andreessen horowitz Andreessen Horowitz Joins Peers With New San Francisco Office Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz opens a San Francisco office later this year, ending its long-standing resistance to leaving Menlo Park.
instagram Instagram Co-Founders Say Lost Autonomy Is the Price of Massive Success Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger discuss their early startup struggles and explain why losing independence within Facebook shows Instagram actually won.
softbank SoftBank's $5B Latin America Fund Backed by Record Venture Growth SoftBank's new $5 billion innovation fund for Latin America aligns with a massive surge in regional venture capital, which more than doubles to $1.14 billion in 2017 and continues to climb.
sam altman Sam Altman Steps Down as Y Combinator President to Lead OpenAI Sam Altman is transitioning from Y Combinator president to chairman so he can become the CEO of OpenAI, leaving behind a massively expanded accelerator program.
venture capital Small Venture Funds Thrive and Multiply Amid Mega-Fund Dominance Despite the venture capital industry's tilt toward massive mega-funds, smaller U.S. funds raising under $100 million reach record numbers in 2018. These micro and nano funds target early-stage deals without directly competing for the same institutional capital as their larger counterparts.
waymo Waymo Sells Custom LiDAR Sensors Outside Autonomous Vehicle Market Waymo introduces its Laser Bear Honeycomb LiDAR sensor for robotics, security, and agriculture, challenging startups in a crowded industry.
elizabeth warren Venture Capitalists Push Back Against Warren's Big Tech Breakup Plan Silicon Valley investors and startup executives express skepticism over Elizabeth Warren's proposal to break up major tech monopolies, arguing that blocking acquisitions will ultimately harm startups and reduce market competition.
y combinator Y Combinator President Sam Altman Steps Down Amid Major Accelerator Shake-Up Sam Altman transitions from his role as Y Combinator president to chairman as the accelerator undergoes significant operational changes. The company is relocating its headquarters to San Francisco and expanding the size of its startup batches.
sam altman Y Combinator President Sam Altman Steps Down to Focus on OpenAI Sam Altman leaves his daily role as president of Y Combinator to dedicate his time to artificial intelligence research at OpenAI. He remains with the startup accelerator as chairman.
wellsaid WellSaid Launches Natural Synthetic Voice Tech for Creators WellSaid Labs emerges from the AI2 incubator with a new voice synthesis system that embraces human inconsistencies to create natural-sounding speech. The startup aims to provide a credible alternative to human voice actors for creators, bypassing the restrictive tech offered by major tech giants.
ethics Tech Industry Grapples With Growing Inequality and Ethical Responsibility Harvard and MIT humanist chaplain Greg Epstein launches a new ethics series by interviewing prominent inequality critic Anand Giridharadas about the tech industry's role in modern capitalism.
lyft Lyft Files for IPO With $2.2 Billion Revenue and Growing Losses Ride-hailing company Lyft officially files its S-1 to go public on the Nasdaq, revealing massive revenue growth alongside nearly $1 billion in net losses for 2018. The highly anticipated debut values the company at over $20 billion as it competes against rival Uber.
wework WeWork Lays Off 300 Employees in Routine Performance Review WeWork cuts roughly 300 jobs, or 3 percent of its global workforce, as part of a standard annual performance review.
softbank SoftBank Faces Backlash Over Chaotic Strategy As Pinterest and Lyft Prep IPOs Limited partners voice concerns over the SoftBank Vision Fund's chaotic decision-making and inflated valuations, raising ethical questions for portfolio startups. Meanwhile, Pinterest and Lyft take steps toward highly anticipated public offerings.
zoom Video Conferencing Firm Zoom Targets April IPO After Confidential SEC Filing Zoom plans to file its public S-1 by late March and potentially debut on the stock market as soon as April. The highly valued company looks to build on its rapid growth and top-rated CEO reputation.