Star Wars on Google! Entrepreneurs behaving badly! Zuckerberg is a softy!
Stories in tech today worth a few moments of your time
Founder fathers: Startups used to avoid the red tape-strewn halls of power that make up D.C. politics. But times have changed and the entrepreneurs behind companies like Hello Alfred have taken to actively lobbying, sitting on panels, writing op/eds and in every other way speaking out on behalf of their companies and agendas on the political stage. [Startup leaders embrace lobbying as part of the job [New York Times]
That time the world stopped spinning: For some time on Monday afternoon the world was forced to interact IRL, trade Giphy files via Twitter and general try to remember what life was like before Slack when the de facto messaging system went down for a bit. The biggest problem? How to tell your teams that Slack was down. [Slack is having a panic attack | TechCrunch]
Crazy days: Wordpress.com now runs on Javascript. Oh, and they redesigned their dashboard and admin areas. But to repeat, Javascript be lurking in those code layers, friends. It’s a strange new world. [Wordpress gets a new face and joins the Javascript age | Wired]
Get ready for baby photo updates: Mark Zuckerberg kinda stunned the tech world when he announced he’d be taking two months paternity leave when his little Zuckette enters his relationship update soon. He’s being lauded, rightfully, for setting an example — showing fellow C-suiters that there are more important things than grinding. But it only counts if execs learn from his example and actually extend understanding and parental benefits to all, especially the new moms in techteamland. [Mark Zuckerberg is starting his parenting career on the right note | The Verge]
App-etite for destruction: The story of a man killed and the AirBNB nightmare that ensued that went viral recently is just the tip of an iceberg laden with potential app economy peril as more companies are formed around the service end of mobile customers. [This app-based economy will kill you | Medium]
Microsoft diversity two-step: The bad news, Microsoft’s female contingent has dropped 2 percent, to just 26.8 percent of its workforce. The goodish news? The company is growing the female and minority presence in leadership ranks where 27. 2 percent of the leadership team is female — a 20 percent increase year-over-year. [Microsoft female workforce drops, but company boosts diversity among execs | GeekWire]
Drone tone: Drones and the products around them are expected to be a hug holiday gift — not to mention tool for many tech startups dependent upon hard-to-get imaging and edgy video use. Well, Scrooge, in the form of the Federal Aviation Administration, may have the last humbug on how you can buzz the tower with your new toy, Goose. [Proposed regulations for drones released | New York Times]
Entrepreneurs behaving badly: Should you lie to funders? How ‘bout those failed family commitments? Do the ends justify the means? So many questions, so many potential pitfalls. [The ethical challenges facing entrepreneurs | WSJ]
Daily duds: The once giant daily deal company LivingSocial, like its larger competitor, Groupon, in struggling to stay alive, much less thrive to a level expected just a few short years ago. It’s a “unicorpse” that shows today’s rapidly overvalued hyper-successful startups how quickly the road to ruin can be traveled. [LivingSocial offers a cautionary tale to today’s unicorns | New York Times]
HB(IP)O: Time Warner’s numbers are in the dumper, but they have an ace in hole — HBO. With the success of the channel’s new streaming products and fresh faces like John Oliver and Jon Stewart in the fold, now’s the time to spin off the booming media branch and IPO it. [Selling the golden goose | The New Yorker]
Speaking of HBO …: The new Game of Throne promo poster hit the streets Monday and fried people’s brains like a dragon belch. It features a bloody Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and fed into fan desperation for the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch to still be alive — something to keep us warm until April when Season 6 drops. Ahh, conspiracy theories are a beautiful thing — and there’s clues in the picture, even!
Giving thanks: Google is here to help, Star Wars fan. The company rolled out some new SW-themed goodies for its apps today — sorry, no work/enterprise options. You can chose the Light or the Dark Side and tailor your various Google chores accordingly. Next up? How ‘bout the Millennium Falcon in VR. May the Force be with you, Google. Always. [Star Wars fan? Google has apps for that | USA Today]