iStartAdmin
Apr
04

Fullscreen acquires influencer marketing startup Reelio

Digital media company Fullscreen announced this morning that it has acquired Reelio .

The startup has described itself as “the Match.com of brands and creators on YouTube,” collecting data about video creators and connecting them with marketers who want to use their skills and reach their audience.

In the announcement, Fullscreen suggests that Reelio’s technology will allow the company to offer a more complete set of services around influencer marketing.

“The integration of Reelio’s platform into our network brings us one step closer to building a complete solution for the future of brand marketing, which we believe will be social-first and content-driven,” said Fullscreen general manager Pete Stein in a statement. “The strength of Reelio’s data, technology, and team will be a huge asset to our company, and we’re excited to work alongside them as we continue to enhance our influencer marketing offerings.”

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Variety reports that the entire 50-person Reelio team (including co-founder and CEO Pete Borum) will be joining Fullscreen.

Reelio had raised $8 million in funding from investors including e.ventures, Tremor Video co-founders Jason Glickman and Andrew Reis and former Bertelsmann president Thomas Hesse. Fullscreen, meanwhile, is owned by Otter Media, the joint venture between AT&T and the Chernin Group.

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Apr
04

April Underwood is now Slack’s chief product officer

Former Twitter product lead April Underwood is getting another promotion this morning, now rising to the role of chief product officer of what aims to be the dead-simple employee communications platform Slack, according to Fortune.

Underwood previously served as director of product at Twitter, where she worked for five years before joining Slack as its head of platform. Shortly after that Underwood was promoted to the company’s VP of product, and will now serve as the company’s first chief product officer. These kinds of promotions imply some additional responsibility — especially as Slack looks to diversify and pitch itself as a more robust product than just a messenger — but also another point of maturation for Slack. The company hired its first chief financial officer, Allen Shim, in February this year.

Slack is one of those companies that faces a tense push-and-pull as it looks to get into larger and larger enterprises, which all have niche needs. The company is a darling in Silicon Valley thanks to its very simple interface, but with companies with thousands (or, eventually, tens of thousands of employees) just a tool with groups and direct messages could easily become unwieldy. That’s why Slack has invested in a variety of tools, including rolling out threaded messaging a little more than a year ago. Slack is likely one of those companies that gets hundreds of feature requests a year for larger businesses that have niche use cases, but it still has to demonstrate that it’s a simple product without hitting feature creep status.

Underwood getting more authority over that evolution (of which she was already a huge part, including the development of threaded messages) is another signal that the company is looking to tap her consumer background at Twitter to create some kind of middle ground between feeling like a satisfying consumer product while still operating as an enterprise tool. Slack is increasingly looking to apply machine learning to help employees get to answers right away, and it still has to take the same kind of care in rolling out new features that satisfy the needs of larger organizations without sacrificing that simplicity that made it a darling in the first place.

Slack most recently hit a $5.1 billion valuation in a recent investment round, and said it had around 6 million daily active users in September last year. That might be small-ish compared to the size and scale of Twitter, but as something geared toward internal communications at companies, that level of engagement in the workplace is going to increasingly be a selling point for the company as it looks to grow into that valuation.

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iStartAdmin
Apr
04

CU Boulder’s New Venture Challenge 10th Anniversary

April 4, 2018

Tonight, the New Venture Challenge at CU Boulder is having its 10th anniversary. It’s happening at the Boulder Theater from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm and is open to the public. Register here to attend if you are interested.

My partner Jason is leading the judging panel, which includes:

Abby Barlow, partner and director of Investment Research at Crestone CapitalStephanie Copeland, former president of Zayo Group and current executive director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International TradeAnthony Shontz, managing director of Private Equity at Partners Group

Dan and Cindy Caruso and Amy and I contributed the prizes, which total $100,000.

A decade ago the creation of the NVC was inspired by the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. I was involved in the early years (1992 – 1996) as a judge and funded a number of companies that went through the MIT $100K (which was called the MIT $10K at the time.) The entire experience was foundational for me, both as an entrepreneur and an early angel investor (I started investing in 1994 after I sold my first company at the end of 1993.)

Over a decade ago, Brad Bernthal and Phil Weiser were putting real energy into Boulder Startup Community. I discuss their efforts, and impact, in my book Startup Communities (which was published in 2012). One of the things I suggested was doing something like the MIT $100K. I remember a longish discussion with Brad Bernthal and my partner Jason about the history of it and how it unfolded over the first decade.

Bernthal and Jason grabbed this and ran with it. A decade later, that discussion now seems like ancient history. But, for anyone who knows my rant about having a long-term view around startup communities (at least 20 years), we are now 10 years into the NVC journey. And, it has really hit its stride.

I’m excited about tonight’s event and am really looking forward to seeing the companies compete! I hope to see you there if you are in Boulder.

Also published on Medium.

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Original author: Brad Feld

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iStartAdmin
Apr
04

Zuckerberg will testify before Congress on April 11

Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11. E&C Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) made this announcement this morning, clarifying that Zuckerberg will speak on the company’s use and protection of user data.

Here’s what the Congressmen had to say in a prepared statement:

This hearing will be an important opportunity to shed light on critical consumer data privacy issues and help all Americans better understand what happens to their personal information online. We appreciate Mr. Zuckerberg’s willingness to testify before the committee, and we look forward to him answering our questions on April 11th.

This all comes amidst the greatest existential threat to Facebook we’ve yet to see.

In 2014, a third-party quiz app developed by Aleksandr Kogan collected the data of around 50 million raw profiles. Only 270,000 some people who downloaded the app and participated in the survey, but at the time, Facebook allowed third parties to collect information around friends of friends.

Facebook no longer allows this data sharing, and had asked for certification in 2015 that this data had been deleted.

Kogan harvested and sold that data to Cambridge Analytica, a political firm that would use information on identity, social networks and likes to target demographics and influence voters. In 2016, the Trump Campaign hired Cambridge Analytica.

Following these revelations, a movement to #deletefacebook sprang up across the internet. But it wasn’t just users who reacted.

On March 21, Zuck issued his first response to the scandal, adding: “If it is ever the case that I am the most informed person at Facebook in the best position to testify, I will happily do that.”

Two short days later, the House and Senate put Zuckerberg on notice, saying that he is the right person to testify. CNN reported on March 27 that Zuck had come to terms with the fact that he’d have to testify and the Facebook team began preparing for his day on the Hill.

That day now has a precise date: April 11.

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Apr
04

Hot security startup Duo Security opens office in Downtown Detroit

Duo Security is opening a new office in Downtown Detroit, expanding from its headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan . The company will immediately relocate 30 team members to a shared space in Bamboo Detroit in the Madison Building and by the end of the year, and plans on moving into a 9,000 square foot space to accommodate additional employees.

This is a big win for Detroit.

Duo Security is one of the hottest security startups in the space and arguably one of the largest in the state of Michigan. The company raised a $70 million Series D in late October 2017, placing its valuation north of a billion. Duo employees 350 people in Ann Arbor and an additional 250 in other offices around the world. Through it all Duo has remained loyal to Ann Arbor but the talent and excitement in Detroit is impossible to ignore.

“Metro Detroit has more engineers per capita than any region in the US next to Silicon Valley,” CEO and co-founder Dug Song tells TechCrunch. “And while our college town of Ann Arbor is a cornerstone of innovation in the region, the urban area of Detroit is nearly 4 million people strong. Jon Oberheide and I have been eager for Duo to help play a role in the city’s growing momentum and support ongoing efforts to bolster the region’s technology profile.”

Dug tells me that the company picked Bamboo to house the first Duo employees as a move back to the company’s roots. Duo was founded in a coworking space and the company is ready to help build the platform for the city.

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Apr
04

Sarah Lacy launches Chairman Mom, a social platform for working mothers

Sarah Lacy, founder of media site Pando, has unveiled her newest company, Chairman Mom. The subscription-based startup aims to provide resources to working mothers, and ultimately set them up to succeed in all areas of their lives.

“One of the things that’s actually pretty distinct for us is we focus really on the woman, not the children,” Lacy told TechCrunch. “There’s a lot of sites where you can get a lot of answers of what’s a great pre-school or where’s a restaurant that is kid-friendly. and a lot of things are always very kid-centric. We’re really woman centric.”

At launch, Chairman Mom is focused on one key functionality: a question and answer platform. Every day, Chairman Mom’s team of three curates two questions — one about life and one about work — from the community to feature on the site for answers and discussion. These questions can range from “How much do you get paid?” to “What’s the best way to handle harassment at work?” to “What should I do if I think my spouse is cheating on me?”

“The goal of each thread is to get that mom the best answer,” Lacy said. “It’s really not to have an open discussion board of everyone’s views on that topic.”

What makes Chairman Mom different from the likes of other social media sites is its emphasis on using real names while also offering anonymity. Real names are required to sign up but community members can ask and respond to questions anonymously. There is also no up-voting or direct messaging.

“We don’t have things that have created tribalism and fights on other mom networks,” Lacy said.

The goal with Chairman Mom is to rebrand what working mothers and what working motherhood represents, Lacy said. Before Lacy first became a mother, she heard horror stories about what to expect, she said. Some people, for example, told her to expect to feel like a failure at home and at work. But that’s not what it was like for her, Lacy said.

“I was shocked at the disconnect between that and what happened when I actually had kids,” Lacy said. What happened when I had kids was I became better at everything. I became more ambitious, I wrote more quickly, I was so much better as a manager. I was so much more productive. You really have this amazing ability to prioritize what’s important.”

Lacy went with the name Chairman Mom to “telegraph in charge and maternal,” she said. It was important to her, she said, for the name not to conjure up any connotations of shame around pregnancy and motherhood.

“It’s even a step beyond ‘I’m not ashamed,’ but like ‘No, this is our source of power,'” she said. “Something that just sounds so declaratively in charge but also maternal. And it’s still called the chairman of the board. And it’s this idea of we’re overthrowing a patriarchy. This is a man’s world that we’re overthrowing and we don’t have any illusion about that fact.”

Chairman Mom costs $5 per month for access to its community of honest answers to questions about working motherhood. By having people pay to access the platform, one hope is that trolls won’t pay actual money to troll, Lacy said. The platform is also free of advertisers and intends to remain that way, Lacy said.

Chairman Mom is not the only startup targeting mothers. There’s Peanut, which is a Tinder-like experience for finding other moms to hang out. There’s also Winnie, which helps parents find kid-friendly places and access other resources that may be helpful to parents.

Lacy said she recognizes Chairman Mom has competitors, but also recognizes that “it’s such a massive market no one’s building for,” she said. It’s so massive, Lacy said, that she envisions seeing “a handful of billion-dollar consumer internet companies that are geared toward women.

Chairman Mom has been in private beta for the last month or so, with “several hundred” people using it. Chairman Mom has raised a $1.4 million seed round led by Ann Miura-Ko of Floodgate Ventures and Tim Connors from PivotNorth Capital, with participation from Greylock Discovery and Precursor Ventures.

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iStartAdmin
Apr
03

MIT cuts ties with brain preservation startup Nectome

Apple

Apple pays female employees up to 26% less than men in some parts of its UK and European operations.In the company as a whole, women earn 5% less than men.The disparity is a result of Apple's leadership ranks being filled with men.That all looks bad ... but Apple's salary gap is actually smaller than most.

Apple pays female employees up to 26% less than men in some parts of its UK and European operations, according to the company's gender pay gap report. However, among all 6,000 Apple employees in the UK, women are paid 5% less overall, on average. That pay gap is smaller than most UK companies, and less than comparable tech companies.

The median female employee (meaning the employee in the middle of the range of data) earns 2% more than her male counterpart, the company reported. That is likely because most of Apple's employees work in its retail stores, as opposed to its London HQ where the management, sales, and engineering staff are located, and retail staff tend to skew female.

Apple has three companies in the UK, and reported numbers for all of them. You can see from the breakdown that the most severe pay disparity occurs in Apple (UK) Ltd, which is distinct from its chain of shops, Apple Retail UK Ltd. In the latter, pay between the genders is comparable or, as the negative percentages indicate, higher for women than men:

Apple

The bonus pay gap at Apple (UK) Ltd represents the most extreme pay disparity at Apple. The median female employee received a 57% lower bonus than her male colleague, and the 50% less as an average of all employees. Among all employees, the average woman's bonus was 22% less than those paid to men:

Apple

Apple has an explanation for this. Men tend to dominate in management (71%), where bonuses are higher, while women are more numerous in the lower ranks of the company (32%), where bonuses are smaller. "The representation of women in our workforce drives our gender pay gap. Thirty percent of our employee population are women. There are also more men in leadership positions, which pay more. And these positions have higher bonuses and stock, resulting in a bonus gap greater than our hourly pay gap," the company said:

Apple

One hundred percent of Apple employees, regardless of their level in the company, receive stock bonus incentives. (New hires whose bonuses have not been paid aren't reflected in the data.)

Apple is pretty eager to point out that it is making strides toward equality. Women are more numerous among its younger ranks, and their numbers have grown overall since 2014:

Apple

While none of this data makes Apple look good, the company also points out that it is doing considerably better than other employers where the pay gap is much worse:

Apple

Original author: Jim Edwards

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iStartAdmin
Mar
20

One Chinese city is using facial-recognition that can help police detect and arrest criminals in as little as 2 minutes

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki._SJP1857 / Wikimedia Commons

A woman shot three people, then herself, at YouTube's California headquarters on Tuesday.Police identified the shooter as 39-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam from San Diego.Aghdam's father said she had often criticised YouTube for apparent censorship, and she complained online that videos she posted didn't make much money from ads.There is no justification for Aghdam's actions, but the shooting comes only two months after YouTube implemented policies that made it harder for smaller creators to make money from their videos.Smaller creators, angry at the new rules, have called the policy "demonetisation."YouTube has to strike a difficult balance between policing its content and keeping creators happy.

Police identified a 39-year-old woman who shot three people and herself at or near YouTube's headquarters in California as Nasim Najafi Aghdam of San Diego, California.

Aghdam had a strong online presence with multiple YouTube channels, websites, and social media accounts dedicated to her various interests: bodybuilding, vegan activism, crafts, and free speech. As of Tuesday night, all of her social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube were suspended.

Business Insider

A website, nasimesabz.com, is still live.

Nasim Aghdam's website showing her social media accounts, all of which are now suspended. Business Insider

According to Aghdam's father, she had strongly criticised YouTube for apparently censoring her videos online.

There is, clearly, no justification for Aghdam's actions. But she referenced an ongoing debate about major changes to YouTube's policies over the last two years. And the shooting directly illustrates how tough it is for YouTube to implement substantial changes to a site where anyone — including criminals and conspiracy theorists — can post content and gain a significant following.

Through a series of rule changes, YouTube has made it more difficult for some creators to make money from their videos over the last year.

The site changed its rules in February so that creators needed at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours in watchtime in order to continue making money from ads against their videos. Small creators at the time complained it would be difficult to meet the new threshold. Minority creators also felt they would be disproportionately affected by the changes. They new rules are widely referred to as YouTube's "demonetisation" policy.

YouTube also tightened up its rules around appropriate content and hate speech after a series of outrages including:

Finally, YouTube is trying to crack down on spammy, low-quality videos.

All of this means that YouTube has become more proactive when it comes to downgrading promoted videos that might be offensive, adding age-restriction filters, and removing ads from offensive or poor-quality videos.

The changes inflamed creators such as Aghdam who already harboured suspicions that YouTube was censoring them in some way.

Try typing "YouTube censorship" into YouTube's search box, and you will come across an entire conspiracy theory subgenre. Ironically, creators ratchet up tens of thousands of views with videos complaining they are being censored in some way. Usually, it is right-wing commentators, who are actually pretty prominent on the site.

Business Insider

One video that shows up prominently on that search is by vegan activist channel Bite Size Vegan. It is titled "I'm Being Censored — YouTube's War Against Vegans" and shows activist Emily Moran Barwick claiming that YouTube added age restrictions to one of her videos because it contained graphic footage.

Aghdam, who claimed to be vegan, links to this video from her web page alongside complaints that her content had also been "filtered" to stop them getting views. Since Aghdam's channels are now deleted, Business Insider was unable to verify whether her content had indeed been restricted. According to BuzzFeed, she had claimed videos showing her exercising had been age-restricted by "close-minded" YouTube employees.

nasimesabz.com

The incident is a sobering reminder that popular platforms like YouTube generate strong feeling among their users, and that outrage over high-level decisions can be intense. The platform has millions of users, and a small number are extremists or mentally ill, and that outrage reaches them, too. To date, YouTube and other tech firms have tried to avoid policing content posted to their platform — and Tuesday's events make it easy to see why.

Original author: Shona Ghosh

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Apr
04

Police reportedly found and questioned Nasim Aghdam on the morning of the YouTube shooting, then let her go

Nasim Aghdam. Screenshot via DailyMotion

Police California reportedly found suspected YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam in her car at 2 a.m. on the day of the attack.Officers in Mountain View, around 30 minutes from YouTube HQ in San Bruno, are said to have matched her license plate to a missing person report.Aghdam's father had warned that she was angry at YouTube, and may go to their offices.It's unclear how much of this police knew during the stop. Either way, they let her continue.

Police in California reportedly contacted and questioned Nasim Aghdam, the suspect in the YouTube shooting, early in the morning on the day of the attack.

Reports say officers in Mountain View, California — around 30 minutes from the site of the attack in San Bruno — found Aghdam asleep in her car at around 2 a.m. on April 3, and spoke to her.

"Officers located an adult female by the same name asleep in a vehicle in a Mountain View parking lot early this morning," Mountain View spokesperson Katie Nelson told BuzzFeed News. "The woman confirmed her identity to us and answered subsequent questions."

Nelson told Mercury News that "officers made contact with the woman after the license plate of her vehicle matched that of a missing person out of Southern California."

Nelson also said officers notified Aghdam's family that she had been located.

Ismail Aghdam, Nasim's father, reportedly contacted law-enforcement officials in the San Diego area on Monday because he was concerned about her grievances toward YouTube.

He is said to have warned that his daughter may be traveling to the company's offices.

It's unclear whether the officers in Mountain View knew of Aghdam's history with YouTube, or her father's warning to San Diego police.

Aghdam lived in San Diego and reportedly "hated" the YouTube, and believed the platform was discriminating against her by demonetizing her videos, Mercury News reported.

Extensive social media records left behind by Aghdam illustrate her dissatisfaction with YouTube's policies and her attempts to spread a vegan and animal rights activist message.

Original author: Alex Lockie

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Mar
20

Facebook’s stock structure gives Mark Zuckerberg a blank check — investors were OK with that, but the world can’t afford to be (FB)

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Saudi Arabia's millennial Crown Prince met with Richard Branson to discuss bringing a high-speed Hyperloop transit system to Saudi Arabia.The system could create a route between the capital Riyadh and the major hub of Jeddah, which could drastically reduce travel time between the regions.There may be fewer hurdles for Hyperloop in Saudi Arabia, as the Crown Prince has announced major transport and infrastructure projects under his Vision 2030 plan.

Saudi Arabia's millennial Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met with Richard Branson to discuss bringing a high-speed Hyperloop transit system to Saudi Arabia.

The Crown Prince and several other members of Saudi Arabia's defense ministry met at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California to speak with the billionaire Branson and his Virgin Galactic Company, which is developing vehicles for commercial space travel, and discuss potential partnerships with Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Crown Prince and Richard Branson unveil the new Hyperloop One Vision 2030 system. Virgin Hyperloop One/Media Release

The two also touted the idea of developing a high-speed Hyperloop transit system that could carry passengers between the capital city of Riyadh and the major commercial hub of Jeddah, in 76 minutes.

Currently, travel time between the two cities is just over 10 hours by current public-transport methods.

Direct flights take roughly 95 minutes.

The Crown Prince unveiled the Vision 2030 Hyperloop Pod, illustrating the cooperation between the Kingdom and Virgin as part of the Prince's Vision 2030 goal to modernize transport systems.

"Hyperloop is the catalyst to enable all fourth generation technologies to flourish in the Kingdom while creating a vibrant society and thriving economy through visionary cities and high-tech clusters," Prince Mohammed said in a statement from Virgin Hyperloop.

The company asserted that the Hyperloop system could position Saudi Arabia as a "gateway to three continents."

A rendering of a Hyperloop by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Hyperloop is a high-speed transit system first proposed by Elon Musk in 2013. The goal of the system is to send pods full of passengers through tubes at extremely high speeds.

Hyperloop One was incorporated in 2014 and raised upwards of $160 million from global investors, including Dubai-based DP World. In 2016, the company announced a it was exploring building the transport method in the United Arab Emirates and began mapping out potential routes.

Branson, who founded Virgin Group and is a prolific entrepreneur, invested in the company in 2017, leading to a name change and expansion of services.

The system requires tunnel networks to be built from scratch, leading Musk to create the Boring Company, a startup that is digging underground tunnels that could eventually be used to create vast transport networks.

Musk recently criticized the bureaucratic process required to get such a project off the ground in the US, but countries like Saudi Arabia may ultimately be a better fit, in terms of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 plans.

Under that initiative, the Crown Prince plans to enhance the country's transport systems and improve infrastructure "internally and across borders," with the help of global partners.

Original author: Rosie Perper

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Apr
04

10 things in tech you need to know today (SPOT, AAPL)

Mobike. Mobike

Good morning! Here is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. A shooter opened fire at YouTube's Californian headquarters, leaving one dead and three injured. Police identified the suspected shooter as Nasim Aghdam, who had heavily criticised the site for apparent censorship.

2. Hackers breached a YouTube employee's account to spread misinformation and fake news about the shooting. Vadim Lavrusik had actually been at the shooting and confirmed on Twitter he was safe before hackers took over his account to pretend provocative YouTube creator "Keem" was missing.

3. Music streaming giant Spotify has gone public, closing its first day of trading at $149.01 and a valuation of $26.5 billion. Its first smooth day of trading could pave the way for more tech unicorns to pursue a direct listing rather than IPO.

4. Mark Zuckerberg should step down as chairman on Facebook, according to the man who manages $1 billion in pension fund investments into the firm. New York City comptroller Scott Stringer said Facebook should hire an independent chairman and three directors with data and ethics experience.

5. Apple has poached Google's artificial intelligence chief to lead its own AI strategy. John Giannandrea once ran Google's search unit, but will now help Apple catch up with its rivals.

6. Early Spotify investor Lakestar said it wouldn't be selling its shares when the firm went public, and predicted it would become a $100 billion company. Lakestar founder Lake Hommels first invested his own money into Spotify in 2008.

7. Facebook has deleted more than 200 accounts and pages run by the Internet Research Agency (IRA), the Russian troll factory. The pages spread misinformation during the 2016 US presidential election and were mostly targeted at those who spoke Russian.

8. Instagram is the latest major service to pull app support from the Apple Watch, thanks to Apple's requirements for a "native" app. The move makes sense, given a photo-based app like Instagram isn't great for smaller screens.

9. Chinese on-demand firm Meituan is buying Mobike, the Chinese bike-sharing startup in a deal thought to be worth $2.7 billion. The acquisition gives Mobike a major financial backer as it expands in markets such as Europe.

10. Snap is reportedly in talks to set up an office in Saudi Arabia, and is working with a local foundation on teaching young people how to use Snapchat. Snap would be one of the only Western social media firms operating in the country rather than from Dubai.

Original author: Shona Ghosh

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Apr
04

Father of the suspected YouTube shooter reportedly told police his daughter was 'angry' with the company, warned that she might travel to its office

A screenshot of a video from an account that appeared to belong to Nasim Aghdam. Screenshot via DailyMotion

The father of Nasim Aghdam, the suspect in the shooting at YouTube's headquarters, said that she was angry at the video platform. She had been missing for several days before the shooting.Ismail Aghdam said he warned law-enforcement officials that his daughter might travel to the company.Police reportedly made contact with Aghdam on the night before the shooting.

The father of Nasim Aghdam, the suspect in the shooting at YouTube's headquarters, reportedly said that she was angry at the video platform, and believed it was discriminating against her. She was missing for several days before the shooting took place.

Ismail Aghdam reportedly contacted law-enforcement officials in the San Diego area on Monday because he was concerned about her grievances toward YouTube, according to a local CBS News affiliate, KCAL-9. Aghdam lived in San Diego.

Aghdam said his daughter had told her family she was angry at YouTube, according to the San Jose newspaper, Mercury News. She reportedly "hated" the company, and believed the platform was discriminating against her, the newspaper reported.

He said law-enforcement officials later contacted him and said they had found his daughter sleeping inside her car in Mountain View, California, about 30 miles southeast of YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno.

The man said he told police that his daughter may be traveling to the company's offices.

Mountain View Police spokeswoman Katie Nelson confirmed to Mercury News that "officers made contact with the woman after the license plate of her vehicle matched that of a missing person out of Southern California."

Aghdam previously criticized YouTube's move to demonetize certain channels. She took issue specifically with what she believed to be a reduction in viewership on her videos.

"There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!," a website that appeared to be linked to her Instagram page said.

On Tuesday evening, several of her social media accounts, including her YouTube channels, were deactivated.

Original author: David Choi

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Apr
04

The woman who opened fire at YouTube's offices heavily criticized the video platform online

A screenshot of a website promoted by an Instagram account that appeared to belong to Nasim Aghdam. Screenshot via nasimesabz.com

Nasim Aghdam, the woman suspected of firing shots at YouTube's headquarters and wounding three people, had an active presence online.Images and videos uploaded to Instagram and YouTube accounts allegedly connected to Aghdam contained political messages and fitness tips — but also featured some heavy criticism of YouTube.Several of the social-media accounts — including a Facebook and Instagram account, and several YouTube channels linked to Aghdam — have been taken down.Her father, Ismail Aghdam, told Mercury News "she was angry" at YouTube.

The female suspect in Tuesday's shooting at YouTube's headquarters appeared to have an active presence online. YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook accounts connected to the woman featured a wide range of content — from dancing to fitness tips, and commentary on veganism.

San Bruno police identified the suspected shooter as Nasim Aghdam, 39, on Tuesday night.

The woman had expressed some heavy criticism for YouTube's move to demonetize certain channels. She took issue specifically with what she believed to be a targeted reduction in viewership on her videos.

Aghdam also engaged in some political speech.

"BE AWARE! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics!," a website that appeared to be linked to Aghdam read.

Her alleged Instagram account had over 16,000 followers before it was shut down.

Screenshot via Nasimesabz.com

In one missive about YouTube's move to demonetize certain channels, Aghdam said: "There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!"

Aghdam, a resident of San Diego, reportedly drove from Southern California to San Bruno days before the shooting, the local news station KRON-4 reported.

She is believed to have used a handgun to shoot three people before fatally shooting herself.

A fourth person sustained injuries that were not gun-related.

Investigators earlier on Tuesday said they believed the shooting was connected to a domestic dispute between the woman and her boyfriend, who works at YouTube, a law-enforcement source told Business Insider. The source said authorities do not believe the woman was connected to international terrorism in any way.

San Bruno police later released a statement saying that it was still investigating a motive and that "at this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted."

Multiple local news outlets, including the San Jose-based Mercury News said that Aghdam had been reported missing days before the shooting. The newspaper reported that the woman's father, Ismail Aghdam, said she complained that YouTube "stopped everything" and told her family she was "angry."

Original author: David Choi

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Apr
04

JUMP Bikes weighing Uber $100m+ acquisition, investment offers

JUMP Bikes, the on-demand biking service that integrates with Uber, has been weighing both acquisition and investment offers.

A decision has not yet been reached, but right now possible options include a sale to Uber at a price that exceeds $100 million, or a venture investment round, multiple sources tell TechCrunch. One of the possible investor names that has been floated is Mike Moritz of Sequoia Capital, but we are told that JUMP has several options.

We are also told that various parties have been upping their offers over the past week, as they fiercely compete to get ownership of JUMP.

“E-bikes” are expected to become more popular, where users are able to find and rent bikes quickly via apps. They are part regular bike and part electric, which makes it easier to go up hills.

JUMP launched as Social Bicycles nearly a decade ago, but the startup recently rebranded as JUMP when it announced its $10 million Series A investment round a few months back. Menlo Ventures and Sinewave Ventures invested.

Since then, JUMP has launched a partnership with Uber, available in select cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Users are able to identify a nearby bike via the Uber app and are given a PIN to unlock it. They do not require bike docks, meaning they can be picked up and dropped off everywhere. It costs $2 for every 30 minutes.

JUMP also has its own separate app.

We’ve reached out to JUMP and Sequoia for comment. Uber declined to comment.

TechCrunch’s Megan Rose Dickey recently wrote about JUMP’s expansion:

It “plans to launch in Sacramento and Providence, Rhode Island later this year. Through its software and hardware offerings, it operates via third-parties, like cities, campuses and corporations, in 40 markets including Portland, New Orleans and Atlanta.”

The company also competes with GoBike and Spin. On-demand scooters like Bird and Limebike are also emerging businesses in the urban transportation space.

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Mar
30

April 5 – 393rd 1Mby1M Mentoring Roundtable for Entrepreneurs - Sramana Mitra

Streaming royalties are too expensive for Spotify to thrive as a public company just playing us songs. Spotify’s shares closed down 10 percent today during its NYSE trading debut. Luckily it controls much of the relationship between musicians and their fans on its app, poising it to build a powerful revenue and artist loyalty generator by connecting the two through native advertising and messaging that doesn’t stop the music.

Spotify already has a wide range of ad experiences built for traditional brands, from audio ads to display units to sponsored sessions where users get ad-free playback in exchange for watching a commercial. But none of these ad units are designed to help musicians grow their audience within Spotify, even if they can be bent to that purpose.

Spotify could win big by following Facebook’s roadmap.

Back in 2007, Facebook already had ads that led offsite. Think of these as Spotify’s existing audio and display ads. But when Facebook built Pages that let businesses reach you through the News Feed, it also launched ads that let them promote and grow their Pages within Facebook. Unlike the stock banner ads you see all over the web, these ads were native to Facebook, targeted with its profile data, and they used social referrals about Pages your friends interacted with to rope you in. These gave entities on Facebook a paid way to grow their popularity inside the platform.

This is Spotify’s opportunity.

Spotify’s existing ad units are designed for brands, not musicians

A few years ago, Spotify’s user base was too small for artists to focus on spending money there to get popular. But Spotify has grown to the size where it’s replacing top 40 radio, and over 30 percent of listening now comes from its recommendations and algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly. The record labels now need Spotify to have a hit. Between that influence and it’s stature as the biggest on-demand music streaming service, Spotify has the leverage to offer artists the best tool to boost their fan base. Whether artists want to build a following on Spotify, sell collectors’ items, or fill premium front-row seats at their shows, Spotify could hook them up.

The no-longer-a-startup has already built the groundwork for this with the launch of its Spotify For Artists analytics dashboard app last year that shows a musician’s top songs, and the demographics of their fans including their location, gender, age, and what else they listen to. Spotify’s proven the power of this data with its Fans First email campaigns that let artists reach their most frequent listeners with access to concert ticket pre-sales and exclusive merchandise. It claims the emails see a 40 percent open rate, and 17 percent click-through rate — way higher than the industry standard.

But if Spotify built new surfaces for artists to reach out directly to fans within its apps, it could become the destination for record label marketing money. Since these artist ads and messages would all drive users deeper into the app rather than away from it like brand ads, Spotify could charge less than traditional ads and make them affordable to labels on a budget or musicians paying out-of-pocket.

Here are some ways Spotify could create native artist-to-fan marketing channels:

Sponsored songs on its algorithmic playlists could expose fans to artists in the most natural way possible, or turn one-time listeners into loyalists. Wherever there’s recommendations, there’s room for paid discovery. Listeners could easily skip the track or switch to a different playlist, but might end up falling in love with the band, and diving into their catalogue. It’s the equivalent of Facebook’s in-News Feed native ads, but with a musician promoted instead of a business’ Page. Spotify was actually spotted testing what was effectively a sponsored song in mid-2017 above the start of some playlists. While there was an opt-out option within the app’s Settings that’s since disappeared, Spotify has at least considered this idea.

Spotify was spotted testing what was effectively a Sponsored Song back in mid-2017

Promoted Artists could use a similar model to Google’s AdWords sponsored search results. When users search for an artist, they could be shown similar artists who’ve paid to be promoted in the search typeahead or results page. Spotify could also insert a box within the profile of another artist you’re browsing below their top tracks. Spotify already lists a slew of related artists in text, but could highlight one that pays, perhaps showing one of their songs that could be instantly played.

Featured Artists could give artists that pay a special slot on Spotify’s browse page. With so many recommendations here, it’d be easy to insert a sponsored section without feeling interruptive.

Sponsored Visualizations could make better use of your screen while you listen. Rather than just staring at the album art and playback controls, Spotify could let artists pitch fans their other music, tickets, gear, or social media channels. Spotify could also fill this space with entertaining silent video clips, photo slideshows, and biographical info as I suggested as a differentiator in 2016, and similar to how lyrics site Genius started doing with its Stories this week. Given users are currently listening to the artist, they might be primed for these experiences. Spotify has already tested letting artists show GIFs during playback, and has partnered with Genius to show Behind The Music factoids, but this is real estate that could help artists earn more money as well as entertain fans.

Direct Messaging

The most ambitious and audacious way to let artists reach fans would be a special artist-to-fan messaging channel. Spotify got rid of its in-app inbox and messaging feature for sending friends songs a few years ago, instead pushing users to share music via their chat app of choice. But similar to the Fans First email campaigns, Spotify could create a special artist-to-fan messaging section in its app that could alert users to new releases and playlists as brand advertising, or even push tours and merchandise as more direct performance advertising.

Spotify could give all artists a certain volume of messages they could send for free or let them reach out just to the top 1% of fans a certain number of times per month or year. Then artists could pay to send more messages beyond the limits. Alternatively, it could just charge for any use of messaging.

Done wrong, the above options could feel like Spotify gouging artists to reach their own fans. But done right, users might actually enjoy it. These connections wouldn’t be too far off from following an artist on other social media, but where people are already listening. Finding out about one of your favorite band’s new albums, tours, or t-shirts might feel less like an ad and more like an inside tip from the fan club.

Spotify might be able to get away with showing some of these different experiences to users who’ve subscribed if they don’t get in the way of music listening. Swinging to the other end of the opportunity spectrum, the company could just give away all these experiences to artists, boosting their loyalty to Spotify and getting them to promote their presence there instead of on competing streaming services like Apple Music.

If Spotify doesn’t figure out a way to improve its margins with additional revenue drivers, it may have a tough time surviving as a public company. If it becomes too profitable from just music streaming, the labels can always try to increase their royalty rates. Spotify might hope that more artists work with it directly, cutting out the middlemen, but the record labels still provide some important marketing, radio promotion, and distribution services that artists need. Meanwhile, startups including United Masters (which raised a $70 million Series A from Google parent Alphabet and Andreessen Horowitz) adnd subscription crowdfunding platforms like Patreon want to usurp the record labels and become the way artists earn more before Spotify can.

This New York Times’ chart shows why musicians feel screwed, even though it’s labels keeping their money not Spotify

Creating ways to connect with listeners could offer Spotify a way to combat the enduring narrative that it’s screwing over musicians. If Spotify can prove these artist-to-fan messaging options earn them more than they cost, it could be seen as the streaming service that’s actually trying to help musicians make a living.

Recorded music has become primarily a promotional tool for all of a musician’s other revenue monetization methods since the dawn of the MP3. Streaming’s on-demand structure and no-extra-cost-per-play nature turns the curious listener who’s only heard of an artist or just likes one single into a diehard fan who shells out the big bucks every time their favorite act is in town.

As we shift to an experiential culture where our possessions are digitized and its our interests that define us, people want to feel closer to the creators they love. Artist-to-fan messaging could bring the whole life-cycle from discovery to affinity to real monetization beyond the royalties all within one green and black app.

For more on Spotify going public, read our feature stories:

 

 

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iStartAdmin
Apr
04

Tech Insider is hiring a video-editing intern

20th Century Fox We are hiring a video-editing intern for Tech Insider, a publication that delivers stories to readers across digital platforms.

The role includes shooting and editing videos across a range of subjects, with a focus on technology. You will be working with our tech reporter on both short and long-form videos meant for multiple mediums — YouTube, Facebook, and our website.

Video interns work closely with Tech Insider's reporters and editors to produce stories for a wide, general audience across the web and various social media platforms.

Candidates should know how to edit on Adobe Premiere and how to use Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, various types of audio and digital video equipment including Canon and Sony cameras, and how to shoot awesome video with their smartphones.

This internship position is at our headquarters in New York City. The internship starts in spring/summer 2018, and will run for six months. Interns are encouraged to work full-time (40 hours a week) if their schedule allows.

Our interns are an integral part of our team. We seek out self-starters and people who are enthusiastic about collaborating with reporters, fellow producers, social media editors, and other team members.

This person should also be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, possess excellent communication skills, and be excited about building Business Insider's brand. A background in journalism or video is a huge plus.

If this sounds like your dream job, apply here with a resume and cover letter telling us why you should be a video-editing intern at Tech Insider.

Original author: Leah Goldman

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iStartAdmin
Apr
04

Read the e-mail Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent employees about the YouTube shooting

Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

In an e-mail to employees, Google CEO Sundar Pichai described the fatal shooting at YouTube HQ on Tuesday as an "unimaginable tragedy."He also expresses gratitude to local law enforcement and YouTube's security team for reacting fast.Pichai's statement was shared on social media by Google.

Hours after the shooting at the San Bruno YouTube headquarters on Tuesday that left 1 dead and at least 4 injured, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sent employees a memo addressing the incident.

In the statement, Pichai describes the shooting as an "unimaginable tragedy" and a "horrific act of violence." See the tweet and read the e-mail in full below:

Pichai also addressed the shooting on his personal Twitter account. See his tweet below:

Everyone,

Earlier this afternoon, while our employees were having lunch, we received reports of an active shooter at YouTube in San Bruno. Law enforcement and our security team worked to evacuate the buildings and prioritize the safety of everyone there.

The best information we have is that the situation is contained. It's with great sadness that I tell you—based on the latest information—four people were injured in this horrific act of violence. We're doing everything we can to support them and their families at this time.

I'm grateful to everyone inside and outside the company for the outpouring of support and best wishes. I am especially thankful to the first responders and our own security team who acted so quickly to keep people safe.

I know a lot of you are in shock right now. Over the coming days, we will continue to provide support to help everyone in our Google family heal from this unimaginable tragedy.

Let's everyone come together now to support Susan and the YouTube team.

-Sundar

Get the latest Google stock price here.

Original author: Katie Canales

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iStartAdmin
Apr
03

'Get out, get out! This is not a drill!': Witnesses to the YouTube shooting describe moments of panic (GOOG, GOOGL)

A shooting at the YouTube headquarters sparked panic in San Bruno, California, on Tuesday. Melia Robinson Business Insider

Witnesses and bystanders described the frightening moments when a shooter opened fire inside the YouTube headquarters.A cook at YouTube's cafeteria escaped through the service elevator after a colleague shouted, "Get out, get out! This is not a drill!"The owner of a restaurant across the street waved three YouTube employees inside after hearing 15 to 17 rapid fire shots. One of the people had a bullet lodged in the bottom of her shoe, the restaurant owner told Business Insider.

Dennis, the owner of Hashes & Brews, was having a cigarette break outside around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday when he heard loud banging noises that he thought was a nail gun from someone doing construction.

But the numerous successive bangs — 15 or 17 by his count — sounded too rapid to be a nail gun.

He looked across the street and saw "a whole bunch of people just trampling over each other, coming out the front doors of YouTube. They were running, people just running."

Dennis, who declined to give his last name, waved a group of three of them into the restaurant.

One man was bleeding from the face, Dennis told Business insider. But the wound was not severe — as if a bullet had perhaps grazed him, Dennis said. He brought over towels and a first aid kit, and directed the man to the bathroom to wash up. Another woman had a bullet lodged into the sole of her leather shoe.

Melia Robinson Business Insider

"They were shaking, they were making me shake. This is a situation where you see in the movies, not in real life," Dennis said, as he described a shooting at YouTube's San Bruno, California, headquarters on Tuesday that left one person dead and at least four wounded.

Police said a female was found inside the YouTube building with what they believed to be self-inflicted wounds, though the complete details of the event, including the identity of the shooter and any motive, remain unclear.

But employees and bystanders who fled the scene on Tuesday described the chaotic events to Business Insider reporters.

A cook at YouTube's in-house cafeteria, who gave his name only as Paul, described how an ordinary day on the job quickly turned into terror.

"We're prepping for lunch, and then all of a sudden I see a coworker bolt inside. He's slipping on the floor, he's like, 'Get out, get out! This is not a drill.'"

"We dropped everything and got into the service elevator. Thank God we had that. Went down the elevator. My instincts said let me get out and get my car at least."

YouTube employees and on-lookers in San Bruno have been evacuated from the campus. Melia Robinson Business Insider

One person with a gunshot wound in the leg sought refuge at a Carl's Jr. restaurant across the street from the YouTube building. Mike Finney, one of the Carl's Jr. employees, tried to help staunch her bleeding, a spokesperson for the Carl's Jr. parent company confirmed to Business Insider.

Later in the afternoon, Paul, the YouTube cook, was sitting outside that same Carl's Jr. restaurant trying to make sense of his experience. All of his personal belongings were still inside the YouTube building, he said, and it was unclear when he would be able to retrieve them.

YouTube employees fleeing the scene of the shooting entered a Carl's Jr. restaurant located across the street from the campus. Melia Robinson Business Insider Although he never saw the shooter, the chaotic escape out of the kitchen and through the loading area in the garage was imprinted in his memory.

"There were still people loading things who were clueless, who didn't know what's going on. They didn't see anything. They don't even know why I'm running out," he said.

His experience also raises questions about the security that YouTube had in place at the building, something which may become important as investigators review how the event happened.

"You got to badge in and out of every single room," he said, adding that during his orientation at YouTube: "They made it such a big deal about how the security is so intense here."

"And I'm like, why is the garage open during broad daylight," he said.

Original author: Melia Robinson and Greg Sandoval

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iStartAdmin
Apr
03

A tragic day at YouTube: Photos show the chaotic scene as police responded to the shooting (GOOG, GOOGL)

A shooting at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, on Tuesday left the tech community rattled. Justin Sullivan/Getty Image

On Tuesday, a shooter opened fire at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

YouTube employees were eating lunch in an open-air courtyard at the time the shooter, who has been identified by police as a woman, entered. Three people were injured by gunfire.

Police arrived within five minutes of the shooting, according to local law enforcement, and found the shooter dead inside the building from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Business Insider reporters were on the scene in the aftermath of the incident, as YouTube employees and bystanders waited for police to sweep the area and ensure they were safe.

Here are the first photos from YouTube headquarters in the hours after the shooting.

Original author: Melia Robinson, Becky Peterson and Kaylee Fagan

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iStartAdmin
Apr
03

Facebook takes down over 200 accounts and pages run by the IRA, a notorious Russian troll farm

David Ramos/Getty Images

Facebook announced Tuesday that it has removed 135 Facebook and Instagram accounts, and 138 Facebook pages, that were linked to the Internet Research Agency, a notorious Russian troll farm that was indicted for trying to meddle in the 2016 US election.Facebook said the 65 Instagram accounts and 138 Facebook pages reached a combined 1.5 million users around the world. It did not offer data on how many users were reached by the 70 IRA-linked Facebook accounts that have been removed.Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos also said Russia-linked actors had spent nearly $170,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads since the beginning of 2015.

Facebook announced Tuesday that it has removed 70 Facebook accounts, 138 Facebook pages, and 65 Instagram profiles linked to a notorious Russian troll factory that spread disinformation in an effort to interfere in the 2016 US election.

Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said in a news release that 95% of the pages that had been removed were in Russian and targeted Russians or those who speak Russian, particularly in neighboring countries like Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

The accounts and pages in question were controlled by the Internet Research Agency, the Russian troll farm based in St. Petersburg that was indicted by the special counsel Robert Mueller in February for mounting a social media influence operation to sway voters in favor of then Republican candidate Donald Trump.

In total, Stamos said the 138 Facebook pages and 65 Instagram accounts that were removed reached approximately 1.5 million unique users. The press release did not provide information on how many users the 70 IRA-linked Facebook accounts reached.

Stamos said the company had removed the latest set of pages and accounts "solely because they were controlled by the IRA — not based on the content."

"This included commentary on domestic and international political issues, the promotion of Russian culture and tourism as well as debate on more everyday issues," he added.

Facebook will be updating its Help Center tool in the next few weeks so users can check whether they liked or followed any IRA-linked pages.

Facebook's announcement, titled, "Authenticity Matters: The IRA Has No Place on Facebook," comes as the social media giant faces heightened scrutiny over a security issue that allowed the data firm Cambridge Analytica to harvest the personal information of 50 million Facebook users without their permission. Critics largely pointed a finger at Facebook for failing to notify users of the incident and adequately protect their private data.

Last year, Facebook announced that it had detected Russian activity on its platform that took place before, during, and after the 2016 election. In particular, the company said that "inauthentic" accounts most likely operating out of Russia had purchased $100,000 worth of political ads between 2015 and 2016.

The Russian-bought ads reached approximately 10 million people and targeted users in Michigan and Wisconsin, both of which were critical to Trump's victory. Russia-linked groups didn't limit their interference buying ads and posting memes — they tried to organize anti-immigrant, anti-Clinton rallies in Texas and Idaho.

On Tuesday, Stamos said Russian actors had spent around $167,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads since January 1, 2015.

But Russia's disinformation campaign on the social media platform long predates that. Before they capitalized on Facebook to promote fake news and divisive ads to the American public, and to organize anti-Clinton or pro-Trump rallies in different states, Russian trolls used the social-media platform to push out Ukrainian activists, The Daily Beast reported in September.

Though it's unclear when pro-Kremlin trolls' campaign against the activists began, it reportedly reached its apex in 2014 and 2015, shortly after Russia annexed the territory of Crimea and significantly ramped up its aggression against neighboring Ukraine.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been criticized by those who say he shrugged off warnings about the fake-news epidemic on the platform. The Washington Post reported that President Barack Obama asked him just after the election to take it seriously, but that Zuckerberg replied that the company's power to control the spread of information was limited.

Under mounting pressure, however, Zuckerberg announced in September that Facebook had developed a nine-point plan to examine the Russian influence campaign and prevent similar efforts in the future.

Meanwhile, Twitter estimated last November that the 36,746 Russia-linked accounts on its platform "generated approximately 1.4 million automated, election-related tweets, which collectively received approximately 288 million impressions" just from September 1 to November 15 last year.

The US intelligence community concluded in January 2017 that the social-media operation was part of a larger influence campaign by Russia — and that assessment, according to former intelligence chief James Clapper, "did serve to cast doubt on the legitimacy" of the election outcome.

Original author: Sonam Sheth

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