tech, startups, internet

VCs say they’re still open for business

Axios informally surveyed about 40 firms and they all stated they’re still making deals despite the current economic (and health) environment. I suspect this is an optimistic assessment and we’re going to see a slow-down in funding. To be fair, […]

big ideas

Higher education’s existential crisis

Axios sums up a bunch of data in their ‘deep dive’ on education. Almost 40% of students now are over 25 years old and nearly a quarter are parents. “The bottom line: Our idea of what college is and who […]

tech, startups, internet

Do people read privacy policies?

Axios and SurveyMonkey did a poll of about 4,000 people on the topic of privacy policies. One question: “How often would you say you check the ‘I accept’ or ‘I agree’ box on a company’s privacy policy/terms of service without […]

tech, startups, internet

Deepfakes go bigger with machine-generated copy.

Axios reports on the new technology from OpenAI that enables machines to write human-sounding prose. Combined with Deepfake technology to create artificial video and audio, “It could be used to influence people one-on-one on a massive scale, rather than distributing […]

big ideas

Deaths for children under 5 have dropped 50% over 2 decades.

In part, we have Bill & Melinda Gates to thank for this. “There is a clear delineation in improved results after 2000, when ‘the world started investing more in global health, and in particular global health institutions,’ Melinda said.” | learn more

retail therapy

Saving main street with in-store technology.

China is arguably in the lead here – Alibaba has outfitted about 1 million mom & pop shops with heat sensors, digital payments and inventory tracking. While the US has fallen behind due to cultural privacy concerns, progress persists. | learn more