Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Brad Stone is a senior writer for Bloomberg BusinessWeek. He is the author of The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon and The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World.
Is Big Tech on the defensive? Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon have amassed incomparable power over the US economy, political discourse and social interactions. Now they're being targeted as monopolies, which determine -- intentionally or otherwise — not just what we buy but how we think. Both the Left and the Right are now talking Regulation, but is Big Tech insulated by its ubiquitous services, popularity with consumers — and its lobbying power?
The story of startups that changed our culture Many of the companies now at the center of Silicon Valley didn’t exist 10 years ago. We learn how Uber and AirBnB started, and why this generation of tech CEOs is different.
The "Everything Store" and the Changing Economy As another holiday season reaches a frenzied climax, more American shopping takes place on line than ever before. Amazon, the major force in e-commerce, is leaving Best Buy, Target and even WalMart far behind -- not just now but for the foreseeable future. Massive investment is finally paying off for consumers who want stuff now, although relentless cost cutting creates a "dark side" for many workers. But the big story may be Jeff Bezos' vision of a new economy with Amazon the dominant player.
The Bruising Workplace Culture at Amazon The founder of one of America’s largest online retailers is taking exception to a lengthy report that called Amazon a “bruising workplace” for both executives and rank and file employees. Saturday's New York Times described Amazon as a workplace where employees are so harshly treated they cry at their desks and where executives are regularly managed out rather than being allowed to recover from cancer, miscarriages or other personal crises. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive, says he didn’t recognize the Amazon he knows—and that “tolerance for such lack of empathy needs to be zero.”
Google, Uber and the Ridesharing Wars The ride-sharing service Uber is said to be worth $40 billion, but local regulations, pending lawsuits and organized taxi drivers are threats to its global expansion plans. Now comes an even bigger tech titan—Google, a friendly investor with competitive plans. Google’s investment wing, Google Ventures, has poured millions into Uber, and Google’s chief legal officer sits on Uber’s board of directors. But now the companies may be on a collision course. Brad Stone is a senior writer for Bloomberg Businessweek. He’s also author of The Everything Store : Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon.
Amazon Grows, But Not Profits Amazon is always finding new ways to expand. The company is reportedly looking into the mobile payment business, and it just released a new 3-D printing service. The company’s been tiptoeing into pretty much every service you can think of over the past few years. But this never-ending diversification has Amazon watchers asking whether Bezos’ gambles will ever pay off.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
