By The Washington Post | January 23, 2019 at 8:23 am By Tony Romm | The Washington Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft spent a combined $64 million to shape U.S. regulations and stave off government scrutiny in 2018, according to ethics reports filed late Tuesday, an uptick in lobbying that reflects the industry’s souring political fortunes in Washington — and the policy battles still on the horizon. The tech sector’s most prolific spender was Google: It shelled out more than $21 million last year to lobby Congress, the White House and key federal agencies on issues including online privacy, an analysis of the disclosure reports shows. That marks a new record for the search giant, which spent roughly $18 million in 2017 — more than any other company across all industries — to influence policymakers in the nation’s capital. For some in Silicon Valley, the lobbying blitz followed a series of scandals starting with Facebook’s … [Read more...] about Google led a multimillion-dollar tech industry lobbying blitz in 2018, records show
Tech industry
Silicon City: A people’s history of the Bay Area’s housing crisis, tech industry
By Erin Baldassari | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group January 8, 2019 at 7:41 am While it might be tempting to compare the dramatic rise of Silicon Valley’s tech titans to the Gold Rush that drew ’49ers west, a better comparison is the arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad — at least the way Cary McClelland sees it. The train shrunk the size of the country; it distorted time. It was disorienting in the same way technology warps time and space, putting far-flung communities no more than a few clicks away, McClelland says. And, like a railroad barreling down the tracks, there is an inertia to the Bay Area’s economy that feels unstoppable. Rents keep going up. Traffic gets worse. As McClelland puts it, “It sometimes feels as if we are all in the train’s engine: The quicker things change, the faster we move to adapt, the hotter the economy gets, the more we are all getting cooked. A perpetual motion machine that will … [Read more...] about Silicon City: A people’s history of the Bay Area’s housing crisis, tech industry
The tech industry outlook for 2019 wasn’t great — and then Apple made it downright gloomy
Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE Jan. 3, 2019 / 8:24 PM GMT By Jason Abbruzzese Tech had a banner year in 2018, with Apple hitting a trillion-dollar valuation and the tech sector leading stock market gains in the early part of the year. But just two days in, 2019 is already proving to be a bear for the industry. While still optimistic about the long term, tech investors are nonetheless gearing up for a rocky road ahead. The new year started with Apple's announcement on Wednesday that it had been overly optimistic about its sales, leading to a massive stock market sell-off that left the three major U.S. exchanges down by about 2 percent each by midday Thursday and knocked $56 billion off Apple's market cap. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook focused on China's economic slowdown as the source of the company's woes — making him the latest tech insider to add an … [Read more...] about The tech industry outlook for 2019 wasn’t great — and then Apple made it downright gloomy
A ‘tech addict’ who works in the tech industry
Martha Irvine Associated Press Published 10:39 AM EST Dec 26, 2018 Bellevue, Wash. – The young men sit in chairs in a circle in a small meeting room in suburban Seattle and introduce themselves before they speak. It is much like any other 12-step meeting – but with a twist. “Hi, my name is,” each begins. Then something like, “and I’m an internet and tech addict.” The eight who’ve gathered here are beset by a level of tech obsession that’s different than it is for those of us who like to say we’re addicted to our phones or an app or some new show on a streaming video service. For them, tech gets in the way of daily functioning and self-care. We’re talking flunk-your-classes, can’t-find-a-job, live-in-a-dark-hole kinds of problems, with depression, anxiety and sometimes suicidal thoughts part of the mix. There’s Christian, a 20-year-old college student from Wyoming who has a traumatic brain injury. His … [Read more...] about A ‘tech addict’ who works in the tech industry
He’s a ‘tech addict’ who works in the tech industry
Martha Irvine, Ap National Writer Updated 9:11 am CST, Wednesday, December 26, 2018 In this Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, photo, Robel, an 18-year-old tech addict from California, leaves a barn after helping feed animals at the Rise Up Ranch outside rural Carnation, Wash. The ranch is a starting point for clients like Robel who come to reSTART Life, a residential program for adolescents and adults who have serious issues with excessive tech use, including video games. The organization, which began about a decade ago, also is adding outpatient services due to high demand. less In this Monday, Dec. 10, 2018, photo, Robel, an 18-year-old tech addict from California, leaves a barn after helping feed animals at the Rise Up Ranch outside rural Carnation, Wash. The ranch is a starting ... more Photo: Martha Irvine, AP … [Read more...] about He’s a ‘tech addict’ who works in the tech industry