The strike Wednesday by Uber and Lyft drivers should serve as a warning to the companies and particularly to their investors.

That's not because the labor action likely harmed Uber or Lyft's business that day in any significant way. Instead, the strike is important because it points to the fundamental flaw in their businesses.

The two companies have built their services around paying their drivers pitifully low wages. That fact was at the center of Wednesday's strike; drivers are indicating through that action and through other means that they aren't going to continue put up with the poor pay.

But it's not at all clear whether Uber or Lyft can afford to give them a raise. The two companies are burning through cash hand over fist — in spite of giving drivers such poor compensation. And they're likely to come under increasing pressure to staunch those losses, even as drivers demand a raise.

How they can solve that conundrum is anyone's guess. I think there's a good chance they simply can't, and both drivers and investors are going to lose out as a result.

Uber and Lyft drivers earn poverty wages

Drivers cited several reason for going on strike, safety concerns and a lack of transparency over how the companies calculate their compensation and the factors they weigh when deciding whether to remove drivers from their services. But the overriding issue behind the driver action was anger over low and falling compensation.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will lead his company to its initial public offering this week. Carlo Allegri/Reuters It's not hard to understand why. The average Uber driver makes just $11.77 an hour after deducting the company's fees and the driver's vehicle expenses, the Economic Policy Institute estimated in a study last year that focused just on the biggest ride-hailing company. But as low as that wage is — it's below the poverty line for a family of four— it's actually overstating their real earnings.

Because Uber doesn't classify drivers as employees, the drivers are considered to be self-employed. That means that in addition to the part of the payroll tax that all employees — self-employed or not — pay, they also have to pay the part that employers normally cover. It also means that they don't get health or retirement benefits from Uber, so they have to pay for those out of their own pockets. If you take into account those costs — the employer side of the payroll tax and the cost of modest health and retirement benefits, the average Uber driver made just $9.21 an hour, the EPI found. That's below the poverty wage for a family of three.

Wednesday strike followed one in March by drivers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. And there are other signs of increasing driver discontent.

The average Uber driver only works for the company for three months, the EPI study found, meaning that few see it as a sustainable long-term job. And as the economy has improved, attrition among Uber and Lyft drivers and other so-called gig-economy workers has spiked, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. In some cases, attrition levels may be hitting an astounding 500% a year, the Journal reported, citing the chief operating officer of a job placement firm that works closely with such companies.

The companies could have a tough time offering raises

Uber, Lyft, and their cohorts could likely staunch such attrition and driver discontent by giving drivers and other gig workers a raise. But the ride-hailing companies could find that difficult to do, even if they were inclined to do it. Despite the minuscule compensation they give their drivers, neither company has been able to generate consistent profits, much less become self-sustaining.

Last year, Uber burned through $2.1 billion in cash from its operations and and its investments in property and equipment. Lyft, meanwhile, consumed nearly $350 million from its operations and such capital investments.

Read this: Uber is telling the world it's just like Amazon: Here's why the similarities are only skin-deep

Such red ink hasn't been much of a problem to date, because both companies were private and their venture investors were willing to subsidize their losses in the hope of having a big payoff when the companies went public.

But as of Friday, neither company will be protected and succored by private investors anymore. Lyft held its initial public offering in March, and Uber made its public market debut on Friday. Unlike venture investors, public shareholders tend to be far less tolerant of ongoing losses; they won't subsidize them ad infinitum. So both companies are sure to come under increasing pressure to stem the red ink.

It's hard to see how they can do that and pay drivers more, unless they raise prices on consumers. But the intense competition between the two companies — and the continued existence of alternatives such as traditional taxis and public transit — makes it difficult for either to hike prices significantly.

New York shows how wage and price hikes can hurt

New York is a case in point. The city put in place new rules at the end of last year that require Uber and Lyft to pay drivers a minimum wage of $17.22 an hour after expenses. In response, both companies hiked their prices. But they both reportedly offset those hikes with generous customer discounts.

The end result was that both companies' business in the city suffered. In the document Uber filed in advance of its IPO, it warned that the new regulations, including the wage hike, "had a negative impact on our financial performance in New York City in the first quarter of 2019 and may have a similar adverse impact in the future."

In a blog post, Lyft said that the regulations had a "negative impact on driver earnings," which almost certainly meant that they affected its business as well. The company essentially ran a test on two separate days in which it didn't offer customer discounts to offset its price hikes and found that the prices customers paid rose 24% and the number of rides fell 26%.

In other words, the companies' services aren't nearly as competitive or attractive to consumers if the companies have to pay their drivers fair wages.

Both companies are hoping robo-taxis will save them

Lyft customers will soon be able to get rides in self-driving Waymo vehicles in suburban Phoenix. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)= Both companies have indicated they believe the long-term solution to the problem is to move to driverless vehicles. If they had robo-taxis instead of human driven ones, they wouldn't have to worry at all about driver compensation. Lyft took a step in this direction this week when it announced a deal with Waymo whereby its customers will be able to order a ride in one of the latter's self-driving vehicles in suburban Phoenix.

But the idea of fully replacing human Uber and Lyft drivers with self-driving cars may be a distant dream.

I've spoken with numerous investors lately who focus narrowly on the self-driving car space. It's in their interest to promote the market and for their investments to pay off sooner rather than later. Their general assessment is that the technology is not mature enough to be used outside of suburban, or fixed, environments right now. Vehicles capable of autonomously and safely navigating the dense urban environments where Uber and Lyft have gotten the most traction are still years — and maybe decades — away.

So I'm not sure how Uber or Lyft solves this conundrum. What I do know is it's not going away. And if the strike Wednesday is any indication, the problem may get much worse before Uber or Lyft solves it.

Got a tip about Uber, Lyft, or another tech company? Contact this reporter via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., message him on Twitter @troywolv, or send him a secure message through Signal at 415.515.5594. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

Depop is a social marketplace and app where users can buy and sell an array of items.

It's been described as a mix between eBay and Instagram, and because of the ease at which you can set up shop, list new items, and engage with your community, it's achieved explosive success with the younger generation. Since launching in 2011, it has grown to have over 13 million customers in 147 countries; 90% of these users are under the age of 26.

Rachel Swidenbank, vice president of marketplace at Depop, told Business Insider that some sellers can pull in as much as $300,000 a year on the app and have been able to buy houses and cars before they've even reached college age.

Read more: How to make money selling clothes on Depop

Few sci-fi movies are as revered as Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," a film that put cyberpunk and sci-fi noir on the big screen for the first time.

The movie goes big on audacious predictions for the year 2019, including snakes on the verge of extinction, fully humanlike androids, ceaseless rain in LA, and space colonies.

But the movie got a few things right, too. The pyramid-shaped LA skyline implies that the city's skyscrapers are no longer legally required to have helipads on the roof — something that changed for real in LA in 2014 — and the film also predicted the rise (no pun intended) of flying cars. An essential part of the "Blade Runner" universe is the Spinner, a flying car we see darting about the city.

Flying cars have been part of our "promised future" since the 1950s. And engineers have tried. Oh, how they've tried. Among the many attempts at flying cars, there has been the 1947 ConvAirCar Model 118, little more than an auto with wings, and 1990's Sky Commuter from Boeing. And inventor Paul Moller spent his life developing various versions of his Sky Car, a reliable fixture in the back pages of pop science magazine for decades.

And while we don't have flying cars quite yet, they're definitely, at long last, coming. A number of companies are readying what are essentially "passenger drones" — electric powered, self-flying, vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that look like oversized drones.

And they can ferry passengers without the need for a pilot. Boeing, AirBus, and Chinese company eHang are all developing oversized drone flying taxi services, and some are just a couple of years (in theory) from operation, and Uber has already announced the first five cities that may start flying.

Whether you're looking to refresh your memory ahead of season 3 premiere of "The Handmaid's Tale" on June 5, or you're just looking to finally watch the show everyone is talking about, you're going to need to spend some time in front of your computer.

You won't find the hit series on CBS, NBC, or any of the traditional networks. This popular show is most readily accessible on the streaming platform Hulu. So if you have plans to keep up with the latest trials and tribulations of Gilead, here's what you'll need to do.

1. Head over to Hulu

While you could buy one-off episodes from a number of other platforms (like Amazon Prime or YouTube), the easiest way to actually stream the series is on Hulu.

2. Sign up for your free trial

Once you're on the Hulu website, select "Start Your Free Trial." You'll receive one month free to try the service. If you select the most popular basic plan, you'll be charged a monthly subscription fee starting at $5.99 after the trial ends.

3. Select your plan

You'll select your plan during your trial period, but once that first month has lapsed, you could always choose to upgrade or downgrade. For $5.99 a month, you'll be able to stream Hulu shows and movies with ads; for $11.99 a month, you'll rid yourself of ads; for $44.99 a month, you'll get both Hulu and live TV.

4. Find "The Handmaid's Tale"

Both seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Hulu, so once you've signed up for your trial or your subscription, you're ready to start watching! Come June 5, you'll also be able to start streaming season 3, which you won't be able to do anywhere else.

5. Alternatively, watch one-off episodes

If you don't want to pay a monthly fee, you could instead buy individual episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale" or the entire season from Amazon or iTunes. We wouldn't recommend this option, though — not only is it much more expensive, but it also won't grant you immediate access to season 3 when it comes out.

Stack Overflow, a site where you can get answers to even the trickiest programming questions, recently released its annual developer survey.

This annual survey of nearly 90,000 developers looks at demographics, what types of work programmers are doing, the technology they're using to do it, and other questions.

This year, Stack Overflow also surveyed developers on who they think will most influence tech in 2019, allowing respondents to write in their answer. It's important to note that the question was phrased as: "What individual person will have the most influence in tech this year?" That phrasing doesn't specify whether the impact is good or bad.

These top 25 results are based on 30,398 responses, and include CEOs and co-founders of tech giants, open source developers, and even politicians. The top response by far is Elon Musk, the bombastic CEO of Tesla — 30.2% of respondents wrote him in, followed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Only one woman made it on to the list. Also of note, 91.7% of respondents were men, while only 7.9% were women and 1.2% were non-binary, genderqueer, or gender non-conforming.

Below are the top 25 people who will have the most influence in tech in 2019, according to the Stack Overflow survey.

The Mazda CX-5 is one of the most popular offerings in what is arguably the most competitive segment of the US auto market. Introduced for the 2017 model year, the CX-5 doesn't sell quite as well as the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V, but it's no slouch.

Through April, Toyota has sold just shy of 118,000 RAV4s, while Honda has moved about 116,000 CR-Vs. During the same period, Mazda sold a respectable 47,000 CX-5s.

Last year, Business Insider had the chance to spend a week with a 2018 Mazda CX-5. We were impressed by the CX-5's stylish design, stellar driving dynamics, and a cabin that felt surprisingly luxurious. However, the CX-5 wasn't quite perfect. It is adequately powerful, but its standard naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine lacked the punch of a turbocharged unit. On the inside, the infotainment system was lackluster.

Read more: We drove a $40,000 Mazda CX-5 Turbo to see if it's the perfect compact SUV. Here's the verdict.

This year, Mazda has made several updates to the CX-5, including the addition of the turbocharged engine from the larger CX-9 SUV.

Recently, we spent some time with a 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature AWD, clad in a gorgeous Deep Crystal Blue Metallic paint job.

"What Mazda has managed to do is deliver, hands down, the best-driving mass-market compact SUV money can buy," We said in our review of the 2019 CX-5. "It's an impressive feat considering it's fighting for sales in arguably the most brutally competitive segment of the market where everyone brings their A-game."

"And for that reason, if I had $40,000 to spend, the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature would be the compact SUV for me," we added.

The base 2019 Mazda CX-5 Sport with front-wheel drive starts at $24,350, while the top-of-the-line Signature trim starts at $36,890. All-wheel-drive is a $1,400 option on the Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring trims. It's standard on Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trims.

With options and fees, our Signature trim CX-5 came to an as-tested price of $39,905. It's the most expensive mass-market compact SUV Business Insider has ever tested.

Here's a closer look at its coolest features:

Sandbox VR, a location-based virtual reality startup, landed Andreessen Horowitz as a lead investor in its $68 million Series A in January. A new video shows exactly how the startup convinced the famed investment firm to sign on.

Andrew Chen, the Andreessen Horowitz partner on the deal, shared a video on the firm's YouTube channel that gave a "director's cut" of the team's pitch meeting, including the investors' discussion after Sandbox VR CEO and cofounder Steve Zhao left the room.

In the video, Chen says that one of the primary reasons the firm chose to invest in Zhao's company was the physical experience of the product, which reduces motion sickness and isn't as bulky as other consumer VR headsets.

Read More:This 29-year-old VC helped start Microsoft's investment fund. Now, she's joining the 50-year-old Mayfield Fund to help it invest in 'unhyped' markets.

Chen also explains in the video that he was also impressed with the unit economics data Zhao had included in his deck. He was able to convince the firm's investment team that the math worked, and that the company could turn a profit as it was presented.

The video is possibly the best look yet at what it's like to meet with the storied Silicon Valley investment firm, which famously invested in companies including Facebook, GitHub, and Lyft.

Here's the pitch deck Sandbox VR used to land Andreessen Horowitz as the lead on its $68 million Series A funding:

Two-day shipping was a revolution.

One-day shipping, which, Amazon announced in April, is starting to roll out to all Prime customers nationwide to replace two-day shipping, has the same potential.

"Two-day shipping made e-commerce relevant," said Michael Krakaris, founder of Deliverr, a third-party shipping and logistics firm that works with third-party sellers and merchants on platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Ebay.

Before, e-commerce orders took a long time, and actual arrival times would often vary greatly. With two-day shipping, customers could predict when they would need or want an item by, and the regularity of Amazon Prime's guarantee meant they could order it to fit their schedule.

Read more: A startup is making it easier for Amazon's sellers to fulfill orders, and it's a hint at how one-day shipping could become a reality

But even shaving just 24 hours from the time something arrives could have huge psychological benefits for customers who are mentally preparing for when an item is going to come.

"With one-day, you're changing the game, and now you're changing the framework of how buyers think," Krakaris said.

"The way they're now going to think about it is ... should I go to the Walgreens down the street? Or should I just buy it on Amazon?"

Before, customers could go to drugstores or convenience stores for need-it-now essentials, but a one-day shipping promise changes the calculus.

"With two-day shipping it was: 'I'm going to go to Walgreens down the street. I'm only going to buy something on Amazon if I can't find it at Walgreens,'" Krakaris said. "Now you're asking yourself, should I really even walk there? Should I even really stay and wait in the checkout line? [It's] going after those convenience stores."

Should drugstore chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid fear the coming of one-day shipping? It's still unclear how the offering will shake out and how customers will respond.

But in a best-case scenario, where the 100 million items currently available for Amazon Prime's two-day shipping are migrated to one-day, some sales could certainly be captured by the e-commerce giant.

An Amazon spokesperson gave Business Insider this statement in response to a request for comment:

At some point in 2020, a new "Predator" game is expected to arrive — Sony showed it off for the first time on Thursday afternoon, and it's called "Predator: Hunting Grounds."

Instead of following any of the "Predator" films, it appears to be a multiplayer-focused game of kill or be killed (by an invisible alien with superweapons). Here's the game description:

"Play as an elite Fireteam charged to complete paramilitary operations while a Predator mercilessly hunts you. Or, BE the Predator, armed with all the deadly alien weaponry you've grown to love and pursue your prey."

Great! Check out the trailer right here:

Vanguard is building a tech platform to better tap the $6 trillion of assets that financial advisors oversee as it plays catch-up with peers like BlackRock in the digital wealth space.

At a media roundtable at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago on Thursday, Vanguard CEO Tim Buckley highlighted the success of its Personal Advisor Services, which connects individual investors with more than $50,000 to Certified Financial Planners for a 0.3% or lower fee.

Now, the asset manager is building a similar platform for financial advisors, after hearing that professionals wanted to use elements of the service, like technology-driven risk analysis, for their clients.

See more: The man who upended investing by founding $5.1 trillion Vanguard says he admires only 3 rivals and even made some money off one of them

"Expect us to invest more and more in advice," Buckley told reporters. "We're here to help clients, whether they come directly to Vanguard or through advisers, to achieve a better retirement, put their kids through college. If we can help lower the cost of advice, we'll do that. If it's not direct, we'll do it through advisors."

The financial advisor platform will likely be rolled out by 2021, he said, noting it's too early to know if it'll be a revenue stream for the privately-held company. Buckley said early iterations of the program are being piloted with advisors.

BlackRock's similar effort, Aladdin Wealth, is a growing focus for the asset manager. The platform is driving revenue from the fees advisors pay and, in some cases, more assets to BlackRock, Business Insider reported last month. Aladdin Wealth, which was rolled out two years ago, now has 30,000 users, but lots of runway as there are about 300,000 financial advisors in the US alone

In November, BlackRock said it would buy a minority stake in financial technology firm Envestnet for $123 million. About 92,000 financial advisers use Envestnet's wealth management platforms, which include portfolio management, reporting and other capabilities.

Asset managers are increasingly interested in building digital tools to work more directly with financial advisors, who oversee more than $6 trillion in assets in North America alone, according to a report last month from McKinsey. That survey showed the continued growth of fee-based advisors, who are more likely than commission-based stock pickers to embrace digital tools and index funds to lower the cost of portfolio management.

"They can pass those savings onto their clients; they can free their time up to do more for their clients beyond portfolio management," Buckley said at Morningstar. "If we can give them pieces of our engine so they can do that better, we'll be doing that."

Uber disrupted the taxi industry with its mobile ride-hailing platform. And now that it's a public company, it's disrupting financial analysts' mnemonic devices.

Though just hours out of the gate, two analysts have already proposed eventually adding Uber to FAANG— though neither agreed where U belongs in the mix.

FAANG is an acronym for five of the most popular and high-performing large-cap tech stocks: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google.

Before Uber can join FAANG, the company will have to prove that it can continue to add value over time and succeed in the public markets in a way that is yet unconfirmed after its first rocky day of trading.

But Wedbush analyst Dan Ives thinks Uber is well on its way to transforming FAANG into FAAUNG.

Read more: PayPal already lost $37 million on the Uber investment it just made as part of the IPO

"Uber is clearly one of the most transformational companies in the world as the company has essentially single handily changed the nature of transportation worldwide," wrote Ives in a note on May 1. Ives set a price target of $65 for the company.

"While it will take time we ultimately believe the traditional FAANG tech club which is viewed as bellwether for investors worldwide will over the coming years accept a new member into this group and thus broaden into 'FAAUNG' given the barometer of consumer spending that Uber brings to the table on the transportation and mobility front," Ives wrote.

There are 360 ways to add Uber into FAANG. Business Insider's team has discovered all of them. Alyssa Pagano/Business Insider Not everyone agrees.

Like Ives, Naeem Aslam is bullish on Uber. But unlike Ives, Aslam, the chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets, thinks FAANG is about to become FAANGU.

"As expected the Uber IPO wasn't going to sell hot off the shelf, investors were wary about the demand especially after what happened to Lyft," Aslam wrote in an email Friday. "But that doesn't mean it is not a good stock, Uber has the ability to join the FAANG, and for me I see that term changing very soon to 'FAANGU.'"

Altogether, there are 360 possible ways to add Uber into FAANG.

As Business Insider's resident mathematician and Senior Quant Reporter Andy Kiersz explains, the total number of combinations of the six-letter acronym is 720, but you then need to account for the double As (which represent Apple and Amazon). That still leaves a lot of name options to choose from.

Will FAAUNG and FAANGU compete side-by-side in a cash burning, price slashing drag race like Uber and Lyft? Or will one of them come out ahead? Which one is the sauce, and which will leave analysts feeling unpumped?

Whatever the case, victory will be short lived. Once Airbnb and WeWork enter the public markets, analysts will have 6720 possible permuatations to sort through before settling on the perfect combination for the new cohort of high-growth tech stocks.

FAANGU, AFANGU, AAFNGU, NAFAGU, ANFAGU, FNAAGU, NFAAGU, AFNAGU, FANAGU, NAAFGU, ANAFGU, AANFGU, GANFAU, AGNFAU, NGAFAU, GNAFAU, ANGFAU, NAGFAU, FAGNAU, AFGNAU, GFANAU, FGANAU, AGFNAU, GAFNAU, GNFAAU, NGFAAU, FGNAAU, GFNAAU, NFGAAU, FNGAAU, FNAGAU, NFAGAU, AFNGAU, FANGAU, NAFGAU, ANFGAU, AFGANU, FAGANU, GAFANU, AGFANU, FGAANU, GFAANU, AFAGNU, FAAGNU, AAFGNU, AGAFNU, GAAFNU, AAGFNU, NGAAFU, GNAAFU, ANGAFU, NAGAFU, GANAFU, AGNAFU, NAAGFU, ANAGFU, AANGFU, AAGNFU, GAANFU, AGANFU, UAANFG, AUANFG, AAUNFG, NAUAFG, ANUAFG, UNAAFG, NUAAFG, AUNAFG, UANAFG, NAAUFG, ANAUFG, AANUFG, FANUAG, AFNUAG, NFAUAG, FNAUAG, ANFUAG, NAFUAG, UAFNAG, AUFNAG, FUANAG, UFANAG, AFUNAG, FAUNAG, FNUAAG, NFUAAG, UFNAAG, FUNAAG, NUFAAG, UNFAAG, UNAFAG, NUAFAG, AUNFAG, UANFAG, NAUFAG, ANUFAG, AUFANG, UAFANG, FAUANG, AFUANG, UFAANG, FUAANG, AUAFNG, UAAFNG, AAUFNG, AFAUNG, FAAUNG, AAFUNG, NFAAUG, FNAAUG, ANFAUG, NAFAUG, FANAUG, AFNAUG, NAAFUG, ANAFUG, AANFUG, AAFNUG, FAANUG, AFANUG, FGANUA, GFANUA, AFGNUA, FAGNUA, GAFNUA, AGFNUA, NGFAUA, GNFAUA, FNGAUA, NFGAUA, GFNAUA, FGNAUA, FANGUA, AFNGUA, NFAGUA, FNAGUA, ANFGUA, NAFGUA, NAGFUA, ANGFUA, GNAFUA, NGAFUA, AGNFUA, GANFUA, UANFGA, AUNFGA, NUAFGA, UNAFGA, ANUFGA, NAUFGA, FAUNGA, AFUNGA, UFANGA, FUANGA, AUFNGA, UAFNGA, UNFAGA, NUFAGA, FUNAGA, UFNAGA, NFUAGA, FNUAGA, FNAUGA, NFAUGA, AFNUGA, FANUGA, NAFUGA, ANFUGA, GNFUAA, NGFUAA, FGNUAA, GFNUAA, NFGUAA, FNGUAA, UNGFAA, NUGFAA, GUNFAA, UGNFAA, NGUFAA, GNUFAA, GFUNAA, FGUNAA, UGFNAA, GUFNAA, FUGNAA, UFGNAA, UFNGAA, FUNGAA, NUFGAA, UNFGAA, FNUGAA, NFUGAA, AFUGNA, FAUGNA, UAFGNA, AUFGNA, FUAGNA, UFAGNA, GFAUNA, FGAUNA, AGFUNA, GAFUNA, FAGUNA, AFGUNA, AUGFNA, UAGFNA, GAUFNA, AGUFNA, UGAFNA, GUAFNA, GUFANA, UGFANA, FGUANA, GFUANA, UFGANA, FUGANA, NUGAFA, UNGAFA, GNUAFA, NGUAFA, UGNAFA, GUNAFA, AUNGFA, UANGFA, NAUGFA, ANUGFA, UNAGFA, NUAGFA, NGAUFA, GNAUFA, ANGUFA, NAGUFA, GANUFA, AGNUFA, AGUNFA, GAUNFA, UAGNFA, AUGNFA, GUANFA, UGANFA, FGAAUN, GFAAUN, AFGAUN, FAGAUN, GAFAUN, AGFAUN, FAAGUN, AFAGUN, AAFGUN, AAGFUN, GAAFUN, AGAFUN, UAAFGN, AUAFGN, AAUFGN, FAUAGN, AFUAGN, UFAAGN, FUAAGN, AUFAGN, UAFAGN, FAAUGN, AFAUGN, AAFUGN, GAFUAN, AGFUAN, FGAUAN, GFAUAN, AFGUAN, FAGUAN, UAGFAN, AUGFAN, GUAFAN, UGAFAN, AGUFAN, GAUFAN, GFUAAN, FGUAAN, UGFAAN, GUFAAN, FUGAAN, UFGAAN, UFAGAN, FUAGAN, AUFGAN, UAFGAN, FAUGAN, AFUGAN, AUGAFN, UAGAFN, GAUAFN, AGUAFN, UGAAFN, GUAAFN, AUAGFN, UAAGFN, AAUGFN, AGAUFN, GAAUFN, AAGUFN, UGAANF, GUAANF, AUGANF, UAGANF, GAUANF, AGUANF, UAAGNF, AUAGNF, AAUGNF, AAGUNF, GAAUNF, AGAUNF, NAAUGF, ANAUGF, AANUGF, UANAGF, AUNAGF, NUAAGF, UNAAGF, ANUAGF, NAUAGF, UAANGF, AUANGF, AAUNGF, GAUNAF, AGUNAF, UGANAF, GUANAF, AUGNAF, UAGNAF, NAGUAF, ANGUAF, GNAUAF, NGAUAF, AGNUAF, GANUAF, GUNAAF, UGNAAF, NGUAAF, GNUAAF, UNGAAF, NUGAAF, NUAGAF, UNAGAF, ANUGAF, NAUGAF, UANGAF, AUNGAF, ANGAUF, NAGAUF, GANAUF, AGNAUF, NGAAUF, GNAAUF, ANAGUF, NAAGUF, AANGUF, AGANUF, GAANUF, AAGNUF

Share price alone is no sign of value… @Uber trading at $44 ($45 IPO price)@Lyft trading at $53.8 ($74 IPO price)@Pinterest trading at $28.4 ($19 IPO price)@zoom_us trading at $77.5 ($36 IPO price)@pagerduty trading at $48.7 ($24 IPO price)

— Kate Clark (@KateClarkTweets) May 10, 2019

Where top VCs are investing in media, entertainment & gaming

If you enjoy this newsletter, be sure to check out TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, Equity. In this week’s episode, available here, Crunchbase News’ Alex Wilhelm, TechCrunch’s Connie Loizos and I chat with blogging pioneer and True Ventures partner Om Malik about the on-demand economy, Carta’s big raise and more.

Elvis & Kresse is a UK-based sustainable business and Certified B Corporation that turns disused fire hoses into luxury bags and accessories.

The company was founded in 2005 in Brixton, London, by James Henrit (Elvis) and Kresse Wesling, and it is now based in the Kent countryside, inside a rescued 19th-century flour mill.

In 2005, the couple had a chance encounter with the London Fire Brigade, where they discovered that every year between 3 and 4 tons of damaged or old fire hoses were sent to landfill.

The couple set up Elvis & Kresse to save all this waste and promised they would donate 50% of their profits to the Firefighters Charity.

Since then, 175 tons of material has been reclaimed and recycled, and the company started working with 15 other waste materials as well. One of them is leather.

In 2017, Elvis & Kresse started a partnership with the Burberry Foundation with the aim to save the leather waste Burberry produces every year, and recraft those cutoffs into new luxury fashion items.

To learn more about Elvis & Kresse, check out the video above.

Founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paytm Vijay Shekhar Sharma speaks during the launch of Paytm payments Bank at a function in New Delhi on November 28, 2017 (AFP PHOTO / SAJJAD HUSSAIN)

Paytm (the first two images from left) and PhonePe offer a range of services that are integrated into their payments apps