Gig workers pay a human price for being managed by algorithms

Dec 23, 2021
From erroneous terminations to racially biased facial recognition tech, what happens when the robot gets it wrong?
From erroneous terminations to racially biased facial recognition software, a new report from the nonprofit advocacy group Worker Info Exchange details the hidden issues with popular gig economy apps.
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Is Elizabeth Holmes guilty of fraud? A jury is deliberating.

Dec 21, 2021
The trial of the Theranos founder is seen as a bellwether for Silicon Valley.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is accused of duping patients and investors.
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China could soon surpass U.S. in crucial emerging technologies, report warns

Dec 14, 2021
"This has big implications," says Harvard's Graham Allison, one of the report's authors.
"This has big implications," says Harvard's Graham Allison, one of the report's authors.
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

How the typewriter propelled women into the office

Nov 24, 2021
Typewriters were "crucial" to the rise of women's workforce participation in the 20th century, says economic historian Elyce Rotella.
Typewriters were "crucial" to the rise of women's workforce participation in the 20th century, says economic historian Elyce Rotella.
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Defunct devices now a treasure trove of precious metals for Britain's Royal Mint

Oct 21, 2021
The Royal Mint is using new technology to extract precious metals from defunct devices.
Blank coins that have been produced at the Royal Mint are sorted before being sent to be stamped in the coin press on Aug. 1, 2014 in Llantrisant, Wales.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Are tech companies influencing politics more than governments?

Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, believes we're increasingly becoming citizens of Facebook and Twitter rather than of nations.
Are we becoming citizens of tech?
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Could the Steel City become a silicon city? A look at a post 9/11 Pennsylvania

This weekend marks 20 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. We check in on Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed in a field. Marketplace's Nova Safo joins us from Pittsburgh.
 In Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood, which used to be majority Black, longtime businesses mix with newcomers popping up amid redevelopment spurred by tech industry growth.
Nova Safo / Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

Big Tech companies saw growth accelerate amid COVID

Apr 28, 2021
Now, these firms have to figure out what their roles might be if and when more people start going back to the office.
A more widespread return to in-person work could affect subscription-based services, says Scott Kessler of Third Bridge.
Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

A primer on Corporate Memphis, Big Tech's favorite design trend

Apr 15, 2021
Sans-serif fonts, pastel palettes, long-limbed cartoons. Why are these designs so popular? And why do they garner criticism?
humaaans/Pablo Stanley

What Google's union means for Silicon Valley

Jan 4, 2021
This union's main aim is to support employee activism, rather than negotiate a contract.
Google employees stage a walkout over sexual harassment in New York in 2018. Some employees of the giant internet company have created a union to support worker activism.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images