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Business & Tech

San Francisco & the Greater Bay Area are known around the world as one of the major business & technology centers. Entrepreneurs, innovators, and tech giants call the SF Bay home.

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Reporting from across San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Google Maps Now Shows 'Lake America' Instead of Lake Ontario to US Users

Business & Tech

Google Maps Now Shows 'Lake America' Instead of Lake Ontario to US Users

Users searching Google Maps in the US are now seeing "Lake America" in place of Lake Ontario after President Trump signed an executive order renaming the Great Lake “effectively immediately" earlier this week. The bizarre move comes as Trump and Canada continue to engage in an escalating trade war.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Claims 40,000 Pounds of Beer Stolen in SoCal Warehouse Theft

Business & Tech

Pabst Blue Ribbon Claims 40,000 Pounds of Beer Stolen in SoCal Warehouse Theft

Authorities are investigating two separate claims of cargo theft at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair earlier this month that apparently included the loss of 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. The total value of the missing cargo is estimated to be $70,000.

Anthropic Tells Staff to Work From Home Due to Potential Security Workers’ Strike

Business & Tech

Anthropic Tells Staff to Work From Home Due to Potential Security Workers’ Strike

Security company Allied Universal warned Anthropic that its workers might go on strike, prompting the AI company to order its staff to work from home, but the security guards’ union said it knew nothing about the strike.

United Airlines Announces Major Route Expansion, Adding New SFO-to-Okinawa Nonstop

Business & Tech

United Airlines Announces Major Route Expansion, Adding New SFO-to-Okinawa Nonstop

United Airlines on Tuesday announced what they said is the airline's biggest expansion in the company's history, adding 10 new nonstop routes — most of them out of their Newark hub, but one is being added at SFO.

That AI Store Manager In Cow Hollow Just Fired Its First Human Employee

Business & Tech

That AI Store Manager In Cow Hollow Just Fired Its First Human Employee

Andon Market, the AI-created store with no clear purpose for existing beyond as a marketing tool for the startup behind it, made headlines again this week after its AI agent manager decided to fire a store employee.

OpenAI Launches ‘ChatGPT for Teens’ Amid Lawsuits, Protests

Business & Tech

OpenAI Launches ‘ChatGPT for Teens’ Amid Lawsuits, Protests

OpenAI launched “ChatGPT for Teens” Tuesday with enhanced protections around sensitive topics and features amid mounting lawsuits and nationwide student protests last week.

Presidio Army Barracks to Become 40,000-Square-Foot Coworking Space

Business & Tech

Presidio Army Barracks to Become 40,000-Square-Foot Coworking Space

Boutique coworking provider Canopy is turning a former Army barracks in the Presidio into a 40,000-square-foot workspace for individual workers and small companies, with a cafe, gym, private offices, and conference rooms.

Your Uber Eats Order Might Get Delivered By Drone Very Soon

Business & Tech

Your Uber Eats Order Might Get Delivered By Drone Very Soon

Uber is speeding toward the day when those currently ubiquitous delivery people on mini motorcycles are a thing of the past, announcing a new partnership with a drone delivery startup that has already been working with Chipotle and Walmart.

Tesla's Latest Aesthetic Atrocity: This Gold 'Cybercab' Spotted In SF

Business & Tech

Tesla's Latest Aesthetic Atrocity: This Gold 'Cybercab' Spotted In SF

Tesla appears to be testing its latest semi-autonomous taxi model in San Francisco, and in an effort to stand out from the competition, it has been painted gold.

Long-Vacant Divisadero Car Wash Site Is Finally Headed for Redevelopment

Business & Tech

Long-Vacant Divisadero Car Wash Site Is Finally Headed for Redevelopment

Construction at the long-stalled Touchless Car Wash site at Divisadero and Oak streets is set to begin later this year, as Greystar, the largest developer in the US, has acquired the project from the previous builder.

AI Data Center Planned In Downtown Oakland, Backlash Sure to Follow

Business & Tech

AI Data Center Planned In Downtown Oakland, Backlash Sure to Follow

An East Bay developer announced plans to build a 20,000-square-foot data center in downtown Oakland, which would support AI and robotics research at a much larger “innovation campus” a block away.

Business & Tech

Mark Zuckerberg Pens Arguably Out of Touch and Self-Serving Manifesto About the Future of AI

Mark Zuckerberg, who's apparently freshly back from a yacht spin along the Alaska coast, has penned a 6,500-word essay on "the path to a positive AI future" which seems, at base, like an arguent for why Meta's AI platforms will be better for humanity than OpenAI's or Anthropic's.

Ex-Google Employee Gets Flooded With Submissions For ‘ChatTJB’ Bot Powered By Just Him

Business & Tech

Ex-Google Employee Gets Flooded With Submissions For ‘ChatTJB’ Bot Powered By Just Him

After launching a billboard in SoMa last month, Tucker Bryant, creator and sole operator of the site ChatTJB, which is powered by the “average individual,” began receiving thousands of requests from users seeking advice and volunteers eager to become human “AIs.”

Zuckerberg Yacht Reportedly Ignored Call For Help From Smaller Boat Off Alaskan Coast

Zuckerberg Yacht Reportedly Ignored Call For Help From Smaller Boat Off Alaskan Coast

Well, now we know how Mark Zuckerberg was spending his August vacation, aboard his yacht off the coast of Alaska. And apparently his vessel refused to respond to a call for assistance from a disabled skiff that had run out of fuel last week.

Local Billionaire Michael Moritz Launches $150 Million Challenge to Improve San Francisco

Business & Tech

Local Billionaire Michael Moritz Launches $150 Million Challenge to Improve San Francisco

Billionaire philanthropist and political activist Michael Moritz is offering up to three organizations from anywhere in the world as much as $50 million each for their winning ideas on improving life for San Francisco residents.

Meta Ordered to Pay $567M, Implement Safeguards as Part of New Mexico Child Mental Health Trial

Business & Tech

Meta Ordered to Pay $567M, Implement Safeguards as Part of New Mexico Child Mental Health Trial

In the second phase of a pivotal trial in New Mexico, a judge ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million, most of which will go toward mental health services for youth, and the company must incorporate numerous new safeguards.

FTC, California Sue SF-Based Hims & Hers For False Advertising, Sharing Private Health Data

Business & Tech

FTC, California Sue SF-Based Hims & Hers For False Advertising, Sharing Private Health Data

SF-based telehealth company Hims & Hers is being sued by the FTC and the states of California and Utah over alleged predatory business practices, including sharing private health data with advertisers and misleading customers over charges and services.

Business & Tech

SF AI Founder Says He ‘Messed Up’ After Persuading Job Seekers to Get Tattoo of Company Logo

A local tech CEO who offered “instant interviews” to anyone who got a permanent tattoo of the company logo was quickly met with backlash, leading the founder to acknowledge that the seven people who took him up on it would’ve gotten interviews either way.

SF Robotics Startup Run By Ex-Cruise CEO Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Alleging Unpaid Wages

Business & Tech

SF Robotics Startup Run By Ex-Cruise CEO Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Alleging Unpaid Wages

Following an earlier lawsuit over a damaged Airbnb rental, former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt's startup Botco is now facing a class-action lawsuit from former contract workers who allege unpaid overtime and termination pay.

Waymos Set to Return to SF Freeways Following Mishaps, Recall

Business & Tech

Waymos Set to Return to SF Freeways Following Mishaps, Recall

Waymo robotaxis are going to be popping back onto Bay Area freeways in the coming days, following a voluntary six-week recall in which the company's software was updated to better handle emergency road closures and construction.

Apple Launches Leasing Program For iPhones, Macs Weeks After Price Hike

Business & Tech

Apple Launches Leasing Program For iPhones, Macs Weeks After Price Hike

Following a notable price hike and ahead of the rumored debut of Apple’s new foldable iPhone, which is believed to cost around $2,000, the company has launched a new leasing program for many of its high-end devices.

East Coast Bloggers Awarded $56 Million In Cyberstalking, Harassment Case Against eBay

Business & Tech

East Coast Bloggers Awarded $56 Million In Cyberstalking, Harassment Case Against eBay

A Massachusetts couple who publish a tech newsletter have been awarded $56 million in a settlement with eBay and three former executives over an alleged cyberstalking and harassment campaign sparked by their coverage of the company.

President of South Korea Hosts AI Summit In SF, Makes $500 Billion Deal with Nvidia

Business & Tech

President of South Korea Hosts AI Summit In SF, Makes $500 Billion Deal with Nvidia

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosted an AI summit in San Francisco over the weekend, bringing together local tech leaders and South Korea's top business executives before announcing a $500 billion partnership with Nvidia to build AI data centers in South Korea.