TECHCRUNCH.COM — excitement centered around fintech over the past half-decade, most venture-backed fintech companies struggle to acclimate to public markets. LendingClub and OnDeck have plummeted since their late 2014 IPOs after several years of darling status in the private markets. GreenSky, which went public in May of this year, has been unable to return to its IPO price.

TECHCRUNCH.COM — into their two-hour testimony on Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey were asked about collaboration between social media companies. “Our collaboration has greatly increased,” Sandberg stated before turning to Dorsey and adding that has “always shared information with other companies.” Dorsey nodded in response, and noted for his part that he’s very open to establishing “a regular cadence with our industry peers.” Social media companies have established extensive policies on what constitutes “hate speech” on their platforms.

THEVERGE.COM — Instagram is working on a new standalone app dedicated to shopping, The Verge has learned. The app — which may be called IG Shopping — will let users browse collections of goods from merchants that they follow and purchase them directly within the app, according to two people familiar with the…

TECHCRUNCH.COM — While many lament the death of local news, a small army of tech startups have been developing a new set of tools to figure out how to save it. In one of the latest developments, Hoodline — which has built a platform to ingest and analyse hundreds of terabytes of data to find and then write local news stories — has raised $10 million in a Series A round to help take its effort nationwide.

OPEN.BUFFER.COM — Having a remote job has been a life-changing experience for me. I worked in traditional offices for a few years before I decided to start working remotely. Working from anywhere frees you from commuting; it also requires you to be organized and productive, everyday. There are so many benefits of…

TECHCRUNCH.COM — Following weeks of speculation about imminent retirement, announced today that its CEO, Daniel Zhang, will succeed Ma as chairman next year. After stepping down as chairman on September 10, 2019 (exactly a year from now), Ma will continue serving as a board member until its annual general shareholders’ meeting in 2020.

MOZ.COM — It’s tough to admit it, but many of us still practice outdated SEO tactics in the belief that they still have a great deal of positive influence. In this week’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand gently sets us straight and offers up a series of replacement activities that will go much farther toward moving…

TECHCRUNCH.COM — At a symposium in Washington DC on Friday, DARPA announced plans to invest $2 billion in artificial intelligence research over the next five years. In a program called “AI Next,” the agency now has over 20 programs currently in the works and will focus on “enhancing the security and resiliency of machine learning and AI technologies, reducing power, data, performance inefficiencies and [exploring] ‘explainability'” of these systems.

HOOTSUITE.COM — Making every dollar count in a social media advertising strategy can be challenging. How much should you spend? How do you target the right audience? And how do you know you’re getting the best possible return on your ad spend? To help you incorporate social media advertising into your strategy…

OPEN.BUFFER.COM — As a teenager I had a period of many years where I stopped reading books completely. I even remember a time where I couldn’t imagine reading books at all. After I graduated and started to be interested in business and startups, I realized the immense power and knowledge contained within books,…

TECHCRUNCH.COM — Harley-Davidson, the American symbol for internal combustion, chrome and steel, is going all in on two-wheeled EVs. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer is going electric and coming to Silicon Valley. Harley announced it will open an R&D space in the Bay Area by the end of 2018 to support its commitment to build electric vehicles.

TECHCRUNCH.COM — Reports of impending retirement are greatly exaggerated, it seems. Ma, the co-founder and executive chairman of has pushed back on claims that he is on the cusp of leaving the $420 billion Chinese e-commerce firm. The New York Times first reported that the entrepreneur plans to announce that he will leave the firm to pursue philanthropy in education, a topic he is passionate about — Ma is a former teacher.

TECHCRUNCH.COM — Another day, another whopper of a tariff. The Trump administration has been busy finalizing the rulemaking process to put 25% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, which will almost certainly affect the prices of many critical technology components and have on-going repercussions for Silicon Valley supply chains.

MARKETWATCH.COM — Talk of Nike Inc. sales taking a hit from the company’s decision to put ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick at the center of its latest “Just Do It” campaign is looking overblown, based on data from a Silicon Valley digital commerce research company. After an initial dip immediately after the news…

NYTIMES.COM — The erratic behavior would be more concerning if it weren’t for unsung heroes in and around the White House. Some of his aides have been cast as villains by the media. But in private, they have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing, though they are clearly not…

SOCIALMEDIAEXAMINER.COM — Wondering how to place ads in other people’s video content on Facebook? Have you heard about Facebook in-stream video ads? In this article, you’ll learn how to create and serve Facebook in-stream video ads that show during another brand’s video content via the Facebook news feed. How to Create…

HOOTSUITE.COM — Our Social Media ROI Pitch Package gives you the resources you need to build a solid business case for why your company should invest more in social. Whether you’re looking for tips on how to track your paid social ROI or need tips on how to pitch your executive for more budget, you’ll find it in…

TECHCRUNCH.COM — It was May 2016 when Thomas Plantenga got the call. He was living in New York and working on projects with Fabrice Grinda — the co-founder of classified juggernaut OLX, and the founder of FJ Labs. Plantenga had worked with Grinda on expanding OLX and was ready for the next challenge — which came in the form of the used clothing marketplace, Vinted.

MASHABLE.COM — Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee got off to quite a raucous start on Tuesday. There were protests and clashes between Democratic and Republican senators, but it was an odd snub made by Kavanaugh that’s getting the most attention. . As Kavanaugh left his table upon the beginning of a lunch break, a man can be seen approaching Kavanaugh and extending his hand for a handshake.

FORBES.COM — Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin Jeff Bezos, the most innovative leader on earth. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) What sets apart the superstars of innovation? Not just creativity and genius ideas. Nikola Tesla may…