Experts warn that shutting the U.S. border with Mexico would slam the auto industry in a "matter of days"$1.7 billion worth of goods and services cross the border between the two countries every dayU.S. automakers are also grappling with ebbing demand, as sales slipped 2 percent in the first quarterShutting the U.S. border with Mexico would cause havoc for the automobile industry, experts warned amid signs that President Donald Trump is stepping back from his threat to seal off the two nations. Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. Michigan, said in a recent tweet that "The North American auto industry will be crippled with a week" if the border is closed, adding that it would take only a "matter of days" for a massive disruption to ensue.Despite dialing down his rhetoric this week, Mr. Trump said he remains ready to shut the border at any point, saying "I'm ready to close it. If I have to close … [Read more...] about Car industry would be “crippled” in days if U.S. shut border with Mexico
Industry analysis
This Andreessen Horowitz General Partner talks about the tech companies disrupting the centuries-old insurance industry
caption Angela Strange source a16z Andreessen Horowitz‘s General Partner Angela Strange spoke about the history of the insurance industry and the tech companies that are helping to shape its future. Strange explains why no new insurance company has cracked the Fortune 500 list since before World War II. She’s confident, however, that the industry is ripe for disruption: “The innovation we’ve seen over the last three centuries [in insurance] isn’t going to be nearly as exciting as what happens over the next three decades.” The full video of Strange’s presentation can be found here. At Andreessen Horowitz‘s annual Innovation Summit in November, a16z General Partner Angela Strange spoke about the history of the insurance industry and the tech companies that are helping to shape its future. Strange explains the difficulties that incumbent companies face, which is why no new insurance … [Read more...] about This Andreessen Horowitz General Partner talks about the tech companies disrupting the centuries-old insurance industry
Industrial espionage fears arise over Chrome extension caught stealing browsing history
Valid arguments about a possible industrial espionage campaign are being raised surrounding a Google Chrome extension that was caught collecting browsing history, ZDNet has learned from ExtraHop, a real-time IT analytics firm.The company said today it detected the malicious code hidden inside a Google Chrome extension aimed at web developers. The extension, named Postman, is still available in the Chrome Web Store, despite ExtraHop reporting it to Google more than a month ago.The extension, which has over 27,000 installs, is a blatant clone of Postman Interceptor, another popular Chrome extension that can be used for testing and real-time editing of API requests.Because of its features, the extension is usually found installed on Chrome browsers used by web developers.An extension collecting browsing history might sound benign, but in a phone call today, the ExtraHop team told ZDNet that this behavior is extremely worrisome when observed in this particular case. The ExtraHop team … [Read more...] about Industrial espionage fears arise over Chrome extension caught stealing browsing history
Analysis: Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg tainted by crisis after crisis
Facebook crises this year have put immense pressure on Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, undermining her authority and tainting an image that was burnished by the social-media company's meteoric rise. Some of her staff, who saw the executive as larger than life, now blame her for Facebook's woes. At times, she prioritized her own brand over Facebook's; surrounded herself with trusted lieutenants who filtered bad news; and didn't address problems quickly enough or treated them as perception issues not opportunities for real change, according to eight current and former Facebook employees from her side of the organization. Ever since the 2016 presidential election, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has been criticized for his failure to understand the potential downsides of Facebook's products. Sandberg escaped direct scrutiny until a New York Times report earlier this month linked some of Facebook's current woes to her decisions. From now on, "she is always going to be … [Read more...] about Analysis: Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg tainted by crisis after crisis
Smart meters would need to be installed at a rate of 30 a minute to hit government target, analysis finds
Smart meters would need to be installed at a rate of 30-a-minute to meet the government's target amid a slowdown in the roll-out, Which? analysis has found. The consumer watchdog said energy suppliers would have to fit 30 meters every sixty seconds for the next two years to replace 46 million existing meters by the 2020 deadline. The report comes days before the National Audit Office is due to publish its investigation into the Government's handling of the costly project which has so far topped £11billion. The public spending watchdog is expected to heavily criticise the project which is running behind schedule and over budget due to technical issues. With just over two years to go until 2020, Which? is concerned that delays and increased costs will result in reduced savings for consumers. Government estimates for the expected savings for an annual dual fuel bill in 2020 have already fallen from £26 to just £11. So … [Read more...] about Smart meters would need to be installed at a rate of 30 a minute to hit government target, analysis finds