Why Amazon’s Union Vote Matters
The vote in Alabama is a temperature check on beliefs about Amazon and labor unions in the United States.
Home / Archive for March 2021
Review: In ‘Made for Love,’ She Can’t Get Him Out of Her Head
In this techno-satire, a woman tagged with a chip by her mogul husband tries to break the (block)chains of love.
If You Care About Privacy, It’s Time to Try a New Web Browser
A new crop of internet browsers from Brave, DuckDuckGo and others offer stronger privacy protections than what you might be used to.
Turing Award Goes to Creators of Computer Programming Building Blocks
Jeffrey Ullman and Alfred Aho developed many of the fundamental concepts that researchers use when they build new software.
How Big Is Amazon, Really?
Market size matters, but even small changes have an outsize ripple effect.
Hunting Ghost Particles Beneath the World’s Deepest Lake
A neutrino-spotting telescope beneath Russia’s frozen Lake Baikal in Russia is close to delivering scientific results after four decades of ...
What We Got Wrong About Uber and Lyft
How can we believe that technology will help solve big problems if Uber’s great promise didn’t pan out?
How China’s Outrage Machine Kicked Up a Storm Over H&M
The Communist Party’s youth wing and official news outlets used grabby memes and hashtags to start a tsunami of nationalist fury over Xinjia...
The Start-Up Enemies of Wall Street Are Booming
Times are flush for young tech companies like Stripe and Coinbase, which are having a moment as they upend the financial establishment.
Contentious Union Vote at Amazon Heads to a Count
The outcome of a vote at a warehouse in Alabama could have far-ranging implications for both the company and the labor movement.
Google Aims to Be the Anti-Amazon of E-Commerce. It Has a Long Way to Go.
Google presents itself to independent sellers as cheaper and less restrictive. But it is not clear whether it can change people’s habits of ...
Why Did Someone Pay $560,000 for a Picture of My Column?
Bidders say they had many different motivations, including fun, self-promotion and signaling support for the NFT market.
NFTs Are Neither Miracles nor Scams
People are buying digital items like a tweet and a meme for bonkers amounts of money. Let’s take a step back.
The Agency at the Center of America’s Tech Fight With China
Washington lawmakers, lobbyists and other parties have been vying to influence how the Bureau of Industry and Security, under the Biden admi...
Lending Apps in India Shame Borrowers Who Can't Pay Money Back
With techniques honed in China, a new breed of company offers expensive loans to people devastated by the pandemic. If they can’t repay, fam...
WeWork Will Go Public in a Merger With a SPAC
The money-losing office space firm plans to merge with a blank-check company backed by big Wall Street investors.
Lawmakers Grill Tech C.E.O.s on Capitol Riot, Getting Few Direct Answers
The leaders of Google, Facebook and Twitter faced sharp questions about misinformation’s role in the attack and the mental health of childre...
Crypto token of New York Times column sells for $560,000.
A digital collectible based on a column in The New York Times sold at auction on Wednesday, with proceeds going to the Neediest Cases Fund.
What’s Behind the Fight Over Section 230
The debate reflects our discomfort with the power of Big Tech and our desire to hold someone accountable.
NFT Artwork by Sophia the Robot Sells for Nearly $700,000
An artwork that sold for nearly $700,000 was the latest in the frenzied market for digital art — and possibly the first created in part by a...
Amazon Walks a Political Tightrope in Its Union Fight
The company has always opposed efforts by its workers to organize, but its regulatory fate rests largely with Democrats in Washington.
Read This If You're Clueless About Discord
Two avid readers from South Africa show what they find special about this talking and texting app.
Clueless About Discord? Read This.
Two avid readers from South Africa show what they find special about this talking and texting app.
Why a LinkedIn Post About Gender Started a Debate
Ashley Sumner, the C.E.O. of Quilt, announced she was striking gender from her bio. The LinkedIn crowd went wild.
Tesla Will Accept Bitcoin as Payment, Elon Musk says.
The electric-car maker will hold the digital currency and handle the crypto transactions internally.
Intel to Spend $20 Billion on 2 New Chip Factories in Arizona.
Patrick Gelsinger, Intel’s chief executive, vowed on Tuesday that Intel would become a major manufacturer of chips for other companies, in a...
What Sky Bet, The Gambling App, Knows About You
Sky Bet, the most popular one in Britain, compiled extensive records about a user, tracking him in ways he never imagined.
How a Stabbing in Israel Echoes Through the Fight Over Online Speech
Lawyers, judges and lawmakers are advancing a bold idea: The powerful algorithms used by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter could make them compl...
The Next Trick: Pulling Coronavirus Out of Thin Air
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s new air sampler can help monitor for airborne pathogens, and signals renewed interest in bioaerosol surveillance....
Coinbase Users Say Crypto Start-Up Ignored Their Pleas for Help
As Coinbase prepares to be the first major cryptocurrency company to go public, it is struggling with basic customer service, users said.
Five Tech Commandments to a Safer Digital Life
We can survive a world of ever-changing tech if we remember these principles.
What a Gambling App Knows About You
Sky Bet, the most popular one in Britain, compiled extensive records about a user, tracking him in ways he never imagined.
Robinhood files initial plan to go public.
The exact timing or price of the offering has not been set and the filing is still confidential. Private market investors have valued Robinh...
Intel plans to spend $20 billion on two new chip factories in Arizona.
Patrick Gelsinger, Intel’s chief executive, vowed on Tuesday that Intel would become a major manufacturer of chips for other companies, in a...
With Fewer Ads on Streaming, Brands Make More Movies
As streaming video has gained in importance during the pandemic, advertisers have put more focus on Hollywood-level branded content as a way...
NASA's Mars Helicopter Prepares for Its First Flight Date
The experimental vehicle named Ingenuity traveled to the red planet with the Perseverance rover, which is also preparing for its main scienc...
What’s Good for the Ocean May Also Be Good for Business
Companies are trying to prove that conservation, sustainable fishing and carbon sequestration are profitable.
Organizing Gravediggers, Cereal Makers and, Maybe, Amazon Employees
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union may be one of the most eclectic labor unions in the U.S. And it is on the cusp of breaking ...
Tesla’s Autopilot Technology Faces Fresh Scrutiny
Federal regulators are investigating 23 recent accidents in which drivers were, or may have been, using the automatic steering and braking s...
Discord, a Chat App for Gamers, Said to Have Discussed Deal With Microsoft
An acquisition of Discord, which could top $10 billion, would buttress Microsoft’s gaming business, as video gaming has boomed in the pandem...
Investors distance themselves from the photo-sharing app Dispo after controversy.
Multiple investors said they would donate any profits from their investments to organizations focused on survivors of sexual assault after i...
Streaming Saved Music. Artists Hate It.
Many musicians aren’t sharing in streaming riches. Can digital music economics change to benefit everyone?
Zappos Chief Executive is Looking For a Way Forward
Kedar Deshpande, who took over as C.E.O. in August, needs to lead the shoe seller out of the pandemic, while maintaining what his predecesso...
How Crying on TikTok Sells Books
“BookTok” videos are starting to influence publishers and best-seller lists, and the verklempt readers behind them are just as surprised as ...
There Is No Rung on the Ladder That Protects You From Hate
Asian-Americans are reeling from the killings in Georgia and a rising number of attacks nationwide. Could confronting racism bring solidarit...
How Anti-Asian Activity Online Set the Stage for Real-World Violence
On platforms such as Telegram and 4chan, racist memes and posts about Asian-Americans have created fear and dehumanization.
The David Dobrik Story, Explained
A YouTuber famous for his prank videos has lost multiple sponsors this week.
How Volkswagen’s Sins Fueled Its Redemption
In the aftermath of a diesel scandal five years ago, executives made a commitment to electric vehicles that now is paying off.
Your Pandemic Tech Habits
Therapy from afar. Books on the iPad. Friends via screens. Here’s the tech that’s sustained us.
Child Dies in Accident Involving Peloton Treadmill
In a letter of caution to Peloton users, the chief executive said the company had been aware of “a small handful” of other instances in whic...
For Political Cartoonists, the Irony Was That Facebook Didn’t Recognize Irony
As Facebook has become more active at moderating political speech, it has had trouble dealing with satire.
‘The Market Seems Crazy’: Start-Ups Wrestle With Flood of Offers
As a deal frenzy mounts, propelled by financial vehicles known as SPACs, start-ups have become the prey.
Ludwig Ahgren: The Twitch Livestream Subathon
Ludwig Ahgren will keep streaming until we all subscribe to his Twitch channel. But please: “Don’t use your stimulus check on me,” he said.
China Punishes Microsoft’s LinkedIn Over Lax Censorship
Officials said the social network had failed to block objectionable political content, a sign of the sacrifices it must make to remain in th...
What We Learned Abour Clearview AI's Hidden'Cofounder'
Charles Johnson, a notorious conservative provocateur, played a pivotal role at the start of the facial recognition company.
Super Nintendo World Looks for a Level Beyond the Pandemic
Super Nintendo World opened in Osaka, Japan, months after initially planned and with everyone clad in masks.
Carmakers Strive to Stay Ahead of Hackers
The effects of a breach of a car, or fleet, could be devastating. Auto manufacturers and suppliers have aggressive plans, and a lot of firew...
If You Look at Your Phone While Walking, You’re an Agent of Chaos
An experiment by Japanese researchers revealed how just a few distracted walkers really can throw off the movements of a whole crowd.
A Pioneer of Digital Design Looks Back on a Defining Era
Loretta Staples, a U.I. designer in the 1980s and ’90s, had a front-row seat to the rise of personal computing.
Amazon Labor Fight: Wages May Not Ward Off Union
Recent organizing campaigns in the South suggest the company’s wage scale may have left it vulnerable to a union.
What To Know About the Amazon Unionization Vote
The unionization effort, which began last summer, is the largest and most viable organizing campaign among Amazon workers in the United Stat...
Learning Apps Have Boomed During the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test
Start-ups hope there’s no turning back for online learning, even as more students return to the classroom.
Walmart joins effort to let people vaccinated at its stores verify their status with mobile apps.
The retail giant joined an international push to provide standardized digital vaccination credentials.
What the U.S. Missed With Google
Newly revealed memos show that government investigators saw red flags in Google’s behavior nearly a decade ago.
Review: Living the ‘Dream,’ on Your Laptop or Phone
Gorgeous but thin, this half-hour experiment from the Royal Shakespeare Company turns Puck into an avatar and “theatergoers” into fireflies....
The Space Launch System: NASA's Last Rocket
The United States is unlikely to build anything like the Space Launch System ever again. But it’s still good that NASA did.
2 Win Abel Prize for Work That Bridged Math and Computer Science
Avi Wigderson and László Lovász will share the annual prize that aims to be something like the Nobel for mathematics.
Learning Apps Have Boomed in the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test.
Start-ups hope there’s no turning back for online learning, even as more students return to the classroom.
The Great Amazon Flip-a-Thon
New firms are raising billions of dollars to buy up popular Amazon listings, minting millionaires along the way. Here’s how it works.
In a First, Uber Agrees to Classify British Drivers as ‘Workers’
The new legal classification, which follows a U.K. court ruling last month, will entitle the workers to more pay and benefits, but stops sho...
In First, Uber Agrees to Classify British Drivers as ‘Workers’
The new legal classification, which follows a U.K. court ruling last month, will entitle the workers to more pay and benefits, but stops sho...
Twitter Hacker Pleads Guilty in Florida Court
The 18-year-old is expected to serve three years in a juvenile facility in return for the plea.
Why We Shouldn’t Assume Amazon Has It All Figured Out
Even the big tech companies don’t have it all figured out.
How Amazon Crushes Unions
In a secret settlement in Virginia, Amazon swore off threatening and intimidating workers. As the company confronts increased labor unrest, ...
How Amazon Crushes Unions
In a secret settlement in Virginia, Amazon swore off threatening and intimidating workers. As the company confronts increased labor unrest, ...
Beer Here, Bouquets Next Door: How a Bar Defied the Pandemic
The Times followed the Hatch and its staff in Oakland after the pandemic began. The business not only survived, it’s expanding.
Facebook and News Corp Strike Pay Deal for Australian Content
The deal follows a standoff over legislation passed by the Australian government to compensate publishers.
A.I. Is Not What You Think
Artificial intelligence technology is promising, but it’s not a magic potion. Oh well.
Who Is Making Sure the A.I. Machines Aren’t Racist?
When Google forced out two well-known artificial intelligence experts, a long-simmering research controversy burst into the open.
Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Using Deepfake Technology to Harass Cheerleaders
Three teenagers in a Bucks County cheerleading program were subjected to a campaign of harassment using altered videos and spoof phone numbe...
Payments Start-up Stripe Surges to $95 Billion Valuation
The company has benefited in the pandemic as people turn to online shopping. It is now the most valuable start-up in the U.S.
White House Weighs New Cybersecurity Approach After Failure to Detect Hacks
The intelligence agencies missed massive intrusions by Russia and China, forcing the administration and Congress to look for solutions, incl...
Netflix Tests a Clampdown on Password Sharing
The company said a feature was being tested with a limited number of users, a move that might signal a broader crackdown on the common pract...
Livestreaming, Still Niche, Grows as a Tool for Retailers
Amazon Live is a prominent example of how interactive video shopping, popularized by TV networks like QVC, has moved online.
Microsoft takes aim at Google as it supports bill to give news publishers more leverage over Big Tech.
The Journalism and Competition Preservation Act aims to give smaller news publishers the ability to band together to bargain with online pla...
From Crypto Art to Trading Cards, Investment Manias Abound
Each market frenzy seems crazier than the last. But all have the same roots.
Faulty Software Snarls Coronavirus Vaccine Sign-Ups
Health departments continue to grapple with delays caused by technical problems with numerous websites used for making appointments.
Microsoft takes aim at Google as it supports bill to give news publishers more leverage over Big Tech.
The Journalism and Competition Preservation Act aims to give smaller news publishers the ability to band together to bargain with online pla...
Faulty Software Snarls Vaccine Sign-Ups
Health departments continue to grapple with delays caused by technical problems with numerous websites used for making appointments.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ Sprinkled With High-Tech Fairy Dust
A new online production from the Royal Shakespeare Company uses motion-capture and video game technology to create a virtual world.
‘Fraught With Issues’: Faulty Software Snarls Vaccine Sign-Ups
Health departments continue to grapple with delays caused by technical problems with numerous websites used for making appointments.
What Are NFTs, Anyway? One Just Sold for $69 Million.
“Nonfungible tokens” and blockchain technology are taking the mainstream art world by storm, fetching huge prices. We explain, or try to.
Tech Executives Aren’t Fortune Tellers
Tech leaders can run wildly successful companies. That doesn’t mean they have a crystal ball.
China Turns to Elon Musk as Technology Dreams Sour
The Tesla boss and digital prankster is striking a chord, at a time of disillusionment with the tech industry and its leading tycoons.
Drone Video of Bowling Alley Wins Praise From Hollywood
A drone video shot in a Minneapolis bowling alley was hailed as an instant classic. One Hollywood veteran said it “adds to the language and ...
Coupang, South Korea's Answer to Amazon, Debuts in I.P.O.
Coupang, a start-up founded by a Harvard Business School dropout, helped transform e-commerce in South Korea, one of the world’s fastest-gro...
Companies That Rode Pandemic Boom Get a Reality Check
Investors, who flocked to companies like Zoom as the virus spread, have started to look elsewhere.
Photos of Snowflakes Like You've Never Seen Them Before
Whether made with setups using sapphire and carbon fiber or an old mitten and a standard camera, these photographic approaches allow close-u...
Roblox Soars 43% on First Day of Trading as Gaming Booms
The gaming site, a tween favorite, began trading at $64.50 a share, up from its reference price of $45. The opening trade values it at nearl...
For Creators, Everything is for Sale
Digital stars are coming up with new ways to make money. Yet fans still hold the power.
How to Decorate Your New HomeBefore You Move
Measuring, design and shopping tools built into smartphone apps can help you get your next house in order.
Deepfake Videos of Eerie Tom Cruise Revive Debate
A tool that allows old photographs to be animated, and viral videos of a Tom Cruise impersonation, shined new light on digital impersonation...
Russia Says It Is Slowing Access to Twitter
Moscow accused the social network of failing to remove content it deemed illegal, escalating its offensive against U.S. companies that have ...
Xi’s Gambit: China Plans for a World Without American Technology
Beijing’s leaders plot a path to go it alone, vowing to spend big to fill gaps in innovation and avoid dependence on the United States and o...
Black and Hispanic Communities Grapple With Vaccine Misinformation
The false information arrives on social media and fringe news sites, influencing people already facing other hurdles to getting vaccinated. ...
BuzzFeed lays off 47 HuffPost workers weeks after acquisition.
As part of the cutbacks, BuzzFeed closed HuffPost Canada and announced plans to decrease the size of its operations in Australia and Britain...
Google and Facebook Killed Free
Is the mania for subscriptions a choice, or the only path in an ad system dominated by giants?
Epoch Media Casts Wider Net to Spread Its Message Online
The company’s ties to more than a dozen sites illustrate how conservative media companies are branching out after Facebook and Twitter began...
A Smarter App Is Watching Your Wallet
As artificial intelligence evolves, personal finance programs are working to offer you, and your budget, tailored advice.
Tech’s Legal Shield Appears Likely to Survive as Congress Focuses on Details
Section 230 isn’t expected to be revoked, but even the more modest proposals for weakening it could have effects that ripple across the inte...
What Went Right in the 2020 Election
It wasn’t all a mess. Here’s how the government and tech companies tamed foreign interference.
How Do Silicon Valley Techies Celebrate Getting Rich in a Pandemic?
Not by buying airplanes. Instead, the newest start-up millionaires are proceeding cautiously.
Preparing for Cyberstrike on Russia, U.S. Confronts Hacking by China
The proliferation of cyberattacks by rivals is presenting a challenge to the Biden administration as it seeks to deter intrusions on governm...
Thousands of Microsoft Customers May Have Been Victims of Hack Tied to China
The hackers started their attack in January but escalated their efforts in recent weeks, security experts say. Business and government agenc...
The Robots Are Coming for Phil in Accounting
Workers with college degrees and specialized training once felt relatively safe from automation. They aren’t.
Tesla’s Stock Tumbles Amid Sales Worries and Market Volatility
Investors appear to be reconsidering the electric carmaker’s high share price as other automakers gain market share.
Sports Are the Internet’s Secret Key
To glimpse the future of entertainment on the internet, pay attention to where we can watch football.
YouTube Removes Myanmar Military Channels
The video platform became the latest American internet giant to take down the military’s content since the coup last month.
A Leading Critic of Big Tech Is Expected to Join the White House
Tim Wu’s appointment to the National Economic Council would signal a confrontational approach by the Biden administration.
Reddit Hires First Chief Financial Officer as It Prepares for I.P.O.
The addition of Drew Vollero, formerly of Mattel and Snap, is a move toward developing operations more like publicly traded social networks....
The World Needs Syringes. He Jumped In to Make 5,900 Per Minute.
Rajiv Nath’s family-run Hindustan Syringes bets it can help meet the pandemic need for billions of barrels and needles.
When Amazon Raises Wages, Local Companies Follow Suit
New research suggests that when big companies increase wages, they drive up pay in the places where they operate — without a notable loss in...
Fixing What the Internet Broke
How sites like Facebook and Twitter can help reduce election misinformation.
The Era of Audio Creators Has Arrived
A new company called Audio Collective has launched to help build businesses on Clubhouse as brands rush to leverage the platform.
Amazon Expands in N.Y.C. as Pandemic Sends Shoppers Online
The e-commerce giant added at least nine new warehouses in the city over the past year as 2.4 million packages a day strained the nation’s l...
Facebook Ends Ban on Political Advertising
The social network had prohibited political ads on its site indefinitely after the November election. Such ads have been criticized for spre...
How to Get a Peloton-Style Workout Without Splurging
Don’t want to pay $1,900 for a Peloton bike, plus a subscription fee for classes? Here are ways to reduce the cost of using tech to exercise...
Facebook Lifts Ban on Political Advertising
The social network had prohibited political ads on its site indefinitely after the November election. Such ads have been criticized for spre...
What Job Sites Reveal About the Economy
Career websites are seeing a mismatch between what employers and the rest of us want in jobs.
How to Get a Peloton-Style Workout Without Splurging
Don’t want to pay $1,900 for a Peloton bike, plus a subscription fee for classes? Here are ways to reduce the cost of using tech to exercise...
The Hottest Amenity From Developers? A Power Plant Made of Batteries.
Charged via rooftop solar panels, the cells form a network that provides a building with backup electricity and that utilities can tap durin...
Colleges That Require Coronavirus Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works
Many schools that use fever scanners and symptom checkers have not rigorously studied if the technology has slowed the spread of Covid-19 on...
A Golden Age of Local Digital Stars
This can be great, but we may also lose something magical about a shared digital culture.
Colleges That Require Virus-Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works
Many schools that use fever scanners and symptom checkers have not rigorously studied if the technology has slowed the spread of Covid-19 on...
Colleges That Require Virus-Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works
Many schools that use fever scanners and symptom checkers have not rigorously studied if the technology has slowed the spread of Covid-19 on...
Instacart Valuation Rises to $39 Billion in Latest Fundraising
The pandemic has supercharged Instacart’s growth as customers eager to avoid shopping in stores turn to the company’s grocery ordering servi...
Colleges That Require Virus-Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works
Many schools that use fever scanners and symptom checkers have not rigorously studied if the technology has slowed the spread of Covid-19 on...
Amazon Workers’ Union Drive Reaches Far Beyond Alabama
A vote on whether to form a union at the e-commerce giant’s warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., has become a labor showdown, drawing the attention ...
How Do Influencers Get Jobs? It’s Changing
A new service is designed to help formalize relationships that are typically forged through personal connections or cold DMs.
Copying China’s Online Blockade
How other countries’ efforts to control the internet compare with China’s Great Firewall.
China Charges Ahead With a National Digital Currency
The electronic Chinese yuan is now being tested in cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing. No other major power is as far along with ...
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