Tech Brew Ride Home - Mon. 07/06 – Uber Buys Postmates

Episode Date: July 6, 2020

Uber buys Postmates for $2.65 billion dollars. There’s an Xbox Series X event coming later this month. An algorithm that could PREDICT Covid-19 outbreaks. Florida becomes the first to enact a DNA privacy law. And Sony’s new, wearable air conditioner, the Reon Pocket. Sponsors: Grammarly.com/techmeme Wipers123.com offer code RIDE Links: Uber agrees to buy food-delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion in stock (CNBC) Uber acquires meal delivery service Postmates for $2.65 billion (The Verge) Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter Suspend Review of Hong Kong Requests for User Data (WSJ) Microsoft announces Xbox Series X games event for July 23rd (The Verge) iOS 14: iCloud Keychain now alerts users about leaked passwords, more (9to5Mac) Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves? (NYTimes) Florida becomes first state to enact DNA privacy law, blocking insurers from genetic data (Washington Examiner) SONY’S WEARABLE, POCKET-SIZED AIR CONDITIONER IS FINALLY AVAILABLE FOR SALE! (Yanko Design) Subscribe to the ad-free feed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the TechMeme right home for Monday, July 6th, 2020. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, Uber buys Postmates for $2.65 billion. There's an Xbox series X event coming later this month, an algorithm that could predict COVID-19 outbreaks. Florida becomes the first to enact a DNA privacy law. And Sony's new wearable air conditioner. The Rion Pocket is here. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech. It's official. Uber is buying food delivery service. Postmates for $2.65 billion in an all-stock deal. To catch you up on the state of play here, everyone knows the delivery space needs to consolidate because there are too many players in a space

that might not actually be that profitable in the end. Uber wanted to acquire Grubhub, but that would likely have drawn a ton of regulatory scrutiny. That might have killed the deal, so Grubhubbhub decided instead to accept an acquisition offer from JustEatakeaway.com. Postmates, meanwhile, is the fourth largest U.S. food delivery service and was sort of running out of options. It was either going to do a deal now or IPO soon and hope for the best. But then we haven't really talked about why Uber wants to suddenly get in the acquisition game in terms of delivery operations, quoting CNBC. The deal brings together the fourth largest U.S. food delivery service with Uber Eats, which trails only DoorDash in market share according to Second Measure and Edison trends.

The companies said Uber intends to keep the Postmates app running separately, quote, supported by a more efficient combined merchant and delivery network, end quote. Uber is banking on food delivery to help sustain its business during the coronavirus pandemic as demand for ride sharing has plunged. In its first quarter earnings call, Uber said gross bookings revenue for its ride segment was down 80% in April from a year earlier, while gross booking's revenue in Eats was up more than 50% during the period. Postmates has had success in specific urban areas, Los Angeles and Miami, but has struggled to

compete nationally against DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. Even with Postmates, Uber will still trail DoorDash in food delivery market share, according to Edison Trends. That should help with U.S. regulators who may have pushed back on an Uber Grubhub tie-up, but could be more likely to accept an Uber Postmates deal, end quote. Also, let me give you this take from the verge, quote, Food delivery is not profitable, nor is Uber's core ride-hailing business. But the company is hoping that with restaurants closed to in-person dining, more people

will be ordering takeout in the future. Uber Eats is an obvious bright spot, but it's still under immense strain, thanks to regulatory pressure and competition from Grubhub and DoorDash. Uber Eats has seen an acceleration in demand since mid-March with 89% year-over-year gross bookings growth in April, excluding India. and the company is also abandoning its unprofitable markets at a steady clip. Uber recently shuttered its eats business in eight cities. But despite these gains, Uber is still trailing behind DoorDash, the leader in food delivery. In June, DoorDash captured 45% of transactions, according to market

research firm Edison Trends. By purchasing Postmates, Uber can improve its market share to 37% from its current position of 29%, end quote. Which actually, that's a lot of money for what Is that less than a 10% market share gain? That's kind of interesting. And the great Peter Kafka had this take on Twitter, quote, curious if slash how many deals are being rushed through now because folks think they can get blessed by the Trump administration. See, for example, Sprint T-Mobile, but not a Biden administration, end quote.

Facebook and Telegram say they are suspending requests for user data made by Hong Kong police following a new national security law enacted by China, quoting the Wall Street Journal. WhatsApp is pausing such reviews, quote, pending further assessment of the impact of the national security law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts. A WhatsApp spokeswoman said in response to a Wall Street Journal query on Monday. A spokeswoman for parent company Facebook said in a later statement that it was doing the same,

quote, we believe freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions, the Facebook statement said. The move puts the U.S. technology titan on a potential collision course with Beijing after China fast-tracked the national security legislation that includes a provision mandating local authorities to take measures to supervise and regulate the city's previously unfettered internet. Facebook, WhatsApp, and its Instagram service along with Twitter and Google.

unit YouTube have long operated freely in Hong Kong without restrictions from China's firewall that applies to mainland internet users, end quote. Microsoft this morning announced an Xbox Series X games event to be held Thursday, July 23rd at 9 a.m. Pacific time, 12 p.m. Eastern Time. Star of the show will apparently be Halo Infinite, quoting the verge. The company is planning on showing games made by its Xbox game studios, including Halo Infinite. 343 Industries briefly teased Halo Infinite in a trailer a couple weeks ago, revealing that the banished antagonists are returning for the next big installment in the Halo franchise. There will be more than just Halo, though. Microsoft has been steadily acquiring game studios, and the company now has

15 Xbox game studios in total. Xbox fans are now hoping to see what those studios are working on for the Xbox Series X. Microsoft recently created a Fable Placeholder Twitter account, leading fans to wonder if the game might make a return during July's Xbox event. Microsoft also recently extended its fable trademark to cover USB chargers, portable speakers, headphones, and more. Given Microsoft released a Hellblade 2 teaser during its Xbox Series X unveiling last year, it's reasonable to assume we'll see more from Ninja Theory about this upcoming title. Psychonauts 2 is still due in 2020 for Microsoft's Double Fine Studio, and there's bound to be some hints at how Forza and Gears of war will adapt to the more powerful hardware in the Xbox Series X, end quote.

So I guess we're going to see a bunch of teasers, which might give us more of a glimpse of the gameplay that is possible in next-gen consoles, but I guess we can't expect much in the way of further details in terms of launch dates, pricing, and specific launch game availability. Don't know. Tune in July 23rd to find out. And of course, Kyle will have plenty more. more for you on this over at the Gaming Ride Home podcast. The iCloud keychain in iOS 14 will apparently alert users if they attempt to enact passwords that are either too easy to guess or might already have leaked on the web, quoting 9 to 5 Mac.

If you're not familiar with iCloud keychain, it stores and sinks all your passwords from different websites and apps through iCloud. Users can access the iCloud keychain with an iPhone or iPad by opening the settings app and tapping the passwords menu. With iOS 14, Apple offers a new security recommendations menu that shows only your passwords that could put your accounts at risk for some reason. This includes passwords that are easy to guess and even those that may have leaked on the web. ICloud Keychain now clarifies what the problem is with the password for each specific account save there, so users can learn more about creating stronger passwords. Some of these features were already

present in iOS 13, but they weren't as prominent as in iOS 14. Here are some examples of security alerts provided by iCloud keychain and iOS 14. Many people use this password, which makes it easy to guess. This password is easy to guess, and this password uses a sequence, one, two, three. Using common patterns makes passwords easy to guess. There's a new alert in particular that's also one of the most important for users. According to Apple, ICloud keychain now verifies if your passwords are involved in a data breach. This is important not only to let you change your password immediately, but also to be a

of what other accounts may be affected if you use a repeated or similar password, end quote. Indeed, this is something that desktop web browsers and password managers have done forever now, telling you if you're using a compromised password or reusing one. But you've got to figure this would be even more powerful on mobile where people might be more likely, for purposes of ease of use and speed, to go with the simplest passwords possible or to reuse passwords. researchers have demonstrated an algorithm that could predict COVID-19 outbreaks based on data from Google, Twitter, smartphones, and other streams. To be clear, they think that this could predict outbreaks before they occur, not just tell us where they are occurring now. Quote, in a paper posted

on Thursday on archive.org, the team led by Mauricio Santilliana and Nicole Cogan of Harvard presented an algorithm that registered danger 14 days or more before case counts began to increase. The system uses real-time monitoring of Twitter, Google searches, and mobility data from smartphones, among other data streams. The algorithm, the researchers write, could function, quote, as a thermostat in a cooling or heating system to guide intermittent activity or relaxation of public health interventions. That is a smoother, safer reopening. Quote, in most infectious disease modeling, you project different scenarios based on a assumptions made up front, said Dr. Santillana, director of the machine intelligence lab at Boston

Children's Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Harvard. What we're doing here is observing without making assumptions. The difference is that our methods are responsive to immediate changes in behavior, and we can incorporate those, end quote. Outside experts who were shown the new analysis, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, said it demonstrated the increasing value of real-time data like social media in improving existing models. In the new paper, the team analyzed real-time data from four sources in addition to Google. COVID-related Twitter posts, geotag for location, doctor's searches on a physician platform

called Up to Date, anonymous mobility data from smartphones, and readings from the Kinsa Smart Thermometer, which uploads to an app. It integrated those data streams with a sophisticated prediction model developed at Northwestern University based on how people move and interact in communities. The team tested the predictive value of trends in the data stream by looking at how each correlated with case counts and deaths over March and April in each state. In New York, for instance, a sharp uptrend in COVID-related Twitter posts began more than a week before case counts exploded in mid-March. Relevant Google searches and Kinsa measures spiked several days beforehand. The team combined all its data sources, in effect, weighting each according to how strongly it was correlated to a coming increase in cases.

This harmonized algorithm anticipated outbreaks by 21 days on average, the researchers found. Looking ahead, it predicts that Nebraska and New Hampshire are likely to see cases increase in the coming weeks if no further measures are taken, despite case counts being currently flat, end quote. So there you go. Someone out there listening remind me in three weeks to check on Nebraska and New Hampshire numbers, and we can see together how well this prediction algorithm. performs. Florida is not a state known for being on the cutting edge when it comes to doing the right thing, the smart thing, the ahead of the game thing. And I can say that because I'm that rare thing, an actually native Floridian. But Florida last week became the first state to enact a DNA

privacy law blocking life, disability, and long-term insurers from accessing genetic data. quoting the Washington Examiner. Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1189, sponsored by Representative Chris Sprouls of Palm Harbor. It extends federal prohibitions against health insurance providers accessing results from DNA tests, such as those offered by 23 and Me or ancestry DNA to insurers. Sprouse, the House Speaker-designate, called the legislation a, quote, major victory for Floridians that will make Florida the leader in the nation in protecting our residents. and our citizens genetic information when it was adopted by the House 110 to 0 and the Senate 35 to 3. Given the continued rise in popularity of DNA testing kits, Sprowse said on Thursday, it was imperative we take action to protect Floridian's DNA data from falling into the hands

of an insurer who could potentially weaponize that information against current or prospective policyholders in the form of rate increases or exclusionary policies, end quote. Federal law prevents health insurers from using genetic information in underwriting policies and in setting premiums, but the prohibition doesn't apply to life, disability, or long-term care coverage. Insurers argue information gleaned from genetic testing, such as a person's medical predispositions, could lower insurance premiums across the board. Lawmakers, however, said the same rationale could be used to raise rates. Sprawls, a cancer survivor, discovered the massive loophole could be exploited,

by insurers while on hold during a phone call to a life insurance company in 2017, and the dead air was filled with commercials from DNA testing companies, he said. Under HB. 1189, insurers are prohibited from using genetic information to price policies and offerings. The bill blocks companies from requiring or soliciting genetic information from applicants and forbids DNA testing companies from providing genetic information to insurers without the customer's permission. Individuals, though, can still volunteer genetic information from third-party tests to insurers, end quote. And let's end today with something topical, something seasonal even.

I can't remember if this was a story that I actually did or if it was a story that I thought of doing once, but I'm pretty sure I told you before about how Sony was developing a pocket-sized air conditioner that you could wear, you know, on your body? Well, it's here, and it's called the Rion Pocket. Let me let Yanko Design describe it, but then click through on the link to see what this actually looks like. Quote, a portable, wearable air conditioner is no more a thing of futuristic TV shows. The Rion Pocket is a smartphone-controlled personal gadget that was designed to be compact and cool. It works using thermo-electer. cooling and can cool the user's body temperature by 13 degrees Celsius or 23 degrees Fahrenheit

and raise your temperature by about 8 degrees Celsius or about 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Rion sits on the base of your neck and a special undershirt designed for it. It uses the Peltier effect, which means a temperature difference is created by applying a voltage between two electrodes connected to a sample of semiconductor material. The heat is absorbed or emitted when you pass an electrical current across a junction. to either lower your temperature or increase it without bulk or noise. It is sleek, minimal, and comfortable as a piece of wearable tech. Like any smart device of our times, Rion's functions can be controlled via Bluetooth.

Set to the desired temperature using the mobile app, which also features an automatic mode. It only weighs 85 grams and can be charged with the common USBC port. The only downside is that the battery lasts for just two hours on a single charge, but that is enough time for you to run all errands or enjoy a picnic before you sort. start to melt, end quote. It's even got an exhaust grill. It kind of looks cool. I immediately tried to put in an order for this because there's a reason I no longer live in Florida, even though I was born there. I can handle cold weather just fine. What I can't handle is summer heat. But alas, as far as I could tell, this is only available in Japan right now.

If any of you out there can find this available anywhere that can get it to me in Brooklyn, please let me know. I hope you all had a good weekend. Thank you to those listeners who allowed my daughter to visit your islands on Animal Crossing over the weekend. It was truly a magical experience for her and one that reminded me of how good the internet can be when it is good. Talk to you tomorrow.