Laura Sydell

Laura Sydell appears in the following:

Yahoo And AOL Move In Together Under 'Oath,' Verizon's New Digital Arm

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

The digital content mashup of Internet oldsters will be led by Tim Armstrong, AOL's CEO. Though the Yahoo deal was widely panned, it gives Verizon a vast subscriber base appealing to advertisers.

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Tech Companies Have Mixed Feelings Toward Trump Administration

Saturday, March 18, 2017

The South by Southwest Interactive Festival, one of the first big tech conferences since the election, added a special track this year about tech under the Trump administration.

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Rise Of Artificial Intelligence Met With Mixed Reaction At SXSW

Monday, March 13, 2017

From South by Southwest, the optimistic and dystopian visions of artificial intelligence — a technology that is becoming part of our daily lives.

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On Both The Left And Right, Trump Is Driving New Political Engagement

Friday, March 03, 2017

Sociologists say they are seeing unprecedented grass-roots activism across the country, and they credit the president. One says Trump has helped people find common ground — based on their anger.

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LGBTQ Advocates Fear 'Religious Freedom' Bills Moving Forward In States

Sunday, February 26, 2017

The Trump administration hasn't taken action on its promises to protect religious liberties, which some see as opposing LGBTQ people. But some state legislatures are taking this as support.

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Uber CEO Leaves Business Council After Criticism From Trump Opponents

Thursday, February 02, 2017

Travis Kalanick said in an email to employees, "Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the President or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that."

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Even Without A Headphone Jack, iPhone 7 Boosts Apple's Sales

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

The iPhone is coming through for Apple following a year of slow sales. It looks like the iPhone 7 is a hit — despite some initial anger over its lack of a headphone jack.

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Is Today's Google Doodle A Poke At The Trump Administration?

Monday, January 30, 2017

Fred Korematsu fought the internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II. Today he would be 98. But Google's choice to make him the Doodle focus doesn't seem like a total coincidence.

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Trump Immigration Order Strongly Criticized By Tech Executives

Monday, January 30, 2017

Silicon Valley tech leaders are coming out against the Trump administration's executive action on immigration. The order directly affects employees and international business at many of the companies.

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Facebook Tweaks Its 'Trending Topics' Algorithm To Better Reflect Real News

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The update comes days after accusations surfaced online that the highly shared Women's March didn't show as trending on Facebook. The social site has been trying to curb fake news and filter bubbles.

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Apple Looks To Compete With Netflix Originals, But Making Hits Is Hard

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Apple is about to join Amazon and Netflix and get into the content-making business, sources say. Apple stands to boost revenue, analysts say, but finding success in Hollywood isn't easy.

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Survey Finds Lyft Drivers Happier Than Uber, Though Pay Has Declined

Saturday, January 21, 2017

A survey of 1,150 drivers found that those working for Lyft made more on average than those at Uber. It also illustrates demographics of participants in the ride-hailing industry.

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Can Virtual Reality Make You More Empathetic?

Monday, January 09, 2017

Charities are using virtual reality to immerse people in the plight of refugees and others who need help. Researchers are studying whether it's more effective than other media. And there are skeptics.

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We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

"The whole idea from the start was to build a site that could kind of infiltrate the echo chambers of the alt-right," says Jestin Coler, whose company, Disinfomedia, is behind some fake news sites.

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Tech Leaders Vow To Resist Trump, But They Also Hope To Find Common Ground

Monday, November 14, 2016

With issues ranging from privacy to trade, many leaders find themselves at odds with the president-elect's campaign stances. But CEOs say they'll look for ways to work with his administration.

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What's Hot On Netflix? A Startup Aims To Track Ratings In The Streaming Age

Monday, November 07, 2016

Companies like Nielsen aren't able to easily measure the new ways people watch TV since Netflix and Amazon don't release their viewing numbers. Now a startup called Symphony aims to fill the void.

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Major Trump Backer's Alleged Positive Comments About Apartheid Stir Anger

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Silicon Valley billionaire investor Peter Thiel reportedly told two of his classmates at Stanford that he thought South Africa's former apartheid system of government was "a sound economic system."

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Peter Thiel Stands Out In Silicon Valley For Support Of Donald Trump

Monday, October 31, 2016

Thiel, a billionaire investor, has caused friction in Silicon Valley, which has largely backed Hillary Clinton. But others who disagree with Thiel's views stand by his right to express them.

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It Ain't Me, Babe: Researchers Find Flaws In Police Facial Recognition Technology

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Nearly half of American adults have been entered into law enforcement facial recognition databases, a new report shows. But problems with the accuracy of the technology could affect innocent people.

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Pundits Vs. Machine: Who Did Better At Predicting Campaign Controversies?

Monday, October 17, 2016

We pitted two political pundits against an algorithm to compete at predicting the biggest issues to arise over a month in the presidential election. Now we find out who won.

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