Marketplace Tech

Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at Collab Capital and advocate for Black-owned businesses, shares her insights on the tech landscape. She discusses OpenAI's controversial shift from nonprofit to for-profit, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a mission focused on global good. The conversation also tackles the FTC's lawsuit against Uber, highlighting consumer protection in a rapidly changing tech environment. Lastly, Jewel addresses how current corporate struggles might open doors for innovative startups, creating new opportunities in a challenging market.

TikTok is rolling out Footnotes, a crowd-sourced fact-checking feature to improve content accuracy. This collaborative approach encourages both professional and amateur fact-checkers to address misinformation. However, challenges like bias in community notes on platforms like X and Facebook raise questions about effectiveness. The discussion also highlights the unique challenges of verifying information, particularly in sensitive areas like personal finance. A psychologist offers insights into why citizen fact-checking may shape the future of social media moderation.

The controversy surrounding algorithmic rent-setting is heating up as cities like San Francisco and Minneapolis take action against these tools. The Biden administration has sued RealPage, questioning the fairness of its pricing algorithms. Amidst growing concerns over housing affordability, cities are leading the charge to ban these practices, sparking debates about potential price-fixing and the role of technology. The clash between landlords and regulators is intensifying, highlighting the urgent need for effective housing policies.

Ujjwal Singh, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Multiverse, explores how AI can enhance employee skills with their innovative coach, Atlas. He discusses the importance of personalized, project-based learning in keeping workers relevant in a fast-evolving economy. Singh highlights Atlas's success in providing continuous support and overcoming educational challenges. He also emphasizes the platform's role in improving job access for individuals over 40, advocating for a more equitable workforce through AI-driven upskilling.

Developers of mobile apps have "room for improvement" in making their platforms fully accessible for disabled users, according to a new report from the software company ArcTouch and the digital research platform Fable. It looked at fifty popular apps and assessed them for features that improve accessibility like screen reading, text size adjustability, voice controls and multiple screen orientations. The apps were tested by disabled users who reported a poor or failing experience almost three-quarters of the time.Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Ben Ogilvie, head of accessibility at ArcTouch, to learn more about why so many apps are behind.

Meta's antitrust trial heats up, with Mark Zuckerberg citing TikTok as a competitor. NVIDIA faces challenges from new U.S. export controls, raising concerns among investors. Meanwhile, a heated debate over intellectual property law unfolds among tech giants, especially regarding AI training data. The complexities of protecting creators and ensuring fair data access are front and center in this evolving legal landscape.

Imagine flying over the mountains instead of sitting in traffic! Utah envisions air taxis replacing Ubers for the 2034 Winter Olympics. These lightweight electric aircraft promise a glimpse into a futuristic urban mobility. The podcast dives into the innovative design of these air taxis and the necessary infrastructure to support them. Regulatory challenges and public acceptance are also explored, raising intriguing questions about our readiness for life in the skies.

Tensions are rising as China imposes export restrictions on rare earth minerals, crucial for tech and defense industries. Experts suggest the U.S. has potential alternatives, but these options require significant time and investment. The discussion includes the exploration of recovering minerals from bauxite waste and the challenges of deep-sea mining. There's also a look at the legislative and environmental hurdles in ramping up U.S. production, making the pursuit of a self-sufficient supply chain a complex and multifaceted issue.

Explore the rise of surveillance tech in policing, like automated license plate readers, and the critical questions they raise about privacy. A personal journey through Virginia highlights how pervasive these devices are. Discover the risks of data collection and how it can impact personal safety and perceptions of citizens. The discussion turns to the challenge of creating regulations that safeguard privacy rights against the backdrop of recent legal developments and lessons from other cities like San Francisco.

The rise of AI in coding interviews is stirring up debate about fairness. Many job seekers are turning to AI tools for an advantage, raising ethical concerns. Hiring managers are becoming increasingly aware of this trend and are reconsidering their interview strategies. The discussion also touches on the implications for skill development in a tech job market that's facing layoffs. Plus, lingering biases associated with AI in recruitment further complicate the hiring landscape.