Lyft vs Uber Debate is More Than Business Politics

Personal politics and business deals aren’t the only issues on the line anymore when it comes to the fabled fight between Uber and Lyft, the two biggest ride-sharing apps in the US (among other countries worldwide). Bay Area app developers have been following the conflict for years, but the issue just took a sharp turn […]
Obama to Pardon Manning but not Snowden in Final Hour

App developers across the country have been watching whistleblower cases with particular interest after Edward Snowden’s world-changing disclosure on the true scope of the NSA’s surveillance power. The tech community has overwhelmingly been in favor of a softer approach to Snowden and whistleblowers in general, circulating petitions for years to help pressure the Obama administration […]
London Startups Show the Bright Side of Mobile AI Technology

London has a problem. It’s a problem that is probably familiar to anybody who’s rented an apartment in a major city: rising rents, obscure housing laws, and difficult landlord-tenant relations. London app developers at RentersUnion might have a solution to this problem. And that solution comes in the for of a small, inconspicuous chatbot, with […]
Developers Look Back at 10 Years of iPhone Fever

The iPhone, arguably the most iconic product of the century (so far), had it’s 10th birthday this week. For iPhone app developers, it’s hard to believe it’s been a full decade since that first announcement — you know, the one with Steve Jobs pacing the stage in his trademark black turtleneck, pitching the smartphone concept […]
Apple Moving Select Manufacturing Back to the US

According to a Notification of Proposed Production Activity submitted by Apple in recent weeks, the tech giant will be expanding an existing production center in Mesa, Arizona to increase domestic hardware activity. Does this mean your next iPhone will come with a “made in America” stamp? Almost certainly not. It does, however, point to the […]
Could Tech Automation Disrupt 50% of the Job Market?

50% of jobs, wiped out in twenty years. That’s the figure that pundits have been pushing lately — and while it’s largely based on speculation, the fact is that we’re already losing jobs to automation. Quickly. While it’s often presented as a negative thing or a sign of American failures, let’s be honest: if tech […]
2017’s Unicorn Startups Could Be in “Brick-and-mortar” business

“Brick and mortar” or employee-reliant tech companies often face an uphill battle in Silicon Valley. The costs are high. Investors are suspicious. But if Amazon’s strategy has anything to teach us, it’s that so-called “traditional” businesses could be some of the hottest tickets for new entrepreneurs in an increasingly crowded, competitive app store. Does that […]
App Development and Ethics at the Crossroads Post-Election

In the past five years, the effects of the app economy on the social and financial structure of America has grown far beyond what anyone expected. The Ubers and AirBnBs of the app store have revolutionized how we rent, buy, and even think about property. Social networks like Facebook have connected us in ways we […]
Ringing in the New Year with the Promise of Mobile Tech IPOs

Expectations were low for tech IPOs in 2016 — driven in large part by the slow plateau and declining userbases of former stars like Twitter and GoPro. While the tech sector as a whole continued to thrive, public companies floundered, driving a general suspicious outlook on publicly traded mobile app companies on Wall Street. But […]
Trump Tech Summit to Include Apple, Facebook, and Amazon

It’s no secret that relations between Trump and the tech industry are, well, “strained.” The media mogul and now president elect has blasted the tech world repeatedly throughout his campaign, ironically using Twitter for many of his most serious allegations. Those allegations have included accusing Sandberg of being too concerned with her ego, pushing a […]