Do You Even Lyft?
Remember Uber? Neither does Alphabet Inc. The multinational conglomerate is considering investing approximately $1 billion in Lyft, Uber’s main ride-sharing competitor in the U.S. Although Alphabet is currently a stakeholder through its venture capital arm, Waymo, a unit of Alphabet, is also currently suing Uber over self-driving technology. But that’s old news. Now, Waymo plans to work with Lyft in a new partnership testing autonomous vehicles. Uber just got moved to the kids’ table. (Source: Bloomberg Tech)
If You Wanna be My Employer, You Gotta Get with My Friends
Three employees filed a lawsuit yesterday against Google, claiming the search company pays women less for doing the same work as men. Ever since James Damore, a former Google engineer, wrote a discriminatory 3,300 word memo that went viral last month, gender discrimination has been a hot topic revolving around the company. “Google’s motto is to do no harm, but it has harmed its women employees by not treating them as well as its male employees,” James Finberg, the lead attorney on the suit, said. Google disagrees with the central claims of the suit but stated they will read through it. (Source: CNET)
Blue is the New Black
Blue Bottle Coffee, a Silicon Valley favorite, is selling a 68% stake in its company to food giant Nestle. Nestle is acquiring Blue Bottle at a valuation north of $700 million, securing one of the biggest brands in specialty coffee. Blue Bottle has raised over $100 million independently and has locations globally. The Apple of coffee shops, Blue Bottle provides a unique experience that goes beyond the fast-paced environment of Starbucks stores. Time to get chocolate wasted! (Source: TechCrunch)
