Kalanick Sued

When Uber first became a reality, it left most of us thinking that “someone should have thought of this sooner.”  The venture firm Benchmark has now had the same thought when it came to suing former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Once you’re on top, the only place you can go is down. Tensions have recently spiraled out of control in Uber’s executive board. Benchmark recently briefed Uber’s employees on why they were suing the man that helped build the company from the ground up. Not only did they explain that suing Kalanick was the best route, they also questioned why they hadn’t taken action sooner.

When Uber began looking for a new CEO, Kalanick, who remains an executive board member, promised to revise the company’s voting agreement to make sure they had a diverse, qualified group of directors. According to Benchmark, Kalanick didn’t keep his word despite threats of potential lawsuits.

Kalanick resigned in June after facing allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination courtesy of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Both Dragoneer Investment Group and Japanese investment company Softbank have confirmed interest in forming a legal coalition to purchase some of Uber’s shares. If either of these companies can help Uber out, they’d be well on their way to a 5-star rating.

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Spotify on Xbox One

Most people have fantasized about having background music in their everyday lives.  hanks to Spotify’s new deal with the Xbox One, it can at least be the reality of our virtual lives.

After testing the system earlier this month, the Spotify app will be available in 34 international markets on the Xbox One. Gamers will have the luxury of playing songs and playlists directly from their console while playing their favorite games.

Xbox One gamers can download Spotify directly from the app store. The app will be free for Spotify users as well as users with the premium package.

Because Xbox One knows that your game requires your undivided attention, the console’s version of Spotify will collaborate with the version on your smartphone.  Through Spotify Connect, users can skip tracks or choose a different song from a different device. Content will then be streamed to your Xbox One, making sure your gaming goes undisturbed.

Since Spotify has been available on the PlayStation 4 since 2015, this is a long time coming for Xbox One. But it’s better late than never.

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$4,000 Bitcoins

The world is transitioning from print to digital and electronic money has had one of the most complicated transitions. Few companies have revolutionized their field the way Bitcoin has. Last week, the digital currency system was trading at $3,000 for the first time in company history. Their value has continued to rise, and they’re currently trading at more than $4,000.

The popularity of Bitcoin’s clone, Bitcoin Cash, has not reached the level it was expected to with users. Thanks to code modifications like SegWit, problems with malleability and block space have finally been fixed. The change grants users more storage in each block.

Bitcoin’s success can also be attributed to its popularity on Wall Street, where traders and analysts have stressed the app’s potential on a daily basis. Wall Street’s infatuation with Bitcoin has convinced investors to open their eyes to the product.

The stock market has proven to be difficult to predict, but Bitcoin seems poised to finally take advantage of being the hot commodity on the block.

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Do you even Lyft, bro?

While Uber is experiencing management turmoil, Lyft has been climbing up the chart of ride services. Lyft was founded with the philosophy of making cities safer, affordable and connected. The best way to make that happen is growth.

Lyft recently brought YesGraph and DataScore aboard to incorporate a “data-driven marketing approach.”  Lyft is optimistic that YesGraph and DataScore will help the company cope with its rapid expansion properly. Uber’s chaotic management has certainly justified these moves.

In the past year, Lyft has added over 160 new cities and shows no signs of slowing down it's expansion. They’ve given more rides in the first 8 months of 2017 than all of 2016, but only time will tell if Lyft’s gains will continue.

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Let’s Get Down to Business

Disney’s run of featuring it's content on Netflix is scheduled to come to an end by the start of 2019. Disney’s attitude towards the end of their Netflix career?  Hakuna Matata (it means no worries).

You shouldn’t worry either. The mouse house is simply adopting it's own streaming service specifically made for their content. Disney’s departure initially left Netflix users frozen, but the details make the move appear much more rational. Being that Netflix produces and owns the rights of several Marvel TV shows (also produced by Disney), those programs will remain available on Netflix even after Disney enters a whole new world of streaming. Since Netflix began producing their own content, they’ve become more like Disney than they could’ve imagined.