Uber is laying off another 3,000 employees, . Uber is also closing 45 offices, and rethinking its approach in areas like freight and autonomous vehicle technology.“I knew that I had to make a hard decision, not because we are a public company, or to protect or stock price, or to please our Board or investors,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote to employees today in a memo, viewed by TechCrunch. “I had to make this decision because our very future as an essential service for the cities of the world — our being there for millions of people and businesses who rely on us — demands it. We must...…Uber is laying off another 3,000 employees, . Uber is also closing 45 offices, and rethinking its approach in areas like freight and autonomous vehicle technology.“I knew that I had to make a hard decision, not because we are a public company, or to protect or stock price, or to please our Board or investors,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote to employees today in a memo, viewed by TechCrunch. “I had to make this decision because our very future as an essential service for the cities of the world — our being there for millions of people and businesses who rely on us — demands it. We must...WW…

workers for companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash and Postmates has long been a topic of debate.Since California worker-protection bill AB 5 became law, some companies have gone to great lengths to continue classifying workers as independent contractors.Uber and Postmates, for example, to try to prevent the law from being enforced. Meanwhile, Uber, DoorDash, Lyft and Instacart are .Behind the scenes, an idea for an alternative approach has been picking up steam. Called the Cooperative Economy Act (CEA), the draft legislation is designed to accomplish much of what AB 5 aims to...…workers for companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, DoorDash and Postmates has long been a topic of debate.Since California worker-protection bill AB 5 became law, some companies have gone to great lengths to continue classifying workers as independent contractors.Uber and Postmates, for example, to try to prevent the law from being enforced. Meanwhile, Uber, DoorDash, Lyft and Instacart are .Behind the scenes, an idea for an alternative approach has been picking up steam. Called the Cooperative Economy Act (CEA), the draft legislation is designed to accomplish much of what AB 5 aims to...WW…

Reddit is gearing up to run ads for President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election despite concerns from employees, TechCrunch has learned. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed some of these employee concerns during an all-hands meeting last week, viewed by TechCrunch.“I know for many of you, [Trump] is simply a symbol of hate and there’s no getting around that — what he represents,” Huffman said. “And as a result, many of you have very real anger towards him or fear of where the country is going or sadness around where the country is going, and believe me, I share a lot of...…Reddit is gearing up to run ads for President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election despite concerns from employees, TechCrunch has learned. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman addressed some of these employee concerns during an all-hands meeting last week, viewed by TechCrunch.“I know for many of you, [Trump] is simply a symbol of hate and there’s no getting around that — what he represents,” Huffman said. “And as a result, many of you have very real anger towards him or fear of where the country is going or sadness around where the country is going, and believe me, I share a lot of...WW…

Before leaving SoftBank-backed Zume Pizza in November 2018, co-founder Julia Collins knew what her next move would be: climate-friendly food. Today, Collins is announcing s $2.7 million seed round led by BBG Ventures with participation from Cleo Capital, Cowboy Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Kapor Capital and others.What’s unique about this round, Collins told TechCrunch, is that 99.5% of the funds came from people of color and/or women. That was deliberate, she said. What’s also deliberate is the startup’s mission to combat climate change by building a climate-friendly food platform and...…Before leaving SoftBank-backed Zume Pizza in November 2018, co-founder Julia Collins knew what her next move would be: climate-friendly food. Today, Collins is announcing s $2.7 million seed round led by BBG Ventures with participation from Cleo Capital, Cowboy Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Kapor Capital and others.What’s unique about this round, Collins told TechCrunch, is that 99.5% of the funds came from people of color and/or women. That was deliberate, she said. What’s also deliberate is the startup’s mission to combat climate change by building a climate-friendly food platform and...WW…

Image Credits: Steve Jennings / Stringer / Getty ImagesInstacart is facing another class-action lawsuit pertaining to the way it pays its independent contractors, . Instacart guarantees its workers at least $10 per job, but workers are alleging Instacart offsets wages with tips from customers.The suit alleges Instacart “intentionally and maliciously misappropriated gratuities in order to pay plaintiff’s wages even though Instacart maintained that 100 percent of customer tips went directly to shoppers. Based on this representation, Instacart knew customers would believe their tips were being...…Image Credits: Steve Jennings / Stringer / Getty ImagesInstacart is facing another class-action lawsuit pertaining to the way it pays its independent contractors, . Instacart guarantees its workers at least $10 per job, but workers are alleging Instacart offsets wages with tips from customers.The suit alleges Instacart “intentionally and maliciously misappropriated gratuities in order to pay plaintiff’s wages even though Instacart maintained that 100 percent of customer tips went directly to shoppers. Based on this representation, Instacart knew customers would believe their tips were being...WW…

having a very large moment. Just last month, a piece of digital art by Beeple sold for $6.6 million on online art marketplace Meanwhile, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda recently sold clips of a song . Over on Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot, more than 200,000 people recently waited hours for the chance to buy one of just 10,631 packs of digital NBA moments.Those marketplaces, along with others, are where people go to buy digital assets, or, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that live on the blockchain. This whole world of NFTs is super new to me (I’ve only been using Top Shot for a couple of weeks now) so I...…having a very large moment. Just last month, a piece of digital art by Beeple sold for $6.6 million on online art marketplace Meanwhile, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda recently sold clips of a song . Over on Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot, more than 200,000 people recently waited hours for the chance to buy one of just 10,631 packs of digital NBA moments.Those marketplaces, along with others, are where people go to buy digital assets, or, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that live on the blockchain. This whole world of NFTs is super new to me (I’ve only been using Top Shot for a couple of weeks now) so I...WW…

On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board rejected Amazon’s attempt to delay a union vote set to begin on Monday, February 8. For many, the online giant’s bid was seen as a stalling tactic, including a motion to demand votes take place in-person — a clear health risk, as the COVID-19 virus still poses a major threat in the United States and globally.“Once again workers have won another fight in their effort to win a union voice,” Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement regarding the NLRB’s decision. “’s blatant disregard for the health...…On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board rejected Amazon’s attempt to delay a union vote set to begin on Monday, February 8. For many, the online giant’s bid was seen as a stalling tactic, including a motion to demand votes take place in-person — a clear health risk, as the COVID-19 virus still poses a major threat in the United States and globally.“Once again workers have won another fight in their effort to win a union voice,” Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement regarding the NLRB’s decision. “’s blatant disregard for the health...WW…

to pay $2.59 million to more than 5,500 current employees and former job applicants as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor over allegations of systemic discrimination as it relates to compensation and hiring. Google has also agreed to reserve $250,000 a year for the next five years to address any potential pay equity adjustments that may come up. That brings Google’s total financial commitment to $3.8 million — a drop in the bucket for the company, whose parent company Alphabet has a market cap of $1.28 trillion.comes after the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance...…to pay $2.59 million to more than 5,500 current employees and former job applicants as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor over allegations of systemic discrimination as it relates to compensation and hiring. Google has also agreed to reserve $250,000 a year for the next five years to address any potential pay equity adjustments that may come up. That brings Google’s total financial commitment to $3.8 million — a drop in the bucket for the company, whose parent company Alphabet has a market cap of $1.28 trillion.comes after the DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance...WW…

Plastic-free grocery-delivery startup is gearing up to launch in Los Angeles on February 10, after solely operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. Zero works directly with suppliers to sell food and other household items in jars, boxes and other types of sustainable packaging, and offers next-day delivery.Zero works with both big-name brands like Sightglass Coffee, Annie’s and Newman’s Own, as well as emerging vendors that are focused on sustainability, like .Zero members pay $25 per month to access discounted prices on food along with free deliveries. Zero is also available without a...…Plastic-free grocery-delivery startup is gearing up to launch in Los Angeles on February 10, after solely operating in the San Francisco Bay Area. Zero works directly with suppliers to sell food and other household items in jars, boxes and other types of sustainable packaging, and offers next-day delivery.Zero works with both big-name brands like Sightglass Coffee, Annie’s and Newman’s Own, as well as emerging vendors that are focused on sustainability, like .Zero members pay $25 per month to access discounted prices on food along with free deliveries. Zero is also available without a...WW…

The National Labor Relations Board today issued a complaint against Google after investigating the firing of several employees last November. The complaint alleges Google violated parts of the National Labor Relations Act by surveilling employees, and generally interfered with, restrained and coerced employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed by .The NLRB also alleges Google discouraged “its employees from forming, joining, assisting a union or engaging in other protected, concerted activities,” the complaint states.“This complaint makes clear that workers have the right to speak...…The National Labor Relations Board today issued a complaint against Google after investigating the firing of several employees last November. The complaint alleges Google violated parts of the National Labor Relations Act by surveilling employees, and generally interfered with, restrained and coerced employees in the exercise of their rights guaranteed by .The NLRB also alleges Google discouraged “its employees from forming, joining, assisting a union or engaging in other protected, concerted activities,” the complaint states.“This complaint makes clear that workers have the right to speak...WW…