This week we got to see what Elon Musk’s Boring Company is all about, Google Docs users were targeted in a phishing attack and Apple, Facebook and Tesla reported earnings. These are the top stories to catch you up on the biggest tech news this week. You also can sign up for the weekend newsletter here.
1. A first look at Elon Musk’s tunnel boring company
The world got its first look at renderings of Elon Musk’s Boring Company. A video shown during Musk’s TED Talk details a future underground transit network where cars travel on crisscrossing layers of tunnels that include sleds that shuttle vehicles around on rails at 130 mph.
2. A sophisticated Google Docs scam spreads like crazy
The phishing scam took users to a real Google-hosted page, with a list of your Google accounts ready to click. If you clicked in far enough, the app got permission to read your emails and email all your contacts. While Google was able to stop the attack, copycats could follow suit, so be careful opening any Google Docs.
3. Microsoft reveals the newest surface device aimed at the education market
Microsoft announced its move to take back the U.S. education market from the Google Chromebook. It will attempt to do so with the $999 Surface Laptop, a notebook the company hopes schools will buy instead of Chromebooks. But unlike other Surface models, it runs Windows 10 S, a new streamlined operating system.
4. Facebook is hiring 3,000 people to screen for harmful videos and posts
After multiple separate violent acts were posted on Facebook, the company has announced a new plan to add 3,000 more people to its operations team to screen for harmful videos, allowing the company to respond to concerning content more quickly.
5. Apple, Tesla, Facebook, Twilio report earnings
Apple hit a speed bump in Q2, falling slightly under Wall Street’s expectations. Tesla’s Q1 revenue more than doubled year over year as Model 3 production plans remain on track to begin in July. Facebook saw a strong quarter with steady growth and strong profits. The company is also on track to hit 2 billion users in Q2. The big earnings story of the week, however, was Twilio’s sudden stock plummet after Uber, a major client, distanced itself from the communications infrastructure provider. Uber accounted for 12 percent of Twilio’s revenue this quarter.
6. Anthony Levandowski steps down as head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group
In the latest in the Uber vs. Waymo lawsuit, Uber’s Anthony Levandowski, who founded Otto and then became head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) once Otto was acquired by the ridesharing company, is stepping aside from his role as head of ATG, although he will remain at Uber. Here’s the full story.
7. Hulu officially launches its live TV streaming service
Hulu officially announced the launch of its $39.99 per month live TV streaming service, and we went hands-on. First impressions include a robust channel lineup, cloud DVR and combining Hulu’s existing on-demand library with streaming TV and on-demand content from broadcast partners. However, a key part to the new service is the revamped, redesigned Hulu experience.
Weekend reads
Algorithmic accountability: Algorithms are designed to make our lives easier. The problem is, they’re designed by us.
Mignon Clyburn on privacy and inmate calling reform: FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has an incredibly important regulatory job. Here, she talks privacy, compromise and connecting communities.
Echo Look isn’t a joke, and its here to take your data: Amazon’s Echo Look, an incarnation of its Alexa voice assistant with a built-in camera for style pictures, is more than a fun selfie cam. The device could, unsurprisingly, feed Amazon’s big-data-fueled fashion ambitions.
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