview.com/puzzle-corner.
August 2023
Voiceflow, a platform for building conversational AI experiences, raises $15M
The demand for conversational AI — mostly chatbots — has arguably never been higher, riding the publicity wave of systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Last year, Gartner predicted that one in 10 agent-customer exchanges will be automated by 2026, an increase from the estimated 1.6% of chats that were handed off to chatbots in 2022. Unsurprisingly, […]
‘Smart bus’ startup Zeelo, aimed at employers and schools, secures $14M to scale in the US
Zeelo — a ‘smart buses’ platform providing bus operators, employers and schools with private bus and shuttle transport programs — has secured $14 million in a fresh Series A ‘Extension’ round of funding. The new investment was led by FlatzHoffmann (a European growth equity investor) and was joined by IREON Ventures (the CVC arm of […]
The rise of the tech ethics congregation
Just before Christmas last year, a pastor preached a gospel of morals over money to several hundred members of his flock. Wearing a sport coat, angular glasses, and wired earbuds, he spoke animatedly into his laptop from his tiny glass office inside a co-working space, surrounded by six whiteboards filled with his feverish brainstorming. Sharing…
The race to lead China’s autonomous driving market
Toward the end of a nearly 15-minute video, William Sundin, creator of the ChinaDriven channel on YouTube, gets off the highway and starts driving in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. Or rather, he allows himself to be driven. For while he’s still in the driver’s seat, the car is now steering, stopping, and changing…
Tesla reassures Chinese users on data security amid spying concerns
The relationship between American tech giants and the Chinese government has never been an easy one. We reported previously how Apple finds itself in a predicament as it strives to conquer the colossal smartphone market in China, the world’s largest. The tech giant has to balance appeasing both Beijing and Western politicians, which tend to […]
Indian court ruling threatens Google’s advertising revenue model
The Delhi High Court has ruled that Google’s Ads Programme falls under the purview of the trademarks act, meaning the search giant’s use of trademarks as keywords amounts to “use” under the act, in a major decision that may redefine online advertising’s legal landscape. The decision (PDF), delivered by a division bench of Justice Vibhu […]
Rocket Lab to launch a pair of climate satellites for NASA
Rocket Lab will launch two small satellites for NASA that could help scientists better understand how a warming climate will affect the massive ice shelves at the Earth’s poles. The PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will gather data on how much far-infrared energy is emitted at the poles, and how those […]
OnePlus takes on the wet touchscreen problem
I got caught in the rain twice last week. That probably says more about my general lack of preparedness than anything, of course, but I was reminded both times how much is sucks attempting to use a wet touchscreen. I wouldn’t say it’s the largest single issue facing smartphones today, but in an era when […]
Do You Have the Qualities of a Great Mentor?
Whether you’re a new business owner or have been in business for decades, you’ve probably thought about mentoring—or have even done so informally.